Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Point Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 11, 2020

Harry Nilsson is a bit of an oddity in the frequently pretty generally odd anyway annals of rock music, having been one of the most influential singer-songwriters of his generation, but one who may nevertheless be best remembered by the public at large for his “cover” versions of two songs he did not write himself, Everybody’s Talkin’, a Fred Neil composition which famously became part of Midnight Cowboy, and Without You, a plaintive ballad many Baby Boomers associate only with Nilsson (younger folks may know Mariah Carey’s version), even though it was written and originally recorded by the British group Badfinger. That data point is rather interesting in and of itself, since Badfinger was famously the first band signed to the Beatles’ then nascent Apple Music label back in 1968, and had several hits that had direct Beatle involvement. The Beatles themselves (or at least John Lennon and Paul McCartney) had just as famously shared their love for Nilsson’s music in an interview given more or less at around this same time, and the fact that what many would probably cite as the single most important band of that era should single out Nilsson as their own personal favorite should certainly be indicative of what esteem Nilsson was held in as a writer. In that regard, it's once again kind of ironic that in terms of being a singer-songwriter Nilsson may be best remembered not for his own version of a song he wrote, but for a song he wrote which became a massive hit for the band Three Dog Night, One. In just one example of the mind boggling vagaries of the music industry, Nilsson didn’t really have a string of massive hits which he both wrote and recorded himself, with many of his own singles of his own material tending to reside in the bottom half of the Top 40 (if they charted at all), though one novelty single of his, Coconut from 1971, did make it to the Top 10. Another tune of his which might be rightly thought of as kinda sorta a novelty single, Me and My Arrow, made it to 34 in 1972 (it was the single released right before Without You, in fact). Me and My Arrow was a jaunty little number that might have been casually understood as a love song, but it was actually an ode to a dog, and was part of the album The Point, a kind of whimsical fairy tale album that sparked an animated feature adaptation which premiered a few months after the album did, as part of the then very popular ABC franchise of so-called "world premieres", Movie of the Week.

The Point was initially a story written by Harry Nilsson, and I have to wonder in passing if perhaps sometime in 1970 Nilsson may have stumbled across the then new novel by Ira Levin entitled This Perfect Day. While not very well remembered now, This Perfect Day was a minor bestseller and was a kind of update on dystopian novels like Brave New World or 1984, though Levin posited a future society where everyone was genetically altered to be more or less “the same”. The hero of the novel has an unusual green eye that sets him apart from the masses and provides an impetus for that character starting to question everything he’s been taught. Something at least somewhat similar is at hand in The Point, though few would probably think that the “society” depicted in the animated feature is advanced or futuristic in any major way. Instead, Nilsson rather playfully invents a world where everything has a point — literally, as in a peak at the top. That includes the “humans” (if that’s what they are), though a little boy named Oblio (voiced by Mike Lookinland of The Brady Bunch fame) is born with a more (to us, anyway) “normal” rounded head.

Kind of interestingly, though, Oblio is not ostracized due to his “aberration”, at least not immediately. But this is a fairy tale, after all (and actually a bedtime story told by a Dad — voiced by Ringo Starr, more about that below in the audio section — reading to a little boy who’d rather be watching television). As such there has to be a villain, in this case a nefarious Count (Lennie Weinrib), a kind of quasi-Pharisee quoting old law in order to justify Oblio being banished to the so-called “pointless forest”. That sets the film up for its decidedly outré “quest” element whereby Oblio figures out things are not always as they seem (or at least reported, a la “fake news”), while also learning to accept his place in the world.

If The Point’s underlying message of tolerance and individuality is of course well founded, I’m not entirely certain the story’s “metaphysics” (for want of a better term) always make complete sense, as evidenced by the film’s wrap up, which kind of humorously once again makes Oblio an outcast of sorts. There’s an appealing style to this piece that helps it overcome some of its narrative shortcomings, though, with a kind of Peter Max meets Gahan Wilson approach that’s quite inventive, and certainly blew minds back in 1971 when this first aired. Nilsson’s songs are typically tuneful but just as typically utterly idiosyncratic, which I personally find to be an inestimable part of their charm.

The Point Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Point is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Rewind Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. While the back cover of this release states this is a "new 2K High Definition transfer from 16mm film elements", expectations should probably be adjusted somewhat by the inescapable fact that the elements utilized are often rather badly damaged. My first piece of advice is to take a deep breath over the very opening couple of production company mastheads, as those are among the worst looking moments in this presentation. However, there are pretty abundant nicks, scratches, and what looks like some emulsion mottling that show up recurrently once the actual film starts. I've tried to provide screenshots that show some of the kinds of damage that regularly crop up, and I highly recommend those interested to look at them in full resolution (there's a rather long lasting scratch down the middle of the frame in the opening few minutes of the film, which can be seen in screenshot 6, and later there's quite a bit of scratching and other damage toward the left side of the frame, as can be seen in screenshot 15, but many other screenshots show other moments of varying damage). The palette looks rather nicely suffused throughout much of this presentation, with especially strong blues. To my eyes grain was more immediately apparent against darker backgrounds. The film has quite a few optical dissolves and during these moments in particular grain can look a bit on the chunky side, with a yellowish tint.

The Point Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unfortunately this release only features lossy audio, with Dolby Digital 2.0 mono and Dolby Digital 5.0 surround offerings. (The cover and menu state the surround mix is 5.1, but both a standalone player and my Playstation identified only a "basic" 5.0 mix. Similarly, both the cover and menu state the 2.0 mix is stereo, but I'm not hearing any separation and the original broadcast audio was mono.) I'd frankly stay away from the surround mix, as it adds an almost insane amount of reverb that makes Ringo Starr's narration sound like it's emanating from the bottom of a very deep well. Some of the music also suffers from this same almost "phase-y" quality. The 2.0 mix is quite satisfying, with none of the almost out of phase sounding surround mix issues. Dialogue, effects and Nilsson's effortlessly charming music are all rendered with fine fidelity, though a lossless track would have certainly been preferable. The one element in this version of The Point where some may have preferred not to have a Beatle participating is with regard to the Starr voice work. As trivia buffs probably know, Dustin Hoffman provided the voice of the father in the first broadcast iteration, but evidently his contract only allowed for that single use. Starr does absolutely fine in the role, but "originalists" might have wanted Hoffman as an option at least.

The Point Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Nilsson on Screen (1080p; 1:01:13) is a fantastically engaging piece by Nilsson biographer Alyn Shipton which includes a number of really interesting interviews with folks like Perry Botkin, Jr. This provides a lot of biographical background data on Nilsson, while also getting into some of his screen credits, including oddities like Skidoo .


• Original Claymation Animation Sequence (1080p; 2:52) is a stop motion short that evidently inspired the film. Rather incredibly, it was evidently done by Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean fame (was singing or stop motion animation his day job?).


• The Kid's Got a Point (1080p; 17:14) is a fun interview with Mike Lookinland, who gets into how he basically stumbled into a show business career, and how this was just another gig for him back in the day.


• That Old Guy Wrote The Point (1080p; 15:01) is an interview with screenwriter Norm Lenzer.


• Everybody's Got a Point (1080p; 15:51) features Kiefo Nilsson (Harry's son) and Bobby Halvorsen discussing the adaptation process.


• Who is Harry Nilsson? (480i; 3:52) is the first of four archival featurettes that make up The Making of 'The Point'.


• Pitching The Point (480i; 3:37) features folks like Mickey Dolenz.


• Making The Point (480i; 13:08) features animator Fred Wolf.


• Legacy of The Point (480i; 6:04) features folks like America's Gerry Beckley discussing the film's impact.


• Trailers includes The Point (576i*; 2:13) along with trailers for other MVD Visual releases.

Additionally, the keepcase holds a folded mini-poster.

*As odd as this resolution is for those of us on this side of the pond, it's what my PC drive reported to me.

The Point Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Like Harry Nilsson's music itself, The Point is absolutely sui generis and it should certainly appeal to those who argue for greater understanding between those who perceive themselves to be "different" from each other. The film ultimately may not make a ton of sense (as even Kiefo Nilsson kind of admits to in his comments on a supplement), but it's a lot of fun and Nilsson's music is captivating. Video is encumbered by an at times pretty damaged source element, and unfortunately there are only lossy audio tracks available on this release. With those caveats duly noted, and with an understanding that the supplemental package here is great, The Point comes Recommended.