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The Movie:
Alec Guiness stars (and wrote the screenplay adapting Joyce Cary's novel) in this 1958 dark comedy as Gulley Jimson, one of cinema's more charming jerks. Regarded as an artist, Jimson more often displays his temper than his work. The film doesn't have a great deal of plot, but the main body of the story has Jimson convincing (or, better yet, trying to con) his way into the house of a millionaire couple to paint a mural. Needless to say, their house isn't exactly the same when they return. Another hilarious bit of business early in the picture has a police officer asking the artist to put himself in the shoes of a man he's made threatening calls to. In a great example of the character's personality, he essentially states that that isn't a bad idea - he lives in a pretty nice place.
Meanwhile, Jimson fends off Nosy (Mike Morgan), who admires the artist's work and wants to become an artist himself someday, even against the early warnings that Jimson gives him against that idea. His girlfriend Coker (Kay Walsh) is irrated by Jimson's eccentric nature and strong temper, but gets pulled in by the artist's creativity - it's a terrific love/hate relationship between the two. Despite the anger he inspires out of those around him and the criticism he endures throughout the movie, Jimson remains obsessed with painting - trying to bring the vision in his mind out whereever possible - whether it be on canvas or a blank wall.
The film isn't grandly substancial, but it works wonderfully as a crisp, often inspired, comedy of errors, complete with some thoughts about the nature of creativity on the side. Guiness offers a very funny and smart performance that allows the character to be a total jerk (the rough rasp of a voice is a nice touch) and yet still be flawed, human and somewhat likable. I've heard that the character that the novel presents is even more foul-tempered, but Guiness's performance and adaptation of the character manages to be more balanced. While I can't say that I found anything terribly groundbreaking in "The Horse's Mouth", I still found it an enjoyable piece that is lead by a witty script and a fine performance from Guiness.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Horse's Mouth" is presented by Criterion in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality wasn't crisp and fresh enough to suggest a picture much younger than its age, but I must say that I was instantly impressed with how good that "The Horse's Mouth" looked from the opening scene onwards. The new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from the 35mm internegative with the participation of director Ronald Neame. The booklet does not state that Criterion's MTI restoration system was used to remove specks and other wear, but possibly, the film was fairly clean and crisp to begin with. While not entirely without print flaws, the few that appeared here were brief and not distracting. Slight, fine grain was seen, but never bothersome, either.
Sharpness and detail were excellent throughout, as the picture appeared consistently crisp and well-defined - even a few darker scenes boasted very nice detail. Colors still remained very pleasant, looking nicely saturated and crisp. Overall, a very nice transfer from Criterion.
SOUND: "Horse's Mouth" is presented by Criterion in English mono. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack and audio restoration tools were also used to clean up flaws with the original sound elements. This is a perfectly decent mono offering, as the music and dialogue remain crisp and clear, while the soundtrack never became thin or shrill.
MENUS: Criterion has provided a slightly animated main menu that puts elements of the front cover to use.
EXTRAS: While not one of Criterion's major special editions, there are a few more supplements than usually found on Criterion's lower-priced titles. The main supplement is "Daybreak Express", a documentary by famed filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker, which opened up on a bill with "Horse's Mouth" when it played in New York. Pennebaker provides a newly taped introduction to his short film. In addition, a new interview with "Horse's Mouth" director Ronald Neame, as well as the trailer for "Horse's Mouth", are included.
Final Thoughts: "The Horse's Mouth" is an entertaining comedy focusing on an artist obsessed with creating, even if it means getting himself in trouble and irritating others. Criterion offers a very enjoyable presentation of the film along with a few nice supplements. Recommended.
Film Grade
The Film ***
DVD Grades
Video 87/B
Audio: 81/B
Extras: 80/B-
Menus: 85/B
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