Unman, Wittering and Zigo 08/08/23

Those joyous School Days of intimidation, threats, and Murder!  The helpful extras on this new Blu release explain how this tale of cold-blooded malice in a British ‘public school’ ( = a private school with a steep tuition) is deeply rooted in UK culture. This film version brilliantly directed by John Mackenzie reflects a restrained, ‘civilized’ oppression in the school tradition — morally righteous and proper on the outside, chillingly cold and corrupt at the core. David Hemmings’ newbie teacher is on the job only a day when his ‘unruly’ students inform him of their murderous conspiracy, and expect him to cave in to their demands. It’s quality filmmaking, with an especially fine cast, for a grim thinkpiece that’s disturbingly defeatist in tone. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
08/08/23