7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Endlessly finding himself on the wrong end of a situation, businessman Henry Palfrey seeks help at the College of Lifemanship run by the cunning Mr. Potter. An ideal pupil, it doesn't take long before Henry's picked up a few good tricks and sets out to show the world he's a winner. Taking aim at everyone who beat him in the past, he ultimately focuses on the ultra-charming bachelor who stole his girlfriend. As he discovers revenge can be quite enjoyable, the much improved Henry will soon learn what it really means to be a success.
Starring: Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, Alastair Sim, Janette Scott, Dennis Price (I)Comedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of Alastair Sim's School for Laughter: 4 Classic Comedies.
Chances are if you are like many, maybe even most, American filmgoers, you tend to associate Alastair Sim with one thing and one thing only: his
inimitable portrayal of one Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 version of Charles Dickens' immortal A Christmas Carol. A few outliers might have vague memories of Sim in such underappreciated
gems
as Green for Danger (a film where he notably wasn’t even given
above
the title billing) or even his latter day stint in The Ruling Class, but
quite a bit of the rest of Sim’s multi-decade long filmography just doesn’t seem to be that well known by the public at large on this side of the
pond. Film Movement has now come to the rescue in that regard and assembled four charming Sim comedies that bridge the years of 1947 to
1960, and which offer a fine assortment of well
written, performed and directed outings that have a few linking elements besides Sim himself, including plots sometimes centered around the quest
for
riches, and occasionally with some chicanery and other shenanigans involved.
It’s true! You can learn, in just one hour, the secret of how to command and dominate everyone you meet!The letter went on to document a course that could be purchased (of course) which would fully delineate those advertised “clever techniques of applied psychology”, but if you wanted a cinematic expression of just those techniques, School for Scoundrels should serve as a perfectly apt example.
Get your own way with others every time by using these clever techniques of applied psychology.
School for Scoundrels is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement Classics, an imprint of Film Movement, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. As has been the case with several Film Movement releases I've reviewed, the insert booklet offers only a generic "new digital restoration" in terms of providing any technical information on the transfer. All of the releases in this set bear a StudioCanal logo, and I'm assuming this was probably culled from the same master as the UK Blu-ray release put out by StudioCanal which Svet reviewed here several years ago, which which would suggest something that may not be strictly "new". Svet gave close to top marks in his assessment, and I refer you to his review not just for Svet's comments but also for a chance to compare screenshots (I frankly see little if any difference between the two releases). This is generally one of the better looking releases in this set, one that still has some very minor signs of age related wear and tear, along with occasional moments of softness in what look like composites (as when Palfrey first shows up at the "University"). Grain resolves naturally through the presentation, and fine detail levels on things like nattily patterned men's suit jackets all resolve precisely as well. Detail levels are good enough that when Sim approaches the camera at the very end of the film to "break the fourth wall", some viewers may be kind of shocked (as I was) at the sheer amount of hair in Sim's ears, which almost makes him look like he has mini-tumbleweeds spilling out of his head.
School for Scoundrels features an LPCM 2.0 mono track that provides more than capable support for the film's dialogue, effects (including some fun effects surrounding several cars that play into the plot proceedings) and the great John Addison's really fun score. There's a bit of brashness in the upper registers here, but no actual distortion, and the entire track has no major signs of age related wear and tear. Unfortunately, this release does not offer optional subtitles for those who might benefit from them.
The "main showdown" here is between Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas, and both performers are at the top of their respective games in this often bristling, at times slightly manic, enterprise. If Sim is shunted off to the sidelines for some of the proceedings, he still drives everything effortlessly, and Janette Scott makes for a winsome heroine. Technical merits are solid, and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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