Blu-Ray Review: Worth Getting Lost in ‘A Field in England’

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CHICAGO – I can’t recommend this more. “A Field in England” is a flashback and a flash forward all at once. It’s impossible to watch without thinking of great counter culture cinema. In fact when I saw it at Fantastic Fest 2013 it played as part of a double bill with Ken Russell’s “The Devils” (1971). They made perfect cinematic companion pieces. Russell’s film concerned a wayward priest desperate to protect his 17th century city from corruption in the Church only to fall victim to group hysteria when he is, ironically, accused of witchcraft by a jealous nun.

Ben Wheatley’s film is about a 17th century group of war deserters inexplicably taken hostage by a would be alchemist who forces them to aid in the search for treasure. The group is torn asunder by infighting and paranoia as their first meal, of tainted mushrooms, leaves them vulnerable to the very real and terrifying cosmic energies waiting to be released in the field.

Both films concern the price for desertion, moral or political. Both balance those elements with a surreal elegance. Both are timeless. Sadly only one is readily available on DVD or Blu-ray.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Wheatley’s “A Field in England” is a surreal head-trip, offering equal parts metaphysical visions, savage violence and breathtaking visual aesthetics. The film also offers great performances. Michael Smiley gives the alchemist O’Neill an air of real occult danger without the aid of special effects. It’ all in his eyes and when he threatens to turn one of the men into a frog you have no problem believing he could. Likewise Reece Shearsmith’s Whitehead is startling. A God fearing, but cowardly student of metaphysics one moment, a shambling zombified tool the next. He seems beset as much by a supernatural curse as by his own naive te which is slowly stripped away until all he is left with is the will to survive.

Ben Wheatley continues a winning streak. His other films include “Down Terrace”, “Kill List” and “Sightseers”. Get them all. He is a craftsman of the highest order. The cinematography alone in this film is a breathtaking example of why he is one of the great new directors working today. Mirror split images, expertly woven CGI elements. Even the choice to shoot the film in black and white is key here and made for compelling reasons laid bare in the interview with Wheatley.

Martin Pavey and Jim Williams contribute a beautiful sound design and score for the film that includes a period approach to the music that is nothing less than haunting. It’s telling that the pair see underneath the horror and tension of the script to underscore it with so much heartfeltness and beauty. Ultimately they help tell the tale of men caught up in their times and a struggle that may well be cosmic in scale.

It might be wise for stateside viewers to turn the subtitles on. I found the accents a bit difficult to sort through and every bit of dialogue is important here. “I am my own man,” a phrase repeated throughout the film is a key theme here as is the question of where a man’s power comes from. Not just his life force, but his ability to protect himself and others around him who he has community with. This is an uncommonly rich tale that embraces it’s characters and their destinies fearlessly even as it deftly weaves genre conventions together in ways reminiscent of other cinema set in the time period. Viewers will most likely be reminded of “Witchfinder General” amongst other films. “A Field in England” not only survives such comparisons but surpasses them. I felt not only a witness to the fate of it’s characters but somehow complicit in wizardry and elemental emotional force.

Image credit: Drafthouse Films

SPECIAL FEATURES

◦ Audio Commentary with Director Ben Wheatley, Producer Andy Strak and Sound Editor Martin Pavey.
◦ ”Interview with Ben Wheatley

◦ Camera Test Reel
◦ Trailers
◦ 16 page booklet
◦ A series of Master Class featurettes that follow the film through various stages of development and assembly.

By DAVE CANFIELD Contributor HollywoodChicago.com dave@hollywoodchicago.com