Rattle of a Simple Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Rattle of a Simple Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 8, 2024

Muriel Box's "Rattle of a Simple Man" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actor Hugh Futcher; new program with several critics; and behind the scenes gallery. In English, with optional English SDH subttiles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

You coming in, friend? Good things happen here.

It is so strange that Rattle of a Simple Man is not well known outside the United Kingdom because it is a real gem. It is wonderfully shot and directed and has the timeless wit and sense of humor that nowadays can only be described as lost art. I am not trying to sell it to you as an undeservedly ignored masterpiece. There are much bigger and better films that utilize similar material. However, it gets everything right, and while sometimes this is not enough to have a masterpiece, it is always enough to have a very, very good film.

Rattle of a Simple Man begins in Manchester, where large groups of soccer fans have organized a friendly invasion of London to support their favorite team in this year’s cup final. In one of these groups is Percy (Harry H. Corbett), a thirtysomething bachelor living with his mother, who is joined by several friends, all of whom are far more sociable, bigger drinkers, and far less cultured than him. Percy’s participation in the invasion is his latest attempt to blend and convince others that he is like everyone else. But he is not, and as if to prove that it is so, moments before the bus leaves his mother appears with final instructions to help him stay out of trouble.

In London, the massive fan support inspires the team from Manchester to win the final and claim the cup. Several hours later, Percy and his already boozed-up friends enter a popular striptease club to finish the night with a bang. After a fresh round of drinks, Percy is challenged by the group’s biggest knucklehead to engage a beautiful lady at the bar who has unceremoniously rejected him and his cash. Determined to prove that she is a legit lady, not the pretentious prostitute his friend has described to the rest of the group, Percy approaches the target and begins firing off mostly broken, very silly lines. Much to the knucklehead’s surprise, the target not only responds to Percy, but shortly after grabs his arm and the two head toward the exit door.

In the taxi, Percy learns that the target’s name is Cyrenne (Diane Cilento), and as it dawns on him that she is a prostitute, he begins to adjust his game. It is where Rattle of a Simple Man gradually begins evolving into a very different film, too.

There are still plenty of awkward moments like the ones from the striptease club, as well as various hilarious situations, including a few with the knucklehead, but if you listen closely to what is said and how, you will discover that Percy’s unexpected date is being used as a pretext for something completely different. Indeed, after Percy enters Cyrenne’s apartment, Rattle of a Simple Man becomes a wonderful character study and, in the process, examines a wide range of cliches about the common strengths and weaknesses of the two sexes. Are there any surprising revelations here? No. However, clarity, wit, and especially the sense of humor that provides a structure of what is said are simply wonderful.

Muriel Box directed Rattle of a Simple Man in 1964 from a screenplay by Charles Dyer, who had adapted his original stage play. As you can probably guess now, Rattle of a Simple Man is not a very active film, meaning that it does not visit a lot of different places. The bulk of it is set in large or small rooms where Percy and Cyrenne engage each other, or the former’s friends and the latter’s relatives make an appearance and contribute to the activities. Perhaps unsurprisingly again, virtually all of the footage is very balanced, almost as if it was extracted from a filmed stage production.

*StudioCanal’s Blu-ray release of Rattle of a Simple Man introduces an exclusive new restoration that was completed in 2023.

Rattle of a Simple Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Rattle of a Simple Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release introduces an exclusive new restoration of Rattle of a Simple Man that was completed on behalf of StudioCanal. I think that the restoration is outstanding. On my system, all areas that we scrutinize in our reviews looked as good as I think they can in 1080p. For example, the entire film has a very solid, very even grain field that produces gorgeous visuals, regardless of whether they come from indoor or outdoor material. The grayscale is fantastic as well. All blacks look rich and healthy, and all ranges of grays and whites are wonderfully balanced and look just as healthy. To be honest, quite often I felt like I was viewing native 4K content with a terrific HDR grade. Image stability is excellent. Finally, I did not spot any distracting surface imperfections to report in our review. (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).

Rattle of a Simple Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

A good soundtrack by Stanley Black (West 11) is responsible for all the exciting dynamic activity throughout the film, which to be honest is a not a lot. The dialog is very clear, sharp, and always easy to follow. There are no balance issues. Also, the upper register, where older films tend to reveal weaknesses, is very healthy.

Rattle of a Simple Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Gallery - a collection of behind the scenes stills. Two of them feature a young Sean Connery, who does not have a part in Rattle of a Simple Man. (1 min).

• Game for Anything: Muriel Box and Rattle of a Simple Man - in this new program, critic Dr. Josephine Botting, writer/director Carol Morley, and author Rachel Cooke discuss the career and legacy of Muriel Box, as well Rattle of a Single Man. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Interview with Hugh Futcher - in this new program, Hugh Futcher, who plays the character of Ozzie, recalls how he became involved with Rattle of a Simple Man and what it was like working with Muriel Box. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

Rattle of a Simple Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Rattle of a Simple Man had a great reputation on this side of the Atlantic, it would have been easy to speculate that it might have inspired in some way The 40-Year-Old Virgin. It is very, very funny, but also refreshingly honest in that balanced, most attractive way that now it seems like only older films can be. I had not seen it before and enjoyed every minute of it. StudioCanal's release introduces an exclusive new restoration of Rattle of a Simple Man that is a thing of beauty. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.