Review of Blackmail

Introduction

Director Vijay Anand brings the audiences another thriller and presents an interesting screenplay in a tactful way. While some points in the film are now dated and at times a bit slow, it nevertheless still makes good viewing. Although not as good as his previous works, it still is viewable.

Performances from the cast is as might be expected from a somewhat far fetched screenplay, but it seems quite reasonable when viewing under the pretext of a Bollywood premonition. Rakhee once again shows her versatility in her skills and remains one of the talented Indian actors of the 70s while Shatrughan Sinha is also rather impressive in his role as the ‘other’ lover. Dharmendra too has his fair share of skill to display but the other two prominent members of the cast excel with more depth and scope given in their characterisations. Other supporting cast members act with interest and with curiosity on the viewers mind as with most Vijay Anand films.

The songs play a small part in the film and with melodious melodies like `Pal Pal Ke Pass` it serves its purpose. Technical values still stand the test of time in this climate of CGI, and some shots are actually wonderfully composed in the film. It’s a film worth watching for a one time experience at least.

Video

The film is presented with a transfer in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Taken from an interpostive 35mm negative, the film does show a little wear and tear in the form of small white and black dots along with some green fungus. Obviously the original 35mm print was kept in bad condition, making it a harder task for DEI to restore. Thankfully the end result is quite good, and while we see film dirt and blemishes, the film still has a fresh and clean look to it which has never seen outside its first release in the cinema.

It`s also interesting to note that the producer of the film, Vinod Doshi, also produced other films like Nastik and Saatcha Juthaa which had similar problems with the original camera negative. The producer doesn’t take care with the original negative and the end result is the film dying with decay, poor keeping and age. Out of the three titles the producer has done - all on the DEI label - Blackmail looks the best. The wear and tear is noticeable but I wouldn’t classify it as distracting as it is expected on a film well over 25 years old. Many scenes look brand spanking clean, while a couple do look aged due to negative damage which is now beyond repair.

Blackmail is free from compression artefacts and edge enhancement, and while shimmering and moiré effects only make a short appearance it`s never off putting. The DVD has, for the most part, very impressive picture which only adds to the appeal when watching the film. With this much clear and defined detail on screen it`s a warm welcome for Blackmail into the digital age. Colours are impressive at times being both vivid and bold as originally shot, but due to the extensive damage, some scenes have yellow and brown hues.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 2ch Hindi soundtrack is presented on this DVD with the original mono track. The sound has some light hissing during the quieter moments, but all aspects of sound are audible. For a film that has suffered a lot of damage over the years, it`s pretty good.

Features

The menus are the usual DEI style animated DVD and no extra features are provided. Only the inclusion of well done English subtitles are included.

Conclusion

Another winner from the house of DEI, despite limitations of the original negative. I would recommend this DVD for purchase only to fans of this film, and rental for those interested.