Set in the waning days of WW2 Murphy’s War pits British Office Peter O’Toole against the German U-Boat that killed his entire crew. New to Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
The Film
Murphy’s War is an atypical war film in every sense of the genre and its conventions. The film is neither a war film nor a post-war film but something on the edges of both. The setting, Central America, was a brutal fighting ground that is often not discussed. The film is so uniquely personal, one man’s vendetta against the German U-boat and its Captain who murdered his fellow crewmen and officers aboard his ship. These factors along with the crisp direction by Peter Yates give the film a new look at old tropes.
Is it possible to be underrated as an actor if you’re Peter O’Toole? One feels like after Lawrence of Arabia (the most auspicious film debut in the history of film) everything felt like it was criticized or never given its rightful judgment by film critics. O’Toole always did indigent anger better than any of his contemporaries. Here as the Murphy of the title, he’s using that along with a sort of fast and loose obsessive nature to maximum effect. Though the star’s “Irish brogue” is slippery at best and hilariously indecipherable at its worst.
The film moves with a quickly building momentum to its nihilistic ending face-off against Murphy and his own white whale. That whale just happens to be a German U-boat and its causally psychotic Captain. In these final twenty minutes, director Peter Yates and cinematographer Douglas Slocombe shine as the military action soars. There’s an acute awareness of geography that fans of the director’s Bullitt and cinematographer’s Raiders of the Lost Ark will be acutely aware of. One will be so drawn into the film in these moments, one will entirely miss its anti-war message.
No matter, Murphy’s War is a first-rate action thriller before any message or theme.
The Transfer
Arrow Video has another great visual representation of a film on Blu-Ray with Murphy’s War. The transfer provided by Paramount looks like they (and Arrow) have treated the image with the care and respect as they have with their biggest titles. The image is clean and mostly free of any dirt, hair, specks, or scratches throughout its runtime. They’ve wisely kept the film’s grain structure intact which leads to a truer representation of how the film was shot and produced. Fans of the film will be excited to revisit the film as it looks like a freshly struck 35mm Archival Print.
The Extras
They include the following;
Running Out of War
A Great Adventure
Dougie, Chic and Me
One Man Army
Theatrical trailer
Image Gallery
Running Out of War (19:49) – an all-new visual essay by film critic David Cairns begins with the origins of the project with novelist Max Catto. This beautifully constructed essay goes into the setting up of the context in which director Peter Yates and star Peter O’Toole made this film with Producer Michael Deeley. In the 20-minute visual essay Cairns goes into the development (including an offer to direct one of the biggest films of the early1970s, Paramount’s budget pullout, locations, etc.), the production (the massive amounts of troubles they had with boats, rivers, and all the troubles one have on water), the themes, the film itself, the release of the film and much more.
A Great Adventure (31:07) – an archive interview with assistant director John Glen that begins with how he was both the editor and 2nd unit director and how he got his start at Shepperton Studios and moved his way up through the post-production department. Some of the other details include how he began working as a 2nd Unit Director – which leads to a discussion of insert shots and how he worked on them; his education in direction through TV – including the show Danger Man starring Patrick McGoohan; a discussion of his work on the Bond Films as director; how he got the job on Murphy’s War; a side discussion of how Yates was hired by McQueen for Bullitt – and the commonality of Car Racing; a wild story about their journey in taking the boat through Venezuela; the troubles in making the film on-location including some truly great and fascinating stories including troubles with using a real-life submarine; and much more.
Dougie, Chic and Me (17:17) – an archive interview with focus puller Robin Vidgeon which opens with the focus puller discussing how he got his start at Pinewood and eventually interviewed with Douglas Slocombe. Some of the other details include being Slocombe’s focus puller for 25 years; the work and working with Slocombe – including fascinating details about how the DOP approached lighting, camera, and his personality; a tip that Slocombe gave him regarding shooting women; some great technical discussions about the T-Stops and lenses they used during the production of the film; the various terrible conditions in which they made the film; working with Yates; working with O’Toole – including a few great anecdotes; and much more.
One Man Army (17:18) – an archive interview with film critic Sheldon Hall begins with the specificity of Murphy’s War setting (at the end of WW2). Some of the other details include the novel and its development and preproduction; the bigger budget and how that came about at a time that the budget was significantly smaller; the attachment of Peter O’Toole – including his notorious bad behavior which did not affect the production; the various terrible troubles the production had – multiple calamitous anecdotes of locations, boats, equipment, and much more; the fight between director Yates and producer Deeley over the film they were making; and much more.
Theatrical trailer (3:17)
Image gallery – the gallery consists of 17 various production stills.
The Final Thought
Murphy’s War is another win for Arrow Video. The little-seen action thriller has been given a new lease on life in this wonderful Blu-ray edition. Recommended.
Set in the waning days of WW2 Murphy’s War pits British Office Peter O’Toole against the German U-Boat that killed his entire crew. New to Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
The Film
Murphy’s War is an atypical war film in every sense of the genre and its conventions. The film is neither a war film nor a post-war film but something on the edges of both. The setting, Central America, was a brutal fighting ground that is often not discussed. The film is so uniquely personal, one man’s vendetta against the German U-boat and its Captain who murdered his fellow crewmen and officers aboard his ship. These factors along with the crisp direction by Peter Yates give the film a new look at old tropes.
Is it possible to be underrated as an actor if you’re Peter O’Toole? One feels like after Lawrence of Arabia (the most auspicious film debut in the history of film) everything felt like it was criticized or never given its rightful judgment by film critics. O’Toole always did indigent anger better than any of his contemporaries. Here as the Murphy of the title, he’s using that along with a sort of fast and loose obsessive nature to maximum effect. Though the star’s “Irish brogue” is slippery at best and hilariously indecipherable at its worst.
The film moves with a quickly building momentum to its nihilistic ending face-off against Murphy and his own white whale. That whale just happens to be a German U-boat and its causally psychotic Captain. In these final twenty minutes, director Peter Yates and cinematographer Douglas Slocombe shine as the military action soars. There’s an acute awareness of geography that fans of the director’s Bullitt and cinematographer’s Raiders of the Lost Ark will be acutely aware of. One will be so drawn into the film in these moments, one will entirely miss its anti-war message.
No matter, Murphy’s War is a first-rate action thriller before any message or theme.
The Transfer
Arrow Video has another great visual representation of a film on Blu-Ray with Murphy’s War. The transfer provided by Paramount looks like they (and Arrow) have treated the image with the care and respect as they have with their biggest titles. The image is clean and mostly free of any dirt, hair, specks, or scratches throughout its runtime. They’ve wisely kept the film’s grain structure intact which leads to a truer representation of how the film was shot and produced. Fans of the film will be excited to revisit the film as it looks like a freshly struck 35mm Archival Print.
The Extras
They include the following;
Running Out of War (19:49) – an all-new visual essay by film critic David Cairns begins with the origins of the project with novelist Max Catto. This beautifully constructed essay goes into the setting up of the context in which director Peter Yates and star Peter O’Toole made this film with Producer Michael Deeley. In the 20-minute visual essay Cairns goes into the development (including an offer to direct one of the biggest films of the early1970s, Paramount’s budget pullout, locations, etc.), the production (the massive amounts of troubles they had with boats, rivers, and all the troubles one have on water), the themes, the film itself, the release of the film and much more.
A Great Adventure (31:07) – an archive interview with assistant director John Glen that begins with how he was both the editor and 2nd unit director and how he got his start at Shepperton Studios and moved his way up through the post-production department. Some of the other details include how he began working as a 2nd Unit Director – which leads to a discussion of insert shots and how he worked on them; his education in direction through TV – including the show Danger Man starring Patrick McGoohan; a discussion of his work on the Bond Films as director; how he got the job on Murphy’s War; a side discussion of how Yates was hired by McQueen for Bullitt – and the commonality of Car Racing; a wild story about their journey in taking the boat through Venezuela; the troubles in making the film on-location including some truly great and fascinating stories including troubles with using a real-life submarine; and much more.
Dougie, Chic and Me (17:17) – an archive interview with focus puller Robin Vidgeon which opens with the focus puller discussing how he got his start at Pinewood and eventually interviewed with Douglas Slocombe. Some of the other details include being Slocombe’s focus puller for 25 years; the work and working with Slocombe – including fascinating details about how the DOP approached lighting, camera, and his personality; a tip that Slocombe gave him regarding shooting women; some great technical discussions about the T-Stops and lenses they used during the production of the film; the various terrible conditions in which they made the film; working with Yates; working with O’Toole – including a few great anecdotes; and much more.
One Man Army (17:18) – an archive interview with film critic Sheldon Hall begins with the specificity of Murphy’s War setting (at the end of WW2). Some of the other details include the novel and its development and preproduction; the bigger budget and how that came about at a time that the budget was significantly smaller; the attachment of Peter O’Toole – including his notorious bad behavior which did not affect the production; the various terrible troubles the production had – multiple calamitous anecdotes of locations, boats, equipment, and much more; the fight between director Yates and producer Deeley over the film they were making; and much more.
Theatrical trailer (3:17)
Image gallery – the gallery consists of 17 various production stills.
The Final Thought
Murphy’s War is another win for Arrow Video. The little-seen action thriller has been given a new lease on life in this wonderful Blu-ray edition. Recommended.
Arrow Video’s Blu-Ray edition of Murphy’s War is out now.
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