Who? — Who?( Blu Ray)
Who? is an original and subtly uneasy blend of thriller, mystery and sci-fi genres. The early 70s British film regards an American scientist, who is involved in a car crash in East Germany- he’s taken in by the German’s his face/ most of his body are rebuilt from metal implants- and when he’s seemingly returned to the West, it’s unclear who is behind the mask. Here from 88 Films- as either a new Blu-ray or DVD- release of the film, taking in a new scan, commentary track, and a few other extras.
Who? ( Robo Man, Prisoner Of The Skull, The Man With The Steel Mask) is from the year 1974. The British production was all filmed on location in Germany. It was helmed by London-born, between the late 50’s he had eleven feature credits, and fifty-one TV credits. His features include the documentary Famine (1967), brutal character study/ vengeance drama The Reckoning ( 1970), and telekinetic mystery horror The Medusa Touch (1978).
The just over one and a half hour film kicks straight in with a car driving along a road- it suddenly loses control, skids, and crashes, bursting into flame. Next, we switch to a nighttime checkpoint- where FBI agent Sean Rogers( Elliot Gould) is waiting with a few other government men to escort Dr Martino(Joseph Bova)- who we’re told survived the crash, and has been patched up by the Germans. The man led out of the shadows of the long road is a bit more than just patched up; his face, head, and one arm have been completely rebuilt with metal.
They usher the Iron Man into the car- and as he talks, we get worried glances between the Rogers and the government men. Initially, the plan had been to send the Dr back to his work on an important secret project in the States, but it’s quickly decided that he needed to be detained to clarify his identity, by bringing in experts & those who knew him.
The film has a decent pace to it, as we switch between Agent Rogers and his associates-integrating/ debating what the next move should be. The recent past, where top German Colonel Azarin(Trevor Howard) is involved in the Dr's case, and flash back further to Dr’s life.
The sense of keen mystery and subtle unease is kept keen/ focused throughout the whole film's run. The small cast is excellent, with Gould as the demined to find the truth government man. Howard is great as the cunning colonel, and the constantly masked-up in metal Bova shifts well between being sorrowful, annoyed, and focused.
I guess some may find the mask make-up rather dated/cheap. But really, I found it initially kind of charming, and as the film goes on, I didn’t notice it.
The film has a UK PG rating- so there’s nothing graphic here, but there is a constant sense of unease, sinister intent, and chilling mystery. I had a very keen/distinct memory of the film, which I saw only once as a child in the late 70s/ early 80s- so it’s wonderful to revisit it again after all these years, and it still has the same sense of highly intriguing mystery and low-key unease.
The region B Blu Ray features an HD scan- this is well presented, with good balance and clarity throughout- even in the darker/murkier moments.
On the extras side, we get a few things. First off is a commentary track with writers/ genre experts Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw, as we’ve come to expect from these two track pros- we get a very well researched and informed track. They start off by talking about the first reveal of the mask, and how it was created/ designed by Colin Arthur, who started off working for Madame Tussauds, before moving into film. They talk about how the mask needed to look odd, but not frightening- which was a difficult balance. They compare the film to the original 1958 novel of the same name by Algis Budrys, going on to discuss the author's work/career. They talk about Gould’s role in the picture before going on to give his bio. Later on, they talk about the metal masked figures in general, going from those in film, literature, and comics. Point out other notable actors, and much more.
Otherwise, we have: The Megaton Mind (26.31) Interview with actor Edward Grover. Who’s Mask? ( 21.01) Interview with makeup artist Colin Arthur. Who Sounds Better? (10.54) Interview with sound engineer Editor Colin Miller.
Who? 's blend of thriller, mystery and sci-fi genres is well realised, to create an engaging and intriguing film- that’s edged with moody disquiet. This new 88 Film release serves up a good scan and interesting extras.