Unman, Wittering and Zigo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Unman, Wittering and Zigo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 22, 2023

For a film with such an unusual name (actually names), Unman, Wittering and Zigo is rather peculiarly unknown. This may seem especially odd in the UK, where the film's source, a radio play, was evidently required listening and reading for countless students through the years. The radio version by Giles Cooper (a fascinating character, as is discussed in some of the supplements on this disc) debuted in 1958, and considering its rather provocative depictions of schooling in England, was unsurprisingly a hit. Some television and even live stage adaptations followed, but it wasn't until 1971 that this film was released, at which point it couldn't help but disappear somewhat into the immense wake left by the at least somewhat similar If..... Unman, Wittering and Zigo also bears a distinct resemblance to another stage property which was a rather big hit on this side of the pond, but whose film version also failed to attract really major attention, namely Child's Play, which kind of interestingly made it to the screen a year after this particular film did.

British terminology and/or vernacular can be a bit of an issue for us brain dead Americans in terms of understanding "private" vs. "public" schools, as both descriptors are at least at times interchangeable in British society, but one way or the other, Unman, Wittering and Zigo focuses on a boarding school for boys where a new teacher named John Ebony (David Hemmings) is attempting to, well, matriculate into how things are done. There are rules a-plenty at this facility, and if the boys seem almost preternaturally eager to "educate" Ebony himself as to how things are properly ordered, there's also a distinct tone of menace to many of them. That tone takes on positively sinister aspects when one of the students freely admits to Ebony that he and his classmates murdered Ebony's predecessor.

A cat and mouse game rather like the one depicted in Child's Play ensues, though in this case Ebony is a perhaps morally ambiguous character, willing to "go along to get along" at times, including facilitating the boys' gambling habits at a nearby racetrack, and also turning a blind eye when late in the proceedings they take to beating one of their classmates. There's a rather interesting subtext here of the corrosive effects of what might be termed an "Imperial" educational system, and if things don't go quasi-revolutionary as they do in If. . ., the results here are perhaps even more viscerally disturbing simply because they don't seem so over the top (no cliffside pun intended, given the location of mayhem in the film).

Perhaps ironically, Unman, Wittering and Zigo suggests that even with adult supervision, and perhaps even more ironically, because of adult supervisions, British youth can partake in the same sort of feral behavior seen in Lord of the Flies. What's so provocative about this formulation, however, is that the bad acts are not attributed to any kind of devolution, but are instead implied to be the "logical" outcome of the British system of education, and perhaps more generally its class system.

As some of the supplements get into, there are some significant changes to this version of the tale, even if Simon Raven's screenplay hews remarkably closely to Cooper's original work. The biggest difference may be with regard to the portrayal of Ebony's wife Silvia (Carolyn Seymour), who becomes something of a damsel in distress in the third act, though this element is probably utilized more to depict how powerless Ebony himself seems to be in the face of out of control schoolboys. As the commentary in particular gets into, the ending, as explicit as it seems to be, may leave more up in the air (again, no cliffside pun intended) than the original radio version did.

Unman, Wittering and Zigo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unman, Wittering and Zigo is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet has this short description of the presentation:

Unman, Wittering and Zigo is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with mono sound. The high definition master was supplied by Paramount.

This may be an older master, considering a few color timing issues that come into play, but it's still rather nice looking a lot of the time. While there is a tendency toward brown hues, something that's only emphasized by a burnished production design featuring the wood clad halls of the school, in a number of scenes the palette warms considerably, and some of the outdoor material in particular pops with considerable authority. Detail levels are typically very good throughout. Fine detail on elements like Ebony's natty herringbone patterned suit jacket can be excellent in close-ups. There is some very transitory roughness in just a couple of very dark scenes.

Unman, Wittering and Zigo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unman, Wittering and Zigo features LPCM Mono audio that provides capable support for a rather talk heavy film. That said, there are a number of sequences that take place outside, including several by that aforementioned cliff, where ambient environmental sounds like the water crashing into the rocks can be quite reverberant. Michael J. Lewis' score is also well presented. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Unman, Wittering and Zigo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Sean Hogan and Kim Newman


• An Unruly Education (HD; 25:45) is a really interesting analysis of the film by Dr. Matthew Sweet, who also contextualizes things by talking about British education in general as well as some other properties that have depicted it.


• Unman, Lipstrob & Terhew + Mrs. Ebony (HD; 30:13) is a fun piece with Michael Cashman, Michael Howe, James Wardroper and Carolyn Seymour talking about making the film.


• Unman, Wittering and Zigo 1958 Radio Play (HD; 1:13:01) plays to stills from the film. This is an absolutely fascinating listening experience, not just for the drama itself, but also for how differently presented something designed for "audio only" is when compared to the film version.


• Trailer (HD; 2:12)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Additionally, the keepcase has a reversible sleeve and encloses both a folded mini poster and Arrow's typically very nicely appointed insert booklet (this one has some especially interesting writing). Packaging features a slipcover.

Unman, Wittering and Zigo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chances are if you're acquainted with films about British schools, it's because of outings like the aforementioned If. . ., or other productions ranging from Goodbye Mr. Chips to The Browning Version, rather than the film currently under discussion. This Arrow release may hopefully help to ameliorate the strange lack of renown this film has, because it's rather viscerally disturbing and ironically quite memorable. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.