Review of Brass Eye

Introduction

A day most thought would never come. The commercial release of Brass Eye, which Chris Morris himself thought very unlikely to ever happen. This is a TV show that nearly didn`t get broadcast in the first place - it was supposed to appear in 1996 but Channel 4 got very cold feet and canned it just days before the first transmission. They went over it with a fine-toothed comb, in combination with lawyers and others before announcing a version was ready to be broadcast in early 1997.

The show was finally repeated recently, but not quite as first broadcast. And of course there is last year`s special which caused incredible uproar amongst Daily Mail readers as well as all those "celebrities" who took part in it. It was roundly criticised by masses of people who hadn`t seen it, and roundly applauded by those who had. The six episodes of the original series presented here are not quite as broadcast in 1997, but as close as we`re ever going to get. They weren`t likely to leave the subliminal attack on Michael Grade in were they? We also get last year`s special as it was broadcast then, and also as it was broadcast this month.

Although Brass Eye the series, and last year`s special in particular thrust Morris into the media spotlight, he`s been doing this kind of thing for over 10 years now. For all things Morris (including a detailed biography), check out :-

http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/

Video

The original series is presented in full frame (4:3), and the special in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, both of which were as broadcast. Everything looks fine and there`s nothing wrong with any part of the picture. It`s just as good, if not better than, the broadcast, and will certainly beat all those worn out taped-from-the-TV VHS copies that fans have had to put up with for the last 5 years.

Part of the appeal of Brass Eye is Morris` fantastic attention to detail, which shows in the way that much of the hidden camera footage or footage purporting to be from foreign TV stations looks incredibly accurate and convincing. Add to that the fantastic graphic details, pointless 3-D graphs and even the on-screen captions, and you have something that will fool a lot of people, and simply adds to the joke for those that get it.

Audio

A DD2.0 stereo soundtrack for everything on the disc, and it`s probably all that`s needed. Everything sounds fine and there`s nothing wrong with it at all. Look out for a slight remix of the theme over the various menus, and the replacement of some music due to clearance issues similar to those that have affected certain Doctor Who releases.

Like the visuals, the attention to detail on the sound moves the material on to the next level. Whether it be the mock-news style music that goes on for far too long before or after an ad break, the Eminem parody, the music created to show what "Cake" users listen to, or the careful cutting of footage of Nicholas Parsons to make him read out a very different poem to the one he was actually reading, it`s all these little bits that make the shows so special.

Features

There are even a few extras too! First up we have alternative clips, which are really deleted scenes. These are few in number and fairly brief, but they are amusing. There must be a hell of a lot more material that was never broadcast, but I suspect they`ll never be able to let it see the light of day for various reasons. Also under the clips section we have some trailers, for the original series and the special.

There`s also a commentary track for the Drugs episode - but this is unlike any commentary you`ve heard. Morris chairs some rather drunken types as they shout things out whilst watching the episode. You can also dip into the Sound Bin, which contains some of the music used in various episodes accompanied by relevant stills.

There`s a short hidden commentary available as an easter egg - details can be found at http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/

Some people are upset at the lack of quality extras, and whilst it`s a shame there`s not a lot more of them, the fact that the episodes are available to buy is more than enough for me.

Conclusion

A work of unrivalled genius appears on DVD. I don`t know what Morris` exact aims were when making these shows. If it was to make people laugh, then he hit that target. If it was to expose the stupidity of celebrities who attach their name to any cause without thinking or researching, then he totally obliterated that target. How anyone can talk sincerely into a camera about how a computer keyboard can be made to omit gases is beyond me. And what about "sodomised electrons" and "Shatner`s Bassoon"? Do people really stop and listen to what is coming out of their mouths? Evidently not.

Morris even got MP David Amess to ask questions about Cake "a made up drug" in the House of Commons. The answers are recorded for posterity in Hansard (the "log" of House of Commons daily debates). And in this modern world, we can actually see them on the web:-

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960724/text/60724w31.htm#60724w31.html_wqn11
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960723/text/60723w10.htm#60723w10.html_wqn10

A fantastic DVD, already in the running for DVD of the year based on content alone. So sit back and enjoy the "twisted brain-wrong of a one-off man-mental" from "media terrorist" and comedy god Chris Morris. Without him there would be no 11 O`Clock show, no Ali G and no Daisy Donovan to name but a few. Maybe that`s not a bad thing in your eyes, but this world needs Morris. There`s no evidence for it, but it is scientific fact!