Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

My Brilliant Career Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 10, 2019

Gillian Armstrong's "My Brilliant Career" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental fearless on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival audio commentary with the director; new video interview with production designer Luciana Arrighi; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Carrie Rickey and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Gillian Armstrong’s 1979 film My Brilliant Career is about a young Australian girl who discovers one of the simplest truths in life, which is that freedom has to be earned.

Her name is Sybylla (Judy Davis) and she lives in the countryside where in the early 1900s a lot of things are supposed to occur in a very particular way. Romance, marriage, and motherhood, for instance, have to happen at the right time and in the right way, or there would be trouble. But the ‘right way’ is something that Sybylla isn’t interested in, and when she begins questioning the logic behind it and reveals to her sister (Marion Shad) that she intends to pursue a career in writing, her family becomes concerned. Shortly after, her father’s financial troubles become the perfect pretext for grandmother Bossier (Aileen Broton) to step in and welcome Sybylla at her elegant mansion, where she is expected to become a follower again.

The girl’s unorthodox attitude instantly attracts the attention of the young and single neighbor Harry Beecham (an excellent Sam Neil), and the two begin spending time together. For a while it seems like their relationship is progressing the ‘right way’, but when Sybylla eventually admits to Harry that she would choose a career over marriage they part ways. Eventually, the frustrated grandmother Bossier gives up on her plan to reform Sybylla and she is told that she needs to accept a position as a tutor/housekeeper in the home of an illiterate neighbor because her father has been unable to repay him a large sum of money he borrowed for their family.

The film is broken into three uneven parts and each tests Sybylla’s determination to be an independent woman in a different social setting. The first and last parts are the most convincing ones because the views of the people that oppose Sybylla are defined by old-fashioned clichés about particular roles that a ‘good’ woman is expected to blindly accept. In other words, the contrasts that these parts focus on are crystal clear. (Example: A few of the conservative grandmother’s preachy lines are enough to give any ambitious woman a serious headache for an entire week). The second part, however, is quite odd. When Sybylla and Harry warm up to each other it quickly becomes obvious that the young bachelor is the only one that is actually willing to accept her as she is. So, at least initially it seems like Sybylla would be lucky to have a dream partner and the open path to a career as a writer that she desires. And yet, after some very superficial soul-searching, the girl concludes that she ought to be a rebel the ‘right way’ as well and choose one of the two. Needless to say, very quickly she emerges as a different replica of the inflexible and narrow-minded individuals that she is trying to separate herself from.

In the second half the film further slows down and then even begins to drag. It happens when the camera abruptly abandons the personal drama and shifts its attention to mass scenes and panoramic visuals that basically seek to enhance the period atmosphere. These transitions do not work particularly well because they do not happen organically. Indeed, instead of allowing the film to find its own legit identity, Armstrong basically does her best to make it look like a European period production. (For reference, the main reason why all of Peter Weir’s classic Australian films have such unforgettable atmosphere is precisely because they flourish organically. They don’t seek to imitate or improve an appearance that has worked brilliantly in a different setting).

*Davis received plenty of praise from numerous domestic and international critics, and was even nominated for Best Actress Award at Cannes. Interestingly, there are old reports claiming that she was anything but thrilled with her character.

My Brilliant Career 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, Gillian Armstrong's My Brilliant Career arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

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

"This new digital restoration was undertaken in collaboration with the National Film and Sound Archive in Australia. A new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Northlight film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris. scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm dual magnetic mono track by Spectrum Films in Moore Park, Australia.

Transfer supervisor: Gillian Armstrong, Donald McAlpine, Nicholas Beauman, Margaret Fink.
Project coordinator: Gayle Lake/National Film and Sound Archive, Acton, Australia.
Colorist: Roman Hankewycz/Harbor Picture Company, New York.
Additional color grading: Giles Sherwood/Criterion Post, New York; Vandal, Sydney".

The new presentation makes Blue Underground's old release from 2009 look quite poor. Simply put, the 4K restoration has delivered entirely different depth and ranges of nuances that are missing on the old master. At times the difference is so profound that on the other release portions of the old film look as if they are upscalled. Predictably, fluidity is also vastly superior, so if you are viewing your films on a larger screen or project, expect to see a variety of drastic improvements and in multiple areas. Colors are fresher, lusher, and also with new ranges of supporting nuances. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Lastly, the entire film looks exceptionally healthy as well. (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).

My Brilliant Career 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. Depth, clarity, and dynamic balance are as good as one can expect from a film of this caliber. Also, it is worth pointing out that Blue Underground's release of My Brilliant Career had only a lossy Mono track, so the remastered Mono track actually offers a rather significant upgrade in quality.

My Brilliant Career Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original trailer for My Brilliant Career. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).

• Gillian Armstrong - in this new video interview, director Gillian Armstrong explains how she entered the film business and discusses the production of My Brilliant Career. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Los Angeles in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080p).

• Judy Davis - presented here is a segment from an archival episode of the French television series Cine regards in which actress Judy Davis discusses her acting philosophy. The episode was broadcast on April 10, 1980. In English, with printed French subtitles. (25 min, 1080i).

• Luciana Arrighi - in this new interview, production designer Luciana Arrighi discusses her work with director Gillian Armstrong on My Brilliant Career. The interview was recorded exclusively for Criterion in Los Angeles in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• One Hundred a Day (1973) - Gillian Armstrong directed this short film during her last year as a student at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. It is set during the 1930s and is about a young woman who has had a secret abortion. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary with director Gillian Armstrong also appeared on Blue Underground's release of My Brilliant Career. It has a great deal of factual information about the production of the film.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Carrie Rickey's essay "Unapologetic Woman" and technical credits.

My Brilliant Career Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The rebellion that Gillian Armstrong's film chronicles is very easy to understand. What I am having trouble rationalizing is the logic behind the young woman's decision to reject the marriage proposal of a man that loves her and is willing to support the writing career she dreams of. Why does she have to choose between the two when they are not mutually exclusive? Criterion's release is sourced from an excellent new 4K restoration, so if you own the previous release of the film from Blue Underground most, consider an upgrade. RECOMMENDED.