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Product Description
Before Big Brother there was Death Watch.
Media mogul Vincent Ferriman (Harry Dean Stanton) wants to create the most popular reality television show ever. He cajoles journalist Roddy (Harvey Keitel) into having cameras implanted in his eyes and sets him on the trail of terminally ill Katherine Mortenhoe (Romy Schneider), but this unwitting celebrity has other ideas.
Shot in Glasgow in 1979/80, Bertrand Tavernier s prescient cult sci-fi noir has been completely digitally restored and is ripe for rediscovery.
Extras include extended interviews, rarely seen production still shots and much more.
Awards and Accreditations:
Nominated for Golden Bear at 1980 Berlin Film Festival.
Nominated for 5 Césars in 1981, including Best Cinematography, Editing, Music Written for a Film, Sound and Writing Original or Adaptation.
Romy Schneider won Best Performance in a Foreign Film at 1982 Sant Jordi Awards.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The most frustrating thing is that when you succeed to lay your hands on a really good movie, it apears to be without English subtitles!What a letdown! For me English is not a mother tongue and there are many movie lovers who fall under the category of HOH (Hard Of Hearing).So why they should be deprived of a quality viewing?
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Pearce
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
In a desolate Glasgow of a possible future Scotland, ambitious tv executive Vincent(Harry dean Stanton)persuades one of his senior reporters Roddy(Harvey Keitel) to agree to the implanting of a camera behind his right eye to follow around and film the impending death of terminally ill Katherine (Romy Schneider)for prime time show Death Watch.However the victim is none too compliant and goes on the run.
Made in 1979 and based on a book by David Compton,Death Watch is a fairly sharp attack on media intrusion and manipulation and eerily prophesises the advent of the reality show format of Big Brother et al.Keitel and Schneider are ok but Dean Stanton in almost a lead role for him is suitably reptilian and slimy as the greasy pole negociator who has only a fleeting sense of compassion for the victim while keeping his gaze firmly on the ratings - "we had a 71% share last night and even bigger in Germany"
Veteran filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier holds it all together quite well but his somewhat aloof presentation of the subject matter keeps our emotions at arms length and hence our sympathies for Katherine's plight and persecution are not what they might be.
Max Von Sydow turns up at the end as Katherine's ex and a slim Robbie Coltrane has a bit as company Chaffeur.
Park Circus 2:39:1 transfer is pretty impressive for the most part.Interiors are sharp and surprisingly the exteriors are lush, clear, even pin sharp in places(especially in street scenes-pavements and the buses's colour schemes are vibrantly rendered) and are as striking as I've seen on a blu ray transfer.For some reason there is some grain in the last 20 minutes but overall an impressive presentation of a long neglected cult item.
Made in 1979 and based on a book by David Compton,Death Watch is a fairly sharp attack on media intrusion and manipulation and eerily prophesises the advent of the reality show format of Big Brother et al.Keitel and Schneider are ok but Dean Stanton in almost a lead role for him is suitably reptilian and slimy as the greasy pole negociator who has only a fleeting sense of compassion for the victim while keeping his gaze firmly on the ratings - "we had a 71% share last night and even bigger in Germany"
Veteran filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier holds it all together quite well but his somewhat aloof presentation of the subject matter keeps our emotions at arms length and hence our sympathies for Katherine's plight and persecution are not what they might be.
Max Von Sydow turns up at the end as Katherine's ex and a slim Robbie Coltrane has a bit as company Chaffeur.
Park Circus 2:39:1 transfer is pretty impressive for the most part.Interiors are sharp and surprisingly the exteriors are lush, clear, even pin sharp in places(especially in street scenes-pavements and the buses's colour schemes are vibrantly rendered) and are as striking as I've seen on a blu ray transfer.For some reason there is some grain in the last 20 minutes but overall an impressive presentation of a long neglected cult item.
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
An interesting quirky film, made more fascinating by the passage of time. Some of the camera shots over 1970's Glasgow are wonderful. Its easy to forget how much has been pulled down and redeveloped. Some of the sci fi element 32 years later is beginning to come true! Worth watching though I dont think the blu ray bit made much difference.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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