Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 19, 2009

BFI introduce Karel Reisz’s gritty British New Wave classic “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” (1960) – a moving story about a disillusioned young man in post-war Nottingham – for the first time ever on Blu-ray. The disc is Region-B “locked”.

Arthur and Brenda

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning tells the story of Arthur (Albert Finney), a disillusioned by his dead-end job young man willing to prove that his way of living – drinking hard, sleeping with married women and occasionally having a good fight – is the only way. Brenda (Rachel Roberts), the wife of a fellow coworker, likes Arthur; she is fascinated by his wild temper. But, Brenda does not want to leave her husband.

During a night out at the local pub, Arthur meets Doreen (Shirley Anne Field), a young and single girl looking for romance. Doreen immediately falls for Arthur but plays hard to get; Arthur likes the challenge and goes after her. A few days later, Brenda tells Arthur that she is pregnant. She is unsure whether or not she wants to keep the baby, but she needs to know if Arthur still loves her. The young man doesn’t know how to react but promises to help Brenda have an abortion. Shortly after, he ends up with a broken nose.

Albert Finney is fascinating as Arthur. From the opening scene where we first see him working in the factory, we understand that Saturday Night and Sunday Morning will be a heartbreakingly realistic film about a disillusioned rebel. The sense of nihilism that permeates the narrative later on is not immediately detectable, but listening to Arthur’s introductory monologue gives us a good idea about the tone of the film.

Arthur’s affair with Brenda is of key importance. Prior to the release of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, British directors were primarily focused on promoting a certain type of escapist cinematic language that is nowhere to be found in Karel Reisz’s film. So, the frank conversations we hear Arthur and Brenda have about their relationship as well as the abortion talk that follows up later on are indeed groundbreaking.

Furthermore, in the United Kingdom, the new rebel character Albert Finney introduced was notably different from the one promoted by the likes of James Dean (Rebel Without A Cause) and Marlon Brando (The Wild One) in the United States. It was also different from the type of character Jean-Paul Belmondo (À bout de soufflé) promoted in France. Albert Finney’s protagonist was an ordinary young man, very much frustrated with the poor social conditions he is forced to endure. As a result, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning boasts an easy to recognize critical tone that is impossible to detect through the words and attitude of James Dean, Marlon Brando and Jean Paul-Belmondo’s rebel characters.

The less controversial relationship between Arthur and Doreen is what made Saturday Night and Sunday Morning easier to absorb at the time. It effectively detracted from the nihilistic overtones introduced during the first half of the film where Arthur appears on course to self-destruction. When he meets Doreen, and later on has that painful encounter with the two soldiers, his demeanor changes dramatically. He remains wild and unpredictable, but by the time the end credits roll we see him contemplating his future with Doreen.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Karel Reisz's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based distributors BFI (British Film Institute).

This new HD presentation of Karel Reisz's classic is a substantial improvement over the old SDVD release - it is fairly easy to see that contrast and clarity are notably better, detail substantially stronger and edge-enhancement not a serious issue of concern. Furthermore, there are a number of scenes that stand out with their beautiful black and white gradation (the final scene in particular where Arthur looks towards the village and then grabs Doreen's hand looks fantastic). This being said, there are tiny portions of the film that are a tad too soft for my taste. I also detected a few minor scratches that popped up here and there. Still, the overall quality of the print is indeed very pleasing and I have absolutely no problem recommending it to you. (Note This is a Region-B "locked" release which you won't be able to play on your Region-A PS3 or SA. In order to view the content on this Blu-ray disc, you have to have a native Region-B or Region-Free player).

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. To the point – I have absolutely no reservations with the LPCM 2.0 track BFI have provided. The dialog is crisp and very easy to follow and there aren't any pops, cracks, or hissings that I could detect. As far as I am concerned, the LPCM 2.0 track treats the lovely jazz score, courtesy of John Dankworth, far better than the mono track found on the SDVD release (yes, you don't have to be a professional musician to hear the difference). Finally, the Blu-ray disc also arrives with optional English HOH subtitles for the main feature.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

First of all, the Blu-ray disc arrives with a lovely booklet. In it you will find the very informative essay "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" courtesy of writer and film historian Philip Kemp. A second essay focuses on Karel Reisz and his work as well as his contribution to Free Cinema (again courtesy of Philip Kemp). There is also a short but very interesting article about Alain Sillitoe and his career as a writer. Finally, there is a short synopsis for "We Are the Lambeth Boys" and the Free Cinema movement.

On the actual Blu-ray disc there is a commentary by film historian Robert Murphy, writer Alan Sillitoe and cinematographer Freddie Francis where the three deconstruct Saturday Night and Sunday Morning scene by scene. Alan Sillitoe and Freddie Francis also recall how they got involved with the project. This being said, Robert Murphy's thorough analysis of the film is absolutely superb, and I strongly recommend that you find the time and listen to it. The Blu-ray disc also contains an extract from an interview with Albert Finney, hosted by Michael Billington, recorded at the National Film Theater in 1982 (a lovely and at times extremely hilarious interview). There is also an interview with Shirley Anne Field, who plays Doreen in the film, where she recalls her work with director Karel Reisz, how the film was shot as well as its impact on British Cinema in general. Finally, on this Blu-ray disc you will also find Karel Reisz's classic Free Cinema documentary "We Are the Lambeth Boys" (1959). Optional English subtitles are provided for all of the supplemental features, including the commentary.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The British Film Institute (BFI) continue to delight us with timeless classic films that have never looked as good as they do now on Blu-ray. We are ecstatic! I cannot recommend highly enough the latest addition to their Blu-ray catalog - Karel Reisz's seminal Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. What a treat! Very Highly Recommended.