The Last Bastion (1984/Australian TV Mini-Series/Umbrella PAL Region Free Import DVD)/Rectify (2013 TV Series/Anchor Bay
DVD Set)
Picture:
C/C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D/C+ Main
Programs: B/C+
PLEASE NOTE: Last Bastion can only be operated on machines capable of playing
back DVDs that can handle Region Free PAL format DVD software and can be
ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment at the website address
provided at the end of the review.
Here are
two of the more seriously themed TV releases we have seen in a while.
The Last Bastion (1984) is an Australian TV Mini
Series about how unprepared the country was for their entry in WWII and how
negotiations and vital debates amongst themselves as well as with the British
and U.S. (sometimes rightly portrayed as not always in their favor) is un
underrated, extremely effective look at a little-told part of the endlessly
covered WWII story. Not as talked about
or seen as it should have been as it approaches its 30th
Anniversary, it is long overdue for a DVD or Blu-ray release anywhere and Umbrella
Entertainment turns out to be the one to issue it on DVD at least, in a PAL
Region Free Import disc.
The
writing is top rate, George Miller of the original Mad Max Trilogy (reviewed elsewhere on this site) is one of the
directors and the cast is exceptional, meshing together surprisingly well in
work that holds up very well. Robert
Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Hu$tle) is General MacArthur, Timothy
West (Richard Eyre’s Iris, Hitler: The Last Ten Days) is Winston
Churchill, Warren Mitchell (The Beatles’
Help! among many great turns) is President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Peter Collingwood (Mad Dog Morgan, Picnic At Hanging Rock, Death
Cheaters) is General Haining among a very convincing group as this starts
strongly and keeps up the pace and energy throughout.
The
historical war footage and some other older conventions may hold this back a
little and this version runs 161 minutes though the fill series was allegedly
360 minutes. This is still a solid cut
of the material and worth your time.
There are
sadly no extras.
The Breaking Bad producers are seeing that
hit show fold, so they try something new and also serious with Rectify (2013) which has only six
hour-long episodes and would seem like a first season, short as it is, but it
is not labeled that way. The story takes
place in George and centers on a case where a man named Daniel (Adam Young) has
been released after 19 years in jail because DNA evidence has shown he likely
did not rape and kill a young woman, but there are those who know the truth and
some of them want the lie to stand.
While he
goes through the ultimate adjustment disorder of coming back into outside life
with the support of his upset family, the press is not finished with the story,
a politician is determined to retry the case, others want to take the law into
their own hands because they are ‘sure’ he is guilty and some want to stop
anything more from unraveling so they can stay free and/or hold onto power.
Though
some of this is predictable and other parts more slow moving than even a
character study (which this can be at times) should be, the show has some good
acting and a few moments that stick if not enough, including many flashback’s
Daniel has of being in prison. This ends
as if we’d get more episodes after the six here, but if they wrap it up with a
telefilm if ever wrapping it up at all, that will be a shame, because there is
much more to say and do with the material and issues presented. Though not great all the time and a few
moments do not work, I would recommend those interested give it a look and
would see any follow-up.
Extras include
five Making Of featurettes: Sundance On
Set: Rectify, Meet The Cast, Inside Job, Inside The Episode with Ray McKinnon (the character actor who
created the series) and Behind The Screen.
The 1.33
X 1 image on Last was shot on 35mm
film, but this version has a disclaimer of quality issues and it is correct
because this is an old video master of the cut we get here. That means we get aliasing errors, other
flaws, detail issues, staircasing and the usual limits from such an older
master, but even in all that softness you can tell this was a decently shot
series. The anamorphically enhanced 1.78
X 1 image on Rectify is an HD shoot
styled down to be dark, but that does not always help the narrative and detail
and depth suffer as a result, yet it looks a little better than the older
production.
The lossy
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on Last can
show its age, but holds up better than its picture and is in decent shape,
while the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Rectify
has a lack of soundfield, tends to have quiet and dialogue-based episodes so
surrounds are only engaged occasionally.
The use of music is included in that, but it is usually applied in
awkward and MTV-style ways that undermine and even bring a halt to the
narrative.
As noted
above, you can order Last Bastion
exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
Nicholas Sheffo
