Separation Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Separation Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 13, 2009

Jack Bond's "Separation" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The film has been transferred in High-Definition from the original 35mm mute negative. The audio has been transferred from a 35mm combined print. Both elements are held at the BFI National Archive. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are "Beyond Image" (1969), a rare liquid light film co-created by leading British artist Mark Boyle, whose visual effects are used throughout "Separation", new full-feature audio commentary by Jack Bond and Sam Dunn, and more. A 32-page illustrated booklet with essays, notes and credits is also included. Region-Free.

Jane Arden

Jack Bond’s Separation is a fascinating film. It tells the story of a young woman, Jane (Jane Arden), who undergoes a severe emotional breakdown. We first meet the woman as she rushes to see her doctor. She proceeds to tell a story that supposedly explains why she needs medical help. We understand that the woman is married and having an affair.

This is where things get complicated. We see different fragments from the woman’s past. In one of them, she argues with her lover (Iain Quarrier). In another, she converses with her husband (David de Keyser). Later on, we once again see the woman and her lover. This time around, they are in bed. She leaves and goes back to her husband. They meet in a chic Italian restaurant. Strangely enough, it appears that the dinner they are having is actually a date. We immediately realize that all of the fragments that we have been seeing since the beginning of the film are not aligned chronologically.

Things get even more complicated as other women enter the story. Like Jane, some are also in the middle of complex relationships. In what is surely one of the most bizarre segments in Separation, we see Jane’s lover and these women at a pool of some sort. He is dressed in an elegant suit, the women are naked. One of them begins to weep. The man looks at her and starts hitting her face. Then, he approaches another woman and starts cutting her hair with a pair of scissors. The woman utters: “I wish you’d pull my hair out by the roots. I wish somebody would make me suffer”.

The rest of Separation is comprised of similarly bizarre segments. In between some of them, there are interesting flashbacks, in color (remember, this is a B&W film), that pop up. As they intensify, Jane’s condition worsens. She talks to herself and then answers her own questions. Eventually, Jane begs God to let her out of her body.

Separation was the film that united director Jack Bond with actress, playwright and social activist Jane Arden. It was completed in 1968. After Separation, the two worked together on The Other Side of the Underneath (1972) and Anti-Clock (1980). Until very recently, these films were practically impossible to see.

Having just finished watching Separation, I am having a difficult time understanding why it was not released earlier. It is a beautifully photographed film, which I must speculate a lot of people probably did not get when it was first screened some forty years ago.

Separation falls somewhere in between William Klein’s Who Are You, Polly Magoo? and Roman Polanski’s Repulsion. There is a perverse sense of humor in it that is very effectively mixed with what I believe is best described as paranoia. Unlike the two films mentioned above, however, Separation is practically impossible to properly deconstruct. More or less, the film is structured as a giant, constantly interchanging, puzzle where each piece/segment is as misleading as the one preceding it.

Visually, Separation is impressively crafted in a number of different areas - Aubrey Dewar and David Muir’s cinematography as well as Mark Boyle’s visual effects are top notch. The film is also complimented by the music of British progressive rockers Procol Harum.

Separation 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, Jack Bond's Separation arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute.

Separation has been transferred in High-Definition from the original 35mm mute negative. And it certainly shows – contrast is very impressive, clarity fantastic and detail often breathtaking. The color-scheme is just as impressive. The blacks are lush and well saturated while the whites are rich yet gentle. Additionally, there is plenty of healthy grain on this release that gives Separation a notably filmic look. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern. Aside from a few minor flecks and two rather large stains that I noticed, the rest of the film is in exceptionally good condition. Overly disturbing marks, scratches, debris, and dirt are not present. There are no stability issues to report either. Finally, director Bond attended the transfer sessions and approved the new master used for the Blu-ray release of Separation. (Note: This is a Region-Free disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL content preceding the main menu).

Separation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, BFI have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. They are white and legible.

The audio has been transferred from a 35mm combined print. A number of pops, cracks, and hissings have been eliminated. The result is a stable, crisp and clear audio that will certainly impress a lot of people. The dialog is very easy to follow. The music is well balanced with it and there are no dropouts that I detected. Considering the age of Separation, the English LPCM 2.0 track is indeed very impressive.

Separation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio commentary - director Jack Bond and Sam Dunn, Head of Video Publishing at BFI, recorded this commentary on April 28, 2009. This is a very informative, if a bit nostalgic, commentary where the two talk about the history of the film, what makes it such a unique piece (it is interesting to hear that director Bond consulted Donald Cammell for example), the off-camera relationship between director Bond and Jane Arden, etc. Yes, absolutely, this is a terrific commentary. Subtitled in English.

Beyond Image - an experimental, "liquid light" film by Mark Boyle, who also contributed to Separation (the color segments). (14 min, 1080p).

Trailer - a trailer for Jack Bond and Jane Arden's Anti-Clock. (3 min, 1080p).

Illustrated booklet - a 34-page booklet containing newly commissioned essays, notes and credits: "Always too early" by Claire Monk, "Through a Glass Darkly: A Woman on the Edge" by Maria Walsh, "Separation: Note on the commentary recording" by Sam Dunn, "Jane Arden (1927-1982)" and "Jack Bond (1937-)" by Michael Brooke, "Uproar as New Film is Banned" (reprinted from the Sunday Telegraph, 1967), "Ardent in Separation" (source unknown), and "Beyond Image: Beyond the Image" by William Fowler.

Separation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sam Dunn and the rest of the guys at BFI deserve a lot of credit for bringing Jack Bond's Separation to Blu-ray. This is an excellent film that looks incredible in High-Definition. I don't know what else to say. Bravo BFI! Very Highly Recommended.