The best part of a boutique home video label is a chance to not merely release an overlooked movie, but to give it the bonus features that place the film in the context it deserves. Morvern Callar is a film that fell through the cracks when it was originally released back in 2002, the film garnered plenty of awards including a BAFTA for star Samantha Morton but didn’t set the indie box office on fire. The film has quite a few crusaders and they’ll be able to share their passion when Fun City Editions releases the Blu-ray of Morvern Callar on January 25, 2022. Here’s the press release from Fun City Editions:
Fun City Editions Presents MORVERN CALLAR
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| Samantha Morton (Minority Report and TV’s The Walking Dead) is mesmerizing and “gives the female performance of the year” (San Francisco Examiner) as the enigmatic Morvern Callar, in filmmaker Lynne Ramsay’s (Ratcatcher and We Need to Talk About Kevin) highly acclaimed and remarkably assured second feature, based on Alan Warner’s lauded debut novel. When Morvern Callar wakes up one Christmas morning to discover her boyfriend dead by suicide, it’s the start of an unpredictable and unconventional process of self-transformation. Morvern’s form of grieving will be bewildering and shocking to most. She keeps her boyfriend’s death a secret. She passes off his just-finished novel as her own to publishers. She goes on holiday to Spain. Equal parts road movie and character study, Morvern Callar is as gripping and beautiful as it is dark and inscrutable. The ever-present and extraordinary soundtrack—stemming from a mixtape made for Morvern by her boyfriend, and including songs by Can, the Velvet Underground, Aphex Twin, Stereolab, Nancy & Lee and more—is masterfully and audaciously woven into the narrative, acting as a voice for a protagonist who often chooses to remain silent. The film’s contrasting two main environments—cold, grey Scotland and arid, sunny southern Spain—are gorgeously captured by cinematographer Alwin Küchler (Ratcatcher and Steve Jobs). Now, as it reaches its 20th anniversary and has been restored for this first-ever Blu-ray edition, Morvern Callar—a film like no other—is ready to bewitch again. Directed by: Lynne Ramsay Starring: Samantha Morton, Kathleen McDermott 2002 / 97 min / 1.85:1 / English 5.1 Surround Additional info: • Region Free Blu-ray • Newly scanned & restored in 2k from 35mm interpositive • Audio commentary with film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson • “Somewhere Beautiful,” a new video essay by Chris O’Neill • Booklet with essays, stills and cast / crew information • Original U.K. and U.S. theatrical trailers • Reversible cover artwork • English SDH subtitles |
