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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Mono
  • Scottish: Dolby Digital Mono
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • 4 Teaser trailer
  • Theatrical trailer

Gregory's Girl

Umbrella Entertainment/AV Channel . R4 . COLOR . 87 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

While the likes of John Hughes and Cameron Crowe ran roughshod over the ‘80s with their various teen-themed flicks, a film they’d never be able to live up to had already trampled such ground with a greater simplicity, honesty and inherent sweetness than even the masterful Say Anything… mustered. And no, we’re not talking Grease 2.

Obviously we’re referring to Gregory’s Girl, a delight from beginning to end starring a cast who have pretty much remained unknown to the general movie-going public ever since, save perhaps for Clare Grogan, who at the time was also bouncing around in front of fun ‘80s poppets Altered Images, and later showed her face in Red Dwarf (amongst other things we can’t be shagged researching right at the moment).

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The lad's a wee bit smitten...

Delightfully simple but effective, we’re privy to the story of geeky and gangly Scottish school teen Gregory (Gordon John Sinclair). Dropped from the underachieving school football team, his annoyance turns to frustration when he realises he’s become somewhat smitten (alright, he’s a teen, so he’s dramatic; he’s in love – he must be, he’s all dizzy and restless and stuff) with his replacement, a girl (!) named Dorothy (bending it before Beckham learned how to do wee-wee standing up).

"Who’s going to be Gregory’s girl?"

Helped out by his worldwise-beyond-her-mere-ten-years sister in Madeline, Gregory’s a bit of a hopeless case, but he does eventually muster the moxie to ask the object of his desire out.
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I could be happy...
As to whether she shows up or a number of proxies front before the lovely Susan moseys along, well – oh bugger, we’ve just given it away. It really matters nought, for whilst the story is hardly a study in deep prose, the air of sweet simplicity which pervades thanks to both the cast and the efforts of writer/director Bill Forsyth is what ultimately infuses Gregory’s Girl with its boundless charm. Toss in a few completely offbeat comedic moments which seem to be present for no other reason than to throw the viewer a tad of kilter (heehee), and you have possibly the most realistic representation of teen stuff ever committed to film.

  Video
Contract

If you’re expecting some sort of travesty of a print here, well you’re wrong – wronger than the Bay City Rollers were wrong in so many ways. Instead we’re given a quite lovely anamorphically enhanced, 1.85:1 print replete with wonderfully vivid colour (although the odd bout of red has a tendency to threaten the retinas), decent detail and nothing worth noting from the granary. The only disappointments are a slight milkiness in some blacks and the presence of a number of flicks and flecks throughout which vary in intensity at various times, the latter being completely understandable considering the film’s age and the fact that your average blipvert is afforded a higher budget.

  Audio
Contract

Two audio mixes are provided, Dolby Digital mono affairs in both English and Scottish. (Pause for it to sink in…) Yes, naturally the Scots speak English, however what we have here is a full-on Scottish accented version, and a watered down one for those who can’t ken the dialect so easily. The dubbed, milder version has been done well, resulting in little in the way of wayward synchronicity, while if you’re up for the full-on soundtrack you’ll witness nothing out of place. Being in mono there’s very little in the way of aural excitement; however it’s all decently clear and clean for what it is. Meanwhile, the soundtrack from Colin Tully is an appallingly dated morass of everything that was icky about ‘80s music. This is actually quite an impressive feat upon considering that this film came out right at the start of the decade.

  Extras
Contract

It would be a joy to report that the extras here were chumpy enough to carve, however reality leaves us with a completely different story. An American teaser trailer takes a vaguely interesting tack on promoting the flick, whilst four hunks of Umbrella propaganda (or “UmbyProp”, to use the modern-day street term) do nary else than fill up a little space.

  Overall  
Contract

Given a pleasantly surprising transfer, plus the thoughtful choice of either full-strength Scottish or light, the only letdown here is in the lack of extras, although admittedly they weren’t exactly mindful of such things almost a quarter of a century ago. Surprisingly timeless (save for musically and fashion-wise), if you still have a soft spot for that period when your age was suffixed seemingly endlessly with “teen”, then flick-wise they don’t come much more bella, bella than Gregory’s Girl.


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      And I quote...
    "Bella, bella!"
    - Amy Flower
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Pioneer DV-466-K
    • TV:
          Loewe Xelos 5381ZW 81cm 100Hz
    • Receiver:
          Onkyo TX-DS494
    • Speakers:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse RBS662
    • Centre Speaker:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse ECC442
    • Surrounds:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse ECR042
    • Subwoofer:
          DTX Digital 4.8
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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