Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Orphans Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 17, 2012

Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Scottish director Peter Mullan's "Orphans" (1998) arrive son Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; photo gallery; and three short films directed by Peter Mullan - "Close" (1993), "Good Day for the Bad Guys" (1995), and "Fridge" (1995). The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an interview with director Peter Mullan conducted by film critic Paul Greenwood. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The orphans

Four siblings gather in Glasgow to bury their mother. On the night before the funeral they begin to wonder what the future might hold for them. Around the same time, a violent storm passes through the city and destroys the roof of the church where the funeral ceremony is to take place.

Thomas (Gary Lewis, Billy Elliot, Farewell), the oldest one, has agreed to spend the entire night in the church, right next to his mother’s coffin, because he is convinced that this is the right thing to do. Not everyone agrees with him, but he does not care.

Michael (Douglas Henshall, Angels & Insects, Lawless Heart), the most rational one, heads to a lousy pub where he quickly gets involved in a mass brawl. Before he can get out of it, one of the regulars, a well known hot-head, stabs him with his knife. He begins bleeding but refuses to go to the nearby hospital.

John (Stephen McCole, Crying with Laughter, A Lonely Place To Die), who has followed Michael to the pub, decides that the hot-head must be taught a lesson. Assisted by an equally crazy and seriously disillusioned delivery guy (Frank Gallagher), he starts looking for him. But before he could get to the hot-head, he finds himself assisting the delivery guy in his plan to extort a wealthy customer who likes to masturbate in his bathroom.

Barely able to speak and confined to a motorized wheelchair, Sheila (Rosemarie Stevenson) decides to spend the night on the streets of Glasgow, not next to her religious brother Thomas. But when her wheelchair breaks down in a dark alley, she suddenly realizes that her trip may not have been a good idea.

Scottish director Peter Mullan’s Orphans is a film with a very unique pulse. It tiptoes between black comedy and gritty drama, but it does not favor one of them. It is what it is because apparently this is how unpredictable and polarizing life in Glasgow was in the late ‘90s.

The film’s DNA is similar to that of Ken Loach’s Raining Stones but it actually has more in common with Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher and Mike Leigh’s Naked. The material is very flexible, borderline surreal, which is why the film is as convincing as a comedy as it is as a drama.

Mullan has admitted that he is politically driven, but Orphans does not show it. Then, again, the entire film is about the erosion of traditional beliefs and the loss of unity in post-Thatcher Scotland. Everything the orphans go through during the night before the funeral of their mother seems driven by desperation and blind anger that has infected most ordinary Scots.

Lewis, Henshall, McCole, and Stevenson showcase a wide range of emotions that truly give the film its unique identity. With less than a perfect cast the sudden transitions from comedy to drama, and vice versa, would have been a complete disaster, and instead they are pitch-perfect.

Shot on location in Glasgow, the film is quite dark and gloomy. It is beautiful to look at but not because it is elegant; rather because it is bold, unconventional and irresistibly confident. The film also boasts a sublime melancholic score by multiple award-winning Scottish composer Craig Armstrong (Moulin Rouge!, Ray).

*In 1998, Orphans won four awards at the Venice Film Festival, including Isvema Award for best debut feature film and Prix Pierrot (Peter Mullan).

Orphans 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, Peter Mullan's Orphans arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus.

Recently restored, Orphans looks pretty good on Blu-ray. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of the film is quite dark - I have not seen the film theatrically, but it appears that the tendency to favor very strong grays and blacks, some of which are borderline crushed, and have contrast levels toned down is indeed intentional - during close-ups fine object detail is good and clarity mostly pleasing. There are traces of mild denoising, but the integrity of the film does not appear to have been compromised (see screencaptures #3 and 6). I would argue that the sporadic softness that is occasionally noticeable is also directly related to the manner in which the film was shot, which does favor natural light, or restricted light during the indoor sequences. Additionally, edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern. There are no annoying warps, cuts, or scratches either. All in all, this is a pleasing presentation that will most likely remain the definitive presentation of the film in the United Kingdom. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Orphans Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Park Circus have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has a very good dynamic amplitude. Unsurprisingly, Craig Armstrong's melancholic soundtrack gets a tremendous boost and adds plenty of color to the film (the piano theme is beautiful). Surround and bass activity, however, are rather limited. This is not to say that there are technical issues with the loseless track, rather that the film's sound design is modest. The lack of optional English subtitles, however, is disappointing. The Scottish accents are often very thick and at times the dialog could be difficult to follow. I personally had a very difficult time understanding what was being said during one short sequence from the final third of the film.

Orphans Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - the original UK theatrical trailer for Orphans. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Photo Gallery - a gallery of stills from the film. (3 min, 1080p).

• Short Films - three short films directed by Peter Mullan.
  
  -- Close (1993). A man living in a Glasgow close goes berserk after one of his neighbors insults his daughter. In English, not subtitled. B&W. (17 min, PAL).
  
  -- Fridge (1995). Somewhere in the Glaswegian slums a boy gets trapped inside an abandoned old fridge. A couple of drunks will try to get him out. In English, not subtitled. B&W. (21 min, PAL).
  
  -- Good Day for the Bad Guys (1995). A group of actors begin confronting each other. In English, not subtitled. Color. (23 min, PAL).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an interview with director Peter Mullan conducted by film critic Paul Greenwood on August 26th, 2011 in Glasgow.

Orphans Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Peter Mullan's Orphans is a perfect film. I really cannot recall the last time a film moved me so much. The characters, the story, the direction and music are brilliant. I cannot wait to see NEDS now. While Park Circus deserve a lot of credit for bringing the film to Blu-ray, they should have done a little more to promote it. I hope Criterion, or another label, would consider bringing Orphans to the U.S. It would be a crime not to have it here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.