Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Meantime Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 27, 2017

Mike Leigh's "Meantime" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a new filmed conversation between musician Jarvis Cocker and Mike Leigh; new video interview with actor Marion Bailey; and archival interview with actor Tim Roth. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film scholar Sean O'Sullivan and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The punching bag

It very quickly becomes clear that the family of four has given up hope of ever getting out of their cage. They are at the very bottom of the social ladder but with their monthly government allowance they have enough to put food on the table and they no longer care. There was probably a time when they weren’t happy with their fate, but all four members seem to have forgotten about it. Now they are a lot like lab rats that are being kept on life support because some lazy technician hasn’t decided yet that it is time to dump them -- and they have come to terms with their misery.

The film spends more time with the two brothers than with their parents. The elder one, Mark (Phil Daniels), has understood his role and tried to alter it, but like everyone else in the neighborhood he has failed to figure out how. There is a lot of anger in him now, but he has learned to manage it -- either by getting smashed at the local pub or simply quickly unloading it in front of his parents. The younger one, Colin (Tim Roth), is a quiet loner who has literally stopped caring about the passage of time. He is also a bit slow in the head which is why he has emerged as everyone’s favorite punching bag. When people treat him like one he usually stares at them and calmly absorbs their negative energy until they feel better and walk away.

There are more rats all around the neighborhood. Coxy (Gary Oldman), the local skinhead, can frequently be seen sitting close to the garbage bins and getting drunk with cheap beer. Occasionally he would try to create a bit of noise, but usually no one takes him seriously and he goes right back to his favorite spot. Hayley (Tilly Vosburgh), who sporadically dares to dream of a better life and suspects that Colin likes her, can also be seen hanging at the local pub, though all of her attempts to be sociable have backfired and now she can’t decide if it is her or everyone else that is misinterpreting the meaning and value of friendship. The largest rat gathering, however, is always at the local employment office where from time to time lousy temp jobs are being offered like bingo prizes.

Meantime is like a brutal memorial service for an entire class of people that society has politely but very effectively discarded. There is quite a bit of dark humor in it -- of the type that really defines Mike Leigh’s very best work -- but once you get to know its characters the film becomes almost unbearably depressing.

Leigh’s main message is that the bottom has started to fall off and instead of trying to fix it the powerful have chosen to band-aid it with social policies that have actually sped up and expanded the disastrous process. The emphasis that is placed on Colin’s relationship with Coxy highlights just one of many dangerous complications that seem inevitable. (Actually, it is precisely this type of socially manufactured poverty that has been directly responsible for the rise of all sorts of different hate groups, and not only in the United Kingdom). Then there is the backlash effect -- if the government would not actively encourage and assist people like the ones seen in the film improve their lives, or for faster results actually get out of the way, why should they cooperate; they would be much better off milking it, and when an opportunity presents itself cheat it as well.

The film feels quite a bit longer than it should be because once it becomes obvious that it seems content to observe the misery of its characters it really begins to drag. Eventually, the repetitive soothing music also creates the very odd impression that it is actually starting to enjoy doing it.

Meantime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mike Leigh's Meantime arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Meantime is presented in the director's preferred aspect ratio of 1.66:1. This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 16mm original camera negative, and color-graded under the supervision of director of photography Roger Pratt and director Mike Leigh. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, and noise management. The monaural soundtrack was remastered from the original 35mm magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisor: Lee Kline, Mike Leigh, Roger Pratt.
Colorist: Steve Bearman/Deluxe, London.
Restoration: Deluxe; Criterion Post, New York."

I don't have an older release of Meantime in my library to perform direct comparisons, but it is painfully obvious that this new 2K remaster is a first-class upgrade. The film looks fresh, healthy, and spotless in high-definition. Obviously, because it was shot on 16mm stock grain appears more pronounced and in certain areas where light is captured by the camera in specific ways there are nuances that can be over/underexposed (see screencaptures #11 and 15). In other words, these are native fluctuations that are part of the original cinematography. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. The color palette favors slightly warmer than usual primaries with an equally supportive nuances, and the overall balance is very convincing. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are absolutely no traces of age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Meantime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent, but it favors the type of organic qualities that keep dynamic intensity at the average to slightly above average levels. The dialog is clean and stable, but I think that quite a few viewers will end up using the optional English SDH subtitles because at times the accents can be quite thick. There are no audio dropouts, pops, hiss, or digital distortions to report.

Meantime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Mike Leigh with Jarvis Cocker - in this new video interview, musician Jarvis Cocker and Mike Leigh discuss the various social and political overtones that are represented in the director's work, the type of statements he was criticized for not channeling through his films, British film culture and the gap that existed between TV films and theatrical films for quite some time, the conception of Meantime and the political climate in the United Kingdom at the time, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (36 min, 1080p).

• Marion Bailey with Amy Raphael - in this new video interview, writer Amy Raphael discusses with actor Marion Bailey the character (Barbara) she played in Mike Leigh's Meantime. There are also some very interesting comments about the director's working methods. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (29 min, 1080p).

• Tim Roth - in this archival interview, actor Tim Roth discusses his contribution to Mike Leigh's Meantime and the impact the film had on his career. The interview was conducted in 2007. In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080i).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film scholar Sean O'Sullivan and technical credits.

Meantime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Poverty breeds all of the social sicknesses that divide people and ultimately collapse communities and states, from crime and violence to extremism and fanatical terrorism. It is really that simple. Mike Leigh's film Meantime is about a group of people residing in a very poor working-class neighborhood that has started evolving into a breeding ground for radical elements and potentially equally dangerous disillusioned victims. It is infused with quite a bit of the director's unique dark humor, but I found it almost unbearably depressing. Criterion have restored the film in 2K under the supervision of Mike Leigh and cinematographer Roger Pratt and the end result is very impressive. RECOMMENDED.