The Rebel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Rebel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 10, 2025

Robert Day's "The Rebel" a.k.a. "Call Me Genius" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by comedian Paul Merton and screenwriters Ray Galton and Alan Simpson; new program with critic Diane Morgan; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Some masterpieces are different.

Is art only as good as the price tag that is attached to it? And if the answer is yes, are artists and art dealers the greatest scammers to have walked the earth? Robert Day’s The Rebel repeatedly asks variations of these questions, and then repeatedly answers them through its star, Tony Hancock, who plays a delusional amateur artist and an accidental impostor-turned-scammer.

After years of suppressing his inexorable desire to reveal an artistic talent like no other to the world, Anthony Hancock (Hancock) quits his office job in London, packs up his bags, and heads to Paris, where he intends to reveal his masterpiece -- a giant sculpture of a woman, more elegant and beautiful than the legendary Greek goddess Aphrodite. But on the way to Paris, a loading crane knocks off the sculpture’s head and drops it in the ocean, forcing Hancock to readjust his strategy. He does, and soon after meets Paul Ashby (Paul Massie), another brilliant, struggling, and unappreciated British artist, patiently waiting for his big break. Hancock quickly impresses Ashby with some mumbo jumbo about seeing and deconstructing art differently, and, after the two become roommates, begins improving his technique. But there is nothing in Ashby’s technique that needs to be improved. Hancock is a brilliant artist only in his head, while Ashby is an undiscovered master whose work is precisely what art dealers and art galleries are searching for. Nevertheless, Hancock quickly convinces Ashby that he is a talentless hack who has wasted his life, and in a matter of weeks, after becoming a star with the local bohemian community, inspires him to choose a new path in life. After abandoning his unsold paintings to Hancock, Ashby then heads back to London, his hometown, to become an office worker. In the days ahead, Lady Luck introduces Hancock to Charles Brewer (George Sanders), a prominent art dealer with deep pockets, who instantly falls in love with his paintings and declares that he has discovered a genius destined to become a worldwide sensation. Before Hancock can explain that the paintings belong to someone else, Brewer begins selling them, arranging future exhibitions of his work in some of the greatest art galleries, and writing checks that numb his conscience. Eventually, in Monaco, Brewer also introduces Hancock to the shady millionaire Aristotle Carreras (Gregoire Aslan), who commissions a sculpture of his trophy wife, Margot (Margit Saad), not realizing that the hottest artist in Europe has been blowing enough hot air to make February the warmest month in Siberia.

Directed by Robert Day, The Rebel is a hilarious, very witty film whose relentless jabs at the pretentiousness that has been compromising art for many decades have not aged a bit. It is because Hancock speaks fluently the false language that all talentless artists and dishonest art dealers still do, only he does it in a way that exaggerates the lies to a degree where the obvious becomes painfully obvious. Hancock also repeatedly emphasizes the other big truth about art, art connoisseurs, and art dealers. All of them are engaged in a business, so as long as there are schmucks with deep pockets demanding ‘art’, there will be ‘artists’ and ‘art dealers’ willing to produce and deliver it to them at a good price.

Even though Hancock generates all humor, The Rebel is not a one-man show. The supporting cast is excellent. Sanders plays the clueless art dealer to perfection, Massie is terrific as the disillusioned painter, and Saad’s frisky trophy wife is a hoot.

Gilbert Taylor’s lensing is difficult to praise, especially considering that his name is attached to such visually stunning films as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope and Flash Gordon, but it is not disappointing either.

The Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Rebel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

It is very easy to tell that The Rebel has been recently restored because it looks very healthy and attractive. (In 2019, Network Releasing produced this, which touted a new restoration, and I assume that the same restoration is presented on this release). Declination, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent, and the density levels of all visuals is quite impressive. Unsurprisingly, on a large screen, there is a lot to see and like. Color reproduction and balance are good. Ideally, saturation levels can just a bit better, but I did not see anything on my system that I did not like. On the contrary, several segments, like the where Tony Hancock and George Sanders supposedly travel to Monte Carlo, looked terrific. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain exposure is very nice and there are no encoding anomalies to report. Also, I did not see any distracting cuts, blemishes, marks, or tiny scratches to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you need to have a Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I was quite surprised to hear how rich and active the lossless track is because Frank Cordell's music score, while nice, is not easy to praise. However, there are plenty of very good dynamic contrasts, and during some busy sequences, like the one where the commissioned statue is revealed, there is quite a bit movement. The dialog is always very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. There are no balance issues.

The Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by comedian Paul Merton and screenwriters Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. It is fantastic. Galton shares a lot of very interesting details about the conception of The Rebel (such as the fact that Tony Hancock insisted on having writing credits but did not do any work on the screenplay), some of Hancock's apparently quite bold improvisations, the big-time actors that agreed to do the film (like George Sanders, Dennis Price, and John Le Mesurier), the film's poor performance in America, etc.

• An Irrepressible Streak: Paul Merton on The Rebel - in this new program, Paul Merton discusses the life and career of Tony Hancock, as well as some of the strengths of his acting style. Also, there are some interesting comments about The Rebel and the character Hancock plays in it. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• A Definitive Comedian: Diane Morgan on Tony Hancock - in this new program, critic Diane Morgan explains how she discovered Tony Hancock and comments on what made his type of comedy unique. The Rebel is addressed as well. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Stills Gallery - presented here is a collection of behind the scenes stills. Silent. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Rebel. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is such a tragedy that the British traded their unique brand of comedy for a unique brand of miserabilism because the former was vastly superior. While the former was dominant, they produced real stars too, some of whom, like Tony Hancock, can now be rediscovered with forgotten gems like The Rebel. The satire that is channeled through The Rebel, most of which is incredibly witty and funny, has not lost any of its relevance. In fact, with the devaluation of art in recent decades, it very much feels like Hancock's character, a delusional amateur artist and impostor, needs to be reincarnated in a remake. If you choose to grab a copy of StudioCanal's wonderful release for your library, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.