Wilt Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Wilt Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 27, 2020

Michael Tuchner's "Wilt" a.k.a " The Misadventures of Mr. Wilt" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; archival cast and crew interviews; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Focus and identify the body, please. Is this your wife?

Marriage is supposed to be a balanced relationship where the two parties constantly make compromises to protect it, which in return ensures that it remains healthy and strong. When the balance is disrupted the relationship begins to suffer and it is only a matter of time before its deterioration makes one of the two parties, or both, miserable. Can the relationship be repaired? Yes, but the two parties need to recognize the problem that has hurt it and then show willingness to work together to eliminate it. If the willingness is missing the relationship isn’t worth preserving. It is that simple.

Michael Tuchner’s film Wilt is about a young man who has effectively become a guinea pig in a broken marriage that cannot be repaired. The man has realized that it is so, but he has also made an ‘intelligent’ decision to prolong its slow death because in the social environment he is placed it is the rational thing to do. The film mocks his rationality in an uncompromising fashion that is both funny and sad at the same time.

The man’s name is Henry Wilt (Griff Rhys Jones) and he is a teacher at a prestigious college where hardly anyone respects him. At home, his wife, Eva (Alison Steadman), not only does not respect him, but routinely treats him as a useless object and from time to time even refuses to recognize his existence. It is why Henry secretly but passionately fantasizes about having her killed in a gloriously brutal, most painful way. His fantasy becomes a reality – sort of – when at a lavish party he embarrasses himself with an inflatable doll and effectively forces shocked Eva to disappear without trace. However, Henry’s triumph becomes a horrible nightmare after he dumps the doll at a construction site and later on a loopy police inspector (Mel Smith) recovers the ‘body’ and goes to work to prove that he is double-faced killer. Henry tries his best to prove that he is innocent and in fact the real victim in a massive mess, but the more he cooperates with the authorities, the more convinced the inspector becomes that he is just playing a smart game to fool everyone that he is innocent.

The film is supposed to be, and the majority of it certainly is, quite funny, but it is not a conventional comedy that simply chronicles the misery of a complete loser. Behind Henry’s bizarre adventures one can easily identify numerous ridiculous clichés the two sexes utilize to judge each other and define their perceptions of what is supposed to be a healthy marriage. In other words, it functions as an outrageous litmus test that produces a number of legit truths.

Unfortunately, the outrageous material isn’t enough to place the film in the company of such gems as Paul Bartel’s Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills and Eating Raoul. Instead of taking full advantage of Henry’s misery, the film remains respectful of everyone’s feelings and ultimately surrenders to political correctness. After the wild party, which comes fairly early on, the humor gradually loses its edge and the satire then becomes irrelevant.

All of the leads offer inspired performances that keep the film interesting even when it really shouldn’t be. Smith, in particular, completely sells his deranged detective, and with a few more big sequences probably would have overshadowed Jones’ solid performance. Diana Quick also leaves a lasting impression as the kinky lesbian who wants to more than just friends with the loser’s incredibly arrogant elitist wife.

Tuchner worked with cinematographer Norman Langley, who lensed The Sweeney and Man of Violence.

Wilt Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wilt arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.

The release is sourced from a recent remaster that was apparently struck from a 35mm interpositive. The bulk of the presentation has that kind of an appearance -- it is slightly softer than it should be, with depth occasionally dropping a tad below the levels that the OCN would have ensured. However, there are also some minor traces of denoising adjustments, and while they do not impact the overall integrity of the visuals, I just don't think that they were needed. The good news is that even on a larger screen the marginal softness that emerges does not look artificial, so there is still a lot of fine details and nuances to appreciate. The color grading job is good. However, ideally a few nuances should be better balanced and expanded (see the thicker blacks in screencapture #2). Minor blemishes and a few specks remain, but there are no tears, warps, or other serious age-related imperfections. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

Wilt Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track sounded great on my system. In fact, for a film without any large-scale action material, the range of nuanced dynamics was actually rather impressive. The dialog is clean, stable, and nicely balanced. There are no audio dropouts, pops, cracks, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Wilt Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Image Gallery - a collection of production materials for the film.

• Saturday Night at the Movies - in this archival program, actors Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith discuss their characters and work with director Michael Tuchner. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Featurette - a short EPK piece with raw footage from the shooting of Wilt and clips from cast and crew interviews. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Interviews - three archival interviews. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).
  
  1. Griff Rhys Jones
  2. Mel Smith
  3. Michael Tuchner

• TV Clips - a collection of TV clips. In 1.33:1 ration. (16 min).

• Trailer - a remastered theatrical trailer for the film. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Leaflet - with a synopsis for the film and technical credits.

Wilt Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

At the end of the wild party sequence, which comes fairly early, it feels like Wilt would rival some of Paul Bartel's most outrageous work. But instead of ramping up the humor and satire to a gonzo level that would have transformed the rest of the film into an uncompromising but outrageously funny wrecking ball, Michael Tuchner begins playing it safe. The film is still entertaining, but there is no doubt that an opportunity was missed to create something truly special. Network Releasing's release is sourced from a good recent remaster. If you decide to import it, keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.