Gregory's Girl Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Gregory's Girl Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 28, 2014

Winner of BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay, Bill Forsyth's "Gregory's Girl" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Second Sight Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with the Scottish director and film critic Mark Kermode; video interview with Bill Forsyth; and video interview with actress Clare Grogan. Also included on the disc is an alternative U.S. audio soundtrack. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

But will she love me?

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bill Forsyth's Gregory's Girl arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Second Sight Films.

The release uses as a foundation a restoration of the film completed at Pinewood which is quite good. Generally speaking, definition and clarity are pleasing throughout the entire film. When there is plenty of natural light close-ups can look quite beautiful, while larger panoramic shots boast pleasing fluidity (see screencaptures #4 and 14). There are traces of careful extremely light noise corrections, but the film has a stable organic look. Colors are also stable and natural, but color saturation can be improved. There are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. Image stability is excellent. It is also very easy to see that during the restoration large damage marks, debris, cuts, stains, and scratches were carefully removed without affecting the integrity of the film. All in all, even though Gregory's Girl can unquestionably look better, this is a good organic technical presentation that should please fans of the film. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Gregory's Girl Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Original English LPCM 2.0 track and U.S. remixed soundtrack LPCM 2.0. (The latter can be accessed via the Special Features section of the disc). For the record, Second Sight Films have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The original lossless track is excellent. It has plenty of depth, clarity is very pleasing, and the music is well balanced with the dialog. Overall dynamic intensity is limited, but such is the film's original sound design. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow. Additionally, there are no pops, cracks, problematic background hiss, or distortions to report in this review.

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

• Commentary - 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.

• Bill Forsyth: The Early Years - in this 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 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).

• U.S. Remixed Soundtrack - presented as LPCM 2.0. track.

Gregory's Girl 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. British distributors Second Sigh Films' presentation of the film is quite good. The Region-Free Blu-ray also comes with some very informative supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.