On the Buses Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

On the Buses Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 7, 2024

Harry Booth's "On the Buses" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actress Andria Lawrence; new program with Hammer Films runners Brian Reynolds and Phil Campbell; new audio commentary by television historian Henry Holland and critic Aaron Brown; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"Is it alright now?" "No, up a bit, darling. Oh, that's lovely, that is."

The classic TV series On the Buses premiered in the United Kingdom in early 1969 and immediately became a huge hit. During the next couple of years, the TV series enjoyed an equally impressive reception in several European countries on both sides of the Iron Curtain and Australia. In 1971, to capitalize on the buzz, Hammer Films hired Harry Booth to direct the first of three feature films reuniting the stars of the TV series. This film, which received the same title as the TV series, On the Buses, became the most successful in the legendary studio’s history.

The narrative of the feature film has an episodic structure and mimics what the TV series does to produce as many laughs as possible. The tone and pacing of the comedy are practically identical to that of the TV series, too.

The motley crew of colorful characters is unchanged. Driver Stan Butler (Reg Varney) and conductor Jack Harper (Bob Grant) are always on the same bus and have figured out a system that works brilliantly for them -- instead of working as hard as they can, most of the time they hardly work. This has made it possible for Jack to repeatedly visit the home of a very lonely housewife (Wendy Richard) who lives across the street from the bus stop where he and Stan usually take their lunch break. Blakey (Stephen Lewis), whose official job description at the bus company is inspector, is paid to bust procrastinators like Stan and Jack and improve customer satisfaction. While away from Jack, Stan is also regularly harassed by his pregnant sister, Olive (Anna Karen), underachieving brother-in-law, Arthur (Michael Robbins), and even his mom (Doris Hare), with whom he shares the same tiny family house.

After several embarrassing incidents, Stan and Jack are informed by Blakey that the manager of the bus company (Brian Oulton) has hired a new team of female drivers and conductors to improve performance and restore confidence among its clients. However, shortly after the reinforcements arrive and put on their uniforms, things go from bad to worse, with Stan, Jack, and several male colleagues enthusiastically helping, too.

In America, the easiest way to promote the feature film to someone completely unfamiliar with its characters and antics is to compare the TV series that inspired it to another classic TV series that was launched nearly a decade later. This TV series is Taxi, whose first episode aired in the summer of 1978. While the settings of the two TV series are quite different, their characters and the type of comedy the two produce are very, very similar. They are just flavored differently. On the Buses satirizes a wide range of British subjects and stereotypes, while Taxi does the same with their American counterparts.

Even though the quality of Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney’s writing is impossible not to praise enthusiastically, the greatest strength of the feature film and TV series is the fantastic work of the leads. They are all members of a team, not individual performers, whose improvisational work and chemistry are brilliant, which is why even the most casual material is as entertaining as the wittiest material. The great chemistry easily creates and sustains a great atmosphere as well. (For reference, this type of consistency and atmosphere are not replicated in the popular Adventures films).

The only disappointing aspect of the production is the limited use of material with diverse authentic outdoor footage. A lot more of this material could have been shot and used as Stan and Jack humiliate Blakey or sabotage the work of the female drivers. This material would have transformed the feature film into a memorable time capsule as well.

*On the Buses is presented in two aspect ratios: 1.85:1 and 1.33:1. The remaining films, Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and Holiday on the Buses (1973), are included with the first film in this three-disc box set from Imprint Films.

On the Buses Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in aspect ratios of 1.85:1 and 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfers, On the Buses arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

I viewed the 1.85:1 version and sampled large portions of the 1.33:1 version. Both look good but reveal some inconsistencies. I do not know when On the Buses might have been remastered, but it is easy to tell that at some point an attempt was made to prepare a decent master. The current presentation of the 1.85:1 version boasts the type of quality I would expect to see from a master struck from an interpositive. However, some areas of the presentation have a looser appearance that could have been avoided with encoding optimizations. Delineation, clarity, and depth are usually pleasing, but in the areas with the most noticeable fluctuations delineation and depth are somewhat underwhelming. Color balance is good. Saturation can be improved and some supporting nuances rebalanced, but I did not see any troubling anomalies to report. Image stability is good. Also, I did not see any distracting image imperfections to report. The 1.33:1 frequently boasts better density levels. However, it reveals some minor color inconsistencies as well. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

On the Buses 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 lossless track is very good. I had the volume of my system turned up slightly more than usual so that I can clearly hear all exchanges and did not notice even minor fluctuations in terms of stability, clarity, and dynamic intensity. However, despite having a prominent role, the music struggles to produce any meaningful contrasts and in some areas even sounds a bit thin. This is not a weakness of the lossless track. It is clearly how the soundtrack was mastered.

On the Buses Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Open Matte Version - presented here is a 1.33:1 version of On the Buses. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. LPCM 2.0. 1080p. (88 min).

• Andria Lawrence - in this new program, actress Andria Lawrence, who plays the character of Betty, explains how her acting career dramatically changed after she appeared in a successful commercial, and recalls her contribution to On the Buses and interactions with various cast members. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Runners at Hammer Films - in this new program, Brian Reynolds and Phil Campbell, who once worked as runners at Hammer Films, discuss the production of On the Buses and share a few interesting stories about the working environment at the studio during the 1970s. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Dean Sullivan - in this new program, Dean Sullivan, managing director at Sullivan Buses, shares interesting but perhaps not well-known information about the iconic red buses, as well as how and why they were used in On the Buses and other films. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by television historian Henry Holland and Aaron Brown of British Comedy Guide.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for On the Buses. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Photo Gallery - a large collection of vintage promotional materials and production stills for On the Buses. Presented with music. (6 min).

• Alternative Opening Music - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet featuring reproductions of the original press books from all three films in the On the Buses box set.

On the Buses Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A lot of the comedy in On the Buses will be impossible to reproduce in the current socio-cultural environment we all share because it hits its targets with outstanding precision. In the 1970s, everyone could agree that it was very witty, very effective, and harmless. The rest that makes On the Buses a very entertaining film is not surprising either. It has a team of legit stars whose ability to improvise and create special atmosphere are enormously impressive. On the Buses is included in On the Buses Film Collection, a three-disc, Region-Free box set from Australian label Imprint Films. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.