Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The System Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 20, 2019

Michael Winner's "The System" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include archival promotional materials for the film; exclusive new video interviews with actors Jane Merrow and John Porter-Davison; the short film "Haunted England"; and more. The release also arrives with an illustated booklet featuring new essays by Andy Miller and Vic Pratt, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The hunters

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 its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The System arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The master that was used to source the release is a bit inconsistent, but I like it. The bigger part of it looks like it was struck from an element that is at least a generation away from the OCN, but there are also bits where the density levels drop even more and it is not unreasonable to speculate that they come from a different source. (I personally do not think that this is the case. The current master simply does not look like a reconstruction job to me). Regardless, the important point that needs to be underscored is that despite the density fluctuations and some unbalanced highlights the film still has a pleasing organic appearance. I projected it and on a big screen it has the type of appearance that I would usually expect from a slightly aged interpositive -- some shadow definition isn't optimal and minor nuances are lost, grain becomes under/overexposed, and depth and finer background detail(s) are not optimal. The overall quality of the presentation, however, still ranges from nice to very nice. image stability is good. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The System Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH surtitles 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 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Jane Merrow: Getting the Girl - in this new 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. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• John Porter-Davidson: Drinking and Dancing - in this new video interview, John Porter-Davison, who plays the character of Grib, remembers the shooting of The System, and confirms that there was a whole lot of drinking going on at the time. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Jeremy Burnham: Fun and Games - in this new video interview, Jeremy Burnham remembers how he was cast to play Ivor and discusses the shooting of the tennis match sequence. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Haunted England (1961) - a short film by director Michael Winner exploring some of the haunted castles of England. Color. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (24 min, 1080p).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional and production materials for the film.

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Thirza Wakenfield and Melanie Williams in 2019 for Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release of The System.

• Booklet - a limited edition exclusive booklet with new essays by Andy Miller and Vic Pratt, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

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. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.