I read this article in The New York Times this past week about, for lack of a better term, a "physical media rebellion." Apparently, a number of people--specifically younger people--have grown frustrated with the streaming services when it comes to selection and availability of certain titles. As such, they've started seeking out DVDs of certain movies that they can keep and watch any time they want. Frankly the article warmed the cockles of my heart. As a lifelong collector of physical media--both music and film/TV, in multiple formats over the years--I've taken some grief from friends and relatives over the last decade or so for it. I'm kind of thrilled this is happening, especially among younger people. Reading the article made me feel like less of a walking anachronism.
In the last decade and a half, the convenience of streaming has made it harder to find physical media in stores and rental places have pretty much become extinct. (Personally, I blame cult leaders like Marie Kondo who keep brainwashing their followers to tidy up their lives and their homes.) But the truth is not every film is available to stream. And no streaming service has the rights to everything out there. Frequently, many titles are only available for a little while. With a physical copy, you can be guaranteed that the film will be available when you want to watch it. The quality of both sound and picture is usually better than streaming and there are frequently bonus features--trailers, interviews with the filmmakers, behind the scenes documentary footage--fun stuff that geeks like me enjoy. As the Times article points out, even if you acquire a "digital" copy of a film or TV show, you don't really own it--you're licensing the right to view it when you want, a privilege that can be rescinded. And streaming services have also been known to alter certain films, removing "objectionable" content such as nudity and cigarettes. When you buy a DVD or blu-ray disc, you actually own the item. Barring a home invasion, no one can take it away from you.
So this week I'm highlighting a film from my personal DVD collection that I think is a supremely underrated spy thriller. It wasn't a huge hit (at least not in this country) when it was initially released in 2001. To be fair it only had a limited American release in the spring and summer of 2002. (I'm quite pleased with myself for seeing it in a theater--twice!) According to imdb.com, you can rent/buy it on Amazon, but no other streaming service has it, if you're so inclined to watch it.
The film takes place during World War II and is set in Bletchley Park--the heart of British codebreaking operations during the war. There apparently has been a setback in Britain's attempt to decipher the German Enigma code. Dougray Scott plays Tom Jericho, a mathematical genius and the most qualified person to get the Allies back on track (kind of like Alan Turing, but straight). He is returning to Bletchley after suffering a nervous breakdown involving... let's call her a femme fatale named Claire (Saffron Burrows). There also appears to be a mole within Bletchley and some missing transmissions that Claire appears to have stolen. Tom teams up with Claire's roommate Hester (Oscar winner Kate Winslet) in an attempt to find out what was in those transmissions as well as find Claire before the authorities do.
The film was directed by Michael Apted and written by the great Tom Stoppard, based on the historical novel by Robert Harris. It features a wonderful supporting cast of mostly British actors that you've seen quite a bit of in the decades since including Tom Hollander, Jeremy Northam, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Matthew Mcfadyen, and Corin Redgrave. The movie was produced by Lorne Michaels and Mick Jagger. It's probably not widely known, but Jagger is a bit of a World War II buff. He actually owns a real German Enigma machine and kindly lent it to be used as a prop in the film. (He also has a "blink and you'll miss it" cameo as a British officer--this is the reason I was essentially forced to see it a second time in a theater. Like most things in my life, it's a long story.) This week, if you can find it, I highly recommend the movie Enigma.
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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