Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Raging Moon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 16, 2020

Bryan Forbes' "The Raging Moon" a.k.a. "Long Ago, Tomorrow" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a new audio commentary by critic and filmmaker Daniel Kremer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Malcolm McDowell plays two completely different characters and the overwhelming majority of the film is about the second one. He emerges some time after he is relocated to a secluded nursing home and reluctantly begins to reevaluate his life.

The first character is a cocky football player who lives his life one day at a time. He parties hard and treats the girls that are willing to go out with him like disposable objects. Because no one seems willing to confront him and question his lifestyle, he assumes that it is his God-given right to be different. But when he falls seriously ill and then in a matter of weeks becomes disabled, something deep inside him snaps and forces him to begin seeing the people around him from a completely different angle.

Initially, what he sees angers him. In the nursing home he feels like a bird in a cage and assumes that it is only a matter of time before he loses his mind. Then he befriends a beautiful girl (Nanette Newman, The Stepford Wives, Anyone for Sex?) who just like him has been trying to cope with her condition. There is an instant attraction between them, but they are unsure if their relationship could evolve into something more serious -- or if they should even think about it. There is even a bigger obstacle -- for years the girl has been engaged to a man she does not love.

Still, the former football player and the girl continue to spend time together and openly talk about the way they feel. And the more they do, the more they begin to realize that they are experiencing true love, the kind that a lot of normal people never discover in their lives.

It is difficult to understand why this extremely poignant romantic film directed by Bryan Forbes wasn’t received better by the critics and filmgoers. It is not a lavish production but it is wonderfully lit and shot and its two stars are simply terrific. It even has a lovely score by Stanley Myers, who some years later will contribute to Michael Cimino’s powerful war drama The Deer Hunter and Stephen Frears’ excellent biopic Prick Up Your Ears.

The bulk of the film takes place inside the nursing home where the two lovers are trying to overcome everything that makes their love look impossible in the eyes of those who do not understand how they feel. It is slow but it never drags. The fantastic chemistry between McDowell and Newman makes the long conversations fascinating to behold and gently force one to think about the many things those that are supposedly more fortunate take for granted.

The ending is rather predictable but the melodrama is kept at bay. For a short moment it may seem that the way things have turned out isn’t fair, but everyone moves on and the familiar rhythm of life inside the nursing home is restored.

The film is based on Peter Marshall's 1966 novel "The Raging Moon", whose title was used to distribute it in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the film was screened with the alternative title Long Ago Tomorrow.

The Raging Moon 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 Raging Moon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

StudioCanal restored The Raging Moon in 2K and released it on Blu-ray in 2015. (You can see our listing and review of the Region-B release here). This release is sourced from StudioCanal's restored master.

I still have the Region-B release in my library and was able to do some quick comparisons, but I could not spot any meaningful discrepancies to report in our review. The film looks very healthy and has an all-around solid organic appearance. Because of the manner in which light is captured by the camera during specific indoor and outdoor footage minor fluctuations in grain exposure can be observed, but they are entirely natural. Some similar but less noticeable fluctuations are present in highlights, a few of which could have been managed better, but this isn't an issue of concern. The color grading is very convincing. There are no stability issues or other age-related anomalies to report. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Raging Moon 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.

Stanley Myers' soundtrack benefits the most from the lossless treatment and rightfully so because it has a very important role and produces the most memorable contrasts. Clarity, stability, and overall balance are excellent, but as usual keep in mind that this is an older film with some small limitations that impact dynamic intensity. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

The Raging Moon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critic and filmmaker Daniel Kremer shares plenty of information about the production of The Raging Moon, the film's promotion in the United Kingdom and the United States (under the alternative title Long Ago, Tomorrow), the '70s and Malcolm McDowell career, Peter Marshall and his novel, etc.

• Trailers - trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Britannia Hospital
  2. Accident
  3. The Naked Face

The Raging Moon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A rough football player becomes disabled but discovers true love in Bryan Forbes' wonderfully acted and directed romantic drama The Raging Moon. This recent release from Kino Lorber is sourced from the excellent 2K restoration that StudioCanal produced a couple of years ago. It also features a very nice exclusive new audio commentary by critic and filmmaker Daniel Kremer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.