Privilege Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Privilege Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 22, 2023

Peter Watkins' "Privilege" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critic/film historian Daniel Kremer and vintage trailer and teaser for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The first ten or so minutes in Privilege make it clear that we are about to see something different. A man (Manfred Mann’s singer Paul Jones) is handcuffed and dragged to a massive stage with a big cage right in the middle of it. Lights are flashing while two angry cops begin flogging the man with long black sticks. After a while, the man is locked in the cage. Bleeding all over the place, he begins singing.

The man is Steven Shorter, Britain’s pop idol. He has become so big that the British government is now trying to figure out how to best use him to keep young people out of politics. One way is to carefully direct what he does. Another is to actually have him do exactly what they want him to.

Big banks and powerful private organizations are also interested in using Shorter. Anything that he likes wearing and eating is branded, carefully hyped, and then sold to the masses. Even religious officials are interested in taking advantage of the idol’s popularity.

The bigger Shorter becomes, however, the less satisfied he is with his image. He feels that he is losing his ability to think independently and make decisions unaided by higher powers. Concerned about his abnormal behavior, the higher powers introduce Shorter to Vanessa Ritchie (Vogue and Vanity Fair supermodel Jean Shrimpton), a beautiful young painter, who must comfort him and make sure that he is well.

But Shorter gets worse and Vanessa sides with him. During a very important publicity event, he delivers a controversial message and much to everyone’s dismay walks away with Vanessa. He is immediately condemned for betraying his fans and, consequently, his country.

Peter Watkins’ Privilege is an unconventionally bold and very angry film about Britain of “the near future”. Strangely enough, however, it feels a lot like a film about contemporary America ruled by ruthless corporations and obsessed with pop stars and dull reality shows.

The film is narrated by Watkins in a pseudo-documentary fashion, similar to the one he favored for The War Game. During key scenes, he explains the words and actions of the main protagonist as well as what their importance is within the context of the film. However, Privilege does not mimic the structure and radical tone of The War Game.

The occasional jabs at communism, capitalism and organized religion feel slightly dated but are nevertheless effective. The large parade during the final third of the film, for instance, where the main protagonist is “set free”, is outstanding. It feels as eerie as the fascist march in Alan Parker’s The Wall.

For the better part of Privilege, Jones does look like a man on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown. Ironically, he is least effective when he is on stage -- his songs are neither moving nor as rebellious as the actions of the crowds suggest. Shrimpton, who looks like a young Jane Birkin, is notably relaxed in front of the camera. Some of the supporting actors, however, are not convincing.

Privilege Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p0 transfer, Privilege arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

In 2010, we reviewed this release of Privilege which was sourced from an old master with various limitations. I expected this release to be sourced from a different master, but unfortunately, it appears that it is the same one.

Plenty of the visuals can look pleasing, with close-ups typically looking the best, but this master reveals traces of noise corrections. Unsurprisingly, wide panoramic shots lack proper depth and in darker areas shadow definition is not optimal. In some areas, edge enhancement is easy to spot as well. Colors are stable and saturation is good, but a proper new 4K master will reintroduce healthier nuances that will make a lot of material look fresher and a lot more vibrant. Image stability is good. All in all, given the type of masters that are being prepared now for older films, I think that an opportunity was missed to give this film a proper makeover so that it looks as good as it should. Even with the noise corrections that I mentioned this master is serviceable, but it gives the film a very dated and more importantly inconsistent appearance. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).

Privilege Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is clear and easy to follow. Stability is good, too. However, the audio could use a proper remastering job because in some areas it fluctuates a bit and becomes a tad thin. The presence of some extremely light background hiss can be felt as well. To be clear, you will not be distracted by these limitations, but you will be able to tell that the audio/current master could be more convincing.

Privilege Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Privilege. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Teaser - a vintage teaser for Privilege. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic/film historian Daniel Kremer.

Privilege Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

After Quadrophenia entered the Criterion Collection, I assumed that it was only a matter of time before Privilege is given a spot there as well. The politics of these films are different, but their music links with the western concept of freedom in a very similar way. A lot of older films that are released by Scorpion Releasing are given new 2K makeovers and I assumed that Privilege will get one, too. Sadly, I have to report that this release was sourced from the same old master that years ago the BFI used for its Region-B release. RECOMMENDED, but wait until it goes on sale.