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Roger Mellor
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DVD Verdict
DVD Review-Peeping Tom (Criterion)
By Judge Sean McGinnis
Do you know what the most FRIGHTENING thing in the world is ...?
The Opening Statement
Peeping Tom is an amazing film achievement. So much so, that it was all
but blacklisted upon its release in 1960. Well ahead of its time, and nearly
predictive in its theme, the film all but ruined the career of one of Britain's
great directors, Michael Powell. This Criterion Collection release of Peeping
Tom on DVD is the new definitive version of the film.
The Evidence
Released a few months before Hitchcock's Psycho, Peeping Tom was nearly
universally panned by critics. But not just the usual vitriol spewed forth
by those with pen in hand passing judgment. No. Peeping Tom was eviscerated
publicly. The most glaring and oft-cited example came from Derek Hill of
the Tribune who wrote: "The only really satisfactory way to dispose of Peeping
Tom would be to shovel it up and flush it swiftly down the nearest sewer.
Even then, the stench would remain." Wow!
As a result of this reception, the production company quickly pulled the
film from theaters and cancelled distribution, selling the film to a black-marketeer,
who in turn tried to forget it as quickly as possible. But what about the
film was so perverted, so grotesque, so influential you ask? Nothing much
by today's standards obviously. Nevertheless, it did broach a pretty nasty
subject.
Peeping Tom tells the story of a young man named Mark Lewis. Mark is the
son of a psychologist who was fascinated with fear and how the human mind
reacts to fearful impulses. We are treated to some back story through films
of Mark's father who filmed Mark's reactions to many father-induced fear
sessions. Father would awake child from sleep by shining a flashlight in
his eyes and drop a lizard on his bed. Dad became a chronicler of sorts
and even filmed young Mark visiting his mother's dead body at her funeral
service and again at the gravesite. Next, we see young Mark filmed at his
father's wedding, a scant six weeks after his mother's death. It is at this
occasion that father presents son with his first movie camera as a present,
while dad runs off on his honeymoon with his nubile young bride.
Mark has taken his father's obsession to the next level. Never without his
camera, he films people in many different situations. But lately, he has
become obsessed with fear, just as his father had before him. He is in the
process of filming a documentary of the ultimate fear as he films women
reacting to the knowledge that they are about to die, at the camera-man's
own hands. Mark conceals a knife in the leg of his tripod which he uses
to stab his victims while filming their deaths. Nothing really shocking
is shown throughout these many forays with death, even less so than was
shown in Psycho, in fact.
The reasons Peeping Tom was so reviled in 1960 were myriad, but I want to
touch on a few of them here. First, Mark is a clearly sympathetic character.
Unlike the seriously bedeviled Norman Bates from Psycho, who was so clearly
anti-social and troubled, Mark Lewis comes off as just a "normal" guy holding
down two jobs with plenty of interaction with the public. He is handsome
and soft-spoken and unassuming. He is troubled, yes, but not in the way
so many murderers are. Second, Director Powell enlists the audience as complicit
in these crimes. Just as Mark is exercising his voyeuristic tendencies,
so are we by watching him do his dastardly deeds. Indeed we are assigned
the role of co-conspirators in a way, forced to make the assumption that
our fascination with watching, if taken too far, might result in similar
tendencies. In point of fact, we as a society are not too far from the Mark's
dementia. Look around daytime TV and tell me we haven't regressed to a nation
of voyeurs always looking for the bigger and better shock, preferably live,
and the bigger the better. We watch Jerry Springer hoping for fights and
reveling in the shocking behavior of the guests; we watch professional hockey
and car racing hoping for fights and crashes; we watch "When Animals Attack!"
lurching in fear, or laughing or gasping for air when a bear grabs an unsuspecting
tourist while looking for a little snack.
Powell has always been fascinated by the use of brilliant colors, and this
film is no different. Peeping Tom is shot in a saturated Technicolor that
is so brilliant, it oozes a life of its own. This, in turn is contrasted
with the black and white of Mark's nights watching his films as he makes
them, of grizzly deaths. The contrast is stark and informative. No matter
the film, it is never the same as real life interaction. It speaks to those
who would find solace in the use of pornography, no?
In the end, Mark is tempted to find help for his problem, as he is fascinated
with the girl downstairs, and he knows his way of living would repulse her.
But, he cannot give it up. He makes a conscious choice to continue his documentary
on fear and dying, despite his knowledge that he will be caught in the end.
It is almost as though he feels he would be less a human without his compulsions.
A sad tale indeed. I don't want to give away any more of the plot, except
to say there is more than meets the eye, and you must wait until the final
denouement to find it.
The acting here is well done by a fine cast. Karlheinz Boehm plays Mark
with just a right amount of confusion and sympathy. Moira Shearer, a favorite
of Powell and collaborator (and fellow Archers member) Emeric Pressburger,
plays his second victim with aplomb and is beautiful to watch (oops - Freudian
slip). Anna Massey does a fine job as Helen, the love interest from downstairs,
and Maxine Audley wonderfully plays her alcoholic and blind mother. A group
of terrific performances all the way around.
This disc includes several outstanding extras, including an audio commentary
track (here referred to as an audio essay) by film theorist Laura Mulvey
(which I only had time to hear part of), a stills gallery of rare, behind-the-scenes
production photos, and the original theatrical trailer. But perhaps the
best extra on the disc is A Very British Psycho, another fine British Documentary
about the making of the film and the life of screenwriter Leo Marks, after
whom the lead character Mark Lewis was named. I swear that nobody does
documentaries like the British. It must be a national obsession of sorts.
This and the documentary on Monty Python's Life of Brian are the two best
documentaries I have seen on a DVD to date.
The image is quite good here. Anamorphically enhanced in a 1.66:1 format,
Criterion must have lifted some notes from New Line's treatment of Crash
and Damage, as those are the only two other similarly treated DVD's I know
of with that aspect ratio. Whatever the problems with downconversion, I
still prefer anamorphic treatment whenever possible and Criterion seems
to have jumped on the bandwagon with both feet. I remember months ago when
they whined and complained about enhancing discs, but no longer. It appears
the voice of the people has been heard, and I for one am grateful. According
to the case, "this new digital transfer was created form the restored 35mm
interpositive."
The audio here is the original mono soundtrack and is of high enough quality
that it is not distracting. Obviously, this is not an effect-laden film.
The dialog is clear and concise and I had an easier time understanding much
of the action than I did with even Life of Brian. The sound was taken from
the 35mm optical track print, according to the Amaray keepcase.
The Rebuttal Witness
There is little to recommend against this film, unless you are looking for
MORE. If you are a fan of the effects of a Fifth Element or Starship Troopers,
then this is not for you. If you liked Psycho, however, I have a feeling
you may like this film, despite the fact that it contains less graphic violence
than Hitchcock's classic.
The Closing Statement
All in all, Peeping Tom is a historically significant film and is worthy
of a place in many collections. If great directors are a passion of yours,
and creative use of cameras and angles appeal, then you will find little
to fault in Peeping Tom. Also, I failed to mention above that Martin Scorsese
is a HUGE fan of both Powell and Peeping Tom, so if you are a fan of his
work, perhaps you should own this film just to see what inspires the man.
The Verdict
Film and disc are acquitted. The prosecutor is instructed to stop bringing
Criterion discs before this court, lest he be forced to watch "When Animals
Attack" for a week straight on a 100 inch front projector. Now THAT would
be punishment!
Scales of Justice:
Video 89
Audio 88
Extras 91
Acting 93
Story 93
Average 91
Profile:
Criterion
Keep Case
1.66:1 Anamorphic
Dolby Digital Mono (English)
English Subtitles
101 Minutes
Unrated
Distinguishing Marks:
Audio Essay by Film Theorist Laura Mulvey
Stills Gallery
"A Very British Psycho" documentary about screenwriter Leo Marks, and
Peeping Tom
Original Theatrical Trailer
