DVDs in Review

Comrades

Title: Comrades (1986)

Release date: July 27 2009

Certificate: 18

Format: Reviewed on DVD, available on Blu-ray

DVD RRP: £22.99

Rating: 4/5

Hats off to the British Film Institute once again for finding a lost classic and brilliantly restoring it. Here Bill Douglas' forgotten epic 'Comrades' is graced with the double DVD and Blu-ray treatment.

In brilliant (yet, at times observantly subtle) visual flair, Douglas tells the compelling true story of the infamous Tolpuddle Martyrs, six Dorset labourers who attempted to rebell against existing trade unions only to be deported to Australia.

Set in the 1830s and brimming with fine, detailed strokes of design and characterisation fitting of its time, we see the six brave men endure seven year's worth of suffering on the unforgiving Australian outback working on brutal chain gangs. 

The impressive cast includes Imelda Staunton (in her first role), Philip Davis, Vanessa Redgrave, Keith Allen and Barbara Windsor.  

It's a powerful tale of the working class hero, persevering against the odds. What is most surprising is how a film of this calibre isn't more well known. The blame (for lack of a better term) may fall on the director's unconventional, singular style. 

The music is odd, almost discordant in places provoking an eerie feeling of uncertainty masking beauty. Meanwhile the performances range from stagey to almost satirical in their extremities. The pace is at times pondering, while kinetic in others and at least one actor has multiple roles which is confusing if nothing else.

'Comrades' is mismatched but wonderfully challenging if you have three hours. The extras on disc two amount to around two and a half hours in themselves, so for fans of Bill Douglas and British epics or history students, this is the package for you.