Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Fallen Idol Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 4, 2016

Nominated for Oscar Awards for Best Director and Best Writing, Carol Reed's "The Fallen Idol" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include interviews actor Robert Henrey and assistant director Guy Hamilton; interview with film historian Charles Drazin; interview with filmmaker Richard Ayoade; featurette with historian Richard Dacre; and restoration demonstration. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Ryan Gilbey. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Au revoir, Papa!"

The majority of the film takes place inside the French embassy in London. Here the young Phillipe (Bobby Henrey), who is the ambassador’s only child, feels like a bird in a cage. The place is clean and beautiful, and there are always people around him, but most of the time he is lonely and sad.

Baines (Ralph Richardson, The Sound Barrier, Doctor Zhivago), the embassy's butler, is Phillipe’s only true friend. He tells him beautiful stories about his glory days in Africa and occasionally even takes him for a walk in the nearby park. Mrs. Baines (Sonia Dresdel, The Third Visitor) spends most of her time telling Phillipe what not to do and why not to do it. It is why he genuinely dislikes her and spends most of his time avoiding her.

When Phillipe’s father leaves for the weekend to bring back home his seriously ill mother, Baines decides to see his “niece” (Michele Morgan, Le Quai Des Brumes). Phillipe is told that he can’t go out with his friend, but he secretly follows him to a nearby café and discovers him with his lover. Baines then asks him to keep their meeting a secret.

And for a while he does, but then the wicked Mrs. Baines discovers the truth and vows to teach her husband and his lover a lesson they won’t forget. Feeling responsible for the inevitable drama Phillipe tries to protect his friend, but only further upsets Mrs. Baines.

In the ensuing chaos Mrs. Baines dies in an accident and Phillipe is forced to defend his friend yet again. This time, however, he is questioned by the family’s friendly doctor and a few seasoned detectives who suspect that Baines’ description of the accident is missing some crucial details.

The Fallen Idol was the first of three collaborations between director Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene. (The other two are the classic noir thriller The Third Man and the crime comedy Our Man in Havana). Reed’s film changes some key elements from the original short story -- the biggest one being the death of Mrs. Baines -- but during the years Greene repeatedly stated that it was his favorite adaptation.

The bulk of the events are seen through the little boy’s eyes, but his interpretation of these events is one of many. This makes quite a difference because various adult subjects emerge that effectively expand the narrative. It also helps the suspenseful atmosphere because the contrasting interpretations allow Reed to pull off numerous surprises.

Henrey is the heart and soul of the film, but the professional actors around him make him shine. There is an outstanding chemistry between them that gives the film a special vibe. Richardson is at his very best as the friendly butler who wants his freedom back but does not want to compromise his lover. Morgan and Dresdel are also impressive, through their characters could not be any more different.

There was apparently some tension between Reed and French cinematographer Georges Périnal, but the film’s visual style is quite impressive. The footage from inside the embassy has whiffs of that very specific noir ambiance that emerged in The Third Man.

The Fallen Idol Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

UPDATE 2: I just received a corrected copy from StudioCanal and can confirm that the framing issue that was described in our review earlier has been fixed. The film is now properly framed in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. Please note that screencaptures #1-20 are from the fixed release. You can order safely a copy of this film for you collection now.

UPDATE: StudioCanal have confirmed that the issue described in our review (see below) occurred during the encoding process. New discs will be pressed and a replacement service will be offered for customers on request. Folks who wish to exchange their discs must send full details to info@studiocanal.co.uk. Replacement discs will be send out as soon as they are made available. Once we receive a repressed disc, one score will be adjusted accordingly. (For the record, the actual restoration of the film is very good).

***

There are some good news and some bad news about this recent release.

The good news: The new restoration is lovely. Generally speaking, detail and depth range from good to very good. Because there are some obvious source limitations, there are some notable density fluctuations. Some small traces of fading and various minor scratches and blemishes remain as well. However, shadow definition is a lot more convincing and the heavy crushing from previous releases is practically eliminated. Grain exposure does fluctuate a bit, but because careful work was done to rebalance the image without affecting its integrity the film has a nice and stable organic appearance. Also, there are a few uneven transitions, but overall image stability is very good. In other words, after the digital restoration this is clearly the best this classic film has ever looked.

The bad news: It appears that there is a mastering defect. I do not wish to speculate what might have happened during the encoding process, but currently there is some very obvious vertical stretching inside the 1.29:1 image frame. Especially during close-ups it immediately becomes obvious that the composition/balance inside the image frame is problematic. You can see examples in screencaptures #3, 22, 23, 25, 26, 32. I was particularly bothered by close-ups of Michele Morgan's face because the stretching is very distracting. The good news here is that StudioCanal's master appears to be properly framed, so it should be very easy to reauthor replacement discs. In the restoration demonstration clips that are offered on the disc, the footage is properly framed in 1.33:1 and there is no vertical stretching inside the image frame. You can see close-ups from the original scan, the restored scan, and the complete restoration in screencaptures #36, 37, 38, 39, and 40.

To sum it all up, the new restoration of The Fallen Idol is very good, but the current technical presentation is problematic. However, once the defect is eliminated, the new restoration will likely remain the film's definitive presentation on the home video market.

(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).

The Fallen Idol 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.

Depth and clarity remain pleasing throughout the entire film. However, there is some extremely light buzz that is present in the high-frequencies. It isn't distracting, but it can be heard. There are no stability issues. Also, there are no pops or audio dropouts to report in our review.

The Fallen Idol Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Robert Henrey - in this video interview, actor Robert Henrey (Phillip) talks about his childhood years, and discusses his interactions with Carol Reed during the shooting of The Fallen Idol, Jack Hawkins and Michele Morgan's presence in the film, the success of the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Guy Hamilton Remembers The Fallen Idol - in this archival video interview, assistant director Guy Hamilton recalls how he became involved with The Fallen Idol, and discusses the shooting of the film (only six shots were done each day), its visual style (and specifically the impressive sets Vincent Korda built), Georges Périnal's lensing, Carol Reed's directing methods, etc. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Locations Featurette with Richard Dacre - in this featurette, film historian Richard Dacre discusses the production history of The Fallen Idol and its finale (Graham Greene's story has a different ending), and revisits some of the key locations where important scenes from the film were shot. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Interview with Film Historian Charles Drazin - in this video interview, film historian Charles Drazin discusses producer Alexander Korda's involvement with The Fallen Idol, the original short story by Graham Greene, the unique relationship between the boy and the butler, the sense of realism that permeates Carol Reed's films, the evolution of their narrative construction, etc. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Interview with Richard Ayoade - in this video interview, filmmaker Richard Ayoade (The Double, Submarine) discusses some of the key differences between Graham Greene's short story and Carol Reed's film, the key conflicts, the tone and atmosphere of the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Restoration Comparison - restoration demonstration. Without sound. (1 min).

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Ryan Gilbey.

The Fallen Idol Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

UPDATE: I just received a corrected copy of The Fallen Idol from StudioCanal and can confirm that the framing issue that was described in our review earlier has been fixed. If you wish to own a Blu-ray copy of the film in your collection, you can order with confidence now. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.