A Month in the County is another fine "small" British film which is not well-known in the United States but has happily been brought to Blu-ray by Twilight Time. It features an outstanding cast which includes Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh, and the late Natasha Richardson.
Studio: Other
Distributed By: Twilight Time
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HDMA (Mono)
Subtitles: None
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 Hr. 36 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, Other
Standard Blu-ray Keep Case (Clear)Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: ABC
Release Date: 07/14/2015
MSRP: $24.95
The Production Rating: 4/5
Mr. Birkin, you should know here and now that you employment here does not have my support...When the paining is uncovered it will be in full view of the congregation, and distract from worship. - Reverend Keach
Birkin (Colin Firth) is a World War I veteran living in London who has been offered a painting restoration job at a small church in the rural Yorkshire countryside. The opening scene shows us that Birkin had some horrible experiences during the war, and he suffers from what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. He has frequent nightmares, he stutters a bit, and he occasionally has an uncontrollable facial twitch. He arrives by train at the small town of Oxgodby during a driving rainstorm. He makes his way to the church on foot, where he discovers that a scaffold has already been set up for him.
A large section of a wall has been painted over for many years, and the general consensus is that underneath is a mural which was made centuries earlier. Why and when it was painted over is unknown, but a wealthy member of the congregation died and left £1,000 pounds to the church on the condition that the mural be uncovered. Birkin meets the rector, Reverend Keach (Patrick Malahide), a humorless man who frets that the mural will distract from his preaching. When Keach asks Birkin where he plans to live during his time in Oxgodby, the veteran responds that he is short on funds and he will be content to sleep in the belfry of the church.
The next morning Birkin discovers that he has a neighbor, James Moon (Kenneth Branagh), living in a tent in a field adjacent to the church. Moon also is a war veteran with PTSD, but his symptoms are different. He sometimes screams during the night, he has leg cramps in the morning, and he has to sleep in a hole which he has dug in ground inside of his tent. Moon has been hired by the Hebron family to locate the remains of an ancestor who is believed to be buried in the field, apart from the church's cemetery, because he had been excommunicated. However, Moon's real interest is archeology, and he has turned up evidence that a basilica once stood in the field, and he has been finding various artifacts during his digs.
Birkin is welcomed by some of the villagers, who find it exciting to have a Londoner in their midst. Two children take a particular interest in him, and they bring a phonograph to the church so they can play records while they watch Birkin at work. He quickly discovers that there is indeed a mural under the paint. He painstakingly removes the paint to reveal images which were painted by an unknown artist. One day, while taking a break from his work, he meets Alice Keach (Natasha Richardson), the rector's young wife. She is pretty and intelligent, and she seems to be an odd match for her passionless husband. As Birkin's work progresses he discovers that the mural contains some disturbing images.
When he is halfway done he is due to receive half of his promised pay, so he pays a visit to the rector's home to pick up his money. Alice shows him around the large house, which has at least three rooms which have not even been furnished because the marriage has not produced any children. If Birkin wonders why Reverend Keach did not invite him to sleep in one of the vacant rooms, rather than on the floor of the church's belfry, he does not let it show. Alice brings Birkin out to her rose garden, and her comments reveal some of the extent of her loneliness. "There are my roses," she proudly declares. "I spend a lot of time on them. But I don't know why,” she says wistfully, “because there really isn't anyone to look at them but me." She breaks one rose off and gives it to Birkin, who later presses it into a book which he owns.
This information may lead you to believe that you know where the story is going, but it actually takes some interesting and unexpected turns under the capable direction of Pat O'Connor. Colin Firth turns in a superlative performance as Birkin, and of course his ability to stutter served him well when he later played George VI in The King's Speech. Kenneth Branagh, in just his second feature film, is fine as Moon, a man who had his own terrible experiences in France during the war. The character of Alice, although beautifully played by Natasha Richardson, is curiously underdeveloped here, and I would have liked to seen more screen time for her. This film moves along at a deliberate pace. Nevertheless, there is much to like about A Month in the Country, which is adapted from a highly-praised novel of the same name by J.L. Carr.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
The very pleasing picture quality is framed at 1.85:1 and is delivered via the AVC codec. The color palette is on the bright side, particularly in outdoor scenes in the sunlight. The images are lush and very slightly soft, which appears to have been intentional. The superb cinematography is the work of Kenneth MacMillan, whose credits include Branagh's Henry V and Of Mice and Men (1992 version). An appropriate level of film grain has been retained and the result is satisfyingly film-like.
Audio Rating: 4/5
The English 1.0 DTS HD-MA soundtrack is reproduced without any distortion or other anomalies. However, some viewers may experience difficulty in deciphering the British accents of some of the minor characters. When Birkin gets off the train in Oxgodby, a man he was sitting with speaks to him through an open window, and even after viewing the scene several times I still cannot figure out what he is saying. There are no subtitles, so if anyone can help me out I would appreciate it.
Special Features Rating: 2.5/5
The only extras on this Blu-ray disc are the original theatrical trailer and an excellent new commentary track by Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo. Nick points out that his fellow Englishmen "are very good at making this kind of film." Julie also is effusive in her praise for J.L. Carr's novel, which she points out places more emphasis on Alice Keach than the film, and I am looking forward to reading it.
Julie also contributes another of her excellent essays in the booklet which is enclosed with the Blu-ray disc.
The film has been divided into 24 chapters.
Overall Rating: 4/5
A Month in the Country is a thoughtful, leisurely paced film which explores how the lives of several people are changed during a summer in rural England following the conclusion of World War I. The actors are superb, creating characters who come across as real people who are worth caring about. This sort of film in not everyone's cup of tea, of course, but those who give it a try will find it to be deeply rewarding.
As usual, this is a limited edition of 3,000 copies, although I would not expect it to sell out anytime soon. Readers who are interested in purchasing it can find it at the Screen Archives website or the new Twilight Time website.
Reviewed By: Richard Gallagher
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