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Released by: Twilight Time Releasing
Released on: May, 2014.
Director: Alan Clarke
Cast: Siobhan Finneran, Michelle Holmes, George Costigan, Lesley Sharp, Willie Ross
Year: 1987
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The Movie:
Alan Clarke's 1987 film Rita, Sue And Bob! too might, if you were to judge a Blu-ray by its cover, appear to be a typical eighties sex comedy but you learn very early on in the film that this is decidedly not the case. Rather, this is Clarke doing what Clarke does best, and that's taking shots at the establishment and showing, warts and all, the life of the English commoner in Thatcher era Britain.
The movie begins with a drunken louse stumbling home from the pub. He makes it back to his flat, after which his daughter, Sue (Michelle Holmes), rushes out of the house. Why? So that she can go meet up with her best friend Rita (Siobhan Finneran). The two girls often make extra money by babysitting the children that a real estate agent named Bob (George Costigan) has sired with his wife, Michelle (Lesley Sharp). When the couple returns home, the girls spending more time watching music videos on TV than paying attention to the kids, Bob drives them home but stops en route to take turns fucking them in an empty lot. Not making love, there's no tenderness or passion here - they're just getting their rocks off.
With our players established in those opening fifteen minutes or so, the stage is set for the movie to follow the exploits and subsequent ramifications and consequences of their actions and their lifestyles. The situations surrounding all of this are pretty dire. No one is happy in their life, at least not with the status quo, and none of them really show any real prospects, the kind that might make them pull up their boot straps and really make a go of it. Neither Rita nor Sue seem particularly intelligent and would seem doomed to spend the rest of their lives boffing men like Bob, the kind of men who seem desirable to them simply because they don't know any better but who really don't have a whole lot to offer the world themselves. There's a lot of bleak social commentary here, most of which is simply presented 'as is' in a sort of slice of life look at how grubby and depressed a certain segment of the English population was during these years, but the humor works its way in when it needs to, which is often..
Continuing along atypical sex comedy lines, the script deals in unexpected motifs, replacing the expected outlandish set pieces (though we do get a few of those) with working class gruffness and character. The performances reflect this and it's interesting to see a young Siobhan Finneran (now a regular on Downton Abbey) play an early lead role in the picture. While some might find the picture disjointed, even depressing, the unexpected ways in which Clarke asks us to laugh along with the characters here as they make the best of what they have is not without its own bizarre charm. There are times where it seems like the movie wants for a stronger message but even still, this is a well-made picture if not likely the one that Clarke will be remembered for.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Rita, Sue And Bob Too! arrives on Blu-ray in AVC encoded 1.66.1 widescreen in 1080p high definition. While the look of the film is firmly rooted in the eighties and all the tacky, gaudy colors you'd expect from that are on full display, this is as it should be and the fashions can contrast with the drab backgrounds in interesting ways here. Black levels tend to be pretty solid and the disc is free of compression artifacts, edge enhancement and obvious noise reduction. Detail is good as is texture and while there's some obvious grain here and there, print damage is never really an issue at all. Quite a good transfer, this one.
The audio chores are handled by a simple but effective English language DTS-HD Mono track, there are no alternate language options or subtitles provided. This is a pretty dialogue intensive film, not a movie ripe with tons of sound effects, so the single channel mix suits things fine. There are no issues with any hiss or distortion and so long as you're cool with the accents, the dialogue is clean, clear and easily discernable.
The main extra on the disc is an audio commentary track featuring film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman. They stick to the basics here, offering up some decent background information on the director and discussing how this movie both compares and contrasts to some of his better known (and considerably darker films). They also offer up plenty of biographical information about the cast and crew as well as some insight into the culture behind the film and what makes it unique.
Also included on the disc is an isolated music and effects track in DTS-HD, menus and chapter selection. Inside the disc is a color insert booklet containing liner notes from Julie Kirgo talking up the British aspect of the movie and offering up some welcome critical analysis of the picture.
The Final Word:
Rita, Sue And Bob Too! is one of the most unorthodox 'sex comedies' you'll probably ever come across. It plays things insanely straight, replacing the genre's clichés with Clarke's penchant for realism that winds up being reflected not only in the style of the film but the performances as well. It's an odd duck of a film but if you're in the right frame of mind for it, it's also wickedly funny. Twilight Time's Blu-ray is limited in the extras department but it presents the movie in excellent shape. Definitely recommended for fans of Alan Clarke's output.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
