The Killing Of Sister George
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Cast: Beryl Reid, Susannah York, Coral Browne
Extras:
Rating:
In 1968 the sexual revolution may have been fully under way, but the issue of homosexuality was still constantly pushed aside, outcast from society. As such, “The Killing Of Sister George” was – and certainly still is – a very important movie, as it scrutinized a lesbian love triangle with all its implications while at the same time telling a highly dramatic and comical story.
Anchor Bay Entertainment has revived this fantastic movie with a new transfer on this DVD that is presented in its theatrical 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Although film defects are at a minimum, the film shows its age in its mostly in its photography. Very dark sets with muted colors determine the look of the movie, clearly giving away its age – apart from the clothing styles we get to see. The DVD transfer restores this look beautifully making the heavy blacks in the cinematography just as bold and solid on your television screen. Highlights are very carefully composed in the images and again the DVD flawlessly reproduces this important visual style with its balanced and faithful look. Although occasionally very slight compression artifacts are evident, they are extremely subtle and go practically unnoticed while watching the film.
“The Killing Of Sister George” contains a monaural audio track in a 2-channel presentation. While it is well transferred to DVD, it sounds aged and thin throughout. Without bass extension the sound effects and dialogues sound very harsh. It is most notable in the music however that often sounds unnaturally “brassy” for its orchestral nature. Nonetheless, the audio track is what you would expect from a film of this time period, and the transfer to DVD itself is without flaws.
Even today, “The Killing Of Sister George” stands out as a great lesbian movie that nonetheless has a lot of appeal across the board. It is the solid screenplay and staging, and the masterfully acted story that pulls the viewer in. Despite its subject matter it is the gritty and comical elements that drives this movie and makes it such an enjoyable experience.
