Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Melody Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 20, 2020

Waris Hussein's "Melody" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include production stills and new interviews with director Waris Hussein, writer Alan Parker, producer David Puttnam, and star Mark Lester. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Let it rain

Waris Hussein’s Melody is the British answer to Roy Anderson’s A Swedish Love Story. Of course, there isn’t a legit connection between the two, but Waris’ film oozes the exact same sincerity that makes Anderson’s film so special. It can force the mind to recover childhood memories that have been buried in its most distant corners.

The entire film is set in South London where schoolboys Daniel (Mark Lester) and Ornshaw (Jack Wild) discover each other and quickly become good friends despite the fact that they come from very different families. They do recognize most of the class barriers that separate them, but they don’t have the time to question why they exist. They just do what other boys their age do -- have fun, get in trouble, and then have more fun.

But when Daniel meets Melody (Tracy Hyde) and they begin spending time together, the bond between the two boys begins to suffer. Sensing that his best friend could permanently drift away from him Ornshaw goes to work to change his mind about Melody, but his strategy brings the two even closer and soon after they declare their intent to get married. The news immediately spreads across their school and when it reaches the adults there all hell breaks loose. In the ensuing chaos the ‘rational’ adults launch a fierce offensive to educate the ‘irrational’ youngsters about true love and the consequences of marriage, but much to their dismay face an organized resistance that exposes the flaws of their arguments.

Waris worked with a simple yet beautiful script from Alan Parker -- watch the exclusive new interview with Parker in which he explains in great detail how the script effectively launched his career in the film business and discusses the impact it had on his decision to try his luck as a director as well -- but the truth is that this film works really, really well because of the special chemistry between the youngsters. Indeed, the love story that is at the heart of the film is so typical that it is up to the youngsters to make it poignant and relatable -- and they absolutely do. Exactly like in Anderson’s film, the camera remains a casual observer and allows the romance to flourish uninterrupted, leaving the impression that it is entirely spontaneous. It is simply beautiful to watch.

The adult actors are not as good, though there is nothing particularly disappointing about their performances. It is just easy to tell that from time to time they try to sell emotions that aren’t real. It is usually during comic situations where the film changes its tone and intensity.

The original soundtrack utilizes classic tracks by The Bee Gees. According to producer David Puttnam, the rights to the tracks were secured well in advance and some interesting decisions were made to get certain footage to work for the music. (Obviously, this is the exact opposite route for original soundtracks/scores).

Hussein worked with cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, who later on lensed some of David Cronenberg’s biggest films, including Naked Lunch, Crash, Dead Ringers, and A History of Violence

*StudioCanal’s release of Melody is sourced from a restored master that was prepared exclusively for the studio’s Vintage Classics Collection series.

Melody 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, Melody arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from a restored master that was prepared exclusively for the studio's Vintage Classics Collection series. It is a beautiful restoration, but I think that either when the master was finalized or when the encode for the Blu-ray release was prepared the gamma levels were registered with incorrect values. As a result, the balance between the black and gray levels is off. If you view your films using PS3 a fairly good adjustment is easy to get on the fly, but I am a bit surprised that no one was able to spot the issue while the release was going through quality control. Anyhow, the rest looks great. Density level are as good as I expected them to be, clarity is pleasing, and the entire film looks very healthy. Image stability is outstanding as well. So, despite the gamma issue that is highlighted above, I think that this release is still very much worth picking up. I assure you that the film will look good on your system. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

Melody 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 quality of the lossless track is excellent. So, viewing the film is quite an experience because the classic tracks by The Bee Gees add quite a bit of flavor. The dialog is exceptionally clean, clear, and easy to follow. There are no balance issues to report.

Melody Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• David Puttnam - in this new video interview, producer David Puttnam recalls how Melody came to exist and discusses the film's cult following. Also, there are some particularly interesting comments about the original tracks by The Bee Gees that are used in the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for StudioCanal. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Alan Parker - in this new video interview, writer Alan Parker (Angel Heart) recalls how he was given the opportunity to write the original story for Melody and how the film launched his career. Mr. Parker also addresses the film's popularity overseas (Japan). The interview was conducted exclusively for StudioCanal. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Mark Lester - in this new video interview, Mark Lester discusses his contribution to Melody and some of the similarities between him (as a young boy) and the character he played in the film. Also, there are some good observations about Waris Hussein's working methods. The interview was conducted exclusively for StudioCanal. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Waris Hussein - in this new video interview, director Waris Hussein discusses in great detail the production of Melody as well as the evolution of his career. The interview was conducted exclusively for StudioCanal. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Stills - a collection of production stills.

Melody Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't want to downplay the good work that Waris Hussein and Alan Parker did to make Melody a reality, but without the incredible chemistry between its young actors I think that the film would not have been as special as it is. There is purity in it that cannot be scripted or directed -- at best, it can only be preserved. I had not seen Melody before and was really moved by it, so I am very happy to have it on Blu-ray. The film was restored on behalf of StudioCanal, but I think that the technical presentation should have been more convincing. Regardless, don't ignore this release. The film still looks good in high-definition, and if you do not have the release yet, it is probably one of the best 'blind buys' you can make this year. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.