Blu-ray Review: The Triple Echo

The art of disguise is one of the elements which has made cinema so popular. This doesn’t just stop with film-makers keeping their cards close to their chest and throwing in twists which awe, inspire and enrage. It’s also a key element in those characters who stay with us. Taken literally, that could be Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon donning dresses to escape the mob or Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane getting caught up in the habit. In Michael Apted’s The Triple Echo a soldier takes up a disguise to escape conscription.

With her husband interred in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, Alice (Glenda Jackson) is left to run a rural farm on her own. One day, she discovers a young man (Brian Deacon) roaming the fields. A country boy himself, Barton helps out on the farm and the pair soon become lovers. He decides to desert the army and Alice disguises him as her sister, Jill. This deception works until a sergeant (Oliver Reed) arrives and takes a liking to Jill.

The Triple Echo is a moving drama about war, love and loneliness. Apted’s directorial debut is both warm and disturbing. The brutality of the battlefield is played out in rural England. The two young leads are brought together by a sense of isolation, loss and camaraderie. Their almost fairy-tale existence is shattered by the entrance of the malevolent and monstrous sergeant. Played so disturbingly well by Reed. The Triple Echo is a powerful British drama which pulls no punches.

Special features:

New 2K restoration by Powerhouse Films from the original negative
Original mono audio
A Matter of Life and Death (2019, 15 mins): director Michael Apted reflects on his feature debut and its place within his prolific career
Identity Crises (2019, 29 mins): actor Brian Deacon recalls his first film role starring alongside Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed
A Different Perspective (2019, 25 mins): editor Barrie Vince recalls shaping and structuring the film
Dressing Up (2019, 9 mins): costume designer Emma Porteous on the challenges of recreating an authentic wardrobe for The Triple Echo
The Emotion of the Moment (2019, 8 mins): composer Marc Wilkinson discusses highlights from his score
A Sense of Justice (2019, 23 mins): an in-depth appreciation by author and film historian Neil Sinyard
Super 8 version: original cut-down home-cinema presentation
Original theatrical trailer, edited by the legendary Jean Fouchet
Teaser trailer
Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Pasquale Iannone, an archival interview with Michael Apted, H E Bates on The Triple Echo, an overview of contemporary critical responses, an analysis of Jean Fouchet’s theatrical trailer, and film credits
World premiere on Blu-ray
Limited Edition of 3,000 copies