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DVD Review Miss Julie DVD Review (1 Viewer)

Matt Hough

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Matt Hough
Miss Julie DVD Review

August Strindberg’s 1888 play gets a decent 20th century reading in Mike Figgis’ Miss Julie even if the film is somewhat muted by some weird directorial choices and a sometimes strident performance by its leading actress in the title role. The play itself is opened up only very narrowly so that its socially realistic themes can come through unmarred, but as drama, it’s often rather flat and unmoving despite the director’s efforts to provide some camera tricks to liven things up a bit.



Studio: MGM

Distributed By: Fox

Video Resolution and Encode: 480P/MPEG-2

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 2.0 DD

Subtitles: None

Rating: R

Run Time: 1 Hr. 41 Min.

Package Includes: DVD

Amaray case

Disc Type: DVD-R

Region: 1

Release Date: 01/15/2015

MSRP: $19.98




The Production Rating: 3/5

After years of performing his duties as a footman in service of a count in 1894 Sweden, Jean (Peter Mullan) finds an opportunity to better himself when the count’s willful, coquettish daughter Miss Julie (Saffron Burrows) flirts, taunts, and teases him during Midsummer Eve festival. As he asserts himself on her letting her know he’s not dirt under her feet, the two have intercourse, and he immediately begins planning stepping up his social station by leaving service and traveling to Bavaria to work toward buying a hotel inviting her to join him now or later. But Miss Julie is insulted that he’d expect her to take a step down in her social station to go with him while the family cook Christine (Maria Doyle Kennedy), Jean’s former lady friend, isn’t about to stand for either of them carrying out these high-flown notions.

Strindberg’s play is a bitter indictment of social class structures, and some of those themes definitely remain in the screen treatment by director Mike Figgis and Helen Cooper. Moods and attitudes change too abruptly in the film, however, and the one-upmanship between Miss Julie and Jean does become tiresome before things take a change for the worse. Figgis stages and shoots the action with considerable thought even if some of his choices are rather weird and ineffectual. The sex scene is shot with the screen split in two giving us the near-rape from different vantage points, but the camera is so close that the impact of such an act and the reactions of the participants are somewhat stymied. Later on during one of Miss Julie’s monologues, Figgis shoots her reflection in a distorted surface, possibly suggesting her unbalanced mind, but Saffron Burrows’ performance has clearly indicated that from almost her first entrance, Julie’s mental instability not coming from the sex with Jean but already seated firmly within this most melancholy and somewhat perverse young lady. To open the three-character play up a bit, Figgis shoots the opening moments in the kitchen as a beehive of activity suggesting a grand estate (we only see the kitchen and garden) and later has the other household servants invade the kitchen singing and chanting their vulgar drivel that shows the low regard they have for their master and mistress. But these are only momentary distractions; it’s always clear we’re seeing a lengthy one-act play being performed.

Peter Mullan by far gives the best performance in the piece as the proud, knowing Jean. He’s not the strutting cock-of-the-walk that might have been easier to play but rather a man who’s proud to serve but also able to recognize an opportunity when one comes upon him. More variety in their playing might have made both the work of Saffron Burrows as Miss Julie and Maria Doyle Kennedy as Christine more enjoyable. Burrows plays Miss Julie’s moodiness and instability too broadly from the start and then becomes zombie-like in rather odd fashion giving an even greater sense of unevenness to her performance. Kennedy is too one note without showing any flashes of jealousy or amusement at the peculiar goings on between her intended and the willful Miss Julie.



Video Rating: 3/5  3D Rating: NA

The film is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio that’s anamorphically enhanced for widescreen televisions. The transfer, however, is not especially noteworthy. Sharpness is merely average for most of the movie with only occasional close-ups revealing much in the way of detail, and color timing is on the brownish side through flesh tones are natural enough looking. Contrast has also been consistently applied producing decent black levels. But there are dirt and dust specks both white and black scattered throughout the entire movie, and you’ll occasionally glimpse some interlacing in quick cuts.



Audio Rating: 4/5

The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound mix has been encoded at slightly excessive volume levels for comfortable listening and will require an adjustment to prevent distortion. Otherwise, dialogue has been nicely recorded, and it lies comfortably with the sound effects and Mike Figgis’ own music score which sounds quite impressive in its spread across the front channels.



Special Features Rating: 0/5

There are no bonus features with this made-on-demand disc.



Overall Rating: 3/5

Miss Julie was also filmed in Sweden in 1951 in a far superior cinematic adaptation of the work than Mike Figgis offers here with his 1999 version. Though this movie features some good acting, and the play is faithfully presented, those interested in the drama might do well to seek out that earlier filmization.


Reviewed By: Matt Hough


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