This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray release from Arrow Video will be available on August 22nd.
Despite having seen many films in my life, there are always titles that fall through the cracks. Sometimes I am aware of a feature but just haven’t been able to catch up with it, but occasionally an older movie will pop up on disc seemingly out-of-the-blue and completely surprise me. Unman, Wittering and Zigo is a British feature that was released by Paramount back in 1971 before falling into semi-obscurity and barely receiving a home video release (at least, in North America). Thankfully, Arrow Video have managed to get the rights and are delivering a new, high-definition presentation of the movie on Blu-ray. It’s a disturbing but remarkable little film. I’m surprised I had never heard of it, because the movie isn’t easy to forget.
The story follows John Ebony (David Hemmings), a new teacher hoping to make his mark at a boarding school. Taking over for a deceased professor in the middle of term and arriving with wife Silvia (Carolyn Seymour) , Ebony desperately wants to fit in with the stuffy Headmaster (Douglas Wilmer) and make his position permanent. Unfortunately, the students let him know that they are in control of the class and should be left alone. Ebony initially resists the hostile behavior, believing they just need a firm hand. However, he gets a real shock when they tell him that they, in fact, murdered his predecessor and would have no issue doing the same to him. The adult tries to report the threat, but finds that his superiors are disbelieving (or would prefer to ignore the problem). Ebony decides to investigate the claim. Tensions bubble between the teacher and students before finally boiling over.
Despite the fact that some of the awful acts of the class members seem exaggerated, the movie manages to maintain a reasonably authentic tone and palpable sense of foreboding. There isn’t really a hero in the picture and all of the male characters are deeply flawed. In fact, the movie appears to be highly critical of the school system in general. The Headmaster is stuffy and there’s a general cruelness to the treatment of the youths. The kids, in turn, have adapted these methods in order to fight back. Ebony certainly doesn’t help his cause by desperately wanting to be part of an archaic system. He even uses extreme tactics at times, only raising the ire of the students.
The movie paints a really bleak picture and no-win situation for Ebony. Some viewers may initially ask how the class can get away with their horrendous acts. Well, the group makes it explicitly clear that they have parents in high places and that the school’s reputation (and potential closure) would be at stake, which is why the Headmaster and other high-ranking officials look the other way. Ebony’s only friend, Cary Fathingale (Anthony Haygarth) confirms this and advises the lead to keep his head down and just drink to forget the problems.
The cast is also very strong. Hemmings has always been charismatic onscreen and here presents a believable portrayal of a conflicted, inactive man who doesn’t seem sure of what action to take. And, despite being younger, the youngsters are well-played and at times even come across as menacing. Despite the acne, messy mops and school uniforms, the performances are compelling. Seymour is also excellent, playing the voice of reason who undergoes an ordeal that makes her question her marriage.
And the movie is filled with tense confrontations between Ebony and the students. When they focus on his wife, it results in an agonizingly harrowing attack that is starkly captured and harrowing to watch. The movie also benefits from a realistic approach to certain story elements. While many Hollywood pictures would find a way for the main character to take revenge and succeed in the end, this effort doesn’t offer easy solutions and ends on a far more ambiguous/ominous note.
Visually, there are also some shots that pack a punch. Besides a dimly-lit and frightening attack sequence, there is a striking point-of-view shot of a figure plunging off of a cliff. It features the camera falling and spinning down towards the rocks below.
This is a very good movie and it’s quite remarkable that it isn’t more well known. Arrow Video is certainly helping to rectify the problem with an excellent Blu-ray and clear picture.
The extras also provide a great deal of background information. This production was based on a famous radio play and the disc contains the 1958 broadcast. There are some minor changes and additions that are interesting to hear. A visual essay by critic, broadcaster and cultural historian Matthew Sweet is provided as well. It is extremely insightful, sharing facts about the British public school system and its many issues. He notes similarly-themed films from the era like If (1968) and some of revolutionary ideas filmmakers were expressing, in addition to his dislike of some of the changes that were made from the radio version. He also delivers pertinent background information about the production.
The disc also includes cast interviews with actors Michael Howe, Michael Cashman, James Wardroper (who were various students) and Carolyn Seymour (who played Silvia). They all go into working with star/producer Hemmings and their own experiences on the set. It seems that most of the performers stayed within their social groups and didn’t interact much during the shoot, adding more authenticity to the proceedings. Seymour goes into shooting the brutalizing attack scene and notes that despite what was being depicted, the youngsters were all polite and didn’t cause her any distress.
There is also a great commentary track from Sean Hogan and Kim Newman. The film experts talk about their experiences attending public school in the UK (which wasn’t quite as upsetting as what is depicted in this film) and their analysis of the movie’s themes. Newman admits that he prefers this film to the previously mentioned If, complaining that the other title treats its youngsters unrealistically and fails to show the dark side of the characters and their nasty acts. They both interpret elements a little differently from Sweet, which makes for an interesting contrast. The two also detail trivia about the cast and crew and are generally fun to listen to.
The disc also includes a trailer, image gallery and double-sided fold-out poster with newly commissioned and original art for the movie.This is another excellent disc from Arrow Video that will help movie enthusiasts rediscover a complex, fascinating and unsettling little film from the UK. Unman, Wittering and Zigo is a strong picture and one that this critic was thrilled to discover for the very first time.