When Eight Bells Toll Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

When Eight Bells Toll Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 20, 2024

Etienne Perier's "When Eight Bells Toll" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic and filmmaker Steve Mitchell and screenwriter and producer Cyrus Voris, plus vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

If one were to create a list of all films based on Alistair MacLean’s writings and rank them according to their authenticity, one would have to place When Eight Bells Toll near the top of it. Like the rest, and for obvious reasons, this film has a special appreciation of action and exotic locations, but neither its action nor the exotic locations it visits push it into that familiar territory where it becomes undeniable that MacLean’s definition of authenticity is strikingly loose. This is a very important detail because folks who seek the films that MacLean’s writings have inspired tend to like the least authentic ones the most. Why? The least authentic ones have the best action and visit some of the most interesting locations. They tend to have the most colorful characters, too. So, does this mean that the most authentic films MacLean’s writings inspired are the poorest?

Etienne Perier’s film When Eight Bells Toll offers plenty of interesting material that one can use to formulate a proper answer. It introduces British agent Philip Calvert (Anthony Hopkins), a complete pro who might have trained the soon-to-appear counterterrorism expert Ffolkes, and dispatches him to locate a missing ship somewhere off the coast of Scotland. While reporting directly to Sir Arthur Artford Jones (Robert Morley), Calvert uncovers a big criminal operation directed by two dignitaries (Jack Hawkins and Derek Bond) and a trophy wife (Nathalie Delon), and shortly after frees about a dozen hostages kept in a secluded castle. While Calvert behaves like a true superhero, a large load of gold appears, too.

In When Eight Bells Toll the math is right, but not because MacLean handed an original screenplay to Perier and ensured it was treated correctly. It is because the original material and the visuals create a proper playground for Calvert to do the kinds of things one would expect from a legitimate MacLean character. Also, Hopkins does a lot of interesting work to become this legitimate MacLean character. So, while MacLean’s screenplay is the centerpiece of When Eight Bells Toll, the rest, which is plenty, provides it with a structure and an identity.

However, the proper playground is not as exotic as the ones that have emerged in other films inspired by MacLean’s writings. It is in a remote, astonishingly picturesque corner of Scotland, but it is still the kind of playground where one would expect an expert like Calvert to feel at home. After all, it is in his backyard, so he would have been trained to excel there. Also, Calvert’s opponents are old-school villains whose tricks do not defy logic, which is unusual because MacLean typically gives them tremendous imagination. All this makes When Eight Bells Toll appear grounded in reality, or at least as far as its relatives are concerned, though still easy to associate with MacLean.

The danger of having a film inspired by MacLean’s writings look as authentic (and coherent) as When Eight Bells Toll is that it becomes awfully easy to compare to other similarly themed genre films, like the ones featuring Harry Palmer. For optimal results, the opposite should be happening. A film inspired by MacLean’s writings should explore that wonderful world Roger Ebert claimed existed only in the famous writer’s head, which of course has little in common with the real world.

Perier and cinematographer Arthur Ibbetson visit several outstanding areas, and it is not an exaggeration to state that they are the main reason to seek and see When Eight Bells Toll. Indeed, this is the type of visual material that is no longer shot on location by contemporary filmmakers because they can fake it with powerful computers. Needless to say, Calvert’s adventures there look terrific.

When Eight Bells Toll Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, When Eight Bells Toll arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

When Eight Bells Toll made its high-definition debut with this release in 2016. This Special Edition is sourced from the same older master that was used to source the previous release, but the technical presentation of the film is different.

Even though the master has a few uneven areas with noticeable density fluctuations, I like it quite a lot because it has pretty good organic qualities. For example, close-ups and outdoor panoramic shots tend to look equally pleasing, which is not easy. Also, darker material is free of crushing. Color balance is convincing, though this is an area where saturation levels can be improved and some supporting nuances rebalanced. Still, at the moment, the film has a proper period appearance. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Ideally, grain should be more evenly exposed, but I liked what I saw on my system. The only surface imperfections that pop up here and there are small blemishes. So, even though When Eight Bells Toll can look better if it is properly restored in 2K or 4K, the current master offers a nice organic presentation of it.

Should you consider an upgrade if you already have the previous release? Well, I have the previous release and was able to do some comparisons. While the Special Edition still produces somewhat dated visuals, many look more convincing. In what way? Grain exposure is better, so quite a few darker areas benefit. I noticed that in some areas even color reproduction appears to be slightly more satisfying, likely because the gamma levels are tweaked as well. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

When Eight Bells Toll Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I think that the audio can benefit from a nice remastering job. While there are no serious anomalies on it, in some areas it is noticeably uneven and becomes a bit thin. I am certain that these are not inherited limitations. The dialog is clear and easy to follow. However, there are a few places where the accents become rather thick. Unlike the previous release, this release offers optional English SDH subtiltes.

When Eight Bells Toll Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for When Eight Bells Toll. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic and filmmaker Steve Mitchell and screenwriter and producer Cyrus Voris. The commentators describe When Eight Bells Toll as a "working class James Bond film" and proceed to deconstruct it with interesting references and factual information about its production history. Also, there is interesting information about Anthony Hopkins and the progression of his career, as well as Alistair MacLean and his writings.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for When Eight Bells Toll.

When Eight Bells Toll Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Roger Ebert once said that inside Alistair MacLean's head there was a wonderful world. While his statement was meant to be a joke, what it conveys is true. MacLean's imagination produced terrific characters and dispatched them to some truly spectacular places only he knew existed. I think that the best films MacLean's writings inspired are the ones that spend the most time exploring these spectacular places, which tend to be the most unrealistic ones. When Eight Bells Toll is a good film, but despite being scripted by MacLean, it is a bit too realistic to be praised as a proper MacLean film. Kino Lorber's Special Edition is sourced from the same master that was used to prepare the original release of When Eight Bells Toll, but is encoded differently. Also, it has optional subtitles and features an exclusive new audio commentary. RECOMMENDED.