The Fast Lady Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Fast Lady Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 6, 2020

Ken Annakin's "The Fast Lady" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film and image gallery. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The sound of romance

Somewhere in the British countryside. A very simple and easily avoidable traffic incident sends the dim-witted Scottish bachelor Murdoch Troon (Stanley Baxter) to the estate of prudish English nobleman Charles Chingford (James Robertson Justice) where the two instantly reveal how they feel about each other and then threaten to seek justice in the local courthouse. While sparks fly, Claire (Julie Christie), Chingford’s young, very attractive and single daughter, enters the arena, restores order, and steals Troon’s heart. Troon’s mind then immediately goes to work to craft a strategy that would secure him a date with the beauty. Shortly after, struggling car salesman Freddie Fox (Leslie Phillips), who lives in the same building where Troon rents a room and knows what young women want, suggests that The Fast Lady, a vintage Bentley, is just the thing that would impress Claire and make the date a reality. And it just so happens that Fox has The Fast Lady listed for sale, so if Troon acts quickly and buys the car from him, he will even teach him how to get Claire in the mood, which of course is one hell of a deal. Is Troon interested? Not initially because The Fast Lady isn’t cheap, but after going over his savings multiple times and then consulting his heart eventually he agrees to do business with Fox.

But buying The Fast Lady and driving it are two entirely different things, and because Troon does not know how to drive a car he is presented with a new challenge. He has to learn how to operate The Fast Lady and pass his license test in exactly one week, which is when Claire has agreed to greet him in front of her father’s estate and he will have the honor of entertaining her until the sun comes down.

The basic concept behind Ken Annakin’s The Fast Lady is quite similar to the one Robert Hamer utilized for School for Scoundrels. In both films ambitious bachelors try to impress an emotionally available young woman who appreciates beautiful cars and, in the process, win her heart, but complications arise and they are constantly forced to adjust their supposedly perfect plans. The changes then produce plenty of chaos which is the catalyst for the humor.

What makes the films unique -- aside from the personalities of their stars -- is the manner in which they manage their main character arcs and then set up the buildup of the chaos. In Hammer’s film the line between the opposing parties is drawn very quickly and they are unleashed to compete in a series of brilliant winner-take-all situations, which is why the chaos there is more dynamic. Annakin’s film is looser and more patient with the evolution of its characters. It picks up steam in the second half and it is towards the end that its characters are finally forced to risk everything so that they can accomplish their goals.

Annakin also allows a greater number of ‘outsiders’ to spice up the chaos in his film. For example, a hysterical doctor (Deryck Guyler) is ordered to determine whether Troon has been driving inebriated, but the Scottish bachelor quickly turns the tables on him and exposes his drinking problem. Troon’s caring landlady, Mrs. Staggers (Kathleen Harrison), also frequently interferes in the bachelor’s personal affairs and even appears in a wet dream where he confuses her for Claire. A couple of clueless gangsters and ambitious cops add to the chaos with admirable success as well.

The biggest surprise in this film is the fact that Phillips can’t quite match the quality of Justice’s performance. He is by no means disappointing, but the script limits his opportunities to impress, which is unfortunate, and he never evolves into the classic frisky gentleman that cemented his reputation as one of Britain’s greatest comedians.

*The Fast Lady has been exclusively restored in 2K from the original 35mm camera negative by Network Releasing.

The Fast Lady Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Fast Lady arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.

The film was exclusively restored in 2K by Network Releasing and I think that the new master is quite wonderful. However, as it is the case with most of the finalized masters the label uses, there are traces of very light denoising adjustments that occasionally eliminate tiny nuances (see the background in screencapture #3, as well the landlady's hat in screencapture #6). I find these adjustments utterly pointless, but at least here they are very difficult to spot. The bigger issue with the presentation is that the encode isn't optimized as best as it should have been, which is why there are a few areas where the grain becomes quite loose. You won't have to worry about serious anomalies, but the truth is that with a stronger encode the film would have looked very, very strong in high-definition. Depth, clarity, and sharpness are still quite pleasing. Also, I really like the grading job, which has produced some absolutely stunning primaries and fabulous ranges of supporting nuances. Image stability is excellent. In summary, The Fast Lady has never looked as good it does now, but this release could have been quite the visual stunner. (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 Fast Lady 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.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. The lossless audio is very clear, crisp, and clean. If there were any age-related anomalies before, now it is absolutely impossible to tell. During the races and traffic jam dynamic intensity is very nice as well.

The Fast Lady Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage theatrical trailer for The Fast Lady. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of promotional and production materials.

• Booklet - 10-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Andrew Pixley's essay "A Transport of Delight" and credits.

The Fast Lady Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Leslie Phillips and Terry-Thomas are my favorite British comedians and as you can imagine I have never seen a film with the two that I did not enjoy. Well, the latter does not have a part in Ken Annakin's The Fast Lady, but James Robertson Justice does, and as much as it pains me to admit it, he overshadows the former. The big man is sensational every single time he steps in front of the camera. Of course a terrific Stanley Baxter is always in the middle of the chaos, so without him this film quite simply would not have existed in its current form. I had seen it in the past but had forgotten about it and was very excited to see that it was restored in 2K. Network Releasing's release is good, but I have to say that with a little extra effort it could have been a visual stunner. Regardless, if you have seen and enjoyed Robert Hamer's School for Scoundrels, there is an excellent chance that you will have a good time with The Fast Lady as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.