Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Her Private Hell Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 22, 2012

Norman J. Warren's "Her Private Hell" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer; screen tests; alternate sequences; cast and crew interviews; director Norman J. Warren's short films "Incident" (1959) and "Fragment" (1966); and David Cohen's documentary film "The Anatomy of a Pin-up" (1971). The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring various essays and cast and technical information. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Looks good

The film opens up with the arrival of Marisa, (Lucia Modugno, Il Generale Della Rovere, Navajo Joe), a young Italian girl, who has come to London to audition for a modeling agency looking for new faces. At the airport, she is greeted by another model and then quickly taken to a studio.

Neville (Robert Crewdson, Highway to Battle), the agency’s top man, introduces Marisa to the two men who will be working with her - Matt (Daniel Oliver), a young and handsome photographer who likes to wear tight pants, and Bernie (Terence Skelton, Victor/Victoria), his slightly older partner who rarely smiles. Marisa is also greeted by Margaret (Pearl Catlin, TV's The Avengers), Neville’s assistant.

After the introduction, Marisa is asked to put on a nice white dress and pose. Bernie takes a few pictures of her. Then someone calls and Neville announces that he must attend a different shoot, together with Matt and Margaret. Before they leave, Marisa is asked to strip naked.

After the shoot, Marisa begins discussing her contract with Margaret. The agency wants to have her live in Bernie’s flat – to protect her from other photographers – but she is unsure. Eventually, Margaret, who insists that they can’t afford to have her nude pictures pop up all over England, convinces her to sign the contract and they shake hands.

Bernie’s flat turns out to be a large mansion far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. In fact, the place looks like a pimp’s lair – it has large beds, furs, mirrors, and a giant remote control that could do all sorts of interesting things.

After she takes a quick nap, Marisa begins exploring the place. She 'discovers' two other models, one of whom tells her that she was the first to move in and work with Barnie. Shortly after, Matt appears and tries to convince Marisa to leave because in a place like this she could only get hurt. But Marisa can’t bring herself to quit because she wants to be the successful model Margaret and Bernie have told her she could be.

Norman J. Warren’s Her Private Hell is a low-budget genre film which is likely to appeal primarily to viewers interested in the history of exploitation cinema in the United Kingdom. It is rather charming and occasionally entertaining but for the most part disappointingly predictable.

Her Private Hell was released a few months after another similarly themed film, Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up, but there is a sea of difference between the two. While the latter is dark and atmospheric, even today looking notably stylish, the former looks mostly rough and disappointingly raw (but not raw enough to impress hardcore exploitation film fans). However, Her Private Hell does have a nice soundtrack, courtesy of John Scott (Richard Donner’s Lola, Don Taylor’s The Final Countdown), which one could argue comes rather close to matching the quality of the soundtrack Herbie Hancock did for Blow-Up.

The cast is decent. Most of the time Modugno appears appropriately naïve, while Skelton plays the dirty photographer quite well. Oliver is handsome but a bit stiff, while Crewdson occasionally tries too hard to be the cold British businessman. Despite the fact that Catlin gets a limited amount of time in front of the camera, her performance is the most satisfying one.

All of the women, including the secondary characters, have outstanding hairstyles.

Her Private Hell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Norman J. Warren's Her Private Hell arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"Her Private Hell appears in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with mono 2.0 audio from a rare original 35mm print held by the BFI National Archive. The picture and audio were transferred to High Definition under the supervision of director Norman J. Warren. Due the to the age and condition of the print, there are instances of missing frames, resulting in lost picture and sound. In order to create the most complete presentation of the film it has been necessary to rely on Standard Definition video materials, provided to us by US distributors Something Weird, to fill a handful of small gaps. We sincerely hope that these issues do not spoil your enjoyment of this rare and historically significant film.

Technical producer: Douglas Weir, BFI.
Telecine operator: Gerry Gedge, Prime Focus, London."

Excluding the various scratches, small marks, and flecks that are visible throughout the entire film, as well as the occasional frame skips, the presentation is very good. Close-ups convey surprisingly good depth and clarity, while the larger panoramic scenes boast pleasing fluidity. A couple of the outdoor shoots, in particular, look excellent (see screencapture #2). Contrast levels are also stable. Color gradation does not disappoint either (the only fluctuations that could be seen are in the extremely short Standard Definition bits). The best news, however, is that no attempts have been made to degrain or sharpen the high-definition transfer in order to make the film look smoother and crisper. Unsurprisingly, when projected the film conveys solid organic qualities. Lastly, as noted earlier, there are some minor transition/stability issues, but considering the limitations of the elements the producers of this release had to work with, the final result is indeed very pleasing. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. 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).

Her Private Hell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, the BFI have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

I don't have any major reservations with the loseless track. The dialog is crisp, stable, and easy to follow. There are no distortions, excessive hiss, serious sync issues (even though Daniel Oliver's lines have been overdubbed), or audio dropouts to report in this review. Also, John Scott's soundtrack has been given plenty of room to breathe and there are no serious balance issues.

Her Private Hell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features in this Blu-ray disc are perfectly playable on North American players, including the PS3.

• Trailer - original trailer for Her Private Hell. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Alternative U.S. Sequences - when Her Private Hell was released in the U.S., a six-minute sequence (at about 13 minutes into the film) was removed. This included the scene in which Marisa and Margaret discuss her contract in the office as well as a scene in which Marisa first arrives at the house and looks round Bernie's flat. Two instances of topless nudity, which do not appear in the UK release version due to censorship by the BBFC, were retained. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Screen Tests - without audio. (4 min, 1080p).

• Inside Her Private Hell (2011) - a collection of very informative interviews with writer Glynn Christian, actors Jeannette Wild, Pearl Catlin, and director Norman J. Warren. The interviewees recall how the film came to exist, their contribution to it, how and why it was censored, the social climate at the time the film was completed, etc. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Incident (1959) - director Norman J. Warren's first film is about a young couple who meet at a fairground. Music only. (14 min, 1080p).

• Fragment (1966) - a short film, directed by Norman J. Warren, about a heartbroken young woman. Music only. (14 min, 1080p).

• The Anatomy of a Pin-up (1971) - a cracking documentary film about nude modeling in Britain. Directed by David Cohen. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring Josephine Botting's essay "Her Private Hell"; David McGillivray's "Her Private Hell in context"; Adrian Smith's "The censorship of Her Private Hell"; "Lucia Modugno: making Her Private Hell"; and cast and technical information.

Her Private Hell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Norman J. Warren's Her Private Hell is a rare low-budget film which should appeal primarily to viewers interested in the history of exploitation cinema in the United Kingdom. I personally enjoyed David Cohen's documentary The Anatomy of a Pin-up, which is included in the supplemental features section of this release, a lot more. It is quite funny and at the same time very informative. RECOMMENDED.