Deep End Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Deep End Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 22, 2011

Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Jerzy Skolimowski's "Deep End" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a restored trailer for the film; short featurette about a selection of scenes that were deleted from the final version of the film; Francine Winham's short film "Careless Love" (1976); original featurette by Etienne Daho; and making of featurette. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Mike and Susan

Fifteen-year-old Mike (John Moulder-Brown, Luchino Visconti's Ludwig) takes a job as an attendant in a public bathhouse somewhere in London. It is a boring job that does not pay much, but he is happy to have it.

The slightly older and beautiful Susan (Jane Asher, Alfie) also works in the bathhouse. Her job description is the same as Mike’s, but in addition to giving the customers their favorite bottle of shampoo and cleaning up after they leave, she does a bit of extra work on the side. Most of her customers are married older men with special needs who tip well.

While giving Mike a tour of the house, Susan quietly explains that there are plenty of older women who would be happy to leave him a good tip as well. All he has to do to earn it is be nice to them, and let them imagine things.

By the end of the tour, Mike falls hard for Susan – and she can tell. Feeling strangely empowered, in the following days she begins playing with his emotions, not realizing how brittle his psyche is. Eventually, Susan also breaks Mike’s heart after she reveals to him that she has a fiancée.

Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Deep End may well be amongst the most honest coming-of-age films ever made. It gets everything right – from the excitement and euphoria to the inevitable disappointment which young boys and girls experience when they first fall in love.

The film is an emotional rollercoaster of events that are completely free of political correctness. After Mike befriends Susan he is essentially taught how the real world functions, and how everything and everyone has a price, including him. It is a painful but eye-opening lesson.

The film is also free of superficial drama. For example, Mike’s temporary triumphs always lead to inevitable and believable failures that are not overdramatized for greater effect. They are simply filmed as they would occur in real life, where young boys become men by learning from their mistakes.

The ever-evolving relationship between Mike and Susan is also effectively used to deliver a very impressive, very convincing portrait of Britain in an era of important socio-political and cultural changes. This is rather surprising considering that the majority of the film was shot by a Polish director who spoke little English, in Germany.

The cast is exceptional. Moulder-Brown is phenomenal as the naïve, insecure, and madly in love young boy who becomes obsessed with a girl he cannot possibly have. Asher is also very impressive. There are a number of scenes in the film where she literally becomes Susan - cocky, manipulative, forceful, fully aware of her sexuality, but still so incredibly vulnerable and brittle. The sultry Diana Dors is also impressive as the needy cougar.

Cinematographer Charly Steinberger’s (Fire, Ice & Dynamite) inventive lensing picks out lush and thick colors that enhance the film’s terrific atmosphere and make selected sequences impossible to forget (the pool sequence at the end of the film). The film also boasts a strong soundtrack, featuring tracks by Cat Stevens and German progressive rock band Can.

Note: In 1970, Deep End premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Two years later, the film was nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Jane Asher).

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original apsect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films.

Th high-definition transfer appears to have been sourced from the same Bavaria Media restoration which the BFI used for their Blu-ray release of Deep End. Naturally, the presentation is very convincing. Detail is excellent, clarity very pleasing, and contrast levels stable. Some degraining has been performed but during the restoration of the film, not by Carlotta Films. I assume that at least some of the corrections were done to improve stability as occasionally the grain has a tendency to get overexposed depending on how light is captured by the camera. Nevertheless, the film has a wonderful, very pleasing organic look. Lastly, there are no traces of overzealous sharpening. The high-definition transfer is also free of scratches, flecks, and damage marks. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0 and French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report with the English LPCM 1.0 track. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. The dynamic amplitude is quite limited, but I have no reason to believe that it is in any way compromised. On the contrary, I believe that it replicates the film's original dynamic structure.

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bande-annonce 2011 - the restored 2011 trailer for Deep Love. In English, with optional French subtitles.(2 min, 1080p).

• Point de depart - on the BFI's Collector's Edition Blu-ray release of Deep End this wonderful featurette appears as "Starting Out". In it director Jerzy Skolimowski, Jane Asher, John Moulder-Brown, and various crew members recall how Deep End came to exist. In English, with optional French subtitles. (77 min, 1080/50i).

• "Deep End": souvenirs des scenes coupees - a short featurette about a set of scenes that were deleted from the final version of Deep End. In English, with optional French subtitles. (13 min, 1080/50i).

• "Deep End", ces't moi! - an Allerton Films original featurette by Etienne Daho. In French, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080/50i).

• Careless Love (1976) - a short film about a doomed relationship directed by Francine Winham, starring Jane Asher and Richard Heffer. The film was remastered in High Definition from the Francine Winham's 16mm print. In English, with optional French subtitles. (11 min, 1080p).

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End is guaranteed to appear in my Top 10 list at the end of the year. It is a wonderful, very atmospheric film that has been beautifully restored by Bavaria Media at CinePostproduction. This French Blu-ray release, courtesy of Carlotta Films, is an excellent alternative for French speakers. It looks as impressive as the BFI Collector's Edition and has all of the important supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.