London in the Raw
BUY AT:
See more details, packaging, or compare
Synopsis
Norman Cohen and Arnold L. Miller co-direct this cult documentary exploring London nightlife. Depicting the somewhat unsavoury underside of London in the 1960s, the feature examines the after dark goings on in the city's seedy clubs and bars. Venturing beyond the glamorous images of the capital, the film offers a stark and revealing insight into life in the city during the swinging '60s.
Picture 9/10
For their second release in their Flipside series (a line that sets out to rescue “weird and wonderful British films from obscurity”,) BFI Video presents Arnold Miller’s London in the Raw in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on this dual-layer Blu-ray disc. The transfer is in 1080p. While this a UK release the Blu-ray is region free and should play on all Blu-ray players worldwide.
I wasn’t exactly sure what I would get when popping this disc in the player but I know I wasn’t expecting something that looked this good! The amount of care and love that went into the picture here is simply astonishing. With all things considered (specifically the age and obscurity of the film) this is one of the more surprising high definition transfers I’ve come across because there’s next-to-nothing wrong with it.
The print is in stellar shape and I assume it went through a rather vigorous restoration and other than a few small bits of debris there’s nothing notable about damage. The transfer itself is absolutely stellar presenting a crisp, sharp image throughout with noticeable, natural looking film grain. Colours are surprisingly bright and vibrant with reds looking especially good and contrast looks to be pitch perfect.
I was rather shocked with it, pleasantly so. It’s a beautiful looking transfer that went far a beyond what I would expect for a film certainly destined for obscurity.
London in the Raw - Screen Captures
Audio 6/10
The lossless mono track doesn’t quite live up to the image though this may have more to do with source elements. Music and some dialogue sound decent enough if a little edgy, but the narration throughout does come off a bit of mess, both weak and somewhat distorted. The track is quite clean, though, and I didn’t notice a pop or scratch or even a hiss.
Extras 9/10
BFI have dug up some rather wonderful supplements for this release, all just as fascinating to go through as the film itself.
London in the Raw: Alternative Cut is a roughly 47-minute version of the film. It’s amazingly not just a shorter version of the film (concentrating on the more exploitive subjects in the film) but it actually includes sequences not in the main film such as an extended bit involving the prostitute and an odd “motionless” peep show. Also as a bonus it receives a rather wonderful video transfer and lossless audio, both about as good as what the main feature presents. It’s actually a rather fascinating re-edit though I can’t say what its purpose probably was.
Though not necessarily related to the film directly the Blu-ray also includes three short films described on the back package as “London sketches”, documenting London during the 60’s, which make decent companion pieces but certainly don’t come off anywhere near as exploitive as the main “documentary” on this release.
Pub is a barely 16-minute short film directed by Peter Davis giving a brief look at pub life in London during the 60s. It’s a fine little piece that hovers around various individuals at a local pub taking in the general atmosphere. The short actually opens with a text note stating that the film comes from the best possible source and still displays a lot of damage. The note actually comes off a little too harsh because the film still looks pretty good despite some heavy damage on the right hand side. The feature is again presented in high-def with a lossless mono track.
The next short documentary is Chelsea Bridge Boys, running 31-minutes and is again also presented in high definition with lossless audio. Covering a biker gang the documentary alternates between interviews with the members (who are quite honest and very engaging) and then footage of them either “hanging out” or riding their bikes through the streets (though, as one states, not at ridiculous speeds because they don’t want to kill themselves.) Directed by Peter Davis and Staffan Lamm it’s another great little addition giving an engaging look at a London subculture.
The final short is simply called Strip which offers a look at a London strip club in 1966, directed by Peter Davis, Staffan Lamm, and Don DeFina. It runs almost 26-minutes and is again presented in high definition with lossless audio. We get a few interviews with some of the strippers but more footage of actual shows and footage in the dressing rooms. While the surroundings don’t really reflect a good working environment everyone seems surprisingly cheerful. This Blu-ray release as a whole has its fair share of nudity so I doubt anyone picking it up would be bothered by such a thing but I should warn that this feature in particular contains quite a bit, pretty much wall to wall. While plenty of nudity does help in drawing an audience the film does feel like its genuinely trying to document its subject and it is fairly successful in its portrayal.
The features close with a rather amusing theatrical trailer running less than 2-minutes really pushing this as some hard exposé.
Finally the package comes with a 37-page booklet with a large collection of material starting with an essay about London in the Raw, its filmmakers, and a brief mention of the other docs on here. Another short essay by Vic Pratt goes into detail about the shorter version of the film, though can’t reach a decent conclusion as to why it exists (Miller doesn’t recall ever making it.) A not so positive review for the film is reprinted here from a 1964 issue of “Monthly Film Bulletin” and then we get biographies for both director Arnold Miller and director of photography Stanley A. Long. There’s also notes by the directors for the short films that appear as supplements on this release (Pub, Chelsea Bridge Boys, and Strip) which are all rather wonderful reflections. And you’ll also find various photos and advertising materials scattered about through the booklet. In whole it’s an incredibly meaty and informative booklet.
I was disappointed the supplements on the disc didn’t present much more about the main feature itself (only the trailer and the short version have to do specifically with the main feature) but the addition of the historical documentaries is a wonderful treat and actually make this Blu-ray worth picking up.
Closing
Despite the moral high ground of the narrator it’s obvious why this film exists and in this regard it’s exploitation at its best and is admittedly a blast. But the three documentaries included as supplements here make this disc a must to pick up. What pleases me the most about this release is that despite the obscure nature of the films included those involved in the production of this Blu-ray have put an incredible amount of care and work into this release, specifically the transfers. It exceeded my expectations on just about every level and looks absolutely wonderful. A very high recommendation.
(Again this Blu-ray title is region free and should play on all Blu-ray players worldwide.)
BUY AT:
