The Weak and the Wicked Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Weak and the Wicked Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 28, 2024

J. Lee Thompson's "The Weak and the Wicked" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critics Phuong Le and Matthew Sweet; new program with critic Melanie Williams; behind the scenes stills; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subttiles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Between the 1950s and 1970s many European directors contributed to different types of package films. (These projects are often referred to as omnibus, portmanteau, and anthology films as well). Occasionally, American and Asian directors were invited to contribute, too, but most of the content came from European directors. (Almost all of these European directors were Italian and French). Initially, the package films were made to target filmgoers who flocked to see the latest comedies and horror films, but as their popularity grew and big stars began appearing in them, they evolved. Many of the later package films experimented with melodrama, politics, etc. Some good package films are Boccaccio '70, The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers, Le Bambole a.k.a. The Dolls, Ro.Go.Pa.G., and The Witches.

A few producers also funded package films that were not supposed to feature content from multiple directors. One of the best such package films is Ettore Scola’s directorial debut, Let's Talk About Women, which was funded by the legendary Italian producer Mario Cecchi Gori. Another very good such package film is Lucio Fulci’s The Maniacs. Virtually all such package films were made with smaller budgets, but their quality was just as good.

J. Lee Thompson’s The Weak and the Wicked a.k.a. Young and Willing comes from the 1950s and looks a lot like the two unorthodox package films Scola and Fulci directed. It is a collection of uneven vignettes, featuring different yet similar characters, that are carefully merged into a big and coherent story. The Weak and the Wicked has a different personality and tone, but this is hardly surprising considering the drastically different trends underway in British and Italian films at the time.

In The Weak and the Wicked, all characters are women who have committed crimes for which they are sent to prison. The most consequential among them is a compulsive gambler named Jean Raymond (Glynis Johns), who is framed by a vindictive casino owner after borrowing and losing a large amount of money she does not have. Raymond’s misery and gradual transformation are repeatedly used to peek into the troubled past of other women, some younger, some older, each serving her time with a different mindset and expectations for the future.

The original material for The Weak and the Wicked comes from Joan Henry’s semi-autobiographical novel “Who Lie in Gaol”, which Thompson adapted with her and Anne Burnaby. Like Johns’ character, Henry was a compulsive gambler who went broke and made a terrible decision that sent her to prison. After spending less than a year behind bars, Henry emerged with a new outlook on life and soon after decided to describe her past in a novel.

While nicely shot and acted, The Weak and the Wicked cannot be praised as an authentic depiction of prison reality. There are two key reasons for this. First, its vignettes drown in heavy melodrama like the one that many classic British post-war films loved to promote. Realism and such heavy melodrama are incompatible. Second, Thompson’s direction effectively conditions the viewer to see the women as victims of an unfair system. Clearly, they are not victims. On top of this, even by 1950s standards, the prison conditions are not even remotely disturbing.

The cast also includes Diana Dors, Olive Sloane, Rachel Roberts (giving the most unrealistic performance), Athene Seyler, Ursula Howells, and John Gregson.

Thompson worked with the prolific cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, who also assisted him on the vastly superior war drama Ice Cold in Alex.

The Weak and the Wicked Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

The release introduces a pretty incredible 4K makeover of The Weak and the Wicked. I decided to project the film and could not have been happier with the quality of the visuals. Delineation, clarity, and depth were consistently excellent, while fluidity was as good as I think it could have been in 1080p. During transitions, a few momentary density fluctuations can be spotted, but these are inherited limitations. The grayscale is fantastic. Blacks are lush but never crush, while the grays and white are wonderfully balance. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain is beautifully exposed and resolved. The entire film is immaculate as well. All in all, even though I have never owned The Weak and the Wicked on DVD (or VHS), I can categorically state that it has never before looked as good as it does on this Blu-ray release. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Weak and the Wicked 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.

Clarity and stability are good. However, while viewing the film, I felt that in some areas the audio became a somewhat compressed, causing a bit of flatness. I suspect that this is an inherited limitation because there were no other signs of unnatural fluctuations of the kind that poor digital restoration work could have introduced. Dynamic intensity is limited, which is to be expected when viewing a film from the early 1950s.

The Weak and the Wicked Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• From Entertainment to Freedom - in this new program, critics Phuong Le and Matthew Sweet discuss The Weak and the Wicked. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• From Book to Film - in this new program, critic Melanie Williams discusses Joan Henry and her novel "Who Lie in Gaol", which inspired J. Lee Thompson to direct The Weak and the Wicked. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Gallery - a collection of behind the scenes stills from the shooting of The Weak and the Wicked. (1 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Weak and the Wicked. (3 min).

The Weak and the Wicked Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Weak and the Wicked is a minor entry in J. Lee Thompson's body of work. It is similar to some of the more flexible package films Italian directors shot during the 1960s, both in terms of structure and general attitude toward realism, but it has a distinct British personality. Anyone who approaches it expecting it to produce the type of thrills that exploitation prison films are known for will be disappointed because there are none. There is plenty of heavy melodrama, very, very similar to the one that many classic British post-war films loved to promote. StudioCanal's release introduces a fabulous new 4K restoration sourced from the original camera negative. RECOMMENDED to Thompson completists.