Review of Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, The

Introduction

My heart sank when I pulled this disc out of the jiffy bag from Reviewer Towers - a printable DVD-R with the title written on it in felt tip, and secured in a thin, plain clam-shell case. I`m always slightly disappointed getting a largely anonymous replication plant test disc of a release - no box illustration or anything of the finished package - so you can imagine my first impression wasn`t good. I was, therefore, very relieved to find that the disc contained the completed package as will be replicated for the market, including the photo gallery and the original poster art.

The Rise And Rise Of Michael Rimmer is an unsung classic of British Comedy. Made in 1970 for Warner Bros - Seven Arts by David Frost`s production company, what was a political satire when it was made now has a scary element of premonition in the face of modern political spin and media manipulation. The only thing that they get wrong is that the party of spin is Tory rather than Labour.

The movie details the rise to ultimate power in Great Britain of a mysterious young man called Michael Rimmer who walks into the offices of a rundown polling company and virtually takes over. Within a matter of months, the company is the leader in its field and is advising the leaders of both major political parties. Entering politics, Rimmer manipulates his way to the top job…

The movie is a veritable who`s who of British comedy, with key roles taken by Arthur Lowe, Denholm Elliott, Ronnie Fraser, Graham Crowden, John Cleese, Dennis Price and George A Cooper. Playwright and actor Harold Pinter appears as David Frostian television interviewer Steven Hench. Veteran actors including Guy Middleton and Michael Trubshawe make up the members of the Conservative Party. Norman Rossington turns up as a guide at Porton Down and Julian Glover appears as the Colonel in charge of the commandoes who steal Switzerland`s gold reserves at Rimmer`s behest.

Alongside his performance as George Spiggott, aka The Devil in Bedazzled, Michael Rimmer is Peter Cook`s outstanding role. To be honest, there`s something about the Machiavellian Rimmer that makes you suspect that the movie is in fact a sequel to Bedazzled and that the UK has elected Beelzebub to Number Ten.

If this movie was ahead of its time in 1970, then its time is now.

Video

Presented in its original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, from a print by Technicolor. The picture isn`t pristine, there are some bits of print dirt, but they`re quite acceptable and should be expected in a movie of this vintage. Colour and contrast is excellent.

A little worrying are the digital artefacts visible on some shots and at scene changes which makes one wonder if bitrates haven`t been skimped upon.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround reproducing the original Mono soundtrack.

Features

The main extra on the movie is director Kevin Billington`s scene-specific audio commentary. Billington reminisces at length about the making of the movie, and his involvement in the writing of the script with Peter Cook, John Cleese and Graham Chapman. There is a video photo gallery, accompanied by the theme tune of the movie of a few dozen behind the scenes photos, and a single still of the original poster artwork (which is animated in the menuing system). Unfortunately there are no subtitles.

Conclusion

Dazzlingly prescient 1970s satire on politics and public opinion polls which foresees the rise of spin and the likes of Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell. Three years after Peter Cook`s turn as George Spiggott The Devil, you can`t help feeling he`s still playing the Source Of All Evil in his meteoric rise to UK President. A classic.