British Blu-rays Encapsulate 1960s Issues that Remain Today

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Movies Editor

Two late-1960s movies widely dismissed as trashy genre films when initially released have since gained greatly in critical esteem. Their naturalistic approaches make them stand up quite well today while other films of the era that made the rounds of drive-ins and Grindhouses usually look badly dated. Barbet Schroeder’s “More”(1969) and Michael Reeves’ “Witchfinder General” (1968) both came out on region-free Blu-rays in England last fall, in director’s cut versions that finally let modern audiences re-evaluate them.

Although acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival, Barbet Schroeder’s first feature was treated as a notorious counter-culture exploitation film at the time it came out. This was largely due to its full-frontal nudity and especially its detailed, matter-of-fact depiction of drug use. Censors around the world seemed convinced that “More” would inspire young people to imitate the bohemian, drug-fueled lifestyle of its two central characters, a theme pervading many youth films of the era. Even in its abridged forms, however, the film soon became a cult hit, partly due to its popular soundtrack music by Pink Floyd (which helped the band increase its following).

A young, German college graduate becomes involved with an American girl he meets at a party in Paris, following her against a friend’s advice to an island off the coast of Spain. There he also gets mixed up with an ex-Nazi drug dealer. In some ways the basic plot parallels the classic film noir theme of a manipulative woman entrancing a young man and leading him to his doom. The film is no glamorization of drugs, but rather the exact opposite. Schroeder mentions in the bonus featurette that the script was inspired by what might have happened to him if he had actually followed the advice of a former girlfriend who was an ex-junkie, and who was constantly encouraging him to try heroin just to see what it was like.

The British Film Institute’s Blu-ray/DVD combo has a beautiful film-like picture that intensifies the island scenery. There’s also very good mono sound that helps show off the innovative soundtrack which only uses music from natural sources within the scenes. There is sadly no audio commentary, but there’s an informative illustrated booklet and three trailers to early Schroeder films. There’s a new featurette of Schroeder giving background on the film, but unfortunately it is only on the DVD and not the Blu-ray.

“MORE” on Blu-ray—Movie: B+ / Video: A / Audio: A / Extras: B-

In “Witchfinder General,” the English Civil War between Cromwell’s Puritans and the Anglican royalists of King Charles is a major factor leading to government-sanctioned tortures and executions of dissidents by accusing them of witchcraft. Vincent Price plays a lawyer named Matthew Hopkins (an actual historical figure), appointed Witchfinder General in 1645. He has legal power to extract confessions from accused witches by whatever means he deems appropriate, usually leaving the details to his sadistic assistant (Robert Russell). Since they are paid a handsome fee for each confession, they never fail. An outspoken rural priest (Rupert Davies) seen as a troublemaker is targeted for “interrogation” and execution. The pleas of his niece (Hilary Dwyer) for mercy only lead to her own rape and torture. However, her fiancé happens to be a soldier in Cromwell’s army and vows to get revenge.

This British historical drama set during the mid-17th century was marketed as a horror film in the United States by American International Pictures under the title “The Conqueror Worm.” The American release also had alternate opening and closing credits with a voiceover of star Vincent Price reading the Edgar Allen Poe poem used for the film’s American title. Far from a standard horror film, it’s really an uncannily, timely and still unsettling study in organized terror under the anarchy of civil war, with each faction using religion as the excuse for ruthless political and/or personal advantages.

In many ways this plot of lawlessness in a rural locale is a British variation on the American Western. It might be seen as symptomatic of the growing urban violence during the sixties or a metaphor for the rampant corruption in Central American revolutionary countries. Today it’s a chillingly closer parallel to the religiously-inspired atrocities going on in the Middle East against anyone perceived as a potential threat to those with power, often merely to terrorize any opposition rather than to punish documented crimes.

Production executives and distributors were expecting a typical exploitation film they could sell on sex and violence, but writer/director Michael Reeves, instead, intentionally depicted violence, especially sexual violence, in a way calculated to repulse viewers rather than to entertain them, and dramatized violence as a corrupting force. Price was also expecting another campy horror film and only reluctantly went along with Reeves’ attempts to tone down his performance into a more realistic (and resultantly more terrifying) character. A highly personal film, this was only the third and final feature of its troubled, ill-fated young director, who died of an accidental drug overdose at 25, less than a year later.

The Blu-ray from Britain’s Odeon Entertainment has generally strong picture and audio quality. There are occasional white specks or scratches from wear on the negative but overall it’s in fine shape. The mono sound is good, if not particularly great.

Odeon has supplied a nice selection of bonus features, including a good audio commentary, the alternate American opening and closing, and a good image gallery of production stills, lobby cards, and pressbook pages, all in high-definition. There are also a trailer, deleted European-version sexploitation shots, a couple of interesting documentaries, a Vincent Price talk show appearance, and an early short by the director, but these are unfortunately standard-definition and, like the “More” DVD, are in the PAL format, which will not play on some American players.

“WITCHFINDER GENERAL” on Blu-ray—Movie: B / Video: A- / Audio: A- / Extras: A-

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