The Boys in Company C Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

The Boys in Company C Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 13, 2023

Sidney J. Furie's "The Boys in Company C" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with the director and producer Andre Morgan; new programs with actors Michael Lembeck, actor Craig Wasson, and Stan Shaw; archival audio commentary with actor Andrew Stevens; original trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Initially, the voice coming from behind the camera describes what is painfully obvious. The young men who are recruited to become Marines are utterly clueless about the profound transformation they would have to undergo before they reach Vietnam. They do not even have basic knowledge of what it means to serve their country during a time of war.

At a large boot camp, a vulgar officer with a limited vocabulary initiates their transformation. During the grueling daily exercises, the men then slowly begin to bond. They share stories about their past, joke, and frequently clash in meaningless disputes that are instantly forgotten. By the time their training is complete, an order arrives, and they are told to get ready to go to Vietnam.

Once on foreign soil, the men gradually begin to realize that the war they have trained for is very different. It is like a chaotic game of death managed by people who do not fully understand its rules or objective, how the winners amongst those that play it are determined. But they quickly realize that the ones that exit the game almost always do so in plastic body bags.

For obvious reasons, Sidney J. Furie’s The Boys in Company C is frequently linked to Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, but there is such a massive gap in quality between these films that it feels like the emergence of the latter was inevitable so that everything that went wrong in the former can be corrected. This is unfortunate, to say the least, because Furie worked with numerous very knowledgeable people, like former Marine R. Lee Ermey, who could have provided invaluable guidance and ensured that the visuals in his film reflected reality during the Vietnam War.

The narrative is broken into multiple uneven episodes that supposedly reconstruct the maddening reality that young American men entered as soon as they put on a military uniform. But Furie and screenwriter Rick Natkin work with an utterly ridiculous screenplay that instantaneously reshapes it into a most absurd circus populated with shockingly clueless or retarded soldiers. Indeed, the reconstruction is so poor that more than two-thirds of the narrative looks like awful parody material, not authentic material that would have been right for a proper war drama. Consider this: there are two segments, one of them rather big, where the men play soccer for strategic reasons. In the first, they are asked to kick a soccer ball and study positioning so that they can grasp the enemy’s complex field tactics. In the second, the men form a proper soccer team, play a Vietnamese team, and halfway through the game are asked to intentionally lose the game. (For reference, this game is nowhere near as authentic as the ones seen in John Huston’s Victory, which were laughable at best). Also, on their first important mission, the men accidentally discover that they are risking their lives to deliver products for the giant birthday party of a corrupt general. While they are not being shot at, the men are frequently approached by drug dealers selling the best product money can buy.

On paper, the cast looks very good but the acting ranges from mediocre to appalling. Stan Shaw plays the only character who partially recognizes that there is a real war in progress and lives are being lost in battles big and small. Craig Wasson, Michael Lembeck, James Canning, and Andrew Stevens spend the bulk of their time mishandling their characters. Scott Hylands is so badly miscast as their superior that at times it is actually sad to see how much he struggles with his character.

Furie shot on location in the Philippines and apparently had to overcome numerous obstacles to get the footage he wanted. When could not, he was forced to improvise. His director of photography was Godfrey Godar, who lensed several of the popular Carry On films, as well as the classic Cold War thriller Funeral in Belin.

The Boys in Company C Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Boys in Company C arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The release is sourced from a nice organic master. However, there are plenty of visuals that have a dated appearance, so a proper restoration can quite easily make The Boys in Company C look different and better. I think that in some areas there is room for substantial improvements that will rather dramatically strengthen delineation, clarity, and depth. Color balance can be better, too. Primaries and supporting nuances should have superior saturation levels. Balance can be improved. I would say that the biggest strength of the current master is that it is free of compromising digital corrections. It is why despite their limitations the visuals it produces have a filmic appearance Image stability is good. However, in a couple of areas minor stability enhancements will be beneficial. I noticed a bit of dirt and a couple of blemishes, but there are no large cuts, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Boys in Company C Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

It was easy for me to follow the dialog without turning up the volume of my system more than I usually do. However, I did notice small balance fluctuations. In a few areas, the upper register becomes quite thin as well. Naturally, I have to speculate that a proper remastering job could introduce some meaningful improvements. However, I would still describe the current audio track as very good.

The Boys in Company C Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Daniel Kremer, screenwriter Rick Natkin, and producer Andre Morgan. The commentators discuss the production history of The Boys in Company C and how Sidney J. Furie shot it. Also, there are detailed descriptions of the work that was done in the Philippines and various obstacles that had to be overcome. The commentators declare that The Boys in Company C is one of Furie's best films, but I have to respectfully disagree because there are too many issues with its take on 'reality', the quality of the characterizations, and tone.

• Commentary Two - in this archival audio commentary, actor Andrew Stevens discusses in great detail the shooting of The Boys in Company C in the Philippines, the use of active U.S. Marines in key sequences, the film's reputation as a "profane" project, the unique qualities of the various characters that populate it, the fact that a lot of the dialog is improvised, etc. It is a very informative commentary and in my opinion clearly the better one on this release.

• Scenefinder General: Sidney J. Furie Directs The Boys in Company C - in this new program, critic Daniel Kremer, Sidney J. Furie, and producer Andre Morgan discuss the production of The Boys in Company C and its publicity campaign as well as its relationship with Full Metal Jacket. Several very good stories are shared about the working conditions in the Philippines. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Forever Fazio - in this new program, actor Michael Lembeck recalls how he was cast to play the character of Vinnie Fazio and what it was like to interact with Sidney J. Furie and other cast members during the production of The Boys in Company C. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• Soldiers, Cowboys, and Mavericks - in this new program, actor Stan Shaw discusses Sidney J. Furie's directing methods and work on The Boys in Company C. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• A Song for Private Bisbee - in this new program, actor Craig Wasson recalls how he was offered the opportunity to play the character of Dave Bisbee after he sang a song he had written. Mr. Wasson also addresses Sidney J. Furie's directing methods and interactions with other cast members. In English, not subtitled. (33 min).

• Full Metal Furie: Stanley Kubrick and The Boys in Company C - this new video essay was created by critic Daniel Kremer. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Fire Up the Carousel - presented here is a teaser trailer for Daniel Kremer's documentary about Sidney J. Furie and his cinematic legacy. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Boys in Company C from Golden Harvest. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - 60-page illustrated booklet with multiple essays on the cinematic legacy of Sidney J. Furie.

The Boys in Company C Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Did Stanley Kubrick steal from The Boys in Company C to use it in Full Metal Jacket? In one of the exclusive new programs that are included on this release, producer Andre Morgan declares that Kubrick did precisely that, a bit of stealing. You do not have to dig deep to realize that Morgan is telling the truth. You just have to do a bit of research on the great R. Lee Ermey's involvement with both films, and then follow the crumbs to discover exactly what the stolen 'it' is. However, none of this shortens the gap in quality between The Boys in Company C and Full Metal Jacket. I am sorry to say it, but the former is a mismanaged film that does not work at all, while the latter is one of the all-time best war films. I am a big fan of several films Sidney J. Furie directed over the years -- my favorite is The Entity -- but I have always struggled to like The Boys in Company C and after spending a couple of days with this release my take on it remains the same.