Take a Girl Like You (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Apr 24, 2019
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Jonathan MillerRelease Date(s)
1970 (March 1, 2019)Studio(s)
Columbia Pictures (Powerhouse Films/Indicator)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
Director Jonathan Miller, who spent most of his cinematic career either writing or directing TV movies, helmed just one theatrical movie, which was the 1970 British comedy Take a Girl Like You.
Based upon the 1960 novel of the same name by Kingsley Amis, the story concerns a young lady named Jenny (Hayley Mills) who has just moved to London, England to begin her career as a school teacher. Before she’s even had a chance to settle in, she meets Patrick (Oliver Reed). Within minutes, he begins making advancements towards her, which she rejects, explaining to him that she will only give in on her wedding night. Determined to be her lover, he continues to plan ways to get her into bed with him, but he isn’t the only man in town who’s taken a liking to her.
Take a Girl Like You is a pleasant, silly, but enjoyable Sunday matinee kind of film. Oliver Reed is fantastic in his role as Patrick. He also has what is possibly the funniest line in the movie, occurring when Jenny tells him that she’s a virgin. His response is “You don’t look like a virgin.” Hayley Mills is also great as the sweet, innocent Jenny. The rest of the supporting cast includes John Bird, Noel Harrison, and Pippa Steel, who also play their parts to perfection.
Take a Girl Like You comes to Blu-ray for a second time via Indicator with the same HD master as before, which has been provided by Sony and has a much higher bit rate. It’s a visual delight. Colors appear sharp, particularly reds, greens, and blues. Daytime scenes look richly-detailed and skin tones appear natural and well-balanced. As for the audio, an English mono LPCM track is used and it is flawless. Music and dialogue are both mellow and pleasant. Nothing comes across as either too subdued or too overwhelming either. There are also optional subtitles in English SDH included as well.
Extras for this release include A New Era Revisited, a 14-minute interview with actress Hayley Mills; Now and Then: Jonathan Miller, a 42-minute interview with the director, conducted by Canadian broadcaster Bernard Braden in 1967; Make a Film Like You, an 8-minute interview with production manager Denis Johnson Jnr and assistant director Joe Marks; an isolated music and effects track in mono LPCM; 2 theatrical trailers; an image gallery featuring 20 stills of production photographs, press materials, and posters; and a 32-page insert booklet containing a set of cast and crew information, Take a Girl Like You by Melanie Williams, Take an Author Like Him: Kingsley Amis – an interview with the author by Dale Salwak, a set of critical responses, the film’s original poster, and presentation details. Missing from the Twilight Time release is the excellent 8-page insert booklet written by Julie Kirgo.
Take a Girl Like You is a film with a great story and will leave you with a lot to think about. It also comes with a couple of surprises along the way as well. Seeing this classic in high definition via Indicator’s new Blu-ray release, which adds an improved presentation and some substantial extras, has made the viewing experience a positive one. Recommended!
– David Steigman