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Directed by Michael Powell Staring. Carl Boehm, Anna Massey, Brenda Bruce, Maxine Audley, Miles Malleson, Moira Shearer, Esmond Knight, Michael Goodliffe, Martin Miller, Jack Watson, Shirley Anne Field & Pamela Green. Horror, UK, 101 mins, Cert. 15

Out on Blu-Ray (RRP £19.99) release date 22th November 2010.

Critics may say “One of the greatest horror movies of all time” and “One of the most outstanding British films ever made” – but would they feel the same if they saw this film for the first time in 2010? What makes a film great 50 years on?

2010 celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of one of the UK’s most controversial Horror/Thrillers of all time – Peeping Tom. To mark its half century, Optimum have lovingly cleaned and re-mastered the film to create a pristine version for Blu-ray that can be viewed for yet another 50 years.

The story is based around ‘Odd Ball’ Mark Lewis (Karlheinz Böhm), a film fanatic who works for a movie studio as a focus puller and moonlights as a Porn director for his local newsagent. The film starts with the savage murder of a prostitute in her London Flat. Lewis arrives at the scene of the crime, capturing the investigation on camera as the events unfold. Asked by a detective why he’s filming them – he quickly makes his excuses and returns home.

Lewis, also a landlord, lives as a recluse amongst his tenants in a large London property. When he returns home from the murder scene the occupence are celebrating the 21st birthday of Helen Stephens (Anna Massey). Helen takes a liking to Lewis and invites him to the party. Although tempted by the offer, but lacking in confidence around people and especially women, Lewis declines.

Back at his apartment Lewis disappears into his large photographic studio to watch his latest footage revealing to the viewer that Lewis is in fact the murderer. We watch the last few moments of the prostitute’s life captured by his camcorder showing he had a far greater role in the women’s demise than merely capturing the aftermath.

Perused by Helen, the two become close and Lewis allows for the first time in his life another person into his ‘intense’ creative world. Allowing her to see early footage of his family life.

Helen’s quick to pick up on the constant cruelty Lewis had to endure during his childhood under the focus of his father’s camera. His father was obsessed with fear within children and used Lewis as a lab rat for his torturous experiments.

Whilst Helen becomes suspicious of Lewis secret life and works to uncover the truth, Lewis continues his murderous ways with the target of capturing the ultimate crime documentary – that of his own life story with every detail from the murder to the investigation documented.

As the Police close in, the story intensifies to uneasy proportions and Lewis struggles to keep his first true love out of his Ultimate movie.

The restoration of this film is outstanding; fans of Peeping Tom will not be disappointed. The colour is incredible and the picture wonderfully crisp. This, coupled with an abundance of special features makes for a brilliant Blu-ray offering.

Although the blue-ray package is first class, for anyone seeing it for the first time, 50 years after its original release – it’s a bit too dated to be genuinely shocking in 2010. Modern day films such as Serbian Film and Human Centipede have moved the goalpost so much since 1960 that it’s hard to accept Peeping Tom as a cutting edge horror shocker these days.’

Michael Powell’s direction is outstanding with a movie that draws you into the story from the moment it begins and Karlheinz Böhm performance as Mark Lewis certainly hasn’t dated.

Lewis’s character could fit into any modern day horror flick and the story still has the potential to be relevant and provoking but how can a film that has sexual content portrayed in the same way as Carry on Movie compete with its contemporise unless it’s re-made for a new audience?

My suggestion would be Martin Scorsese as director and maybe Jonny Depp in the role of Lewis – this would at least safeguard the legacy of the film and keep people watching this beautiful restoration job for the next 50 years.’

Special Features:
Introduction by Martin Scorsese
Audio Commentary with Ian Christie
Eye of the Beholder — Critics and filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Ian Christie discuss Powell and his film Peeping Tom.
The Strange Gaze of Mark Lewis
Interview with Thelma Schoonmaker
Restoration Comparison — A side-by-side comparison of previous versions and the new restoration.
Trailer
Stills Gallery

Nick Gibbs-McNeil

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