The Flying Scot Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Flying Scot Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 14, 2022

Compton Bennett's "The Flying Scot" a.k.a. " The Mailbag Robbery" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with professor Steve Chibnall; exclusive new program with critic and author Barry Forshaw; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The most amusing thing about this very low-budget British crime film might be that its three leads are not British. Two of them were from Canada and one from the United States. Apparently, they were chosen to make the film more attractive overseas, which was a smart plan but only on paper. In reality, this plan not only did not work as intended but more than likely quickly put the film in the shadow of much bigger crime films with legit North American stars. The three leads that were supposed to make a difference are Lee Patterson, Alan Gifford, and Kay Callard.

The film opens up with an unusually long prologue that is completely free of dialog. At a busy train station, a newly wedded couple boards an unidentified train. They place a large “Just Married” sign on their cabin door, pull down the shades, and begin unpacking. While the woman (Callard) adjusts her hair, the man (Patterson) removes a fake mustache. Half an hour later, they are joined by another, older man (Gifford), who immediately takes off his jacket and begins removing the screws that hold the three big seats next to him. In a matter of minutes, the seats are taken down without any damage, and through a hole in the wall, the man reaches the mail room behind them. He quickly hands a couple of very large bags containing old banknotes to his accomplices and returns to the cabin. By the time the seats are placed back where they used to be, the fast-moving train approaches a giant bridge where a third man (Mark Baker) has been waiting to collect the bags. As the train passes through, the bags are thrown out the cabin’s window. A few weeks later, the entire group is seen enjoying the hospitality of sunny Rio de Janeiro.

Then the film quickly moves to the present where the young man is having trouble selling the “perfect job” from the prologue to the older man because he identifies too many areas of it with potential vulnerabilities. But the visibly agitated young man eventually wins the debate and they agree to do it. In a lousy pub, the young man then introduces the older man to a jaded waitress who will pretend to be his wonderful new “wife”.

The rest of the film takes place on the real moving train, not the one from the young man’s imagination, and the majority of this footage is from the newly wedded couple’s cabin. But very little of the “perfect job” goes as planned. The older man becomes sick, the younger man loses his cool, and a very curious kid causes all sorts of unexpected problems. The wall behind the seats turns out to be far more difficult to break as well.

Directed by Compton Bennett in 1957, The Flying Scot (also known as The Mailbag Robbery) is a classic B-film that very much looks and behaves like one. It is approximately seventy minutes long and shot with such a small budget that it is impossible to see how it could have been mistaken for anything else but a B-film. In other words, if its North American leads truly were supposed to make it appear more attractive on the other side of the Atlantic, it is hard to see how this goal was accomplished. On the other hand, even minor distribution deals in the United States and Canada almost certainly made its producers very happy because they probably tripled, possibly even quadrupled what they had invested in it.

The disintegration of the “perfect job” is devoid of any memorable thrills, but the bigger problem is that the chemistry between the leads is quite weak. For example, Patterson has trouble managing the emotions of his character throughout the entire film and it frequently looks like he is performing a part. Callard’s performance is instantly forgettable as well. Gifford has the most convincing personality and attitude after his ulcer nearly transforms him into a vegetable, but the camera expects Patterson to lead.

Bennet, who was also one of the producers of The Flying Scot, secured the services of cinematographer Peter Hennessy, whose best work is undoubtedly in Nicholas Ray’s The Savage Innocents.

The Flying Scot 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, The Flying Scot arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from a very beautiful new master that makes the film sparkle on Blu-ray. I have only two minor complaints. First, very early into the film, I noticed a quick skip, so either there is a missing frame or two -- and I think this is actually the case -- or there is a skip on the master. Second, from time to time I could spot very small white nicks that could have been removed with digital tools. However, these are not the type of larger and annoying white nicks/flecks that you would encounter on older masters. The rest looks excellent. Delineation, clarity, and depth are outstanding. Of course, before or after transitions there are minor density fluctuations that cause minor flatness and softness, but they are both inherited. The grayscale is excellent. The blacks are solid but do not crush, while the grays and whites are wonderfully balanced. There are stability issues. All in all, this is a very strong organic presentation of The Flying Scot. (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 Flying Scot 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.

I did not encounter any age-related anomalies to report in our review. The dialog was very clear, sharp, and always easy to follow. However, the film's overall range of dynamic nuances is very limited. The music does not produce any memorable contrasts either. There are no transfer-specific issues to report.

The Flying Scot Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Professor Steve Chibnall - in this exclusive new program, Steve Chibnall, professor of British Cinema at Leicester De Montfort University, discusses the evolution of the British B-film after WWII, the conception of The Flying Scot and its objective, and some of the film's unique qualities. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Interview with Professor Barry Forshaw - in this exclusive new program, Barry Forshaw, author of British Crime Film: Subverting the Social Order, discusses the production of The Flying Scot and the era it emerged from as well its visual appearance and characterizations. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Alternate Opening Sequence - presented silent. (2 min).

• Still Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Flying Scot provided by BFI Archive.

The Flying Scot Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Describing The Flying Scott as British classic is false advertising. It is a very small, made-on-a-tiny-budget B-film with North American leads that are not particularly good. However, I would not say that it is a bad film either because it produces the thrills it was supposed to deliver. It is just not a great or memorable genre film. I would recommend it to folks with a soft spot for older films that feature trains, but as far as British period heist films are concerned, I guarantee you will have a much better time with the likes of Payroll, Robbery, and The League of Gentlemen. StudioCanal's release of The Flying Scot is sourced from a very good exclusive new master. RECOMMENDED, but only to train lovers.