Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Town on Trial Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 6, 2018

John Guillermin's "Town on Trial" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with focus puller Alec Burridge; John Guillermin's film "Adventure in the Hopfields"; audio version of an archival interview with John Mills; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by critic Neil Sinyard, extracts from the original campaign book, a profile of actress Barbara Bates, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and technical credits. Region-Free.

Mike Halloran

A young and flirty girl (Magda Miller) is brutally strangled with a silk stocking in the small town of Oakley Park. Police superintendant Mike Halloran (John Mills), who isn’t a local boy, begins investigating and very quickly becomes frustrated with the way his work is viewed by some of the more prominent residents. But he keeps digging and as the dark secrets of his suspects begin to emerge realizes that a lot of people in the town are very good at wearing masks that protect their true identity.

When a second girl is strangled, the town comes to a standstill and Halloran is forced to make a risky move to get the killer.

Directed by John Guillermin, Town on Trial has the stylistic appearance of a classic American film noir. Indeed, it is fully aware of the crucial role that light and shadow had when American directors conceived these types of genre films during the 1940s and 1950s and uses them with the same precision to build a very strong atmosphere.

However, the film actually has a dual identity and the noir stylization is arguably the least important element of it. The entire crime investigation is actually a façade that allows Guillermin to place the small town under the microscope and begin examining its social construction. (Almost a decade later, Arthur Penn will do essentially the same thing in The Chase where a small Texas town is carved open and the contrasting lifestyles and polarizing views of its residents are deconstructed). So after the initial introduction of the main characters, Halloran’s insertion in the town initiates a litmus test that gradually produces a series of observations about British class division and some of the popular stereotypes that apparently described the people that were part of the ‘elite’.

Unfortunately, while the narrative construction is indeed very nicely done once it becomes obvious what Halloran’s true function will be the contrasts that emerge quickly become repetitive. Just about all of the people that Halloran comes in contact with are portrayed either as hypocrites (typically the elderly wealthy residents) or naïve but harmless rebels (the teenagers causing most the noise in the town) that are completely isolated from the real world and yet very comfortable in their upscale bubble. So the eye-opening litmus test ends up being just another clichéd condemnation of a wide range of successful people whose social status supposedly should not be admired.

There is a small romantic distraction that involves an elegant nurse played by a young Barbara Bates who is able to see through Halloran’s rough shell and recognize that there is a special man behind it that she can love. The evolution of their relationship, however, is also quite unconvincing.

The action is frequently complemented by a very tense soundtrack that was composed and conducted by Tristram Cary (TV’s Doctor Who, Quatermass and the Pit).

Town on Trial Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.75:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Guillermin's Town on Trial arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a remaster that was prepared by Sony Pictures in the United States. I don't know if it is the same remaster that was used for the studio's budget DVD release from a few years ago, but it is a bit rough and if I had to speculate I would say that the original source for it is likely the same. Indeed, the bulk of the film boasts decent depth, but there are some minor yet noticeable density fluctuations that certainly impact fluidity. The indoor and darker footage is typically where the most obvious limitations emerge, and it is probably where most folks with larger monitors or projectors will spot the unevenness (see examples in screencaptures #9 and 12). Grain is slightly overexposed which is why some careful rebalancing work has been done. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. The grading is good, but there are numerous areas where light black crush easily makes its presence felt. Overall image stability is very good. Lastly, all large and distracting age-related imperfections have been removed, but some minor white flecks and tiny dirt spots remain. All in all, despite some obvious source limitations, this is still a good organic presentation of the film. (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).

Town on Trial Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are good. Tristram Cary's excellent period soundtrack also easily adds to the tension in key segments. I also like the overall balance, though it is probably the one area where some cosmetic improvements still can be done. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Town on Trial 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.

• Trailer - original trailer for Town on Trial. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a large gallery of vintage promotional materials for the film.

• Shooting Hops - in this brand new video interview, focus puller Alec Burridge recalls his first encounter with director John Guillermin during the production of The Hop Dog/Adventure in the Hopfields and discusses the shooting process. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Adventure in the Hopfields (1954) - a wonderful film directed by John Guillermin about a young girl who accidentally breaks her mother's china dog and then goes to the hopfields to earn enough to replace it. Mandy Miller plays the charming girl. Remastered. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. LPCM 1.0/1080p. (59 min).

• Barry Forshaw on 'Town on Trial' - in this new video piece, Barry Forshaw, author of British Crime Film: Subverting the Social Order, discusses the narrative structure of Town on Trial, its socio-political overtones, and visual style. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• The John Player Lecture with John Mills - presented here is a recorded audio version of an interview that was conducted by Margaret Hinxman at the National Film Theater in London in 1972. The interview covers a wide range of subjects, from the pros and cons of the acting profession and John Mills' take on them to the actor's involvement with Ryan's Daughter to the evolution of his career to some of the poor choices that he supposedly made for money. In English, not subtitled. (96 min).

• Booklet - 36-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by critic Neil Sinyard, extracts from the original campaign book, a profile of actress Barbara Bates, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and technical credits.

• Reversible Cover Art -

Town on Trial Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The stylistic appearance of Town on Trial is quite wonderful, but this is a rather underwhelming film that will almost certainly appeal only to hardcore fans of John Mills. It uses a couple of brutal murders as a pretext to produce a series of conventional observations about class division in England after the end of WWII and some of the popular stereotypes that supposedly described the people that were part of the 'elite'. However, this release also includes John Guillermin's lovely film Adventure in the Hopfields, which has been fully remastered and looks very healthy, and my guess is that there will be plenty of people that will be very excited to have it on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.