Take a Girl Like You (1970)
Starring: Oliver
Reed, Hayley Mills, Noel Harrison, John Bird, Sheila Hancock, Ronald Lacey,
Penelope Keith
Company: Twilight Time
My Review and Thoughts:
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Another fantastic choice by Twilight Time. Another fantastic
Blu-ray. Another amazing transfer to a classic film, to a modern High Definition
setting. Twilight Time simply always amazes me in all things being brought
forth by them.
In this film you have Hayley Mills, that’s right Pollyanna
herself. Or a.k.a The Parent Trap among many other fun kid movies. Take a Girl
Like You is one of her first adult role performances. I grew up watching Disney
movies and one of my personal favorites is 1965’s That Darn Cat where she
played Pattie Randall. I also loved her in the part of 1960’s Pollyanna, I
thought she was utterly fantastic in that part. It was great seeing her in Take
A Girl Like You. Seeing this for the first time was a priceless experience. I
really loved being able to see a new movie, that is old, but new to me. Plus,
what better way to experience it then on this awesome High Definition 1080p
Blu-ray by the one and only Twilight Time Company. This was just an all-around
great experience.
In this movie Hayley plays the part of Jenny, who is
starting a new career as a school teacher in the South of England. Right off
the bat, before even settling into her place she meets a handsome new lad named
Patrick played by the flawless Oliver Reed. To make matters funny, and worse in
a comical movie setting, countless young lads take a liking to her. So, who
will win her heart is the main idea.
Also starring the wonderful Oliver Reed. Oliver Reed is one of my
all time favorite actors. No matter what he starred in, I love. I truly mean
that, just because he was totally a different performer. It’s very hard to put
into words or explain the mastery that he graced cinema with.
No matter the
part he made you love him, hate him, but always maintained your viewing of his
performances. You never wanted to look away. Started acting in 1955 and acted
all the way until his death in the year 1999, with one of his last acting moments,
the great epic style film The Gladiator. Over 100 performances to his name, and
each one stood out in one way or another. It was truly fantastic seeing him in
this film that I had never seen before. This was a performance that also stood
out because he owned the character of Patrick. He starred in so many of my
favorite childhood films. A true werewolf horror classic 1961’s The Curse of
the Werewolf. Also starred in another film that Twilight Time released on Blu-ray:
The Pirates of Blood River. From other horror classics like 1962’s Night
Creatures, 1962’s These are the Damned, 1963’s Paranoiac, 1976’s Burnt
Offerings. But my favorite role of his, from the one and only, flawless
musical masterpiece, 1968’s. Oliver! were he plays the mean and horrible Bill
Sikes. When he beat to death the character of Nancy by the bridge it left
horrible nightmares in my child mind.
He was the one and only powerful master of cinema that I
looked for growing up watching countless pieces of cinema as my babysitter. I wanted
films starring him. To me it was like his performances as an actor are truly one of kind experiences. So many great villains, so many great moments in
cinema history. It’s so sad Oliver Reed is no-longer with us, but his legacy
lives on through classics like Take a Girl Like You.
When Oliver Reed played the villain Bill Sikes in Oliver! to
an award worthy performance, he became a part of my childhood in a sense. I've
always felt Reed never got the credit he deserved, never got the push he
deserved. His talent for the screen was brilliant. He was flawless in any
performance he did, weather it was a lower budget cinema piece, to a higher
class piece of cinema. He gave it his all, no matter what.
The character Reed played in Oliver! Bill, as I have stated
always frightened me as a kid. He truly was a gifted villain. He could make his
characters come to life in emotional moments that flood into your mind as you
watch. He was spooky, and I feared him as a child growing up. He always
frightened me. That goes to show you the emotional appeal, the very down to
earth reality-based acting Reed possessed. He gave it his all in so many movies.
He made you think that he was the dirtiest, scummy and vilest human imaginable
in certain parts, and yet in others, such as the role of Patrick, a down to earth
innocent lad.
Of the 120 acting performances that Reed did, Oliver is one
that showcases the beauty of his career. Showcases how much of a gifted actor
he was and yet he had very few lines in the movie. What made him a brilliant
actor was with his body motion, emotions surfacing on his face, the reaction to
other actors in the parts. He made you feel his attitude, his anger, his
so-called evil-ness, or if he was acting as a good guy, you felt his kindness.
An interesting movie trivia is, Oliver Reed was the nephew
to the director of the movie musical Oliver! a.k.a Carol Reed.
Take a Girl Like you is Directed by Jonathan Miller. That’s right,
he is not a famous director because this is his only feature film, he ever
directed, which makes this more important in my eyes. Being able to experience
a virgin director’s experience is plain awesome. To be honest, I had never heard of
this film before Twilight Time decided to choose it, which is in my book,
fantastic. He did direct 5 documentaries, 10 TV movies, and some TV series. But
this was his only feature film. A debut of his imagination on screen for the
first time. To be honest this is my first time viewing anything or knowing
anything about Jonathan Miller. I am shocked and utterly amazed at how good
this film is. For a first time feature film director he knocked it out of the
park. I wonder why he never directed any other feature films. But anyways we
have this one to experience his total talent.
Audio/Video:
My Rating: 5 out of 5
As I have already stated another flawless transfer. The
audio and video are priceless and there is no fault in my book. I don’t nick or
pick, I just experience the love and craftsmanship that is put into these
Twilight Time Blu-ray products. To me the love is always present when you experience
one of these 1080p High Definitions.
LANGUAGE: English
VIDEO: 1080p High Definition / 1.85:1
AUDIO: English 1.0 DTS-HD MA
SUBTITLES: English SDH
Extras:
Slim pickings here but you do get the wonderful Isolated
Music Track: The person behind the music is a master British film composer,
non-other than Stanley Myers. His mastery transcended many styles of film.
Working on well over 60 movies throughout his life. Sadly, this music master is
no longer with us. If you know me I am a diehard Horror movie fan. Majorly in
the Drive-in, B-grade style of classic cheesy cinema. Stanley mastered this
reality working on such classic cult films as House of Whipcord, Frightmare,
Schizo and many others. Now to me one of his greatest works was on the
masterpiece film 1978’s The Deer Hunter. That shows you his ultimate beauty in
music making. Also, he did the music for one of my favorite TV miniseries The
Martian Chronicles. He also worked on one of my favorite underrated and
forgotten about Walt Disney Produced horror movies, 1980’s The Watcher in the
Woods. His style radiates off screen, while the viewer is watching his films. He
was involved with so many wonderful music pieces. He also was responsible for
the music to one of my all-time favorite classic childhood films, The Witches
(1990). This isolated music is a great special feature on this Twilight Time
Blu-ray.
Original Theatrical Trailers
Overall:
First time seeing this. A great experience. Awesome film.
Awesome choice by Twilight Time. Amazing performances. Awesome direction. A
flawless Blu-ray in Audio and Video. The imagery is magically crisp and so
vibrant in color. Could not of ask for any better in the audio and video
department of this Blu-ray release.
INFO:
Make sure you head over to www.screenarchives.com to buy all
the wonderful Twilight Time Blu-rays. The main page that gives you these
beautiful releases on top quality Special Editions.
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