Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Distant Voices, Still Lives Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 1, 2019

Here are a few words of wisdom for any Dads out there who may be reading this: be nice to your kids — they could grow up to be filmmakers. Filmmakers with a long memory and some might think even a grudge (perhaps deserved, some others would no doubt argue). While he seems positively comically inclined toward his history at times in both his commentary and some other supplements included on this Blu-ray as bonus features, writer-director Terence Davies’ Distant Voices, Still Lives is an often harrowing portrait of a family under the sway of a marauding tyrant named Tommy Davies (Pete Postlethwaithe), a glowering, almost feral, menace who beats his wife and children and whom Davies states quite overtly was based on his own father. Almost a portmanteau of sorts (the film is actually comprised of two parts, Distant Voices and Still Lives, filmed two years apart), this wending tale ping pongs across eras to depict fractured emotions that run the spectrum from anger to fear to abject sadness to, ultimately, maybe just the hint of some real joy in two generations (plus) of the Davies family.

One of the really fascinating things about Distant Voices, Still Lives is how visceral it is even though it deals with what might be thought of memories refracted through other memories (both contextually within the film, which features flashbacks within flashbacks, and also from a “meta” standpoint in terms of Davies depicting his own family history). While almost deliberately disjunctive in terms of offering a traditional chronological narrative, Davies’ structure here actually reflects an organic truth of its own — the way memory can waft from idea to idea with very real if evanescent links. As such, Distant Voices, Still Lives tends to play out as a series of vignettes, though there is definitely a very palpable sense of emotional repression that tends to create a foundational underpinning for many if not most of the events depicted within individual scenes.

Ironically, given how his presence hovers over much of the film, even the second part which ostensibly concerns events not surrounding him, the Davies paterfamilias’ death is actually a central part of the first section of Distant Voices, Still Lives. The film kind of ambles between various sets of memories other Davies family members have of Tommy, and it soon becomes evident what a hulking brute he was. Kind of interestingly, Terence Davies in his commentary almost discounts one of the scenes where Tommy is shown to be reasonably nurturing, albeit after his kids are asleep. There is some really disturbing content here, at least emotionally, with the film suggesting violence just beyond the frame some of the time, rather than depicting it outright. That said, after effects of some of the violence are clearly visible, and the pure force of Postlethwaite's performance lends a sense of terror to things generally in any case.

The second part of the film finds the Davies clan shorn at least somewhat of the tempestuous emotional climate fostered by Tommy, and an already evident emphasis on music becomes even more utilized here, with some scenes playing almost like a musical. There are really interesting transitions that have occurred, including an at least relatively less troubled Mrs. Davies (Freda Dowie), who, if not blossoming, is at least not quivering in shell shocked fear. There’s a surprisingly joyful aspect to the latter part of Distant Voices, Still Lives, though it’s a joy laced with an undeniably bittersweet echo of prior traumas and tribulations.

Distant Voices, Still Lives Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Distant Voices, Still Lives is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

Distant Voices, Still Lives has been restored in 4K resolution by the BFI under the supervision and approval of director Terence Davies. The original 35mm negative was scanned by the BFI National Archive and restored by Pinewood Studios. An original 35mm print was used as a reference to re-create digitally the bleach bypass which would have been originally undertaken photochemically. The audio has been remastered using the original stereo magnetic tracks.

For those unfamiliar with bleach bypass, there's some information here, but the bottom line is the technique tends to affect a lot of areas which are traditionally covered in reviews, including palette, saturation, contrast and grain structure, all of which can frankly look "off", relatively speaking, at least when compared to elements which are not treated (or untreated, as the case may be) this way. As Davies gets into in his commentary, he deliberately skewed scenes toward browns and beiges, and as such there's often a near "sepia-esque" or even kind of peach colored tinge to many of the scenes, especially in the first part of the film. The palette may also therefore not look "natural", and can often look fairly desaturated. Grain can also appear elevated, and often takes on a rather chunky, yellowish appearance. Detail and especially fine detail levels do tend to be affected by some of the foregoing, though that said, in less aggressively graded moments and in brighter lighting conditions, fine detail is quite striking on things like the fabrics on clothes or even the ornate wallpaper in the background of several scenes. There are some fairly wide variances in clarity and grain resolution, leading to a somewhat heterogeneous appearance. Black levels are generally good but can be just a tad milky in some dimly lit interior scenes.

Distant Voices, Still Lives Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While not quite at the level of, say, Pennies from Heaven or The Singing Detective, the deliberate and repeated use of source cues, not to mention characters actually breaking out into song, lends Distant Voices, Still Lives' LPCM 2.0 track good opportunities for full bodied audio. That said, a good deal of the film plays out in relatively less ambitious dialogue scenes, where occasional ambient environmental noise (and background clatter, as in some pub sequences) can enter the fray, but where there's not a ton of activity. Fidelity is fine throughout, and there are no problems with distortion, dropouts or damage.

Distant Voices, Still Lives Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Q & A with Terence Davies (1080p; 32:14) is moderated by Geoff Andrew and stems from a screening at BFI Southbank.


• Interview with Terence Davies (1080i; 20:22) also features Geoff Andrew, but is from 2007.


• Interview with Miki Van Zwanenberg (1080i; 6:31) is a 2007 interview with the film's art director.


• Introduction by Mark Kermode (1080p; 2:34)


• Image Gallery (1080p; 5:52) is kind of interesting to see since it features "natural" colors rather than the bleach bypass process look of much of the actual film.


• Images of Liverpool: Archive Films presents a trio of vintage featurettes:

  Homes for Workers (1080p; 10:48) is a 1939 documentary detailing a kind of urban renewal project.

  
  

  Liverpool 1941 (1080p; 39:53) shows some of the horrifying effects of the German bombing campaign on the region.

  
  

  Worker and War Front No. 3 (1080p; 11:07) is one of a series of unabashedly propagandist morale boosting efforts put out by the British Ministry of Information, this one from 1942 showing the heroic efforts of dockworkers to overcome the German blockade.

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:58)


• Re-Release Trailer (1080p; 1:37)


• Commentary by Terence Davies

As usual with Arrow releases, there's also a nicely appointed insert booklet.

Distant Voices, Still Lives Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Distant Voices, Still Lives is a very unique and personal film from Terence Davies, and one can feel him aiming for his own kind of self delivered catharsis. What's so commendable about this troubling but moving film is how it provides an equal catharsis for the viewer. Arrow has assembled a worthwhile package featuring solid technical merits and interesting supplements. Highly recommended.