Williams Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Williams Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 8, 2017

Morgan Matthews' "Williams" (2017) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

I sat down to watch this very recent documentary with two expectations. First, because my knowledge of the history of Formula One has been shaped up primarily by news reports and a few documentaries that I have seen during the years, I actually expected to learn more not only about Frank Williams but some of the ways in which professional racing has evolved. Second, I had a feeling that the documentary will not offer a complete picture of Williams and his legacy. Again, from what I had read over the years as a casual Formula One fan, I knew that he was quite protective of his personal life, and that there have been different interpretations of events that defined the image of the team and the company that he still represents.

For the most part my expectations were met, though in an odd sort of way now I actually feel that I know even less about Williams. To be perfectly clear, I am not referring to the main events in his life -- such as that horrible car accident in France that left him almost entirely paralyzed -- but rather the manner in which he managed his inexorable desire to be successful. Indeed, the documentary moves very carefully through his life and essentially attempts to frame him simply as a fearless competitor who was willing to risk absolutely everything in order to be successful, but actually does it in a way that also, and obviously unintentionally, transforms him into a heartless and perhaps even dangerously egoistical man who during large parts of his life basically tolerated only folks that could help him achieve his goals. At least to me this new image of Williams seems strikingly incomplete. There are numerous segments with members of his family for instance where it is easy to see that they genuinely admire his accomplishments, but their takes on some of his crucial life choices and decisions are conspicuously different. This isn’t unusual, but instead of trying to find out whether they are justified the documentary quickly moves away from them, content that it has merely acknowledged their existence. I found this fascinating, and also supportive of my suspicion that there is a lot more about the real Williams that was left out.

The best material comes from a fascinating filmed archival interview with Williams’ late wife, Virginia, and a few close friends and former rivals. They share great stories that help understand Williams’ vision for his team and acknowledge that without him Formula One would have evolved quite differently. There is also a particularly good segment with a great deal of detailed technical information pertaining to the revolutionary design that allowed the Williams drivers to remain virtually unbeatable for a substantial period of time.

Ultimately, I think that the documentary should be viewed only as a big piece from a complex puzzle, rather than as an authoritative document that sums up perfectly Williams’ illustrious career and unusual life. While certainly illuminating in more than a few ways, it is also very careful and at times almost inexcusably protective of Williams and his public image.

Williams Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.00:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Morgan Matthews' Williams arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye.

This very recent documentary film combines original footage that was shot digitally as well as plenty of clips from family videos and other archival materials. Unsurprisingly, there is a pretty clear gap in quality between them. So my task here really is to tell you how the finished product has transitioned to Blu-ray. There are no transfer-specific anomalies to report, and in terms of depth, clarity and definition the original footage looks quite remarkable; there are obvious traces of aging on the archival footage, but as mentioned above these are inherited limitations. Image stability is outstanding. (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).

Williams Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has a fully digital soundtrack. Obviously, some native balance and clarity issues are retained from the archival material -- and for the most problematic interview there are actually printed subtitles -- but during the new interviews/clips the quality of the audio is terrific. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Williams Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

Williams Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I approached this documentary with an open mind but also expecting that it will probably remain protective of Frank Williams and his public image. I can confirm now that it is certainly illuminating, but as expected also protective and even quite forgiving. I liked the documentary and think that it can be an excellent companion piece to Senna, but there is no doubt in my mind that when the definitive film about Williams is made it will turn out to be far more uncompromising. Curzon Artificial Eye's technical presentation of Williams is excellent. RECOMMENDED.