The Music Machine Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Music Machine Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 17, 2026

Ian Sharp's "The Music Machine" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actors David Easter and Mandy Perryment; new program with actress Patti Boulaye; new program with actor Clarke Peters; new program with choreographer Antony Van Laast; new program with musician and songwriter Les Hurdle; new program with critic Alan Jones; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Although many of the same artists dominated them, the American and British disco scenes were very different. The American disco scene was significantly bigger, more glamorous, and influential. It was associated with legendary venues like New York's Studio 54, which drew celebrities from around the world and single-handedly amplified disco’s mainstream appeal. It was a trend-setter whose cultural and economic importance was impossible to downplay, which is why Hollywood exploited it.

The British disco scene was notably smaller and integrated into the larger, more diverse British club scene. While London was its undisputed epicenter, other cities, like Manchester, Sheffield, and Birmingham, had terrific clubs with unique identities that were major magnets as well. In fact, in Sheffield, The Fiesta aspired to be something far bigger and more important than a disco club. It was supposed to be — and according to some was — the largest cabaret-style club in Europe. (Because these clubs maintained unique identities beyond being just "disco hot spots", they were able to quickly turn house music into the next big thing when disco faded in the 1980s).

British film directors didn’t exploit the British disco scene, either. This is why there are no big British disco films even remotely similar to Saturday Night Fever. In fact, Italy, which caught the disco fever very early but didn’t have the same thriving disco scene, produced far more disco-themed films, many of which were screened in Britain. The British films that incorporated disco music into their narratives treated it primarily as a chic ornament, not the cultural phenomenon that Saturday Night Fever recognized and capitalized on. (The Bitch and The Stud are great examples of such British films. They document some of the disco fever and feature plenty of disco music, but are not disco films).

Arguably the biggest British disco film, The Music Machine, is actually a very small independent project. It was directed by Ian Sharp two years after Saturday Night Fever, and in America, where it has always been quite difficult to track down, it is largely unknown.

In The Music Machine, the unemployed, underappreciated Gerry (Gerry Sundquist) spends most of his free time at the hottest club in Camden Town, North London. He has fallen for the “super ice-cool” Candy (Mandy Perryment), who is already seeing the area’s best dancer, Howard (David Easter). When two wealthy producers visit the club and set up a dance competition to find the perfect couple for their next film, Gerry gathers the courage to enter it with another girl and impress Candy. However, after moving to the second round, Gerry loses his dancing partner, and his good friend, Laurie (Clarke Peters), the club’s DJ, convinces him to team up with Claire (Patti Boulaye), an elegant, high-class dancer. It is a very risky switcheroo, because instead of helping Gerry achieve his goal, it could easily magnify his insecurities and permanently transform him into one of the biggest losers around.

As a time capsule, The Music Machine is a fine little film. It features plenty of good footage from the real The Music Machine club in Camden Town, as well as some decent footage from the surrounding areas. It also incorporates several fine disco tracks, such as “Let Me Feel Your Heartbeat”, “Disco Dancer”, and “Move with the Beat”.

However, its production limitations are beyond obvious. For example, plenty of the editing choices could have been significantly better. The acting is very inconsistent, too.

After The Music Machine, Sharp went on to direct the cult action thriller The Final Option and several episodes of the iconic TV show The Professionals.

The Music Machine 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, The Music Machine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

A short note, very similar to the one included on the recent 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases of Rats: Night of Terror, informs that the new 4K restoration of The Music Machine was also a very challenging reconstruction job. Why? Because the surviving elements for it — the original camera negative and a 35mm CRI — apparently suffered severe decomposition. Some of the surface imperfections created by the decomposition are impossible to miss. However, they are extremely small and irrelevant, and the overall quality of the 4K restoration is outstanding. In fact, even with these minor surface imperfections, I could not be happier with how The Music Machine looks now. Its visuals are wonderfully detailed, clean, and, most importantly, consistently boasting a very attractive organic appearance. Also, the entire 4K restoration is impeccably graded. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set, and both are exceptionally well balanced. Unsurprisingly, The Music Machine looks gorgeous on Blu-ray. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Music Machine 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 provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable. However, it easily reveals that The Music Machine was shot with a small budget, very little of which went to its soundtrack. Plenty of the club footage just does not sound as impressive as it deserves, and most of the disco music is quite 'thin'. On other hand, these, and other, limitations make The Music Machine look even more authentic. I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Music Machine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Dance Partner - in this new program, actress Patti Boulaye discusses her background and late father's 'decision' that she must become a lawyer, her relocation to London and audition for Hair and involvement with The Black Mikado, and contribution to The Music Machine. Also included are comments from choreographer Anthony Van Laast. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Howard & Candy: The Music Machine Dance Rivals - in this new program, actors David Easter and Mandy Perryment recall how they were cast to play their characters in The Music Machine and what it was like to be in front of a rolling film camera. The two also comment on some of the unique qualities they gave their characters. Also included are comments from choreographer Anthony Van Laast. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• The Music Machine Mentor - in this new program, actor Clarke Peters recalls how he landed his part in The Music Machine and how it impacted his life, his experience as a DJ and dancer, what it was like to work with director Ian Sharp and other cast members, and the socio-cultural environment in London during the 1970s. Peters also addresses Gerry Sundquist's tragic suicide. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• The Dance Machine - in this new program, choreographer Antony Van Laast reveals that his first choreographic experience was The Music Machine and explains how difficult it was to work on a disco film in Britain, where there was no thriving disco film culture like in America. Laast also discusses his interactions with cinematographer choreographer Cathy Lewis, who also worked on The Music Machine, and Ian Sharp. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• The Music of the Machine - in this new program, musician and songwriter Les Hurdle explains how he entered the music industry and comments on his relationship with disco music, and how, together with several other musician, he recorded the soundtrack for The Music Machine. Also, there are some particularly interesting comments about the addition of lyrics to what initially were only instrumentals composed for the soundtrack. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Disco Maniacs - in this new program, critics Mark Moore of Sexpress and Alan Jones provide an overview of the disco era, and discuss disco music's relationship with Britain and some of its greatest hits. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).

• The Camden Locations of The Music Machine - in this new program, Alan Jones visits some of the real locations seen in The Music Machine. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Teaser Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage teaser trailer for The Music Machine. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

The Music Machine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For a while, disco music had a huge presence in Britain. However, while dominated by many of the same artists, the British and American disco scenes were very different. One of the more interesting discrepancies between the two was the lack of any big British disco films, treating disco music as a cultural phenomenon and exploiting it like Hollywood films did. The biggest British disco film, The Music Machine, is actually a very small independent project, easily dwarfed even by some of the famous Italian disco copycats. I think it is worth seeing primarily because it is a decent time capsule, rather than a good film telling a special story. Severin Films' release presents a wonderful new 4K restoration of it with a great selection of new bonus features. RECOMMENDED.