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Man Who Had Power Over Women (The) (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (2nd January 2024). |
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The Film
 The dark side of Swinging London is explored in The Man Who Had Power Over Women, starring Rod Taylor (Zabriskie Point), Carol White (Cathy Come Home), James Booth (90° in the Shade) and Keith Barron (The Land That Time Forgot). Womanising talent agent Peter Reaney (Taylor) splits from his long-suffering wife, moves in with his best friend Val (Booth), and promptly starts an affair with Val's wife Jody (White). Added to the complexities of his personal life is his client, wayward popstar Barry Black (Clive Francis), for whom he is asked to cover up a dark secret ... Directed by John Krish (Unearthly Stranger), this release includes extensive interview material with Krish, as well as newly restored versions of two of Krish’s acclaimed short films – Break-In (1956) and the powerful anti-apartheid drama-documentary Let My People Go (1961).
Video
As far as I'm aware this is the first Powerhouse Films web exclusive and it won't be available in any brick and mortar stores nor will it be available from any other online suppliers either. Studiocanal’s 4K restoration was the source of this Indicator edition. The film’s original mono audio was remastered at the same time.The general colour palette is naturalistic but warm with an emphasis on browns and there are lots of vivid reds and flesh tones are ruddy throughout. Blacks are deep rich with reasonable if not constant shadow detail, some crush is evident but it's down methinks to the original cinematography. Contrast struck me as a little harsh but all of that was also down to the original lensing and onset lighting; there are plenty of whites in the film all of which have expected levels of detail so it's balanced and supportive. I saw no print damage and no signs of digital hows your father! The encode is excellent and grain and detail are at natural levels one would expect from a 4K restoration. Opticals are softer but overall this is a sharp transfer and the film looks about as good as it can shy of UHD and HDR ('A-'). 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.66:1 / 90:07
Audio
English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) Subtitles: English HoH I found the sound harsh with some crackling and distortion, particularly in the opening scene in the studio. During the opening credits things improve but loud sounds and music do crackle occasionally a tad throughout at a loud volume. It's fair to say that the problems encountered are baked into the source elements and were probably always there. Being a 1969-70 1.0 track means there's little range or depth to the track with little by way of low end. Hard of hearing subtitles re excellent and comprehensive. However, overall it's perfectly listenable and never a chore on the ears ('B-').
Extras
"The British Entertainment History Project (BEHP) Interview with John Krish" edited from interviews conducted by Rodney Giesler on 22 March and 4 May 1994 and 19 October 2004 and plays as an alternate audio track over the film (90:00) Krish had an interesting career; mainly a director of documentaries, shorts and quota quickies he also made a handful of feature films. It's all covered here along with plenty of detail on the unhappy shoot for The Man Who Had Power Over Women. Presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192Kbps); no subtitles. "A Bad Marriage: Allan Scott on The Man Who Had Power Over Women" 2023 interview (10:29) Scott (with his writing parter Chris Bryant) are best known for writing Don't Look Now (1973), Castaway (1986), The Witches and Cold Heaven (both 1990) for Nicholas Roeg. He covers the film succinctly; how he got the gig, adapting the book, working with producer Judd Bernard, director John Krish, the production woes which led to a falling out with Krish and his thoughts on the film as it stands today. He also covers how he became a writer. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 192Kbps); no subtitles. Interestingly as a footnote, Scott is credited by IMDB as being responsible for the English language version of Dario Argento's Tenebrae (1982) which had Roeg's wife Theresa Russell dubbing Daria Nicolodi! The Man Who Had Power Over Women Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (20 images) Solid HD gallery of promo images from the films original theatrical run. "Break-In" 1956 short film (43:41) "Let My People Go" 1961 short film (23:35) Two Krish short films presented in restored versions. Break-In was supplied in HD by the Imperial War Museum. Let My People Go was scanned and restored in 2K by Powerhouse Films, from original 35mm negative elements preserved by the BFI National Archive.There are signs of damage on the 1956 short but it's just the odd bit of speckling here and there. The second is pristine. Both are in inky monochrome with perfectly balanced gamma and no colour bias and healthy blacks and contrast; decent detail and the encode allows some grain to show although it's generally soft. A healthy bitrate helps. Fascinating films, beautifully presented in 1080p24 1.37:1 with uncompressed English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) sound with excellent optional hrd of hearing subtitles. 40-page liner notes booklet with a new essay by Vic Pratt, archival interviews with Rod Taylor and John Krish, new writing on Break-In, Patrick Russell on Let My People Go and film credits Pratt's essay is topnotch and an excellent overview of the film, the interviews off much of interest and the shirts have their own, excellent coverage. In short, another superb booklet.
Packaging
Not provided for review.
Overall
This forgotten, rather grim and dated drama is surprisingly good and managed to confound my expectations. It's been given the deluxe treatment by Powerhouse Films as the first web exclusive available only directly from Powerhouse. Image and sound have minor issues that are faithful to the source so probably can't really be improved on although UHD and HDR would give the image an extra kick. Extras are excellent so a must for anyone who's a fan of '60s and '70s British cinema; it's a real pleasure to discover neglected, forgotten films like this. Highly recommended (
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