听 The grim veneer of "Get Carter" stems not only from the uncompromising dialogue but also from the bleak cinematography. While it's very effective in establishing the mood, it had a tendency to look plain murky on VHS. This new DVD release goes some way towards clearing up the image.
The general picture quality is quite good, with Caine's raid on the country house in chapter seven looking almost new. A number of the scenes shot in poorer weather like the race meeting do suffer from some grain.
The sound score is presented in a 1.0 mono mix that is a little disappointing. But both the music and dialogue are clear even though there's nothing new on offer.
Warner Brothers have been a little more generous with extra features. Three trailers come on the disc: the international trailer, an introduction by Michael Caine to the people of Newcastle, and a third featuring Roy Budd playing the opening theme. Also included is a commentary with Michael Caine, director Mike Hodges and cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky. All were recorded separately so unfortunately there are no exchanges between the three. Various anecdotes include Hodges discovering that Caine couldn't drive, or that a man clearly in shot at the bar when Caine demands his drink "in a thin glass" has six fingers on his hand.
There's plenty to learn and enjoy from this DVD but fans will be disappointed that the soundtrack hasn't been upgraded from mono.
Chapters: 32
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 1.0
Extra Features: Scene selection, commentary with Michael Caine, Mike Hodges and cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzy, three trailers, music only score, subtitles, English for the hearing impaired.
