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The Outcasts
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (9th October 2024). |
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The Film
 "The Outcasts" (1982) Taking place in rural Ireland in the 1800s prior to the famine, there lives the O'Donnell family. There is the widower father Hugh (played by In 1981, the Irish Arts Council looked to boost Irish film production, as there was no established film industry in the country with the newly established Irish Film Board. There were some locally made films and location use by foreign productions, though homegrown features were incredibly rare over the years. Filmmaker Robert Wynne-Simmons seized the opportunity and submitted four scripts to the council in which his folk tale based period story was selected as one of two productions they would finance. The other was "Angel" (1982) directed by Neil Jordan in his directorial debut, which was in contrast a gritty contemporary feature. Wynne-Simmons directed a few short films and was the writer for the folk horror "The Blood on Satan's Claw" (1971), which was not particularly well received at its time but has gone on to become a major influential work on the genre of folk horror. "The Outcasts" does have similarities with the period setting and sometimes unsettling tone, though it is a standalone piece that is unique as it doesn't quite fit into the "folk horror" mold, nor does it particularly fit into the standard "folk tale" either. Like the title suggests, the main characters of Maura and Scarf Michael do not fit into the societal norm. Maura's life is immediately showcased with her being picked on and pushed into the mud by local teens her age. While her older sisters are already going through what would be inevitable for a daughter - marriage and childbearing, not particularly in that order, and their treatment as something closer to "property" than human beings. It is still a society where men are conducting business transactions in which sometimes it is the marriage of their offspring for personal gain and trust with other families. Whether it is with kings and kingdoms, or in this case with farmers and farms, it is not particularly different from one another. But Maura isn't considered marriage material even by the other villagers which leads to disdain from her family, furthering her into a depressing hole. Ireland has had a rich history of folk tales and storytelling, in which leprechauns, fairies, banshees, and other mythical creatures are part of the cultural lexicon and have been part of storytelling well into this century and known worldwide. But it wasn't all too long ago that these tales were closer to being considered true by many of its people, as it shows in the film which takes place about two hundred years ago, before the great famine devastated the country between 1845-1852, but also after the Irish famine of 1740–1741 that killed up to 20% of the country's population. The film showcases the supernatural in their terms of reality, while also showcasing the traditions of the common people as seen in the wedding ceremony scene with the costumes and the music to great effect. "The Outcasts" was produced on a very small budget with a small mostly inexperienced crew. Channel 4 also helped with financing, which proved to be extremely helpful when an unexpected snowstorm happened during production, though they were financially secured by the new channel's contributions. The snowfall also gave the film one of it's memorable sequences in the snow to make the magical sequence feel unreal, though it was not at all planned that way by the filmmakers. Wynne-Simmons was one of the few English people on the production, with its entire cast being local Irish actors who were either stage performers or local auditioned hires, and the crew were mostly locals as well, working on their first feature film production. It is a slow paced film and it doesn't quite capture the supernatural elements as well as it could as this was not a film to employ post production visual effects, nor was it one with attention to practical effects with gore as it was not a horror piece. It is more successful in capturing the atmosphere as if the filmmakers actually travelled back in time, with the locations, costumes, and people looking grimy and natural, unlike a stage production or television work in studio where sets and costumes would be in pristine shape. There are a few portions that seem to go on a little longer than they could have, but the performers are able to keep things interesting for the most part. "The Outcasts" can be placed in the folk tale genre, though it is not particularly child friendly as it has sex scenes with nudity and dealing with other adult situations as well. While it deals with innocence, there are many darker themes that are explored, and there are many things including the ending that can be left to interpretation. The film was first released on November 12th , 1982 at the Cork International Film Festival and received a number of screenings worldwide at other festivals. While it received notices and some prizes, it has not been easy to see in the years since. It was released on VHS in Ireland in 1983, broadcast on television in 1984 on Channel 4, but has been long out of the public eye for decades. With greater attention to folk horror in more recent years, "The Outcasts" has now been fully restored and remastered by the Irish Film Institute, and now made available on the Blu-ray format for the first time by the BFI. Note this is a region B Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The film was shot on 16mm film and was enlarged to 35mm for theatrical exhibition. The original 35mm color reversal intermediate was scanned at 4K resolution and restored in 2K resolution by the IFI (Irish Film Institute) and R3store Studios. The restoration was funded by Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann with support from L’Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE). The new restoration is very good, with natural dark tones of colors being well defined, detail being very good, and stability with the image throughout. Though due to the 16mm roots and working with an element that is one generation removed that pronounces the heavy film grain further, there are some issues such as weaving of colors and having lesser detail. There are also some minimal damage marks present with speckles and scratches, though the restoration has removed anything major or overly noticeable in the presentation. They did a very good job with the restoration work and it's a great transfer to disc for this release. The film's runtime is 105:44 which also includes restoration notes.
Audio
English LPCM 2.0 mono The film's original mono track is presented in uncompressed 2.0 mono. An original 35mm optical track master was used for the audio restoration, also by the IFI and R3store Studios. It is mostly a dialogue driven work, and thankfully the restored audio sounds quite good, with voices being fairly clear. Music and effects are more on the minimal side, though they are also given a good balance against the dialogue. There are a few moments where voices may have some muffle or a bit of hiss or damage can be heard, though it is very minimal. Major instances of hiss, pops, crackle, and other audio damage have been removed. Like the picture, there are some minor issues but overall a great job with the restoration work. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main feature. They are in a white font, well timed, and easy to read without errors to speak of.
Extras
Audio commentary with Dr Diane Rodgers (2024) This new and exclusive commentary has folklore and folk horror expert Dr Diane Rodgers (her name mistakenly spelled as "Rogers" in the menu) is thrilled that the film has received a full restoration, as she states that her first viewing came from a DVD-R or a VHS copy from the director himself. She discusses about the recurring themes, the setting of rural 19th century Ireland, the childlike innocence of the story against the dark themes, the treatment of women at the time, the production design and background information on the production, information on the director's career, the film's initial reception and more. It's a great listen with a lot of interesting information, though at the beginning she states she is taking part in this "documentary", though it seems she meant "commentary". in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Writing Folk Tales" 2024 interview with Robert Wynne-Simmons (9:26) This new and exclusive but all too short interview with the director has him recalling presenting the film's idea to the arts council and their thoughts on it, the state of pre-famine Ireland, his response to the film being considered "folk horror", the reception of the film and information on the actors and crew. The interview is shot in 1.78:1 while clips of the film are in 1.66:1. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English LPCM 2.0 without subtitles "The Fugitive" 1964 short by Robert Wynne-Simmons (30:32) A young boy kills a rival in a knife fight, leading him to make his escape in the streets of Brighton in this dialogue-free student short. It was shot when Wynne-Simmons was only sixteen years old and even at that young age, he found inspiration from filmmakers such as Antonioni and Fellini by watching their features at the local cinema. Though shot on 8mm color film, the transfer comes from an analog source and it is quite weak, with a blurry image and damage with speckles and dust being visible, with the music based soundtrack being quite flat as well. in 1080i50 AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, Music LPCM 2.0 mono without subtitles "The Outcasts in Pictures" photo gallery with 2024 commentary by Robert Wynne-Simmons moderated by Vic Pratt (15:19) Presented here is a photo gallery which has comments by Wynne-Simmons in conversation with the BFI’s Vic Pratt about the photos and the production. About the cast, the 4 week shoot, Australian touch with the soundtrack - digeridoos. Baby was the director’s son. ABout the crew members. Director’s bearded photo. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in English LPCM 2.0 without subtitles "The Wanderings of Ulick Joyce" 1975 short by Gillian Lacey (4:53) Directed by Gillian Lacey and based on the Irish folk tale of the would-be king Ulick and his banishment, the animated short features fine hand drawn animation and narration and music by Tom McCarthy. The transfer looks absolutely wonderful here. The hand drawn animation is sharp and clear, with the light color palate looking very nice. The image has been cleaned, and the sound has been restored as well with the narration and music sounding clean throughout. Note the film can be seen for free on the BFI Player. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. In 1.33:1, in English LPCM 2.0 mono without subtitles Booklet There is a 24 page booklet included with the first pressing. First is a newly written statement by the director on the making of the film. This is followed by the essay "The Outcasts: Film as Folk Tale" by Vic Pratt on the film, its themes, and more. There are some mentions of a "Nora" in his essay, though these might be misspellings of "Maura". Then there is "The Outcasts: A Forgotten Wyrd Classic of British Folk Horror" by Dr Diane Rodgers which repeats a few things from the commentary but still has a good amount of information included. There are also full film credits, special features information, notes on the transfer, acknowledgements, and stills including the packaging artwork for the original VHS release.
Packaging
This is spine #49 in the BFI's Flipside series.
Overall
"The Outcasts" may not be the long lost classic of dark folk tales come to life, but it certainly is a unique experience with its unsettling tones. The BFI's Blu-ray releases has a very good transfer of the recent restoration, with a good number of extras for its debut on the format. Highly recommended. Amazon UK link BFI Shop link
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