The Triple Echo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

The Triple Echo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 8, 2020

The 1969 Ken Russell film version of D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love contained viscerally explosive performances from Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson, with Jackson taking home the Best Actress in a Leading Role statuette at the Academy Awards ceremony the following year. The reteaming of Jackson and Reed was probably seen as a surefire combination for the perceived potential of The Triple Echo, but this kind of odd if admittedly involving film has some preposterous elements that probably keep it from ever reaching the heights of the earlier film. In fact, while parts of The Triple Echo are undeniably tragic, a whole cross dressing subterfuge that involves an AWOL soldier named Barton (Brian Deacon) hiding out at the farm of a woman named Alice (Glenda Jackson) during World War II might arguably tip this story into near farce territory at times, if the consequences weren’t ultimately so dire and the underlying tensions so prevalent. Kind of interestingly, this was the first feature film for Michael Apted, who is quite transparent in an interview included on this disc as a supplement that it wasn’t any overarching “connection” the producers felt between the material and his directorial expertise, but rather his facility with quick shoots due to his long career in television that recommended him for and ultimately got his the job, since it was something that was felt could expedite a production where star Glenda Jackson had only signed up for six weeks of work.

The "triple echo" of the film's title refers to the reverberance of blasts from Alice's shotgun, and the film's dramatic impetus might be indicated by the fact that there are two unabashedly shocking uses of the firearm at various points in the story. However, the fact that this film was rather incredibly marketed in the United States under the title Soldier in Skirts may itself hint at the tonal disconnect at least parts of the film offer. It's almost hard not to laugh at a guy dressing up like a woman, perhaps especially a perceived "tough guy" like a soldier, even if in this case Barton is decidedly slight and, well, kind of feminine to begin with. The film seems to want to hedge its bets in that regard by offering a long build up which includes a burgeoning romantic and sexual relationship between Alice and Barton, but once Barton becomes Alice's supposed "sister" in order to keep his AWOL status intact, the film probably can't help but feel kind of silly at times.

What really makes this film an exercise in anxiety, though, is the fact that the nearby base from which Barton has "escaped" is run by a martinet Sergeant (Oliver Reed at his most blustery), and as things develop, the Sergeant develops "eyes" for Barton in his disguise. This part of the film is probably unintentionally funny at times, even though it's played deadly seriously, which may in fact only up the comedy quotient for some viewers. Suffice it to say that the Sergeant's amorous desires ultimately lead to a showdown, which itself leads to the film's patently shocking (if hyperbolic) finale.

The Triple Echo nonetheless has a lot going for it, including absolutely visceral performances from Jackson and Reed, here playing at least somewhat different types than those essayed in Women in Love. Deacon does what he can with Barton and Barton's "alias", but the film can never quite get past the feeling that it's somehow a farce and a tragedy at the same time.

The Triple Echo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Triple Echo is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Film's Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Powerhouse's insert booklet contains the following verbiage on the presentation:

The Triple Echo was restored by Powerhouse Films at Final Frame Post, London. The film's original 35mm negative was scanned at 4K. Restoration work was undertaken at 2K to remove dirt and unstable frames. The film's mono audio was remastered from the original 35mm optical sound track element.

This is another appealing looking restoration from Powerhouse, one that has occasional variances in densities and a somewhat uneven grain field at times, but which generally looks very organic with a nicely suffused palette, at least once the film gets past the optically printed credits sequence. There are some noticeable moments of quasi-flicker for some reason early on during some of the wide shots of Alice's farm, but things quiet down after that. Things look slightly skewed toward blue a lot of the time, but that said primaries like reds still appear natural looking most of the time. Occasional crush can creep into the very darkest scenes. Fine detail is still quite winning throughout the presentation, with elements like the pill on the slightly peach colored sweater that Barton wears as part of his disguise looking precise.

The Triple Echo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Triple Echo features a nicely full bodied LPCM Mono track, which provides ample support for the film's dialogue and occasional effects like the aforementioned shotgun blasts. The film's score, which I personally found a bit anachronistic (it sounds like Delius or Elgar and seems to be emphasizing the "lyrical" side of the country setting, which seems to be at odds with the rather overheated emotional content), sounds nicely warm and burnished, especially in cues featuring wind instruments. I noticed no problems with regard to any age related wear and tear.

The Triple Echo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Matter of Life and Death (HD; 14:48) is a very interesting and informative interview with Michael Apted, who is bracingly honest about why he was hired for the job (he could get the film shot in the six week contract commitment Glenda Jackson had), as well as some of his other challenges, including Oliver Reed.


• Indentity Crises (HD; 28:41) features Brian Deacon, who discusses this being an early effort for both Apted and himself. He also gets into some background biographical data as well as what working with legends Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed was like.


• A Different Perspective (HD; 24:33) is an interview with editor Barrie Vince.


• Dressing Up (HD; 8:55) is an interview with costume designer Emma Porteous.


• The Emotion of the Moment (HD; 8:02) features composer Marc Wilkinson.


• A Sense of Justice (HD; 22:42) offers Neil Sinyard's thoughts on the film.


• Super 8 Version (HD; 19:34) must have been a huge seller back in the day of nascent home theaters, with its instantly accessible plot line and heavily redacted content in this version (I'm joking, in case that isn't immediately evident). As is typically the case with some of these Super 8 presentations, the element is in pretty shoddy looking shape.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:28) has an interesting provenance, which is covered in one of the pieces in the insert booklet.


• Teaser Trailer (HD; 1:03)


• Image Gallery (HD)

As usual, Powerhouse has also provided a very nicely appointed insert booklet, with essays, interviews, contemporary reviews (Pauline Kael didn't exactly love the film, let's just say that) and technical information.

The Triple Echo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm not sure The Triple Echo could have completely worked no matter who had adapted it or starred in it. Reed and Jackson are always incredibly watchable in any case, but I'm just not sure this material completely serves their talents, and my hunch is despite this film's unabashedly dramatic underpinnings, there are going to be some jaded viewers who simply burst into laughter when Barton appears as Alice's supposed "sister". Technical merits are generally solid and the supplementary package excellent, for those who are considering a purchase.