An Inspector Calls [DVD]

Not as good as the black and white Allister Sim version. The director managed to inject a bit of feminism into it, which made it unpleasant to watch. If you can live with that, and I couldn't, it was reasonably well made, I suppose.

Competitive price and worth a watch!

Evocative and fluid contemporary interpretation of J B Priestley's tale set in 1912. A factory-owning family’s upper-class human indifference to working-class human difficulties is haunted by their own conscience and reflective guilt, stimulated by the presence of an ethereal and all-knowing police ‘inspector’ who calls at their home to advise that a young lady has committed suicide.The story itself is probably better known from Guy Hamilton’s wonderfully atmospheric 1954 direction of Alistair Sim as the inspector – this role being now successfully recreated by a composed, charismatic and compelling David Thewlis. It is no easy task to follow in Sim’s acting shoes but Thewlis is magnificent in his other-worldly portrayal of the wraith-like inspector of morality who seems to know every dark secret of each family member assembled. Add to this the convincing supporting performances from the ever-splendid Ken Stott and meticulous Miranda Richardson and you know already that you’ll definitely need to add this DVD to your Alistair Sim classic.With sensitive and artful direction by Aisling Walsh, the slight but clever changes made to the storyline by Helen Edmundson’s beautiful adaptation have fruitfully opened up a bird’s-eye view on the terrible path and descending depth of human despair suffered by Eva; initially a young factory lass, as we watch each option that might ensure her own continued existence dwindle to nothing. Class difference continues to be shown as a ruinous thing, and it remains highlighted and insistent for the viewer, despite its inevitable and pleasing ethical defeat.There remains always a possible feeling of the human story entwining itself within that of a supernatural one, almost as if the inspector might even be ‘the angel of death’ himself; here perhaps so sickened with spectral grief at his having to call much too early for poor Eva’s life; but of course every interpretation is for each viewer to personally decide. Priestley’s work often throws up this possibility of altered reality and varied interpretation – perhaps this was his defining genius.As an extra feature, the DVD contains an interview with J B Priestley’s son, Tom, who offers a candid and enjoyable insight into this seminal work from his father. This adaptation deserves to become the new ‘timeless’ benchmark for this, Priestley’s best known work, although I’d also strongly recommend viewing the same author’s ‘Dangerous Corner,’ a play and cautionary tale of truth told perhaps too brutally.

Very good production and well acted. Bought because my daughter is doing this for GCSE and we missed it when it was on TV recently. She has found it helpful to watch this, though it is not completely true to the original text and has been adapted somewhat for TV, for example we see flashbacks showing the character of Eva Smith who is only referred to in the play. However it is very good for getting to know the plot and characters, and most of the dialogue is as it is in the play script but with some additional scenes added. It's a very interesting play and I enjoyed it a lot as well as being helpful for my daughter.The main characters are a middle class family of a businessman, his wife and their adult son and daughter and the daughter's fiance. A police inspector calls one evening to question them about a woman, Eva Smith, who has committed suicide, and it is gradually revealed that each character has in some way behaved badly towards the dead woman and has reason to feel some responsibility for the events leading to her death. As the play progresses we start to wonder whether the inspector is really who he claims to be and what is the real purpose of his visit. It is set in 1912 but was written at the end of the Second World War, so the message about the dire consequences to humanity if we cannot learn to respect one another and treat other people fairly would have had particular resonance for the audience then, knowing that the world had just experienced two wars and a period of huge turmoil and change. Despite being a historical play it seemed very relevant to recent events (for example Trump, Brexit, the refugee crisis) where we're frequently questioning our own and others' attitudes and responsibilities towards other people in the world. A lot to think about and well worth watching more than once.

At least I did not have to use this version for my GCSE pupils, and could watch it just for enjoyment. I cannot compare it with the old Alastair Sim version, as I have not seen that for years. But, I do recall an excellent production with Margaret Tyzack and Nigel Davenport, and the exceptional gravitas of Bernard Hepton, which I cannot find on Amazon. For this reason, I have awarded it only four stars, but definitely a very good version. The portrayal of Eva Smith / Daisy Renton was very well depicted by Sophie Rundle, but we do not see her in the other version, but Mrs Birling was a bit too restrained for me. The authentic sets, costumes and events cannot be faulted. The extras were worth watching, especially the interview with Priestley's relative. No wonder that it has been a set text for years at school, as it deals with sexism, unfairness, poverty, snobbery and class distinction. Worth another viewing, definitely.

A well written story I enjoyed it!

I like this story a lot and I precisely remember watching this adaptation in class whilst studying the play in English. More than happy to own it on DVD and give it a second watch after so many years. One issue I have is it had that annoying problem where it was either rushed through or not handled properly so the disc was flopping about in the case, so I had to take the cellophane off straight away as opposed to letting it sit nice and pristine on the shelf for a while, or else I would've had to deal with disc damage. Still a great product, just not as nicely delivered as the others it came with.