Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Felicity Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 23, 2016

Australian director John Lamond's "Felicity" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include two documentary films from John Lamond, three audio commentaries, and original trailers. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Just like Emmanuelle

Before receiving Severin’s release of Felicity I had seen only one other film from John Lamond. It is an erotic drama called Breakfast in Paris with the beautiful Barbara Parkins (from Valley of the Dolls). It is a good genre film, but according to my catalog no one bothered to release it on DVD in the U.S. So now that Kino Lorber are bringing to Blu-ray so many films that were last seen on VHS, maybe Breakfast in Paris can also get a much needed upgrade.

Now, back to Felicity. Lamond must have been a big admirer of Emmanuelle because Felicity basically looks and feels like the Australian answer to Just Jaeckin’s classic film. It is about a young girl (Glory Annen) who can’t wait to have her first sexual experience in busy Hong Kong where apparently a lot of other men and women of different ages are living life to the fullest.

It sounds pretty good, but as soon as Felicity unpacks her bags the film basically evolves into one unusually long erotic commercial. This is how it goes: One segment in which Felicity makes love to her newest friend is followed by another longer segment in which she and her friend go out exploring the city. Then there is another segment in which she makes love followed by another segment in which she and her friend go to a nice restaurant or hold hands at the beach. It is pretty much the whole cycle, with a few random exchanges here and there. Some of the footage is lovely, but it never feels like the film is actually trying to tell a story. (And yes, good erotic films usually tell good stories).

I was not at all bothered by Lamond’s obvious desire to imitate what works in Emmanuelle, but the talent here is different and it really shows. Annen and her partners do their best to appear authentic, but it never really looks like they are genuinely interested in each other. This has a very negative impact on the intended atmosphere and after a while the illusion that Hong Kong is an exotic paradise where a young girl can have the adventure of her life is completely destroyed.

I still think that the film is worth seeing. While I quickly lost interest in the ‘plot’, I found a lot of the raw footage from Hong Kong quite fascinating. Lamond and his camera visit the markets by the bays, an area that looks like an old gambling district with some rather sketchy bars and massage parlors, and then some poor neighborhoods where people barely make ends meet. I am pretty sure that nowadays entire areas, as seen in the film, no longer exist.

Felicity was lensed by cinematographer Garry Wapshott, who also assisted Lamond with the making of his documentary films Australia After Dark (1975) and The ABCs of Love And Sex: Australia Style (1978). Both films are offered on this release as bonus features and I found them to be a lot more intriguing than Felicity. Definitely find the time to see them. I also recommend that you listen to the two audio commentaries with Lamond’s that are included with them.

Felicity Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted 1080p transfer, John Lamond's Felicity arrives on Blu-ray courtesy Severin Films.

The master that was used to source this release probably comes from some sort of an old print. I would not be surprised if it is the only decent one in circulation because Felicity is obviously a film that has not really been given a great deal of attention after the DVD boom. Unsurprisingly, the film does look a bit rough in high-definition. There are obvious density fluctuations, clarity isn't optimal, and color balance is quite inconsistent. There are also some tiny stains, scratches, and a few black spots. Overall image stability is decent, but there are some shaky transitions and even a few reel bumps. The good news here is that no one has recently tried to resharpen and/or repolish the film with digital tools. And as I always mention in our reviews, I'd much rather have this type of a rougher, 'vintage' appearance than a heavily processed digital look that would make the entire film impossible to watch. In other words, despite the many obvious limitations on display the current transfer does have some decent organic qualities, and even on fairly large screens it is quite easy to tolerate. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).

Felicity Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is surprisingly strong. In fact, there are some pretty long sections of the film where balance and depth are very good. Elsewhere it is clear that some cleanup and rebalancing work can improve fluidity, but there is absolutely nothing serious that would affect negatively your viewing experience. On the contrary, like me you will likely be pleasantly surprised to hear that overall the audio is in fact quite healthy.

Felicity Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - audio commentary for Felicity with producer/director John Lamond and star Glory Annen.

• The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style (1978) - John Lamond's film is presented here with optional audio commentary by the director and Not Quite Hollywood director Mark Hartley.

• Australia After Dark (1975) - John Lamond's film is presented here with an optional audio commentary by the director and Not Quite Hollywood director Mark Hartley.

• Not Quite Hollywood Outtakes - with Glory Annen, director John Lamond, and cinematographer Garry Wapshott.

• John Lamond Trailer Reel -

Felicity Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are some bits of Felicity that I liked quite a lot, mostly the period footage from Hong Kong, but I think that the film could have been a lot more attractive. However, the two films from John Lamond that are included as bonus features on the Blu-ray are fascinating. There are also three terrific audio commentaries with the Australian director. RECOMMENDED.