Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Gregory's Girl 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 21, 2023

Bill Forsyth's "Gregory's Girl" (1981) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on the release include new Q&A session with actors John Gordon Sinclair, Claire Grogan and Dee Hepburn; video interview with Bill Forsyth; archival audio commentary; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The film follows closely Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair), a tall, skinny and unusually disorganized soccer player who wants to be a drummer more than he wants to be a great striker. Sensing that the teenager isn’t going to win any games for him, his soccer coach brings to the team a pretty girl named Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), who immediately impresses with her dribbling skills. Though he lacks the proper instincts, Gregory is then promptly asked to be a goalie.

Soon after, Gregory falls madly in love with Dorothy. In the dressing room, he talks to her and later on even gathers the courage to ask her out on a date. The pretty girl agrees to go out with him, but never shows up for the date. Enormously disappointed, Gregory quickly concludes that love and romance are hugely overrated. But a surprising encounter changes his mind.

Scottish director Bill Forsyth completed Gregory’s Girl in 1981, two years after his ultra low-budget directorial debut, That Sinking Feeling, which at one point appeared in the Guinness Book of Records as the cheapest theatrically released feature film ever made. Both films are firmly grounded in reality and equally relaxed, but the former is undoubtedly far better polished and a lot easier to like.

There are two simple reasons why Gregory’s Girl works so well. First, Forsyth allows the humor in it to flourish without treating the male characters like perpetually horny idiots. There are a number of sequences where they end up in some rather awkward situations -- the best ones feature two of Gregory’s best buddies, one of whom is determined to get to Caracas because women there apparently outnumber men eight to one -- but there is a certain logic in everything they do. Second, all the young actors look authentically innocent in front of the camera. They blush at the right time, they look slightly uncomfortable when they have to kiss, and they appear genuinely relaxed when they simply have to be themselves.

The direction is equally convincing. The camera freely moves from one location to another, and the close-ups are carefully timed. This gives the film a wonderful fluid rhythm that works very well for its casual atmosphere. Interestingly enough, however, in the audio commentary included on Second Sight’s Blu-ray release, director Forsyth insists that he does not have a specific visual style that affects the energy and rhythm of his films; rather, his camera simply accommodates the action.

Gregory’s Girl was lensed by Oscar nominated cinematographer Michael Coulter, who also assisted Forsyth on That Sinking Feeling and his American films Housekeeping (1987), Breaking In (1989), and Being Human (1994).

In 1999, Forsyth directed Gregory’s Two Girls, a sequel to Gregory’s Girl, again with Sinclair, this time playing a teacher in his 30s fantasizing about a 16-year-old girl, and Carly McKinnon, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Dougray Scott, Hugh McCue, John Murtagh, and Martin Schwab. The sequel, however, is hardly as charming and poignant as the original film.

Gregory's Girl 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, Gregory's Girl arrives on 4K Blu-ray courytesy of the British Film Institute.

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Gregory's Girl made its high-definition debut nearly a decade ago, with this Region-B release from British label Second Sight Films. This release introduces a brand new 4K restoration of the film, which can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed the entire presentation with HDR.

The 4K makeover is very nice. I did several comparisons with the Blu-ray release I have in my library and think that there are noticeable improvements in all major areas we address in our reviews. Delineation and depth, for instance, are improved across all visuals, while clarity usually looks superior during daylight footage. The most significant improvements, however, are in terms of color saturation and balance. I thought that on the previous Blu-ray release color saturation was the most problematic area and the improvements on this release make quite a difference. They are easy to appreciate during daylight and darker footage, too. Because of the crucial improvement, the dynamic range of the visuals a lot better as well, so in some areas the discrepancies in quality between the native 4K presentation and 1080p presentation from the previous release become quite dramatic. Fludity is outstanding. There are no traces of problematic degraining adjustments. The entire film looks exceptionally healthy.

*This release does not have a Blu-ray disc with a 1080p presentation of the new 4K restoration. However, the British Film Institute has a separate Blu-ray release available for purchase, which is listed here.

Gregory's Girl 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (original British audio track) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (U.S. remixed track). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the original audio but could not tell if there is any new remastering work done on it. It sounded great. It seems like in a few areas the exchanges are a tad clearer and easier to follow, but this discrepancy might be from the way the audio is encoded. I thought on the previous release the audio was excellent as well. However, I would have preferred to have larger subtitles. The current subtitles are too small.

Gregory's Girl 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Gregory's Girl Q&A Session - this filmed Q&A session features John Gordon Sinclair, Claire Grogan and Dee Hepburn. The three actors recall their collaboration on Gregory's Girl after a 35th anniversary screening of the film at BFI Southbank. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Bill Forsyth: The Early Years - in this archival video interview, the Scottish director recalls his communication with the BFI prior to the shooting of That Sinking Feeling and explains how the film changed his career after it was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The director also discusses the production history of Gregory's Girl. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Gregory's Girl Memories - in this archival video interview, actress Clare Grogan recalls how she was approached by Bill Forsyth to play Susan in Gregory's Girl, her interactions with John Gordon Sinclair and Dee Hepburn during the shooting of the film, how the film's success changed her life, etc. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• The Strathclyde Tapes: Bill Forsyth - in this archival video interview, Bill Forsyth discusses the evolution of his career and working methods with an audience of teenagers. In English, not subtitled. (39 min).

• Soundtrack Gallery - presented here are takes and unused music from Gregory's Girl, accompanied by a selection of stills from the BFI National Archive. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• U.S. Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Gregory's Girl. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• American Version - the restored Gregory's Girl can be seen here with the alternate U.S. remixed track.

• Commentary One - a lovely audio commentary with Bill Forsyth, and Mark Kermode. The Scottish director explains how the success of his very low-budget debut feature-film That Sinking Feeling provided him with more freedom to experiment in Gregory's Girl, and discusses his interactions with the actors during the shooting of the film, the style (or lack of) of his films, etc.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Robert Buchanan, Douglas Sannachan, and Caroline Guthrie.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet with new essays by Tim Blanchard, David Archibald, and Claire Walker, as well as technical credits.

Gregory's Girl 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scottish director Bill Forsyth's Gregory's Girl may well be one of the purest and most unpretentious films about adolescent love ever made. It is something of a minor classic that still looks and feels remarkably fresh. This recent 4K Blu-ray release introduces a fabulous new 4K restoration of the film. However, it does not have a 1080p copy of the 4K restoration. If you need a standard Blu-ray release, you can grab this release. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.