Negatives (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Peter MedakRelease Date(s)
1968 (August 26, 2025)Studio(s)
Kettledrum Films/Narizzano Productions/The Walter Reade Organization (Severin Films)- Film/Program Grade: See Below
- Video Grade: See Below
- Audio Grade: See Below
- Extras Grade: A
- Overall Grade: A-
Review
Long before he tackled the black comedy with The Ruling Class, the haunted house genre with The Changeling, the action adventure comedy with Zorro, The Gay Blade, and the gangster crime drama in The Krays (as well as the disastrous but no less interesting productions of Ghost in the Noonday Sun and The Odd Job), filmmaker Peter Medak made an aggressive debut with Negatives. This adaptation of Peter Everett’s 1961 novel of the same name was a part of the diverse and often unconventional wave of British films of the era, barely released in late 1968 in Britain and the US after receiving many positive reviews, yet all but forgotten until now.
Theo (Peter McEnery) and Vivien (Glenda Jackson) are a “couple” living in London, their existence revolving around their need to dress up and pretend to be other people for their own satisfaction. However, Theo begins to grow tired of the status quo since Vivien seemingly has all of their power in their relationship. He’s also distracted by his father (Maurice Denham), who’s been sick in the hospital, leaving Theo to look after their curio shop with their reclusive re-upholsterer Massinger (Billy Russell), identified in the film as simply “old man.” One day, a German photographer, Reingard (Diane Cilento), walks in to the shop and takes an immediate interest in Theo, eventually moving in with him and Vivien for three months to document and explore their troubled relationship, while Theo continues to become more and more distraught.
Negatives is a difficult film to sum in a single paragraph, and the one above only scratches the surface of what’s going on this film. It’s a highly experimental piece that treats fantasies like realities and realities like fantasies, never giving viewers a firm foothold as to which is which. It’s chiefly the reason why it can be shellshocking to modern audiences expecting an erotic drama akin to something like Bilitis, Emmanuelle, or even In the Realm of the Senses. There’s definitely an aspect of eroticism to it, but the film deals more with one’s own identity, or in this case, identities. Theo and Vivien chiefly act out the parts of murderer Dr. Crippen and his wife Cora, as well as his mistress Ethel. Eventually, Theo convinces himself to be the German officer Manfred von Richthofen aka The Red Baron, which is where his mind seems to begins to disintegrate.
However, much of this information is left up to the viewer to determine, especially during the ending which is left intentionally ambiguous, and arguably, confusing. Many may not have the patience for a film that deliberately doesn’t give you the keys to the locked door, but ultimately the fates of Theo, Vivien, and even Reingard to a degree, the latter seemingly acting as both the angel and devil on Theo’s shoulders, are unimportant. The focal point of the film is exploring personal identity. Vivien is quite awful to Theo, and once Theo becomes the more domineering half of their relationship, she becomes more chaotic yet softer, all but admitting her true feelings for Theo, even if she doesn’t want to acknowledge or understand them. In the end, Vivien wants things to return to the way they were, almost as an act of pure desperation, but Theo is far beyond what he and Vivien were, and she can never fully accept or appreciate that.
Performances are fantastic all around, as is Ken Hodges’ cinematography and Barrie Vince’s editing choices, which give viewers a queasy and unsteady feeling, almost like being on a ship at sea without their sea legs. This sort of film is certainly not for everyone, but if you’re interested in avant-garde filmmaking, as well as an astonishing debut from director Peter Medak, then Negatives will make you sit up and take notice, even if you don’t fully grasp its meanings.
Far removed from the film that precedes it, Sparrows Can’t Sing is the only director feature film effort of famous and influential theatre director Joan Littlewood. Written by Stephen Lewis who adapts his own stage play of Sparrers Can’t Sing, the film was also an early assistant director job for Peter Medak, as well as a showcase for Barbara Windsor of the On the Buses series.
Charlie (James Booth) has returned to his home in the East End of London after a sailing voyage, eager to reconnect with his wife Maggie (Windsor). Although the majority of the community welcomes him home with open arms, nobody is willing to tell him where exactly Maggie is, or that she has taken up with another man, a bus driver named Bert (George Sewell). As the day goes on and Charlie becomes more frustrated and more intoxicated at the local pub, Maggie eventually finds out about Charlie’s arrival and must decide whether she wants to continue her marriage with him or remain devoted to Bert. Other actors include Roy Kinnear, Brian Murphy, Murray Melvin, Avis Bunnage, Barbara Ferris, Arthur Mullard, Peggy Ann Clifford, and Victor Spinetti.
Sparrows Can’t Sing has the workings of a romantic comedy, but acts more as a day in the life of a working class East End community. Truthfully, it’s a snapshot of the era, more so than a traditional narrative. Its theatre origins are clear, though Desmond Dickinson’s and Mutz Greenbaum’s cinematography is anything but stagebound. It’s a beautifully-filmed farce that feels more authentic than a more conventional narrative would. It’s almost akin to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing in that we spend a day getting to know a group of people before something serious happens, though in the case of Sparrows Can’t Sing, things pretty much going on as normal once everyone’s cards are on the table. Thankfully, some changes to the original play were made, such as Charlie having been in prison after assaulting Maggie instead of being away on a trip, which would have made the outdated nature of the story even more antiquated than it already is. To some degree, the narrative is pretty bare bones, but at the same time, the point isn’t necessarily the plot, but hanging out for a day with these various factions of people.
More or less forgotten by American audiences today, Sparrows Can’t Sing captures a time and place in Great Britain post-World War II wherein middle class families and communities were customarily male-dominated households. Many may watch the film in a state of cringe because of this, but keep in mind that this is not meant to be taken that seriously. Whether it was meant to be or not, it’s a reflection of the attitudes and relationships between people at the time, as well as a document of that area of London which basically no longer exists.
Negatives was shot by cinematographer Ken Hodges on 35mm film using Arriflex cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Severin Films debuts the film on Blu-ray from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative by the BFI, encoded to a dual-layered BD-50 disc. Sparrows Can’t Sing was shot by cinematographers Desmond Dickinson and Mutz Greenbaumon on 35mm black-and-white film, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Severin Films has debuted the film on a bonus disc from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative by StudioCanal, which has also been encoded to a dual-layered BD-50 disc. Both films offer lovely, organic presentations with high levels of detail and bitrates that sit between 30 and 40Mbps. Some scratches and speckling are evident, as well as some mild telecine wobble, but the overall stability and cleanliness of each picture is solid. Negatives offers plenty of lush color and natural flesh tones, while Sparrows Can’t Sing features beautiful gradations of black and white, both featuring deep blacks and excellent contrast. Grain is a little more obvious and less refined in Negatives, but both presentations are substantial upgrades, having never been available in the US before.
Audio is included in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Both tracks are quite clean with fine support for the various elements, if only a touch of possible built-in distortion in Negatives. Dialogue renders just fine and there are no leftover instances of hiss, crackle, or dropouts to speak of.
NEGATIVES (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): B-/B+/B+
SPARROWS CAN’T SING (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): C/B+/B+
The Severin Films 2-Disc Blu-ray release of Negatives and Sparrows Can’t Sing sit in a black Amaray case, with each disc containing the following extras, all of them in HD:
DISC ONE (NEGATIVES)
- Audio Interviews with Peter Medak by Lee Gambin with David Gregory
- Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
- Role Playing (5:18)
- Working Class Wonderland: Glenda Jackson and the Working Class Sensibility (13:28)
- Positives From Negativeland: Scrapbook From a Grand Debut (15:43)
- The Doctor Will See You Now (23:45)
Acting as an audio commentary of sorts are two audio interviews with director Peter Medak, the first conducted by the late, great author and film historian Lee Gambin, which was apparently finished just a week before his passing (for the record, Lee edited his voice out of the commentary, so only Medak can be heard). The interview ends at the 49:50 mark, whereupon David Gregory takes over with an “informal chat” he had with Medak at his home in 2024, ending at the 89:40 mark. Both supply an extensive overview of the production and its release with the director. In his audio commentary, author and film historian Tim Lucas provides his usual expert analysis of the film while also delving into the careers of those involved, and most importantly, author Peter Everett whose career isn’t very well known. In Role Playing, actor Peter McEnery examines his character; details his working relationships with Peter Medak, Glenda Jackson, and Diane Cilento; and discusses attending the premiere and expressing his feelings about the final film. In Working Class Wonderland, Lee Gambin returns to provide a video essay that explores Glenda Jackson’s film career and her identity as a woman in those works among a myriad of complexities in the roles she inhabited. In Positives From Negativeland, Peter Medak takes us through his production scrapbooks for Negatives, as well as A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, and recalling his memories of each experience. The Doctor Will See You Now features an interview with Dr. Clare Smith, the historic collection curator at the Metropolitan Police Museum, who discusses the life and crime of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen.
DISC TWO (SPARROWS CAN’T SING)
- Audio Commentary with Daniel Kremer and Peter Medak
- East End Manifesto (19:03)
- BFI Q&A with Barbara Windsor and Murray Melvin (38:11)
- Interview with Murray Melvin (10:20)
- Locations Featurette With Richard Dacre (15:07)
- Trailer (2:59)
The audio commentary features filmmaker and film historian Daniel Kremer, as well as Peter Medak, who was an assistant director on the production. Kremer primarily guides the track with occasional contributions by Medak, but Kremer details and analyzes the film, providing a background on the key players. East End Manifesto features an interview with Peter Rankin, friend of Joan Littlewood and author of Joan Littlewood: Dreams and Realities, who discusses her background in theater, his working and personal relationship with her, her work on the film, and her subsequent career before her passing. Next is a live Q&A with actors Barbara Windsor and Murray Melvin after a screening of the film at the BFI. Next is a direct interview with Murray Melvin about his memories of the production. Film Historian Richard Dacre then revisits the locations of the film, as well as the theatre where the original play premiered, and the cinema where the film premiered. He also provides a detailed history of those locations, as well as details of the film itself. Last is the film’s trailer.
Negatives and Sparrows Can’t Sing act almost as a one-two punch of somewhat conventional and non-conventional British filmmaking in the 1960s. Negatives highlights the talents of an almost unfiltered director whose career had quite a range, while Sparrows Can’t Sing captures a one-and-done filmmaker who intentionally or unintentionally chronicled the societal norms of the early 1960s. For film fans, especially those interested in the British New Wave period and beyond, this is a very educational set of films. For them, it comes highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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