Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Long Day Closes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 20, 2014

Screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Terence Davies' "The Long Day Closes" (1992) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary with director Terence Davies and cinematographer Michael Coulter; exclusive new video interview with production designer Christopher Hobbs; exclusive new video interview with film critic and professor Colin MacCabe; and an episode of the British television series The South Bank Show. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring Michael Koresky's essay "In His Own Good Time". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Will you take us in, mister?"

The main protagonist (Leigh McCormack) in Terence Davies’ The Long Day Closes is an 11-year-old boy named Bud -- clearly Davies’ alter ego -- who spends his time in two different worlds. The first is a dark and gloomy place where he is frequently treated as an annoying outsider. He does his best to fit in without upsetting the people around him, but there is always someone that has a serious problem with the fact that he exists. At home he is kind to everyone, but his kindness is rarely noticed.

The second world is different. It is a friendly place where legendary movie stars and singers love to spend time with Bud. Here Bud feels alive and happy, accepted and appreciated. He visits the place as frequently as possible because he has already realized that in a few years it will be destroyed.

The journeys between the two worlds are unpredictable. There are days when Bud would be stuck in the first against his will. He would try to leave, but an alien force would keep him there. Confused and frustrated, Bud would spend hours looking through the frozen window of his room, frequently driving his mother mad. But there are also days when he would be pushed out of the gloomy world so fast that he would not have enough time to prepare himself for the journey. Though unexpected, these surprising journeys would often turn out to be the most exciting ones.

The Long Day Closes, director Davies’ sequel to his terrific Distant Voices, Still Lives, does not have a well defined structure. It is essentially a large collection of childhood memories that constantly overlap. Unsurprisingly, it frequently feels somewhat chaotic and ends quite abruptly.

The film’s visual style, however, is extraordinary. It blends the rawness and grittiness promoted by the classic British ‘kitchen-sink’ dramas and the fluidity of the classiest psychedelic films while it looks for beauty in 1950s working-class Liverpool. All of this is done by employing a limited range of cold and desaturated colors and using light and shadow in a variety of unique ways. The result is a hugely atmospheric film that is very much in a league of its own.

The film takes some getting used to as its rhythm is quite unusual, but once it becomes clear that the ‘story’ is indeed secondary and the focus of attention is on the feelings and sensations Davies experienced while growing up everything begins to make perfect sense. Additionally, large portions of the film are without dialog, but some of the most effective sequences are precisely the ones where a simple look or a tiny ray of light would reveal how the boy feels.

Music has a very important role in the film. Instead of complimenting the visuals it is repeatedly used as their foundation, effectively shaping them up and providing a direction. The different songs and sound clips also reveal how the boy slowly matures.

To achieve the film’s unique look, Davies and cinematographer Michael Coulter (Bill Forsyth’s Gregory's Girl, Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility) used a process called 'bleach bypass' which raises contrast and desaturates colors. Old British lenses and unique filters were also used to further enhance the qualities introduced by the 'bleach bypass'.

The Long Day Closes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Terence Davies' The Long Day Closes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised by director Terence Davies and director of photography Michael Coulter, this new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Spirit Classic/DaVinci 2K film scanner from the original 35mm interpositive, held by Channel 4.

The original stereo soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 35mm magnetic tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation.

Transfer supervisor: Terence Davies, Michael Coulter.
Technical supervisor: James White.
Colorists: Trevor Brown/Deluxe 142, London.
Picture restoration: Dana O'Reilly/Deluxe Digital EMEA, London.
Audio restoration: Ian Pickford, Gary Saunders/Deluxe 142, London."

To achieve the film's unique look, Michael Coulter and Terence Davies used a process called 'bleach bypass' which raises contrast and desaturates colors. Old British lenses and unique filters were also used to further enhance the qualities introduced by the 'bleach bypass'. The dark yet very nuanced look of the film is beautifully reproduced by the new high-definition transfer (see screencaptures #3 and 19). Detail is consistently very pleasing. Clarity occasionally fluctuates, but the fluctuations are undoubtedly intended. Contrast levels also fluctuate but primarily due to the manner in which light is treated (very frequently it is underexposed). There are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining corrections. On the contrary, grain is actually enhanced by the special lenses and at times, as intended, becomes quite heavy. Also, there are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Image stability is very good. Finally, I noticed a couple of tiny flecks, but there are are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or splices to report in this review. All in all, this is a very strong presentation of The long Day Closes which will likely remain the film's definitive presentation on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Long Day Closes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The film has a very diverse and notably lush soundtrack that greatly benefits from the lossless treatment. Indeed, the music (original songs and sound clips) is exceptionally rich and well rounded, at times acting as a unique character whose role is to evoke a very specific atmosphere. The random nature sounds and noises are also exceptionally easy to identify. The dialog is always crisp, clean, and easy to follow.

The Long Day Closes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Long Day Closes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).

• Christopher Hobbs - in this video interview, production designer Christopher Hobbs explains what type of special effects and sets were used to recreate Terence Davies' childhood memories in The Long Day Closes. Mr. Hobbs also recalls his first encounter with director Ken Russell. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion at Mr. Hobbs' home in France in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• The South Bank Show - in this 1992 episode of the British television series The South Bank Show, director Terence Davies discusses his difficult childhood, his relationship with his mother, the unique look of post-war Liverpool, his love for American cinema, etc. Also included is raw footage from the shooting of The Long Day Closes, as well as clips from archival interviews with actor Leigh McCormack, production designer Christopher Hobbs, and producer Olivia Stewart. The episode aired a month before the premiere of The Long Day Closes at the Cannes Film Festival. In English, not subtitled. (48 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Discovering the cinema
  2. Childhood traumas: paternal abuse, school bullying, and Catholicism
  3. The Terence Davies Trilogy and the BFI Production Board
  4. Distant Voices, Still Lives and critical success
  5. The Long Day Closes, tracking shots, and the denial of geography
  6. Filming: the script, set, and actors

• Colin MacCabe - in this new video interview, film critic and professor Colin MacCabe discusses some of the dilemmas he faced when he tried to secure funding for director Terence Davies' early films Death and Transfiguration and Distant Voices, Sill Lives while heading the BFI Production Board. Mr. MacCabe also discusses the difficult production history of The Long Day Closes. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this audio commentary with director Terence Davies and cinematographer Michael Coulter was recorded in 2007. It initially appeared on BFI's R2 DVD release of The Long Day Closes.

• Booklet - illustrated booklet featuring Michael Koresky's essay "In His Own Good Time". (Mr. Koresky is the author of an upcoming book on Terence Davies).

The Long Day Closes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think it is fair to say that Terence Davies is Britain's best answer to Terrence Malick. His films have a very unique look and style that cannot be imitated. The Long Day Closes, director Davies' sequel to his terrific Distant Voices, Still Live, is now available on a gorgeous Blu-ray release from Criterion which should make fans of his work very happy. Buy with confidence, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.