The System Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The System Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 26, 2020

Michael Winner's "The System" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; new audio commentary by critic Stephen Vagg; and recent video interview with actress Jane Merrow. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Please note that the text below was initially used in our review of the European release of The System which Indicator/Powerhouse Films produced in 2019.

The System (also known as The Girl-Getters) makes what I am going to state below an indisputable fact. (Did anyone ever dispute it? Well, I can vouch that there was at least one person that until earlier tonight had serious doubts about its validity). Also, I am quite certain that director Michael Winner was fully aware of it, and most likely envisioned his entire film with it in mind. He must have because not only does the camera rarely miss an opportunity to emphasize it, but at times actually does quite a bit of extra work to create such opportunities. So, here’s the fact: In his twenties Oliver Reed was an incredibly handsome actor. Indeed, there is plenty of material in The System that makes him look every bit as striking as Alain Delon was during the same period, and I actually think that this was entirely intentional as well. The casual appearance of Reed’s seducer for instance is a key quality of the characters that Delon played in Purple Noon, Rocco and His Brothers, and even L'Eclisse, and the few times when he looks straight into the camera suddenly it becomes awfully easy to speculate that the two men might have taken lessons from the same acting coach.

Just about the entire film is set in one of those wonderful British seaside villages that become overpopulated with tourists during the summer and then as soon as they leave go into hibernation mode. It is the middle of the summer season which means that Tinker (Reed), who is a photographer, has to work hard to make enough cash to help him get by during the colder months. But this is also the time of the year when Tinker and his wild buddies go out hunting -- single girls and occasionally lonely older women, not rabbits or deer -- and then do their best to have the wild adventures that make them feel like ‘real’ men. During a pre-planned encounter Tinker meets Nicola (Jane Merrow), a fashion model from the big city, who is visiting the area with her wealthy family. He tries to seduce her, she lets him make his moves, and eventually they go out on a date. However, the reliable moves that Tinker has been using to get what he is after quickly become useless when much to his surprise he begins to fall in love with Nicola. He does his best to mask the ‘weakness’ before the other hunters in the group, but instead his romantic relationship with the model grows stronger and then threatens to crash his entire winning system while also permanently redirecting his life.

The System offers just another cinematic variation of the classic story about the hunters becoming the hunted, but it is a genuine charmer. Indeed, it has the crucial casual attitude that it needs to look authentic and captures nature’s beauty without creating the impression that it seeks to impress. It really is the kind of film that some of the Nouvelle Vague directors in France quite easily could have directed. (Claude Chabrol’s Le Beau Serge and Les Cousins for instance deal with different themes but work so well for the same reasons The System does).

There is natural chemistry between the two leads as well, which is why the emotional ups and downs that emerge as their relationship evolves look legit. Also, the film allows the romance and drama to flourish on their own but at the same time prevents them from having a significant impact on its identity. This makes a huge difference because the usual clichés about the two sexes and the ‘proper’ ways in which they connect and fall in love are essentially discarded. (By the way, this is the exact reason why all these years later The System does not look like a dated melodrama. On the contrary, it feels very fresh, and in some parts even unexpectedly bold).

The supporting cast is big and quite impressive. Harry Andrews (Play Dirty), Julia Foster (Alfie), Guy Doleman (Thunderball), John Alderton (Hannibal Brooks), and even a very shy David Hemmings (Blow-Up) are frequently seen hanging around Reed and Merrow.

The great director Nic Roeg, who a little over a decade later would go on to make the classic genre films Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth, was Winner's cinematographer.

The System Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The System arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release appears to have been sourced from the same master that the folks at Indicator/Powerhouse Films worked with to produce this release of the film in 2019. There are two minor discrepancies that I could see while comparing the two releases. The other release has a slightly more contrasty look, with marginally stinger blacks that produce light crushing, plus there is a minor fracming discrepancy. However, I think that both are essentially irrelevant. As mentioned in the review of the previous release, the current master is somewhat uneven and there are a few areas with small but noticeable drops in density (see screencapture #13) which actually introduce other contrast and clarity fluctuations that make it quite difficult to appreciate the difference. Perhaps there are a few close-ups where some you could spot the discrepancies, but I personally found the film's appearance equally pleasing. The framing discrepancy is meaningless. There are no traces of recent digital work. Image stability is good. A few blemishes and tiny marks remain, but there are no large and distracting age-related imperfection. In summary, the overall quality of the presentation is what I would typically expect to see from a slightly aged interpositive, which as far as I am concerned makes it quite good. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you need to have a Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The System Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

There are a few areas where the audio sounds a bit compressed at times. What this means is that instead of being full and nicely rounded some of the audio is a tad too 'thin' and 'buzzy'. Fortunately there are only a few spots, plus there are no distortions and clarity remains very nice, so you will be able to enjoy the film just fine. Dynamic balance is good, but a new remix can offer some meaningful improvements.

The System Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - remastered trailer for The System. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Jane Merrow on The System - in this recent video interview, actress Jane Merrow recalls how she was cast to play Nicola, and discusses her work in front of the camera the rest of the cast members. Interestingly, Mrs. Merrow apparently did not get to know Oliver Reed, who at the time was already drinking quite a lot. The interview also appears on Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release of The System. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - new audio commentary by critic Stephen Vagg.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Hannibal Brooks
  2. Burnt Offerings
  3. The Hunting Party

The System Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some of the films that Oliver Reed made later in his career are pretty strange, and not in a good way, and I think that without his drinking problem the majority of them would have never been part of his legacy. In Michael Winner's The System, for instance, he looks incredible and his performance is terrific, so it is a shame that by the mid-70s he was already heading down a completely different path. Anyhow, The System actually shares a lot of the qualities that defined the early Nouvelle Vague films in France, but for some reason isn't particularly well-known. It is loose, funny, violent, and authentic, a real gem that is begging to be rediscovered. I enjoyed it a lot, and I am very happy that it made it to Blu-ray in the United States. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.