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The Firm - Special Collector's Edition
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (22nd May 2016). |
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The Film
 BFI is releasing the highly ambitious and anticipated Dissent and Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC. There is a choice of the following: - Dissent and Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC (1969-1989) - a 13 disc set of 11 Blu-rays and 2 DVDs. - Alan Clarke at the BBC Volume 1: Dissent (1969-1977) - a 6 DVD set. - Alan Clarke at the BBC Volume 2: Disruption (1978-1989) - a 6 DVD set. Of the 13 discs in the “Dissent and Disruption” set, one is being offered on its own - the 12th disc of the set, which includes Clarke’s final two productions “The Firm” and “Elephant” with the accompanying extras. “The Firm” (1989) (Director’s Cut - 68:06 / Broadcast Version - 66:59) First broadcast on BBC on February 26th, 1989, “The Firm” was a look at football hooligans and rivalries. Gary Oldman plays Clive “Bex” Bissell, the leader of the ICC firm (Inter City Crew). His wife Sue (played by Oldman’s real-life wife at the time Lesley Manville) is against the activities of her husband and his so-called friends, as he is putting more effort into his football supporting activities than being a husband and father. Bex’s rivals include the yuppie-looking bleach blonde haired white suit wearing “Yeti” (played by Phil Davis) and the tall and lanky “Oboe” (played by Andrew Wilde), but rivalries are not football matches or dissing by wordplay, but absolute violence. What first seems like petty vandalism of spraypainting or driving a car through a rival’s football field seems childishly stupid for adults in their 20s and 30s doing, progresses to unthinkable acts. Cars set on fire, brawls with bloody knifings, the progression of the violence is a regression in common sense. Alan Clarke was a football fan but was absolutely sickened by football hooliganism, as hooligan firms were destroying the fun image of the sport and turning it into a reason for gang warfare. Since the 1970s onward, football hooliganism gained momentum in Britain to the point of continuous arrests, violent actions at games, and public disturbance. But it was not only the UK that had hooligans as other countries around the world also had similar groups inciting violence via sports teams (especially football). But almost as an embarrassment, the English hooligans are the ones most referenced, especially since the English word “hooligan” is used in many other languages for the meaning of sports supporters who incite violence. An interesting point about “The Firm” is that a football is never actually seen in the entire piece. There are scenes of the ICC members playing football at the start and there is a shot of a football stadium with players on the field and possibly a ball in the distance, but there is never a ball to be clearly seen. Clarke intended to make it about the hooligans and not about the sport, though one could easily mistake thinking of seeing a soccer ball somewhere in the finished product - instead there are more scenes with weapons than anything else. Also ambitious with the shooting was the use of Steadicam shots and long takes for many scenes throughout. A few of the scenes inside Bex’s house are highlights, with the entire first floor used in a 360 degree set, with the camera circling around the actors while the drama unfolds with no cuts inbetween. Clarke liked to cast unknowns in productions so it is surprising that someone more established as Gary Oldman was cast in “The Firm”, but the two hit it off and Oldman took the part to a higher yet darker level. Regardless that it was a television production, it was certainly shots with ambition, and was sadly to be Clarke’s final film before his death in 1992. “The Firm” caused controversy both before and after the television broadcast. BBC felt the finished product was too violent and had strong sexual content that had to be cut. Violence such as closeups of face slashing, eyeball slicing, and beatings with bats were shortened or removed. Sexual content including an aggressive scene between Oldman and Manville were also shortened or removed. In addition, certain scenes that were deleted were reinserted such as the opening of Bex at work as a real estate agent and the scene of the police arriving to talk to Sue near the end. Clarke could not oversee the changes made since he was in Los Angeles at the time, but the finished edited version was broadcast on television and even with the violence and sex toned down, there were still heated negative reactions to the violence shown and the negativity relating to football and the fanatics. It was one of the first times in television or cinema that showed the effects of hooliganism being essentially a sort of terrorism and a way to let out bent up frustration and anger with an excuse. Later productions such as ”I.D.” and ”Rise of the Footsoldier” brought prominence to the violent acts of hooliganism to cinemas. Whether it’s religious followers, political party followers, or sports followers, there’s not that much difference - petty reasons for fighting against people that are not part of your “firm”. “Elephant” (1989) (37:40) “Elephant” was Alan Clarke’s second to last film, and one of his most controversial to ever be shown on television. Starting off with the quote on screen “For some of us ‘The Troubles’ is the elephant in our living room”, the film shows 18 gun murders in 18 sequences, with almost no dialogue or backstory whatsoever. The audience has no idea who the people are that are killing and no idea who the people are that are being killed. The killings are done in seemingly planned gun deaths rather than random or group killings, like hitmen. They walk up to the targeted person, pull out a gun, eliminate the target, and walk away. It’s horrific, it’s senseless, yet you cannot turn away from it. For people not familiar with “The Troubles” or the Northern Ireland Conflict, in the late 20th century a political conflict went beyond talks and led to civilian warfare, with more than 3,500 people being killed over the course of 30 years, with more than half being civilians. To explain and to analyze the years of violence and conflict in Northern Ireland was not the particular purpose of the film. It is about witnessing the horrific acts of seemingly pointless violence and knowing that these kinds of killings were happening a lot in the area for years and years while the higher powers in politics did seemingly nothing, as people were living in fear for more than a generation. The film doesn’t say who is right or wrong, which party is doing which killing, or does it even say particularly that it is supposed to be Northern Ireland. The only clue given is the sole scene nearly halfway in that a character says some incidental dialogue in a Belfast accent. Young producer of BBC Northern Ireland Danny Boyle (who would later become an influential director in his own right) was a big fan of Clarke and was able to collaborate on a television project set and filmed in Northern Ireland. For the film, it was entirely shot with a Steadicam with a wide angle lens, following killers go in and out of places, taking the audience into the violence like a documentary. Even more disturbing than the killing is the shots that are kept on the bloody victims - feeling like an eternity that the audience must stare at the lifeless body on the ground. With the graceful Steadicam movements and the visceral effects of violence, Clarke essentially made a controversial art film of gun violence later seen in films such as “Fallen Angels” (Wong Kar-Wai) and the same-titled “Elephant” (Gus Van Sant). But this led to a lot of controversy after being broadcast on BBC on January 25th 1989, with viewers calling in to complain about the subject matter, with many Northern Irish callers saying that it was offensive and made the violence look trivial. Others were very positive saying that it truly showed the violence and the threat constantly felt that the rest of the UK seemingly didn’t care about after the conflict seemed never ending. It’s very interesting to see the film since the 1998 Belfast Good Friday Agreement which somewhat officially ended the conflict. It’s clear that future generations will have trouble grasping that it is supposed to depict the events that took place in Northern Ireland at the time, but audiences can easily place it in other modern places where senseless violence against civilians are still happening to mirror those events. Note this is a region B Blu-ray which can only be played on region B or region free Blu-ray players
Video
BFI presents “Elephant” and both cuts of “The Firm” in 1080i 50hz in the original televised aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in the AVC MPEG-4 codec. As these were BBC TV productions broadcast in the 25fps PAL format, the films are transferred in the 50hz signal to preserve the PAL runtime. “The Firm” and “Elephant” were both shot on 16 mm film and were restored from the original A/B roll negatives in high definition. “The Firm - Broadcast Version” looks very good with a clean image free of dirt, specs, and scratches, with film grain still visible. There was a specific scene indoors which a gatehair is visible and not removed, but other than that the image most likely looks much better than the original PAL television broadcast. “The Firm - Director’s Cut” was made with a combination of the original negative and Clarke’s ungraded workprint version of the film. The director’s cut shots are digitally spliced in making it extremely obvious which scenes are from the director’s cut. The scenes are extremely washed out in color, lacking in depth and clarity but free of scratches or debris. It is not the smoothest way to watch the production, but it is a fascinating look into seeing Clarke’s original version - which makes its debut here, as it was never broadcast in this form. “Elephant” also looks very good with a nice clean image. Film grain is visible and there are no instances of scratches or marks on the print. Colors are quite dull, seemingly reflecting the bleakness of the film’s tone, and clarity is precise. A great job in the restorations by the BFI for the productions.
Audio
English LPCM 2.0 mono The original mono track in lossless LPCM is offered for both cuts of “The Firm” and for “Elephant”. The audio has been cleaned, with no instances of pops or hisses, and dialogue clearly reproduced. The director’s cut inserts for “The Firm” does sound a little weak compared to the rest of the film, sometimes missing sound effects, but overall has no large issues. Another great job on the audio by the BFI. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main features in a white font. The subtitles are timed well and are in an easy-to-read font. There was one occasion in “The Firm” that one subtitle line disappeared too quickly but that may be the only qualm.
Extras
The following extras are available on the disc: Audio commentary on “The Firm” Director’s Cut with Gary Oldman Newly recorded for the “Dissent and Disruption” release, lead actor Gary Oldman provides a solo audio commentary that should have been the highlight of the set. Unfortunately, he merely points out what is happening on screen and who the people are for the most part and gets especially spotty and quiet in the second half. I honestly thought he left the recording booth for a while. Some positives are that he points out the improvised moments, having to act along his wife, and also playing a role in which he used his natural accent. It may have been an improved commentary if a moderator had been available. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles Audio commentary on “The Firm” Broadcast Version with Lesley Manville, Phil Davis, David Rolinson, and Dick Fiddy Recored in 2007 for the DVD release, TV archivist Dick Fiddy moderates this commentary with actors Manville and Davis along with film and television lecturer David Rolinson. They talk about Clarke and his methods of research, the effects of hooliganism and spots, and some interesting trivia such as how Manville was pregnant with Oldman’s child at the time of filming which was kept secret from Clarke. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles Audio commentary on “Elephant” with Danny Boyle and Mark Kermode Recorded in 2004 for the DVD release, this commentary moderated by critic Mark Kermode, Boyle revisits one of his first major television productions. They talk about how Boyle got the project off the ground, the great deal of controversy it attracted, and more. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles Optional David Leland Introduction on “The Firm” Broadcast Version (2:25) This 1991 introduction before the rerun of “The Firm” includes an introductory statement by Leland with a short clip of an Alan Clarke interview defending football but criticizing hooliganism. in 1080i 50hz AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English LPCM 2.0 with no subtitles Alan Clarke Interview (1989) (10:05) Shot in Los Angeles while preparing for a future production that never came to fruition, Clarke explains the violence and themes of ”Elephant” and “The Firm”, how they are not films glorifying violence but showing violence as is in its purest form. in 1080i 50hz AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English LPCM 2.0 with no subtitles “Open Air: Elephant Discussion” 1989 TV broadcast (21:00) This BBC TV special was broadcast a day after the airing of ”Elephant”, on January 26th 1989. Viewers could call and ask questions or relay comments to Alan Clarke via phone from Los Angeles and with Danny Boyle in studio. Most were appalled viewers that were disturbing with the content while there were some that were more positive about the results. in 1080i 50hz AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English LPCM 2.0 with no subtitles “Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light” documentary (Part 12) (36:20) The newly created 270-minute documentary on Alan Clarke has been divided into 12 parts with each part covering the productions reflected on the first 12 discs of the “Dissent and Disruption” boxset. Part 12 covers chronologically ”Elephant” and ”The Firm”. The entire 270 minute documentary is comprised of interviews with 50 people who worked with Clarke, knew Clarke, and looked up to Clarke. The interviews come from wildly differing sources. Some are slighty old 1.33:1 standard def video, some are hi-def 1.78:1 video. Some are lit too brightly, some are a bit dark. Some have clear dialogue, some sound echoey. It’s very inconsistent in how it looks and sounds edited together, but presentation wise, it is top notch. in 1080i 50hz AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English LPCM 2.0 with no subtitles
Packaging
The 13-disc “Dissent and Disruption” collection includes a comprehensive 200 page book with writings on all films, full credits, and lengthy essays. What booklet content is provided with the single-disc version of “The Firm” / “Elephant” is unknown. This review will be updated once we have confirmed details. Update: The non-boxset release does NOT come with a booklet.
Overall
The final two films of Alan Clarke’s filmography “Elephant” and “The Firm” are some of the most challenging and controversial television works that exist. Television has changed over the years and it’s rare that filmmakers such as Alan Clarke, Ken Russell, or Ken Loach could have worked in such a medium is unthinkable in today’s broadcast world. BFI’s release features excellent video and audio with stellar extras that will be unrivaled in future releases. Absolutely recommended.
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