Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The League of Gentlemen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 7, 2020

Basil Dearden's " The League of Gentlemen" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage audio commentary by Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman; archival program about the life and career of Richard Attenborough; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Our business is finished here. Let's move.

If you remove its sense of humor, or at least dramatically tone it down, you could rather successfully argue that this film was conceived to be the British answer to Jules Dassin’s classic caper Rififi. Its pragmatism is quite good, at times even admirable, and its insistence that crime is a serious business best handled by men of discipline is of course pointless to question.

Directed by Basil Dearden, The League of Gentlemen opens up on a dark and wet night in London where Hyde (Jack Hawkins), wearing an impeccable suit, quietly emerges from a sewer and then quickly gets in a car parked next to it. Just a few blocks away from the sewer is one of the city’s biggest banks.

A few days later, in different corners of the city, ex-servicemen begin receiving small packages containing a novel with an offer, which eventually unites them in a prestigious club. There the men are introduced to each other and after drinks and appetizers are served Hyde announces that he plans to do a job they might be interested in. The surprising announcement is followed by a short summation of the nature of the job, which leaves a few of the men convinced that they have been misidentified. But Hyde quickly proves them wrong while citing various compromising details from their past and casually yet accurately describing their current dire financial situation. Then, while the stunned men are still trying to figure out how a complete stranger can know so much about their private lives, Hyde informs them that he would expect to hear their final answers on his offer and swiftly exits the club.

When every single attendee officially accepts the offer, Hyde mails out a new set of invitations and then welcomes the entire group to his Victorian home in Buckinghamshire. Here, after each man is given a military rank, the group begins training and preparing for the upcoming job. In a few weeks, Hyde announces that the group is ready to execute his plan and they leave his home to rob the City and County Bank in the heart of London.

Half of this film was already done by the time the casting process was wrapped up. Dearden worked with a solid script by Bryan Forbes, who adapted John Boland’s popular novel and actually plays one of the coolest ‘gentlemen’, but the reason the film still looks very attractive is the exceptional chemistry between its stars, which are not just ‘regular’ stars but very serious British heavy hitters. Indeed, in addition to Hawkins and Forbes the ‘gentlemen’ are played by Richard Attenborough, Roger Livesey, Nigel Patrick, Kieron Moore, Norman Bird, and Terrence Alexander. A brilliant Robert Coote leaves a lasting impression as a bubbly old neighbor with a bit of a drinking problem as well. Early into the film, even a young Oliver Reed finds a way to stumble before Dearden’s camera. So, with this much talent even a complete amateur would have had an awfully difficult time crafting a legit stinker.

While it is probably unfair to single out any of the stars, it just feels like Hawkins’ performance is extra special. All of the material leading to the robbery relies on his ability to produce surprises that effectively redirect the story in ways that also quite dramatically impact the tone and tempo of the film. These shifts appear very natural and easy, but with such a big cast of stars that can shine in different ways it takes an incredible performance to make the film as unpredictable and well-controlled as it is.

The casual -- but at the time considered quite cynical -- humor that is sprinkled on top of the action is the only feature that occasionally does not mix particularly well with the film’s brisk pragmatism. However, elsewhere the same casual humor is precisely what allows the film to pull off some quite special surprises.

*This release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K restoration of The League of Gentlemen, which was completed on behalf of Network Releasing.

The League of Gentlemen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.75:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The League of Gentlemen arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.

The release is sourced from a very solid new 2K restoration of the film. I have only one minor complaint, which I have mentioned in other reviews of Network releases. Here it is:

I don't understand why the folks that do these beautiful restorations on behalf of the label feel the need to tone down grain on the finalized masters. I have not seen every single restoration they have produced, but I have seen quite a few and especially their TV projects could have looked phenomenal without the additional adjustments. Fortunately, usually these are extremely light adjustments, but I feel that they are not needed. The raw masters, without the grain management, I can tell look sensational, so transfer them to Blu-ray as they are.

The League of Gentlemen looks really, really good, but when I projected it I was able to tell that it could have looked even better. To be perfectly clear, you do not need to worry about anomalies of the kind that poor degraining adjustments produce -- delineation, depth, and fluidity are lovely. But trained eyes will spot a few areas, mostly during darker indoor footage, where it just feels like the visuals could have been even more impressive. There are minor nuances that I felt could have been better exposed; not by much but enough to make these visuals look more convincing. The rest I liked a lot. The grading job, in particular, is outstanding. The entire film also looks very, very healthy. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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 League of Gentlemen 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.

Clarity and stability are very good. However, there are some segments where in the upper register you will hear very light buzz, from time to time with some thinning as well. It is most noticeable whenever the music becomes prominent. These fluctuations are not even remotely distracting, but I wonder if they could have been addressed with additional restoration work. The rest sounds great.

The League of Gentlemen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The League of Gentlemen. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for the film. (4 min).

• Cinema: Bryan Forbes - an excellent archival program in which Bryan Forbes discusses his involvement with The League of Gentlemen, the state of British cinema and its dependence on American capital, prominent role sex had in British films during '70s, etc. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• The South Bank Show - this archival program takes a closer look at the life and career of Richard Attenborough. It was first transmitted on November 15, 1992. In English, not subtitled. (70 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman. It was recorded for Network Releasing in 2007.

The League of Gentlemen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It would be quite silly of me to try to explain why you should be eager to pick up a copy of Basil Dearden's The League of Gentlemen. After all, even a quick glance at its cast list should provide you with plenty of good reasons. I just wish to mention one other good thing about it that may not be so obvious now. At the time of its release this film was a genre outsider that became a trend-setter much in the same way Rififi was in France. It did it differently -- primarily by effectively blending its pragmatism with casual but bold cynicism that produces virtually all of the good laughs -- but its incredible reputation comes from the same insistence that crime is, and always will be, a serious business best handled by men of discipline. Network's new release is sourced from a very solid exclusive 2K restoration and features a small but excellent set of archival bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.