Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

They Might Be Giants Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 6, 2023

Anthony Harvey's "They Might Be Giants" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw; archival promotional featurette; archival audio commentary by Anthony Harvey and film archivist Robert. A. Harris; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Note: The text below was first used in our review of Kino Lorber's North American release of They Might Be Giants, which was published in 2019.

On paper, Anthony Harvey’s They Might Be Giants must have looked like a great project. In the present, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson accidentally discover each other in New York City and begin working on a puzzling case that may or may not be real. Well, there is some serious potential here, admit it. Plus, having George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward on board to play the two legendary characters? This film had success written all over it, and all it needed was someone to direct it.

Well, having just seen it for the first time, I have to admit that I am enormously disappointed. It starts off nicely, with Scott emerging as a man trapped in his fantasies and also doing a great deal of attractive posturing that does make you wonder whether he might be an impostor that is taking everyone for a ride. The man makes perfect sense when he must and then looks silly just long enough to make you ponder whether his real identity is entirely different. For a while, the film is deliciously vague. However, the arrival of Woodward’s character, who is a psychiatrist, slowly but irreversibly alters its identity. The two become attracted to each and while working on the puzzling case eventually discover true love in the most unbelievable of ways. What a letdown.

But the trouble with this film isn’t that it is entirely unbelievable, because as the type of quirky thriller that it should have been believability still would have been incompatible with its narrative. The trouble is that it attempts to see the world of its characters in much the same way two decades later Terry Gilliam’s film The Fisher King would and it simply does not have a clear plan how to do it. For example, the crucial overlapping of the real and imaginary worlds in which Scott’s mind supposedly roams free never really materializes, so he ends up doing a lot of random character switches that quickly damage the film’s atmosphere. (Gilliam’s film does exactly the opposite and produces fantastic overlapping that makes its strange characters and their equally strange adventures appear entirely legit). Also, virtually everything that Woodward does pushes the film in an entirely new direction, where it essentially needs to work as a soapy melodrama for her character to look convincing, and when she leads Scott becomes a follower who essentially behaves like a fish out of water. Predictably, the film becomes so silly that neither the case Scott is trying to solve nor the romance that flourishes between him and his female partner looks right.

What effectively sinks the film, however, is the slapstick material where big crowds of ‘normal’ people suddenly tune in on the fun that the lovebirds have been experiencing. The supermarket sequence is particularly difficult to watch because everything that is supposed to be funny only looks amateurish. The mini parade at the very end is just as awkward and even sad because it effectively illustrates what a grand misfire the entire film is.

Harvey relied on the services of cinematographer Victor J. Kemper whose credits include the vastly superior films The Gambler, Dog Day Afternoon, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and Husbands.

Oscar-winner John Barry delivered the original soundtrack for the film.

They Might Be Giants Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in it original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, They Might Be Giants arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. This is the same master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with to produce this release in 2019. Even though there is some room for improvement, this master produces good, often even very good visuals. It is primarily because when it was created it was not enhanced by the usual awful digital work that destroys the native organic qualities of the visuals, and this type of work has compromised many masters that Universal has in its vaults. There are a few darker areas where grain fluctuations are noticeable and some sporadic softness emerges, but delineation and depth are still very pleasing. On the other hand, there is a bit of black crushing that could have been avoided, but its impact on the overall quality of the visuals is pretty small as well. Color balance is very good. I think that saturation levels and the overall color temperature of the visuals are very good. There are no serious stability issues, but this is an area where small yet meaningful enhancements can be introduced. Finally, this release has a slightly better encoded than Kino Lorber's release, so if you have a very big screen, it is preferable. (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).

They Might Be Giants Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. The dialog is always easy to follow. It is clear and clean. However, I previously mentioned that the audio could use some minor rebalancing adjustments and I still think this is the case. I revisited the film last night and again felt that there is room for meaningful improvements in a few areas. I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review.

They Might Be Giants Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Kim Newman: A Study in Sherlock - in this new program, critic Kim Newman discusses Sherlock Holmes' cinematic pedigree and They Might Be Giants. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Madness... It's Beautiful -an archival promotional featurette for They Might Be Giants. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by director Anthony Harvey and film archivist Robert. A. Harris.

• Commentary Two - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for They Might Be Giants. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery - a gallery of vintage promotional materials for They Might Be Giants.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet edition featuring a new essay by critic Chloe Walker, archival interviews, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and technical credits.

They Might Be Giants Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wish I could see the charming and engaging film a few of the commentators from the two audio commentaries that are included on this release describe. Three times I have tried to find something to like in They Might Be Giants and three times I have walked away from it enormously disappointed. I am a pretty big fan of George C. Scott, too. Several very large parts of this film simply do not work at all while the finale is so oddly mismanaged it is hard to believe no one intervened to get it re-edited or redone. If you have discovered the fine film that is described in the commentaries, you can consider picking up this Region-B release. It is sourced from the same old but good organic master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with to produce their North American release in 2019.