Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

It Couldn't Happen Here Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 16, 2022

Jack Bond's "It Couldn't Happen Here" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with the director; exclusive new program with choreographer Arlene Phillips; archival film materials; original music video; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Apparently, Jack Bond’s film It Couldn’t Happen Here could have been titled A Hard Day’s Shopping. It is good that this alternative title was junked because any association with Richard Lester’s film A Hard Day's Night undoubtedly would have been damaging. What makes Lester’s film relevant? I am unsure. It is a pseudo-documentary of sorts whose structure, personality, and desire to entertain are drastically different. I think that it is a lot easier to make a case that Cabaret, Tommy, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show share some stylistic similarities with It Couldn’t Happen Here, but I would still be reluctant to argue that they deserve to be grouped with it. The biggest strength of It Couldn’t Happen Here is that it evolved into a pretty spectacular cinematic bubble. What do I mean by this? This film mixes music, video, fashion, and erotica into a ridiculous cocktail exactly as the 1980s did. If you stay with it until its final credits roll, you will understand why this cocktail gave everyone that had a heartbeat a lasting buzz and made the 1980s special. A Hard Day’s Night sneaks you into the wild reality of arguably the greatest band ever but it does not attempt to accurately summarize the decade it emerged from.

It must be acknowledged, however, that It Couldn’t Happen Here was not conceived to be an illuminating film. In fact, it was not even supposed to be a full-length film. A portion of its material was supposed to be used in an elaborate video that would promote Pet Shot Boys’ classic 1987 album Actually. Shortly after Bond began shooting, however, the project ballooned and evolved into something far more ambitious.

A pop musical is probably the most accurate description of It Couldn’t Happen Here. Why? Because even though Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant spend plenty of time before Bond’s camera, the real star is their music. Also, their music is the main ingredient of the ridiculous cocktail I mentioned and it is what keeps It Couldn’t Happen Here coherent. Well, sort of. With their music always present in the background, Lowe and Tennant embark on a journey so surreal that the chronology of its numerous staged acts very quickly becomes irrelevant.

It is pointless trying to deconstruct the scattered ramblings of the exotic characters Lowe and Tennant encounter as well. Maybe some link to the visuals in a meaningful way, but I vehemently refuse to focus on them. I prefer to immerse myself in It Couldn’t Happen Here and just let it play with my mind while it lasts. It is the only proper way to sample the buzz of the 1980s.

At the bottom of this article I had planned to mention my two favorite tracks from the Actually album, which I suspect you would have easily guessed. One of them means a lot to me because it is forever linked to the passing of a dear friend of mine, who was a big fan of Pet Shop Boys and transformed me into one as well. But I changed my mind and instead will mention the two tracks that resonate the most with me now. The first is “King’s Cross”. Its lyrics should have lost their relevance a long time ago, but I find them even more moving now. The second is “I Want to Wake Up”. This track has stayed with me for two long days now and keeps forcing my mind to release memories that have been hidden for years. It is a strange feeling, but hardly a surprising one. Don’t we all want to wake up and discover that the 1980s are still here, that we have just fallen in love with someone truly special again?

*The British Film Institute's Blu-ray release of It Couldn't Happen Here is sourced from an exclusive 4K master that was prepared after the film was fully restored in 4K from the original camera negative. The 4K master was supervised and approved by Bond.

It Couldn't Happen Here 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, It Couldn't Happen Here arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the BFI.

The release is sourced from an outstanding excursive new 4K master. To be honest, the work that was done to give this film a new life and bring it to Blu-ray couldn't have been any more convincing. Delineation, clarity, depth, and fluidity are simply terrific and as a result the entire film, from start to finish, has a rock-solid organic appearance. The party that graded the master did a tremendous job as well. The primaries are incredibly lush but never appear boosted and there are fantastic ranges of supporting nuances. This makes viewing the film an incredible treat because the explosion of colors that happens on the screen is frequently breathtakingly beautiful. Fluidity is really, really good, too, so at the moment I am skeptical that in native 4K the moving visuals could look any better. There are no digital anomalies to report in our review. Very impressive presentation. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

It Couldn't Happen Here Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio was fully remastered as well. Unsurprisingly, it is very healthy and easily impresses even though the film does not have any serious action footage. The music sounds terrific, so viewing the entire film with the volume turned up as much as possible is not only recommended but required. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

It Couldn't Happen Here Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is an original theatrical trailer for It Couldn't Happen Here. Fully remastered. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• As It Happened - presented here are rare materials relating to the making of the film.
  
  1. Second draft screenplay for Actually video. In text format. (1987).
  2. Screenplay for It Couldn't Happen Here. In text format. (1988).
  3. Lyric reference sheets for It Couldn't Happen Here. In text format.
  4. Shot list for It Couldn't Happen Here. In text format.
  5. Image gallery for It Couldn't Happen Here. In text format.

• Always in My Mind - presented here is the original promotional video for Pet Shop Boy's 1987 hit. (6 min).

• It Can Happen Here: Arlene Phillips - in this exclusive new program, choreographer Arlene Phillips discusses the rather unusual progression of her career and her involvement with It Couldn't Happen Here as well as the era in which the film emerged. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• West End Boy: Jack Bond - in this exclusive new program, director Jack Bond discusses his apparently very difficult childhood years, his early work for the BFI (including his first encounter with Bob Dylan and the video the two shot), his big American break (thanks to Andy Warhol), and the making of It Couldn't Happen Here. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Jack Bond, art director James Dillon, and lighting cameraman Simon Archer. The commentary is casual but very technical, meaning that it offers a tremendous amount of information about how and where different parts of It Couldn't Happen Here were shot. I listened to it in its entirety and thought that it was fantastic.

It Couldn't Happen Here Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A long time ago, Pet Shop Boys and their music made it possible for me to discover one of my all-time favorite pop bands, Johnny Hates Jazz. I remain a loyal fan of both and I just can't imagine going through the 1980s without their music. Jack Bond's It Couldn't Happen Here overflows with classic Pet Shop Boys tracks and is something of a cinematic portal to a surreal place where the 1980s never ended. A few nights ago, I sat down to revisit It Couldn't Happen Here and the amount of seemingly forgotten memories my mind instantly released was quite overwhelming. The British Film Institute's Blu-ray release is sourced from a gorgeous 4K master that was supervised and approved by Bond. If you have a Region-B or Region-Free player, get one for your collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.