Wish You Were Here Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Wish You Were Here Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 22, 2024

David Leland's "Wish You Were Here" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film 4. The supplemental features on the release include recent program with David Leland and Emily Lloyd; archival program with David Leland; and original trailer. In English, with optional Enlgish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Initially, it very much looks like sixteen-year-old Lydia (Emily Lloyd) is simply hopelessly immature. Regardless of the situation her comments and actions are always inappropriate, so she sticks out like a sore thumb, forcing even those who like her and wish to protect her by ignoring her bad moments to give up. When eventually Lydia becomes intolerable, her father schedules an appointment with a famous psychiatrist to determine how much of what she is going through has to do with the premature death of her mother, and how quickly he can help her become normal like all other girls her age. But half a session is enough for the psychiatrist to conclude that Lydia is incurable because she is far more extroverted and intelligent than all other girls her age, and equipped with instincts that allow her to accurately judge the grownups and their reality far better than many of them could.

When Lydia confesses that she is no longer a virgin, her father, visibly overwhelmed by pure anger, surrenders and unleashes her to self-destruct. His decision and a few other disastrous experiences provide Lydia with the ultimate proof that all along she has been right to rebel against the ‘normal’ her father has wanted her to be part of. Shortly after, Lydia attempts to reset her life away from her father, but it is not too long before she discovers that a baby is growing in her tummy. While struggling to determine the baby’s future, Lydia is then advised to do what is right for her future and consider an illegal abortion.

All of the events that are depicted in David Leland’s Wish You Were Here take place in a small town in England, sometime after WWII has ended. However, the period context is largely irrelevant because the messages that emerge are timeless. For example, Lydia’s problematic behavior is a type of protective façade that is still around and very common, and so is the flawed logic behind the arguments of her older and supposedly more experienced critics. The film correctly concludes that Lydia is different but completely normal. The film also correctly identifies the catalyst of the drama. It is not Lydia, but the opportunists that recognize her vulnerabilities and take advantage of them. The film also correctly points out that a single parent has far greater parenting responsibilities, especially during the most volatile period in a young person’s life. For a girl like Lydia, the mistakes that can be made during this volatile period can have lasting consequences on her future, so the risks are unquestionably greater.

The delivery of these messages is what makes the film susceptible to criticism because it utilizes a great deal of comedy, some of which is easy to describe as unnecessarily provocative and even intimidatingly over the top. However, it is just as easy to argue that the comedy is precisely the reason Lydia’s story looks credible. Indeed, when the disappointing and ugly arrive, Lydia’s emotional crashes make it a lot easier to rationalize the unavoidable extremes in her behavior. Despite her intelligence and outstanding instincts, she is still a very young girl who is moving forward alone.

Leland’s direction is confident but not too controlled. It provides Lloyd and even the supporting actors with plenty of freedom to act naturally in intimate situations that can collapse the entire film if they do not appear appropriately authentic. However, Lloyd is the heart and soul of the film, so all of the great material in it materializes because of the quality of her performance.

One area where it feels like a lot could have been done quite a bit better is the editing. The film is broken into multiple episodes and various transitions look forced. In a recent program, Leland mentions that the original screenplay for the film underwent multiple adjustments because there was too much crucial material, some of which ended up in his previous film, Personal Services (1987). Both films are loosely based on the memoirs of Cynthia Payne, a famous British courtesan and madam.

Wish You Were Here Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wish You Were Here arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film 4.

The film looks good in high-definition. However, it is easy to tell that some of its visuals can look lusher and healthier. To be clear, I did not see any troubling anomalies, but in some darker areas smaller nuances are not quite as convincing as they should be. Also, in a few spots, highlights can be more convincing. Grain exposure is good, but it is where the limitations of the current master typically show the most. Color balance is very convincing. A proper new 4K master will undoubtedly introduce some meaningful improvements in terms of saturation and balance, but the current ranges of primaries and supporting nuances as well as the color temperature of the visuals are very good. Image stability is excellent. All in all, while there are some areas where meaningful improvements can be made, Wish You Were Here has a fine organic appearance. 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).

Wish You Were Here 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 soundtrack incorporates plenty of diverse music that is effectively used to enhance the period atmosphere. All of it sounded great on my system. However, dynamic contrasts are rather modest. The dialog is always stable, clear, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Wish You Were Here Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with David Leland - in this archival program, David Leland explains how Wish You Were Here was conceived, and discusses some of the changes that were made to the original screenplay, the casting of Emily Lloyd, the experiences of her character and how some of them relate to experiences he had, the film's period environment, etc. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Worthing Wow Featurette - in this new program, David Leland and Emily Lloyd return to the town of Worthing, where Wish You Were Here was shot, thirty years later to attend a screening of the film and meet some of its fans. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original trailer for Wish You Were Here. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Booklet - an 8-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Pamela Hutchinson.

• Cards - four collectible art cards.

Wish You Were Here Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is awfully difficult, even impossible, to immediately tell that Cynthia Payne's story has something to do with Wish You Were Here. But this is a good thing. As told, the young girl's story produces messages that are timeless, and I do not think that most of them would have been as relatable if they emerged from a much more accurate story about Payne. This recent release offers a slightly uneven but good technical presentation of Wish You Were Here. If you decide to pick it up for your library, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.