Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Back in 2012, Scott Derrickson’s Sinister hit the big screen off the back of a wave of promotion and some promising looking chills. Thus it garnered a sizable audience and became, alongside Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity and James Wan’s Insidious, another film that was a calling card for its director and producers. We are all familiar with those trailers stating “from the makers of”. The film was a fresh horror story and, while flawed, boasted some genuinely atmospheric scares. Thanks mostly to the well-made “snuff” shorts intertwined in the film’s paranormal narrative. The film introduced us to the haunting Baghuul character – a literal bogeyman that ensnared children to do his murderous bidding. So with this sequel, cursed with bad press and that feeling of cash grab, hopes were not particularly high. However, we are pleased to say that Sinister 2 is a surprisingly effective sequel.

The action refocuses on a different family but much of the structure is the same, as troubled mother Courtney (Shannyn Sossamon) and her two sons Dylan (Robert Daniel Sloan) and Zach (Dartanian Sloan) try to escape their past. However, their current hideaway home is “marked” by the insidious Bughuul (Nicholas King) and their only hope may be Ex-Deputy So & So (a returning James Ransone) who is still investigating what happened (in the last film) to the Oswalt family. Despite that synopsis suggesting a strong tie with the first film, you don’t really need to have seen it to get up to speed as the narrative is very similar. In many ways, while going overboard in many departments, this sequel is as good or perhaps slightly better structured than Derrickson’s first film and director Ciaran Foy (Citadel) delivers doses of what made the first one work.

C. Robert Cargill and Derrickson’s script does go off the rails slightly as the ghostly children step out of the darkness, but the super 8 murder movies remain chillingly effective. Plus the film does well to keep its genuinely scary Bughuul character mostly in the shadows where he should be. That being said, the film will deliver no real surprises to veteran genre fans and does draw occasionally from the boo horror jump scare playbook. Although the broadening of Bughuul’s mythos is very well delivered, and in spite of the pantomime nature of certain moments this sequel retains its lingering power thanks to its core elements of grainy killing and its mysterious lead entity – a blend of a Slipknot drummer and the grim reaper.

All in all, Sinister 2 is a fun Friday night horror film that has its fair share of strong moments and is boosted by likable leads in Sossamon and Ransone. Ransone returns broadening his character and Sossamon’s mother is stronger willed than most and a relationship is not forced between the two it just develops. Likewise, real life brothers Robert Daniel and Dartanian Sloan are effective as the onscreen youngsters and the characters are not annoying, and the direction of the two thankfully forgoes a really obvious twist you think the film may be teasing. There are no real twists, however, in this sequel, just a simple story, reasonably well told, and while it will not rank as an Evil Dead 2 or 2 belting sequel, it is an enjoyable follow-up and restrains from the usual tedium that plague most horror sequels. Critics have been a bit unfair to what is a well-acted and fun late night horror flick!

SINISTER 2 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: CIARAN FOY/ SCREENPLAY: C. ROBERT CARGILL, SCOTT DERRICKSON / STARRING: JAMES RANSONE, SHANNYN SOSSAMON, ROBERT DANIEL SLOAN, DARTANIAN SLOAN / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 28TH

 

High school senior Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) bond over ’90s hip-hop culture, their studies, and playing music in their own punk band; “the shit white people like”, as the film puts it. However, their mundane lives change when a chance encounter with a drug dealer named Dom lands Malcolm and company at the dealer’s nightclub birthday party. When the scene turns violent, they flee, not knowing that they carry on them the drug called “Molly” which Dom secretly hid in Malcolm’s backpack. A wild adventure ensues as the youths try to evade armed thugs who want their stash back.

In a way, Dope is Boyz ‘n the Hood meets Risky Business, and while the film doesn’t match the cinematic heights of those two films, this is still a fun, enjoyable and heart-warming gem from writer/director Rick Famuyiwa that leaves you with a smile on your face by the end. What he manages to do well is make you bond and relate to these three kids, and while their antics may be questionable at times, you still find yourself rooting for them and hoping that they succeed in their own lives in this coming-of-age tale.

Shameik Moore gives what can only be described as a breakout performance, containing the real screen charisma and charming likeability that Cuba Gooding Jr. had when he started out. Kiersey Clemons gives a sparky, scene-stealing performance, and Tony Revolori (last seen wearing a bellboy uniform in The Grand Budapest Hotel) is humorously quirky and deadpan. Together, the trio make for divertingly offbeat company, yet their company never becomes tiring nor irksome. The supporting cast are all credibly solid, with Roger Guenveur Smith being creepily sinister and Zoë Kravitz giving a naturalistic performance.

Like many movies before it, this makes the geeks/underdogs/outcasts the real human voices and heroes of the story, whilst also making the message of achieving a better life despite how quirky or offbeat your likes and interests are. Sure, many movies have pulled this off countless times before, but here, that concept is to told in a fresh, vibrant and almost naturalistic fashion. This harks back to those inner-city-set gangsta films of the ‘90s, like Boyz ‘n the Hood, Straight Out of Brooklyn and Dead Presidents, but with much less violence and way more laughs.

The movie uses humour as a way to add entertainment value to the story, yet it’s also used in a unique way in order of approaching and tackling some very important issues, including ongoing problems in the inner cities, class discrimination and the use of labels in their society at large. Those topics are told in a very populist manner, but that is one of the film’s strengths as it manages to make itself accessible for today’s modern audience. The film’s colour palette is brilliantly retro and vibrant with Rachel Morrison’s cinematography capturing a genuine ‘90s flavour to the surroundings and fashion sense.

True, the film isn’t entirely 100% original, and sure there are certain writing/plot issues here and there, but Dope is an entertaining, pop-culture-littered, coming-of-age story with likeable performances (particularly the main trio) and a story that is sharp and humorous. It’s undoubtedly rough around the edges, but that doesn’t stop it from being irresistible.

DOPE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: RICK FAMUYIWA / STARRING: SHAMEIK MOORE, TONY REVOLORI, KIERSEY CLEMONS, RAKIM MAYERS / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 28TH

 

High up above the streets of New York, a re-enactment of Reservoir Dogs is underway. In a cramped apartment, six boys with long black hair are dressed like Tarantino’s most iconic characters and going through the motions with homemade props and the exact words of the script pouring from their mouths. This is the Wolfpack, but their story isn’t all about fun and games.

It might be the hook for a lot of film buffs – the fact that these boys have spent years making their own sweded versions of Hollywood classics – but their story is really about isolation, control and the power of imagination. The boys are all brothers in the Angulo family, and for fourteen years they have been locked away with barely any experiences or interaction with the outside world.

Director Crystal Moselle found them on the streets one day, all wearing sunglasses and suits, and got chatting to the odd-looking brothers. She discovered that they had only just recently started defying their tyrannical father and exploring the city that they had been shut away from for so long. The Wolfpack is the documentary that shares their strange, sad story with the world.

“It makes me feel like I’m living”, is how one brother describes his feelings when making the re-enacted films. While all this is fun and funny to watch, The Wolfpack is actually a desperately tragic story. Sweding movies has been a way to keep these boys sane, as their father keeps them under lock and key, sometimes letting them out as much as nine times a year, sometimes not even once.

It’s as much a history of the family as it is about the boys and their love of film. The mother is present throughout, but there is some mystery as to the whereabouts of the father for much of the film. It eventually emerges that there is not much of a mystery here at all, Moselle has just chosen to tell the boys and their mother’s story before letting their father have a say. With old home movie footage of the children being home schooled and writing out the scripts of their favourite films, it’s a disturbing but ultimately hopeful picture of a family surprisingly not completely devastated by the actions of a domineering father figure (who the director lets off too easily).

While the father remains a bit of a sinister mystery, Moselle captures the boys as they venture out into the real world. It’s a surreal voyage of discovery as they try train travel, stepping in the sea for the first time and also their first cinema visit.

The snippets of their sweded movies are brilliant and much needed relief from what could have been a thoroughly depressing look at a family completely cut off from the world. The Wolfpack tells an incredible true story, with an admirable lack of judgement, but it could also have probed much deeper.

THE WOLFPACK / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: CRYSTAL MOSELLE / SCREENPLAY: N/A / STARRING: BHAGAVAN ANGULO, GOVINDA ANGULO, JAGADISA ANGULO, KRSNA ANGULO, MUKUNDA ANGULO, NARAYANA ANGULO, CHLOE PECORINO / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 28TH

 

This double DVD set, selected by the British Film Institute (BFI), chronicles the many changes going on in the drab post-war years. These changes were occurring in British society and in the way the BBC itself produced television documentaries.

After the war the BBC had wanted to broadcast newsreels that were being produced for the cinema, but when the newsreel companies refused to give them permission, a separate film unit was organised to provide a regular BBC Television Newsreel series. These were filmed in 35mm format and the unit soon became the basis for its documentary productions.

One outstanding early BBC documentary, included in this set is John Read’s 1951 look at the work of sculptor Henry Moore. It focuses on him working on his Reclining Figure for the Festival of Britain, and the processes he used to create this work of art. The commentary written by Read and spoken by actor Bernard Miles, is a rather schoolmasterly explanation of how Moore’s work takes an abstract look at the human figure and integrates these forms with the landscape and with the nature of the materials he uses. Music composed by William Alwyn elegantly accompanies the many views of Moore’s sculptures both in the studio and in the presence of nature where they belong. The sculptures are rotated and seen from different angles to show-off the play of light and shade on their smooth curvaceous surfaces, underlining their form and beauty. There is even a segment where Moore addresses the camera, and it’s great to see a brief glimpse of him at the end looking like he can’t get away from this fate-worse-than death! 

Whereas, Henry Moore is a traditional form of documentary shot on 35mm film, the Test Flight programme broadcast in the Eye on Research series in 1959, uses new techniques that bring the immediacy of television images to the audience. Using outside-broadcast cameras over six series, from 1957 to 1961, they visited research establishments and laboratories to provide live coverage of the latest advances in science. Test Flight edited by Aubrey E Singer is a prime example of these programmes. Presented by Raymond Baxter, he interviews test pilot Squadron Leader S J Hubbard before he sets off to create a sonic boom. It provides the story of this test flight as it happens, using interviews with scientists and pre-filmed sequences to show the effects of a sonic boom when the aircraft passes the speed of sound. Looking at it now it looks like a supreme work of logistics and organisation.

In contrast to the sobriety of the science and factual programming, there was room for more experimental filmmaking using mobile and versatile 16mm cameras to catch glimpses of modern Britain. A good example of this is Ken Russell’s Pop Goes the Easel that imaginatively looks at the fantasies of four young artists, and is itself a work of pop art using a combination of hand-held cameras and rapid editing.

John Schlesinger, who like Russell, also went on to direct feature films, produced in 1957, Song of the Valley that is a 3 minute-long mix of fact and fiction in the streets of Halifax. Two years later, Morning in the Streets, takes an impressionistic look at life in the backstreets of a Northern City. Using a more autobiographical format Dennis Porter in 1960 viewed the changing lives of people in Between Two Rivers. He visits the Forest of Dean where he grew up, and shows how changes in traditional work and life is affecting individual lives and communities. In 1964, Philip Donnellan explored the lives of Caribbean people in Birmingham, which examines and explores the traditional view of Britain and Empire. The set is rounded off by Dispute: Round 1 and Dispute: Round 2 that uses the fly-on-the wall format to observe the two sides of an industrial battle between the workers and the management of a haulage company. 

These wonderful, grainy, monochrome TV programmes from the 1950s and 1960s, are like transmissions from another planet and make you appreciate the versatility and imaginative output of the BBC in those eventful years.

VISIONS OF CHANGE: THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRITISH TV DOCUMENTARY VOLUME 1: BBC 1951-1967 / DIRECTORS: VARIOUS / RELEASE DATE: 14TH DECEMBER

 

The mountains that are home to samurai apprentice Yoichi Karasuma, leading a disciplined coexistence with the beasts of the forest, by pure instinct place this setting in the past. But when his father, who can’t instruct him any further in his swordplay, sends him down to the city to learn through experience, instead it’s suggested that ancient history and the modern day could always have been side by side, each unknown to the other. This image and all of its possibilities are staggered by the sight of Ibuki Ikaruga, one of the four sisters that make up the titular harem, pouring water over herself and posing for the viewer. And so, the hope for an inspired twist on time travel is set aside as you brace yourself for more of the usual.

His home hidden beyond the city skyline as he sets out to join the Ukiha Divine Wind Style Swordplay school run by the Ikarugas, Yoichi shrugs off the enlightened aura he exuded as he practiced with his bokken between the trees, as though some forest enchantment lost its hold on him when he left. With no clothes other than his traditional garb, and his clumsily subtitled olde-worlde speech patterns, he’s reduced to an excuse for strings of slapstick and sight gags, with no understanding of common courtesy or personal space, especially when within reach of boob. To begin with, some well-timed comic interactions with his new neighbours and surroundings, accompanied by blasts of freestyle brass from the score, call the bizarre humour of Gintama to mind. But their already weak momentum sputters out into the occasional chucklesome moment, swamped by accidental groping and walk-ins.

The Ikaruga sisters being constrained by their separate fetish compartments – the tsundere, the shy and studious girl with glasses, the mother figure and the requirement of moé all present – harms their otherwise likeable characters, making them obliged to service Yoichi and his presumed audience by extension. It’s only when they step out of their pre-defined boxes, or characterise themselves through their relationship with each other, that we can enjoy some personality from them for a few moments before they revert to factory settings. Even the assassins sent to dispose of Yoichi by a masked adversary, who lies in wait for the sisters’ most vulnerable moment, can’t help but be charmed by a perplexing hidden quality of the samurai’s droning friendliness. 

As the big bad removes his mask and reveals his petty jealousies, the most promising character is left out on a limb, still mourning his unrequited love for Ibuki. Ryo Washizu, who begins to learn that keeping up his tough guy credibility is insignificant, compared to his newfound friendship with the eldest Ikaruga sister, could have been the key to refreshing Samurai Harem. Wassan’s struggle with the archaic ideals of masculinity, even with the small space it’s given, has a far sharper edge than Yoichi’s monotonous plight to be liked by everyone, his father’s instructions for him to train in a new environment apparently forgotten as soon as he set foot on asphalt.

Special Features: DVD credits / Clean Opening and Closing.

SAMURAI HAREM COLLECTION / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: RION KUJO / SCREENPLAY: HIDEYUKI KURATA / STARRING: NOBUHIKO OKAMOTO, RINA SATO, YUKARI TAMURA, HARUKA TOMATSU / RELEASE DATE: 14TH DECEMBER
 

When a mysterious man comes to town in search of his missing wife, it doesn’t take long for the local contingent of yobs to set upon him, beating the poor fellow to a pulp. Good-natured graffiti artist (the lesser of two yobs) Peter rescues the man, left for dead, and nurses him back to health back at the family home. Matters are complicated when the crooked town cop comes to finish the job and, also, said stranger is a vampire.

What starts with a depressive vampire being beaten to near death (again) escalates into a cycle of vengeance so very typical of producer Eli Roth (who’s name is plastered all over the film) – namely, plenty of torture and people being tied to things while angry men commit various atrocities upon their person. Thankfully, in spite of its moody, emo aesthetic, there’s a sense of maturity lacking from most Roth productions, making this the easiest to enjoy in spite of its repetitiveness.

Roth’s wife Lorenza Izzo pops up in a small role as the stranger’s wife, and the one sympathetic guy from The Green Inferno is there too (playing the one sympathetic guy) but otherwise, writer/director Guillermo Amoedo does a good job of putting his own stamp on the film. It’s well-cast and confidently acted, with Cristobal Tapia Montt doing a sterling job as Martin (you see what they did there), managing to remain sympathetic in spite of him spending most of the film in an almost catatonic sense of sadness. The villains don’t fare quite so well, descending into comic book evil by the end, even as Luis Gnecco and the script aim for nuance in their conflicted cop De Luca.

A gritty and engaging, manly action take on Let The Right One In, The Stranger is a fine addition to the ever-growing miserable vampires subgenre. 

THE STRANGER / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: GUILLERMO AMOEDO / SCREENPLAY: GUILLERMO AMOEDO / STARRING: CRISTOBAL TAPIA MONTT, LORENZA IZZO, ARIEL LEVY, LUIS GNECCO/ RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Ryōsuke Kaga strikes a lonely figure, left to tend the household while his mother works in Germany and his dad pushes up the proverbial daisies. Coming home from school, he meets Lisara Restall standing vacant in the rain, like a scene stolen from countless rom-coms. When he invites her home, his lewd motives barely veiled by schmaltzy sympathy, she reveals that she’s a top grim reaper with the knowledge that Ryōsuke has only months left to live. She needs the energy of a human volunteer, hence her presence in his world, and presuming that he would like to live at least a while longer, she’s chosen him as her personal charge point for both their benefits.

From this starting point, however, what you would expect to be the main plot dribbles away into a series of ecchi-enabling scenarios, driven by the fact that Ryōsuke’s main energy source is his perverted nature. Except what he means by this is that he, like most other high school boys, gets all hot and bothered at the slightest suggestion of boobs. So any form of conflict or character progression is marred by the main character’s justification in being a sex pest, and female characters scripted with as much depth and sensitivity as a blow-up doll.

Ryōsuke’s only moment of insight comes in the realisation that all girls are beautiful, no matter what their breast size (bless him), which brings him to the conclusion that he should protect them all as treasures. The young women are inexplicably drawn to him and left to moan and squabble over which one means the most, beset by self-loathing and jealousy. With the relentless instances of gravity-defying F-cups, and Lisara enduring petty bullying because of her smaller bust, it’s difficult to imagine any members of its marginalized female audience not coming away furious, or even self-conscious of their bodies themselves.

The series’ one redeeming feature, aside from the sumptuous, softly detailed and textured settings, is brushed off as a retrospective aside. Ryōsuke’s conversation with his mother about how she met his father, oddly overdue considering his age, nonetheless proves the warmth of their relationship, further mystifying his passive lack of respect for girls his own age. Apart from a couple of faux pas on her part, considering his aforementioned peers are also listening, which shade her as just as tactless as either of the characters gathered, it’s an authentic exchange that makes you want to go back and follow her love story instead. Considering the supernatural mystery shrouding his parents’ romance, their life together and abrupt separation, the trivial dramas in Ryōsuke’s life don’t match up to the complexity of the show you can imagine starring his mother.

Special Features: Textless Opening and Closing / Japanese promo / TV spots

SO, I CAN’T PLAY H! COLLECTION / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: TAKEO TAKAHASHI / SCREENPLAY: NARUHISA ARAKAWA / STARRING: AYA ENDO, ANRISA NISHIGUCHI, HIRO SHIMONO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Starburst Rating:

Neil (Simon Pegg) is – in his headmaster’s own words – a ‘feckless’ schoolteacher who dreams of bigger and better things. His day-to-day is filled with his horrible class (10C), shopping, cycling to and from work, attempting to write a novel and lusting after Catherine, the girl downstairs (Kate Beckinsale). Then something out of this world happens that changes everything. Literally, everything.

Somewhere out in the cosmos, a small group of ‘higher beings’ have decided to destroy the Earth. They must first, however, run a test by selecting one human to have absolute power. What he does with that power will determine the planet’s fate.

Hence, Neil is chosen at random (narrowly avoiding a few dodgy options including Justin Bieber) and, without knowing it, the test begins. Things are a little confused at first. With a few poorly chosen words and the waft of his hand, children are mercilessly slain and there’s a brief Shaun of the Dead moment. But eventually Neil gets the hang of it and before long everything is working in his favour: the headmaster likes him, 10C are model pupils, and even Catherine is under his spell… but it doesn’t last.

As Catherine’s maniacal ex-boyfriend (Rob Riggle) discovers Neil’s secrets, things will go from bad to worse before the aliens decide whether to wipe the Earth from existence or not. Will Neil manage to make the right decisions? Will the Earth be saved? Will anyone laugh more than a handful of times?

This film has excellent credentials. Co-written and directed by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, with his fellow Pythons lending their voices to the aliens while the legendary Robin Williams does the same for Neil’s dog, Dennis. The screen is literally packed with comedy stars, including Sanjeev Bhaskar, Eddie Izzard, Joanna Lumley and Meera Syal. Yet none of this can save this from being anything other than a passable viewing experience.

Absolutely Anything’s biggest problem is the director. While Jones has some writing and directing chops, those successes dwell firmly in the past, which is presumably why this film seems to do the same. The gags are old and predictable and the direction is on a par only with a BBC sitcom. It’s obvious that the cast clearly did not accept their respective parts based on anything other than the chance to work with a Python.

Not without merit (the few jokes that work are laugh-out-loud moments and Pegg is always watchable), this movie struggles to be anything other than a universal disappointment that massively under-delivers on the promise of its cast, crew and its concept.

Special Features: Four featurettes / Cast and crew interviews

ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: TERRY JONES / SCREENPLY: GAVIN SCOTT, TERRY JONES / STARRING: SIMON PEGG, KATE BECKINSALE, SANJEEV BHASKAR, ROB RIGGLE, EDDIE IZZARD / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 7TH

Anyone interested in the Western should have seen George Stevens’ Technicolor Shane, a classic of the genre ranked as the third greatest Western of all time by the American Film Institute – and if you haven’t, now’s your chance, as Eureka have released it on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

The story is simple and archetypal. A ruthless cattle baron is waging war on a Wyoming valley’s homesteaders, intent on intimidating them out of their homes. Gunslinger Shane (Alan Ladd) rides into town, gets a job on the Starrett family’s farm, and helps them defend what’s theirs.

Watching it in 2015, there’s a lot about Shane that gives away its age – the slow pacing may jar for some viewers (so… much… woodcutting), and the way Shane’s affair with Marian Starrett (Jean Arthur) is implied rather than shown shows up the sensibilities of the era.

Nevertheless, there’s a lot to appreciate, even today. There’s the iconic imagery of the gunslinger who rides off into the night after saving the town, which inspired Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns. There’s the subtle development of the relationships between the Starrett family. There’s the commentary on the use of guns, oddly thoughtful for a studio Western – “We’d all be much better off if there wasn’t a single gun left in this valley – including yours”, Marian tells Shane, words that resonate today. And there’s the display of ‘50s acting talent, from Jack Palance to Elisha Cook, Jr. – though this is let down by the focus on young Joey Starrett, played by a child actor with approximately one facial expression. There’s a good drinking game rule in taking a swig every time he whinges the word “Shaaaaane”.

Eureka have put together a top quality package for fans to dive into – the film, stunningly restored to high definition, is presented in the intended Academy aspect ratio, as well as the original 1.66:1 theatrical presentation and a newly optimised alternate 1.66:1 framing – plus there’s a 36-page booklet including, among other things, an essay on what that all means. Also included on these limited edition discs are the usual commentaries (featuring the director’s son George Stevens, Jr.) and film scholar interviews, plus an audio adaptation of Shane by the popular Lux Radio Theatre – so if you enjoy the movie, you can relive the whole thing on your commute!

If you know Shane by its lofty reputation, you may be disappointed by its aging and its faults (“oh, Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane!”), but there are good reasons it’s known as one of the cornerstones of Hollywood Westerns. With this solidly put-together release from Eureka, now is a good time to fill in the Shane-shaped gap in your collection.

SHANE (1953) / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: GEORGE STEVENS / SCREENPLAY: A.B. GUTHRIE JR. / STARRING: ALAN LADD, JEAN ARTHUR, VAN HEFLIN, JACK PALANCE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

The late great Roger Ebert once said, “I think most people are more susceptible to prejudice than to reason” and that insight seems as relevant as ever. In this year, when tensions are at a high and politics are seen as polluted by greed and devious agendas; we’re urged to look back into the past. By doing so we have to ask, what has changed? Some things have, some things haven’t and in reviewing the BFI’s newly restored and outstandingly assembled centenary edition of D. W. Griffith’s 1915 notorious war epic, The Birth of A Nation, we have to say that all these years on it still provokes debate, discussion and a need to compare it with our contemporary cultural climate. If you have never heard of this film or its maker, you are missing arguably the most integral film and auteur in the advancement of early (especially American) cinema, as a respected and professional craft. However, the film’s sordid relationship with history remains ever visible.

Split into two acts, this silent historical war epic tells the tale of two families fragmented by the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. The Stoneman family is pro-union North, the Cameron’s are pro-confederacy South and this sprawling story looks at the conflict of war, the assassination of Lincoln and the “liberation” of the south by the Ku Klux Klan. Now, the below rating must be explained because while indeed The Birth of A Nation remains a distinctly powerful and technically masterful picture, the racial issues are ugly and thus caution is advised. Through modern (and rational) eyes this is a racist film but being adapted from (the even harsher) ‘The Clansman’, the book and play from admitted white supremacist Thomas Dixon, this is hardly a shock. 100 years on, the second act narrative actions and presentations of black people as animalistic, sexually predatory characters (played mostly by white actors in ‘blackface’) make for uncomfortable and distressing viewing.

Once lauded by president Wilson, praised by critics and among the most successful films of all time, the story of The Birth of A Nation is a problematic one to express. On one hand we cannot deny the achievement on the other hand the advancement of society relegates this content to the darkness of a thankfully bygone era. However, should this difficult subject make you abstain from embarking on “the mightiest spectacle ever produced”? No it shouldn’t, in fact if anything it should encourage you to because- though factually untrue (and that’s a big understatement)- the racist elements of this story wonderfully illustrate the evil behind organised prejudice. For Act I of this story, Griffith tells a powerful story of the futility of war and the film takes on a conversely pacifist tone. One opening card even reads, “If in this work we have conveyed to the mind the ravages of war to the end that war may be held in abhorrence, this effort will not have been in vain”. This sweeping and structurally ahead of the times tale ridiculously contrasts to the film’s reconstruction story of Act II.

It would perhaps be more satisfying were this workmanlike propaganda we could rightly condemn. However, considering we are celebrating this films 100th anniversary and considering who was at the helm, this could never be the case. The Birth of A Nation is a difficult film to watch but a necessary insight into dark deeds that men do and in that respect, it stands the test of time. The story is instilled with comic elements, Drama and pioneering technique which has impacted every major motion picture ever since. From spectacular scaled set pieces to close-ups, sophisticated editing and sequences constructed to rouse an audience; this film even today leaves you in awe of the craftsmanship. These technical successes arguably birthed the cinema we know today and even when things go morally to vile places in Act II (The Ku Klux Klan heroically horse-riding to Ride of the Valkyries) the film’s sense of wonder scarily entices.

This immaculate BFI Blu-Ray Centenary Edition of the film is one we highly recommend to cinema historians and archivists because never has a film this old looked so fantastic. The expert John Lanchbery score- adapted from Joseph Carl Breil’s 1915 original- is like a character in itself and alongside the painstakingly restored visuals and buckets of archive special features and silent films, it makes for an exemplary collection and the accompanying booklet is brilliantly informative. In many ways this is a film where you enjoy the craft but analyse the content, it is an aggressive work that has much to say about the nature of hate and evil deeds and how perpetrators often mask (in this case literally) such deeds behind a sheet of ignorance or manipulation. This film is an education and this set is a tool to go back and learn.

Celebrate its triumphs, learn from its flaws, Birth of A Nation remains a landmark cinematic work that audiences today can learn an awful lot from- be it in researching the abhorrent era of propaganda politics it depicts or the ahead of its time technical construction for cine buffs. So, especially considering the events that are going on right now, we ask in concluding point, how much has been learnt? We would like to think a lot but with the persistence of conflict and prejudice, perhaps there is much to be gained from going back and seeing how such acts only cause great harm to advancement and progression. Case in point, this film is Griffith’s most accomplished and influential film, yet it is justifiably constrained because of the controversial (both then and now) acts of intolerance it depicts. Learn from the morals and enjoy the early cinematic innovation.

Special Features: Outtakes and Original Camera Tests, Melvin Stokes on The Clansman, Interviews, Newsreel, Sound Reissue Featurettes, BFI Roundtable Discussion, Archive Short and Feature-Length Films, Score Recording Sessions and Illustrated Booklet

THE BIRTH OF A NATION (CENTENARY EDITION) (BLU-RAY) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: D. W. GRIFFITH / SCREENPLAY: D. W. GRIFFITH, FRANK E. WOODS / STARRING: LILLIAN GISH, MAE MARSH, HENRY B. WALTHALL, MIRIAM COOPER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Starburst Rating: