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Hunted (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (29th May 2022). |
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The Film
 In the early 1970s, three ambitious friends – Peter Crane, Michael Sloan and Nigel Hodgson – combined the first letters of each of their names and set up the Pemini Organisation, a young and vital independent British film production company. Active between 1972 and 1974, Pemini produced one mid-length film, Hunted, a high-suspense thriller starring Edward Woodward and June Ritchie, and two feature films: Assassin, a grimly realistic spy film starring Ian Hendry, Edward Judd, Frank Windsor, Ray Brooks and Mike Pratt; and Moments, an enigmatic romantic mystery starring Keith Michell and Angharad Rees. When Pemini disbanded, the films disappeared into the ether ... Now, these three lost works, made by one of the most vibrant independent production companies of the era, have been rescued from the archives to be given their first ever home entertainment release in this deluxe, individually numbered Limited Edition Blu-ray set, accompanied by a wealth of newly produced extras, including feature-length director commentaries, cast and crew interviews, and an 80-page book.
Video
This eclectic little triptych of films - that analyse the loneliness and melancholia - are the sole output of the sadly only briefly in existence Pemini Organisation and were all shot in colour and on 35mm film. Sadly, there are no preprint materials known to exist and the restoration of the three has been conducted using distribution prints so we're at least two generations off the negatives, possibly more. Incidentally, the name PEMINI comes from the first two letters of the three mates who joined forces to set up the company (Peter Crane, Michael Sloan and Nigel Hodgson). Hunted (1972 / 41:19) The first in the set is this rather fine little short that saw theatrical release in support of [] and was certified 'X' (=18 at the time) by the BBFC but these days is a modest 15. Framed at the European standard aspect ratio of 1.66:1 the restoration is nothing short of superb, especially considering that this isn't from a prime OCN source. Apart from a few fleeting moments starting at 15:43 in which a lower resolution element has been used this looks great. Grain is ever present but that's unsurprising and would also have been the case had the OCN been used. It's course and filmic which lends the whole thing a gritty edge. This isn't after all a stunningly shot piece but by design it has a matter of fact look. The most colourful thing in it is June Richie's pink jacket and even that is muted. It's all indoors on a real location which provides limited scope for setups and lighting. It's a surprisingly sharp presentation. Flesh tones are pinkish and mellow, no Californian tans here. Black levels and contrast are strong but low key and at their strongest when characters are lit by natural light from the windows. There's some mild crush baked into the print source (where this from the OCN there'd be less) but no blowouts. Detail is generally very good with plenty of texture in skin and fabrics and there's virtually no print damage that I could see. The encode is superb with nondigital artefacts ('B+'). Assassin (1973 / 81:56) A slightly arty espionage-crime thriller about professional assassin Ian Hendry. This one doesn't come off as well in the restoration as Hunted being grainier and softer, looking like it's at least one further generation off the OCN when compared. The colour palette is somewhat similar with a duller overall range favouring grays, blacks and browns. There are some splashes of primary here and there like red telephones, orange interior decorations but overall it's a restrained looking film with flesh tones being more natural. Black levels and contrast are decent but similar to Hunted only slightly worse as regards crush, there are no blowouts. Detail is solid on all focul planes and the encode is exemplary with no digital tinkering. I saw no signs of age damage either but there are a couple of brief moments dropped in from that lesser source again, the same as Hunted ('B'). Moments (1973 / 92:32) In visual terms probably the weakest of the three films in the set as it just struck me as noticeably softer with a couple of brief blown out shots (Michell by the peer on the pebble beach at 7:30 for instance) but they're few and far between. The colour palette is pretty much in line with Hunted, being warmer with richer flesh tones. Blacks and contrast are variable with more instances of mild crush in evidence. Overall, this film has a more diffused look about it's cinematography than the other two. Detail is generally decent and grain is course and ever present. The encode is as usual excellent ('B-'). Overall this set gets a 'B' for the video. 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / 2 x BD50 / 1.66:1, 1.75:1 / 41:19, 81:56, 92:32
Audio
English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz) Subtitles: English HoH Sound is robust but limited on all three films with not much to say between them. Dialogue is always clear and to the fore, music is distinct but unobtrusive. There's no high or low end, so the subwoofer is never tickled. These are very modestly budgeted but professionally made films. No distortions and no signs of age-related wear and tear. Excellent English hard of hearing subtitles are provided for all three films ('B+').
Extras
Audio commentary on all three main films by Peter Crane and Sam Dunn (2021) Collectively the three yaktraks tell the story of the company through the chronological release of it's three films, all from the point of view of director Crane, ably moderated by Powerhouse Films' Sam Dunn. A wealth of trivia on these films and the company that begat them. None have had official home video releases before and this commentary is the perfect accompaniment. The tracks are probably best listened to in order of Hunted, Assassin and Moments. Presented in lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. "The British Entertainment History Project (BEHP) Interview with Wolfgang Suschitzky: Excerpted from an Interview Conducted by Bob Dunbar and Manny Yospa on 17 November 1988" plays as an alternate audio track over Moments (92:25) A life and career-spanning discussion with cinematographer Suschitzky this is an unmissable listen that plays essentially as a free roving commentary (i.e. not screen specific) over Moments. Apparently although an excerpt, this is all useful information from the full interview. Presented in lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles. "Hunted: The Lost Prologue" 2022 featurette (9:44) Essentially a visual essay with a written piece read by director Peter Crane who discusses how Hunted was too short at 40 minutes and needed beefing up to 54 for television. Essentially the prologue to satisfy this need was shot near Avemore and was a flashback to Edward Woodward's character's youth, with his own son Tim played the part. Paul Whitsun Jones played his macho, alpha father who wanted to make him more of a man by forcing him to go on bloody hunting trips. It's illustrated by monochrome stills, both behind the scenes and publicity shots as well as clips from the film itself. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound with no subtitles. "Organising Principles: Peter Crane on the Origins and Legacy of The Pemini Organisation" 2022 interview (31:39) "Good Chemistry: Nigel Hodson on His Time with The Pemini Organisation" 2022 interview (29:01) "The Life of My Memories: Assistant Director Martyn Chillmaid on The Pemini Organisation" 2022 interview (21:47) "An Amazing Time: Michael Sloan on The Pemini Organisation" 2022 interview (6:24) "The Whole Story: Vic Pratt on The Pemini Organisation" 2022 interview (16:23) 105:14 worth of new interview featurettes focussing entirely on the short-lived Pemini Organisation. All three key figures put their two-penneth in and we basically get a solid documentary on the subject. All are presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound. "Assassin's Creed: Gabriel Hershman on Ian Hendry" 2022 interview (22:01) "A Group of Friends: June Ritchie on Hunted" 2022 interview (13:53) "Scoring with Gerry: Composer Graham Dee on In Search of Lebanon and Hunted" 2022 interview (12:03) 47:57 of new interviews about the films - or elements within the films - more specifically than the Pemini orientated pieces above. First up is a piece on the late Hendry who was a real UK star at the time and would remain so until his early death from alcoholism in 1984. Then we get actor Richie on making her film, Hunted. Finally composer Dee on the scoring of the short student film and Hunted. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound, no subtitles. "Restoring Hunted and Assassin" 2022 featurette (4:45) "Restoring Moments" 2022 featurette (5:01) 9:46 looking at the meticulous and miraculous restoration of the three min features in this set. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound, no subtitles. Cast and Crew Interviews: - "Peter Crane Remembers ... Moments in Cannes" 2022 interview (7:35) - "A Present Out of the Blue: Valerie Minifie on Moments" 2022 interview (6:15) - "Reality and Non-Reality: Composer John Cameron on Moments" 2022 interview (13:42) - "Shooting with Mr. Su: Gaffer Bill Summers on Wolfgang Suschitzky and Moments" 2022 interview (10:28) - "Nothing's Going to Stop Us: Production Designer Bruce Atkins on The Pemini Organisation" 2022 interview (15:09) - "A Family Affair: Assistant James Partridge on The Pemini Organisation" 2022 interview (21:42) 74:51 worth of additional interview featurettes on both individual films (mainly Moments) and the Pemini Organisation. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound, no subtitles. Moments: Deleted Scenes (13:33) Sourced from the filmmakers own analogue U-matic tape, these have been upscaled to 1080p24 1.33:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound with no subtitles. There are four scenes with the final one being a six minute sex scene cut to get a BBFC 'A' certificate (=PG). "In Search of Lebanon" 1970 short film (11:20) Short documentary about Lebanon set to readings of poetry. Unrestored and littered with damage, speckles, scratches etc. and presented in 1080p24 1.37:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 1.0 with optional English subtitles. Hunted Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (100 images) Assassin Image Galleries: - Assassin Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (80 images) - Assassin Image Gallery: Behind the Scenes (151 images) - Assassin Image Gallery: Original Shooting Script (25 images) Moments Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (45 images) A whopping collection of images and script pages all in HD. 80-page liner notes book featuring new essays by Peter Crane about the origins and history of Pemini, extracts from the films’ original press materials, an archival news article, new writing on In Search of Lebanon and full film credits Extremely chunky booklet is a perfect accompaniment to the discs. Between the two you have the most comprehensive history of The Pemini Organisation you could wish for shy of a proper, full-on book being commissioned. Five replica production stills These weren't sent for review so I can't comment.
Packaging
Unknown at the time of writing.
Overall
An exemplary set that brings to light three previous though lost films that had never had a home video release. If there was ever an example of the important work Powerhouse Films have been doing in restoring and bringing to light under seen and under appreciated works then this must be the poster boy. If you love cinema and especially British cinema then this magnificent set is a must. Perfectly restored and curated for maximum impact the 2-disc Pemini Organisation set is easily one of the discs of the year if not the decade!
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