Tom & Viv [Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - Altitude Film Distribution
Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (13th December 2015).
The Film

“Tom & Viv” (1994)

Taking place in 1915 in England, American writer and poet Tom Eliot (played by Willem Dafoe) and Englishwoman Vivienne Haigh-Wood (played by Miranda Richardson) are deeply in love. Viv’s brother Maurice (played by Tim Dutton) is concerned about Tom and Viv’s new relationship together, though he trusts that Tom is a good man without ill intentions. Tom and Viv decide to elope causing serious concerns with the Haigh-Wood family. Their first night was not exactly the most romantic and beautiful of times, as their first sexual encounter does not seem to go well, Viv becomes paranoid that Tom won’t continue to love her, and Viv destroying hotel room property through mental anguish. Tom is able to calm her down, though this is only the beginning of their whirlwind romance.

Returning to Viv’s home, Tom meets her parents for the first time. The father (played by Philip Locke) is very angered at Tom’s decision to marry her in such a non-traditional form, and also concerned what Tom’s intentions are. Is it for money and inheritance? Is it because she is pregnant? Though Tom says otherwise. Though Viv’s mother (played by Rosemary Harris) is much kinder to Tom, she is also concerned with Tom’s decision as she thinks Tom isn’t familiar with Viv’s emotional and physical condition. Tom is seriously in love with her and decides to stay and live in London, where the couple find a place to live, in the attic room of their mutual friend, philosopher Bertrand Russell (played by Nickolas Grace). The father finds it very uncomforting that his daughter would be in the hands of an American writer who barely makes enough money to support her while living in the same house as “the most despised philosopher in London”. Not to mention that WWI is in its infancy and Germany could attack England at any moment.

Viv has some serious medical conditions: heavy irregular menstruation, chronic fevers, fatigue, insomnia, migraines, colitis are just some of the physical troubles, but also caused are mental anguish, sudden outbursts of anger, delusions, and uncontrollable behavior. On constant heavy medication through her life, things do not get better for her or for Tom. Years into their marriage, her behavior becomes even more erratic and terrible, yet Tom still stands by her, as he fully knows that she is the only person that truly understands his poetry and writing best. As he says, “I am married to a woman that I love, but everything we do together falls apart.”

Based on the true story of the lives of American writer T.S. Eliot and his first wife, “Tom & Viv” was first introduced as a stage play by playwright Michael Hastings in 1984, which rarely concentrated on the writings of Eliot but rather the emotional turmoil and torturous relationship of the couple. Director Brian Gilbert’s adaptation of the play also does not connect much of Eliot’s writing with the narrative, though works are frequently mentioned such as his most recognized work “The Waste Land” (1922), which was very much inspired by his marriage to Viv. One of the weaker aspects of the story is the viewpoint of the protagonist not being entirely clear. The beginning of the film we are to believe Maurice’s viewpoint is the central aspect, looking at the main characters through an outsider’s perspective, but he is very infrequently part of the main narrative. Most of the film shows things through Tom’s eyes, but unfortunate to say that his emotional core is not shown enough to get a sense of what is going through his mind. It would have been interesting to see his poetry and writing expressing his complex emotions either metaphorically or directly, but instead we must rely on Willem Dafoe’s sad expressions instead. As good an actor Dafoe that is, it seems like a wasted opportunity considering the literary source. Later on when Viv is taken to an institution, the audience is completely left without Maurice or Tom’s views, rather having the narrative set with the mentally unstable Viv, which is an interesting yet drastic change that is hard to relate to. Miranda Richardson’s portrayal of Vivienne is a standout performance, a very complex physical and emotional performance that is not overdone in a stageplay theatrical sense but certainly with conviction and realism. It’s no wonder that she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.

As for direction, Gilbert’s subtle directing is not flashy or exceptional, as he is more interested in performance rather than action, but there are certain points like scenes of Viv’s sudden outbursts using handheld cameras to heighten the tension and using delicate tracking shots of establishing scenes. “Tom & Viv” is an absolutely gorgeous film to look at, but ultimately it is the emotional core that seems to be missing a gear to hold it together entirely.

Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray which is able to be played back on any Blu-ray player worldwide.

Video

Altitude Film Distribution presents the film in 1080p in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio in the AVC MPEG-4 codec. The film looks astonishingly good with bold colors and fine detail. Lush green trees, the bloodied red bedsheets, the autumn browns all look great. With no signs of dust or specs on the print, no noise reduction applied, and no stability problems, this is a great transfer. It certainly is miles ahead of Altitude’s simultaneous Blu-ray release of “Wilde”. This marks the Blu-ray and DVD premiere of “Tom & Viv” in the UK, previously only available on VHS.

Audio

English LPCM 2.0 stereo

The lone audio track is a 2.0 stereo track which also sounds great. Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand with no instances of dropouts, hisses, or popping sounds to speak of. Music is subtly used in the stereo speakers coming in very clearly as well. Great job with the audio track by Altitude.

There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main feature.

Extras

Unfortunately there are no extras included. Granted none of the previous DVDs worldwide had supplements for the release, but it would have been nice to hear some retrospective interviews, vintage making-of footage, or some more information on T.S. Eliot in general. Alas, none.

Overall

“Tom & Viv” doesn’t quite have the emotional edge necessary to make it into the list of “great biographies of literary figures”, but Altitude has done a great job with the video and audio aspects of the Blu-ray presentation.

The Film: C+ Video: A Audio: A- Extras: F Overall: C+

 

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