The High Commissioner Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The High Commissioner Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 18, 2018

Ralph Thomas' "The High Commissioner" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a gallery of trailers for other titles from the label's catalog. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The man from down under

Outback cop Scobie Malone (Rod Taylor) is summoned by the Premier of New South Wales and ordered to go to London and immediately bring back the country’s High Commissioner, Sir James Quentin (Christopher Plummer), because investigators have gathered enough evidence proving that years ago he murdered his first wife. Scobie reluctantly agrees and heads to the airport.

In London, Scobie meets Sir James at a lavish party and learns that he is involved in some very serious negotiations that could have a significant impact on a wide range of political processes. It is why Sir James asks him for a few extra days -- the stakes are too high and if the negotiations succeed the world will be a safer place. However, by the end of the night Scobie accidentally saves Sir James’ life and then because he intends to complete his mission effectively becomes his bodyguard.

In the days ahead the veteran cop learns plenty about Sir James and his life and comes to realize that his second wife, Sheila (Lilli Palmer), is his greatest ally. Then he engages his elegant secretary, Lisa (Camilla Sparv), whose words and actions convince him that she is incredibly loyal to him as well. A third woman, Maria Cholon (Daliah Lavi), who is frequently seen in Sir James’ company also piques his interest, but he quickly discovers that she is just a popular socialite running a prestigious gambling house where wealthy businessmen and diplomats love to mingle.

As the police authorities attempt to solve the assassination attempt on Sir James, Scobie comes to the conclusion that there are a lot of powerful people that would love to see him fail his in his negotiations. He vows to keep him safe, but this proves to be an extremely challenging task even for an old pro like him.

Ralph Tomas’ film has appeared under two different titles, Nobody Runs Forever, which apparently was its original production title, and The High Commissioner, which was an alternate title that its North American distributor used. However, there are no unique cuts of it, so folks in different markets basically saw the exact same film under a different title.

While the conspiracy is more complicated and the main protagonist handles himself in a different fashion, the concept behind The High Commissioner is practically identical to the one that Tomas utilized for the film that he directed before it, Deadlier Than the Male -- a tough guy with manners finds himself confronting all sorts of mysterious baddies in a place that routinely makes him feel like a fish out of water. Along the way, he also meets some strikingly beautiful women that further complicate his life. (The complications in Deadlier Than the Male are a lot more exotic and an integral part of the plot, and over time are used to transform it into something of a James Bond copycat project).

Here there is an obvious attempt to elevate the sense of authenticity and convince that the big conspiracy that is at the heart of the film is legit, but the end result is not necessarily more respectable. Indeed, the absence of the exotic flavor from Deadlier Than the Male enhances the ‘serious’ drama but also eliminates just about all of Tomas’ options to introduce juicy surprises of the kind that these types of films require to be entertaining. So even though the right kind of macho outsider is available for colorful action, Tomas basically settles down for a large conspiracy that at the end looks more than a bit suspicious.

Still, the period atmosphere is quite wonderful and a top score from the great maestro Georges Delerue actually makes the film a lot classier than it really is. So, a late-night viewing is recommended to get an optimal dose of enjoyment from it.

The High Commissioner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ralph Thomas' The High Commissioner arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

At first glance, the film looks quite good in high-definition, but a closer inspection of the new transfer a number of inconsistencies. For example, there is plenty of light but noticeable flutter in the background that has an impact on density levels. Predictably there are portions of the film where nuances struggle to remain nicely balanced. Furthermore, the color grading is good, but again there are patches where some primaries and nuances are a tad shaky. The less than optimal encoding also impacts the overall fluidity. The good news is that the entire film still retains a very pleasing organic appearance, so even though there are different inconsistencies the current presentation is clearly superior to what an old(er) DVD master would have offered. On a larger screen this is especially easy to see because the source limitations on display here are not the same limitations that an old(er) master would have promoted. All in all, there is room for improvement, but this is a fine technical presentation that makes it quite easy to enjoy the film. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The High Commissioner Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

During the opening credits there is some noticeable distortion that affects Georges Delerue's score, but after that things improve rather dramatically. Still, it is not difficult to tell that the audio has not been optimized -- and by this I mean carefully cleaned up and stabilized -- and was basically transferred as is. So, some unevenness remains, and in the mid-range in particular at times it feels like some extra work should have been done to even improve clarity.

The High Commissioner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - trailers for other Kino Lorber releases.

The High Commissioner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am unfamiliar with Jon Cleary's novel that apparently inspired The High Commissioner, and this is important because if the film is an accurate adaptation of it then the nature of the big conspiracy which is at the heart of it becomes impossible to criticize. And yet this is precisely where I think director Ralph Tomas could have done more to make the film better and more attractive, because with a macho star like Rod Taylor it seems logical to expect a lot of juicy surprises and flashy retro action. As it is The High Commissioner demands to be taken very seriously, but when the final credits roll it just feels like someone played it safe for all the wrong reasons. I viewed the film in the wee hours of the night and still enjoyed it quite a lot, but I would be lying if I did not say that I wanted it to be better. RECOMMENDED, when you find it on sale.