Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Playbirds Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 1, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of The Mary Millington Movie Collection.

MM.

For film fans, those redolent initials might unavoidably call up images of a gorgeous blonde who was one of the top box office stars of her day, who it was said had bedded at least one of the most powerful politicians in the country, and one who tragically died young from an apparent suicide, though there are still rumors of foul play swirling around her demise. Marilyn Monroe, you say? Well, sure, her, too, but for fans in the United Kingdom in particular MM could just as easily make them think of a woman who was completely notorious in her native land but whose fame is a bit more sparse on this side of the pond, Mary Millington. Millington was the face (and body) of British porn in the 1970s, becoming one of the biggest ticket sellers of her era in England. That UK renown accounts for what may strike some as a perplexing aspect of this Region A release: it comes from Screenbound Pictures, a label located in England, and its cover also clearly features a British Board of Film Classification rating. It turns out MVD Visual is distributing a limited number of copies of the original Region B release (which offered region free discs, in case anyone is/was worried) for sale here in “the colonies” and other Region A markets. The release offers a grab bag of Millington’s often provocative work in porn, as well as a documentary about her.

For those not aware, the UK had a Playboy-esque magazine called Playbirds, and this film is almost a cross marketing attempt, as it deals with a supposed serial murdered offing women who have appeared in the magazine. Rather incredibly, Millington plays a so-called "WPC" (Woman Police Constable) named Lucy Sheridan who, unsurprisingly, is tasked with going undercover to investigate, which of course necessitates her doing a striptease for her superiors just to make sure she's "qualified". The film may not totally elide its kind of weird genre mash ups, but it's slyly provocative and maybe even anarchic in its presentation of Millington as one of the types trying to tamp down pornography in prim and proper England.

The Playbirds Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Playbirds is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Screenbound Pictures with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. While the insert booklet doesn't have any information on the element utilized or restoration undertaken, there is a brief restoration video Screenbound has on YouTube which shows the improvement delivered on this release compared to previous home video releases. A lot of this presentation certainly looks as good as the one in Come Play with Me, but there's more noticeable damage here, albeit typically quite slight, in the form of things like white specks and scratches. The overall look of this transfer is generally just a bit softer than its predecessor, though detail levels are often very commendable, especially in close-ups. There are a few fluctuations in color temperature, and a couple of sequences are skewed toward brown tones. Grain is a bit chunky and even noisy looking on occasion, notably against darker backgrounds as in the opening photo shoot sequence.

The Playbirds Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Playbirds features an LPCM 2.0 mono track that provides fine support for the film's music (which once again kind of traffics in some pop- rock sensibilities). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and I noticed no problems with regard to damage, distortion or dropouts. As with all of the features in this set, there are no subtitles available.

The Playbirds Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio commentary by Simon Sheridan and Willy Roe


• Ten Million Dirty Words (1080p; 13:28) is a fascinating profile of Harry Knights, credited with helping to create the "Millington Myth" via his writing in such magazines as Playbirds and Whitehouse.


• George Richardson: Confessions of a Photographer (1080p; 14:27) interviews the photographer, who created a scandal by shooting a topless Millington in front of 10 Downing Street.


• Response 8mm (1080p; 9:13)

The Playbirds Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is another unabashedly silly outing for Millington, though it's kind of oddly bound up in somewhat more serious subjects, including killers stalking models and Britain's then au courant war on porn. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplementary package enjoyable for those who are considering a purchase.