Absolution — Absolution( Blu Ray)
From the late 1970s, Absolution is a British Catholic boys' school set blend of drama & thriller, which nicely builds up both the feeling of suspense and rewarding plot twists. The film features a great/well-picked cast- bringing together Richard Burton as a pious/ at times cruel priest/teacher & Billy Connolly as a motorbike-bound free spirit/ vagabond- who sets up camp in a nearby forest. As well as some great performances from younger cast members, too. Here from 88 Films, as either a Blu-ray or DVD, is a new release of the film, taking in two versions of the film, two commentary tracks and a few interviews.
Absolution( aka Murder by Confession, Anthony Shaffer's Absolution) is from the year 1978, and was filmed between Ellesmere College, Shropshire and Pinewood studios. It was directed by Bangalore, India-born Anthony Page, between the early 60’s and early 2000s, he has forty-three credits to his name, taking in five features and the rest focus on UK TV series/ TV films/ shorts. His four other features take in paedophilia & infidelity-focused drama Inadmissible Evidence (1968), harrowing psychological period drama I Never Promised You a Rose Garden(1977), train-set period drama/ romantic comedy/mystery The Lady Disappears(1979), and German WWII set romantic-drama Forbidden(1984).
As the film's alternative/ full title suggests, the screenplay was written by Liverpool-born writer Anthony Shaffer, who has some key/ cleverly plotted 1970s films to his name, such as The Wicker Man, Frenzy, and Sleuth- and Absolution is very much on par with his best work, focusing on great dialogue and wonderful plot twists.
The film opens with the long-bearded Blackey(Connolly) riding on his motorbike through a small English village- he sets up camp in woodland. He then strides towards the manicured lawns of a nearby catholic school. Asking Latin teacher/ priest Father Goddard ( Burton) if there’s any work for him- the gowned man looks down at the scuffy/ unkept man, shooing him away.
As the film unfolds, we get to meet our two teenage leads- smug top student Benjie(Dominic Guard), and wearing leg callipers/ desperate for friends Arthur(David Bradley). The former spends time having extra lessons/ support from Godhard, while the latter is often belittled by the priest.
Fairly soon, the boys become aware of Blackey, and Benjie gets very pulled to his free-spirited ways- when Godhard finds out he less than pleased, but as things unfold we get a series of confessions between the boy & priest- which may/ may not be true, though Godhard can’t share or discuss them with anyone else due to his vows- even if they involve law breaking.
The film cleverly paints its plot, introducing us well to the character's tropes, before starting to unfold the building suspense and effective twists. I’d say acting-wise, Burton is excellent as in moral dilemma priest- moving from being staunch, strict/ in control, to a troubled/ on the edge of an unfolding mess. Connolly is fine in his role. But really, the true surprise here is the two young leads of Guard & Bradley, both of whom wonderfully sell their roles.
This recent region B release of the film takes in a 2k scan of the film- this looks well defined/ even balanced throughout, with a good, even balance between dialogue and score.
On the new extras-wise on the disc, we get just one thing- and a commentary track from genre commentators/ authors Kim Newman and Sean Hogan, and as we’ve come to expect from these track pros, it’s a very well-researched and observed affair. They start off by discussing how unusual it is for a screenwriter's name to be put in a film's title, and the possible reasons for this. We find out the film was based on the 1969 stage play Play With A Gipsy- which went through several iterations before it got to the screen. Apparently, Burton had been tied to the lead role for many years before production, and he was very keen on the project. We find out that Billy Connolly was drinking during the filming, though Burton wasn’t, which they believe made him better/ more focused in his role. They discuss other examples of both confession-based films, as well as public school-based cinema. They touch on the film's two young leads- how good they are, and that at this point, both were coming towards the end of their careers. They relate memories of their experience with cross-country runs in school. Later on, they discuss how you can clearly see from the pictures' structure/ unfold that Anthony Shaffer was key to rewrites, and they compare the character tropes in this film to his other work. They point out the weirder camera angles that appear as the picture progresses, and touch on the director's other work.
On the archive side, all ported over from the Powerhouses 2018 release of the film, we get the following: A 2018 director's cut of the film( one hour & twenty-five minutes). A commentary track from genre commentator/ author Kevin Lyons. The Devil to Pay( 12.10) interview with director Anthony Page. Them and Us (13.07) interview with actor Dominic Guard, image gallery, and trailer.
The finished release takes in a booklet with new writing from Andrew Graves, and a reversible sleeve featuring new art by Sean Longmore.
Absolution stands as one of the great, though lesser-known drama/ thrillers of the 1970s- with perfect casting/ acting, and a wonderful, engaging/ twisting script. Both the new & archive extras are most worthwhile, with a nice 2k scan