Already available on VOD, A Field In England bows domestically on Blu-Ray and DVD on April 8 from Drafthouse Films.
A Field In England is a challenging, interesting, and often confusing tale of conflict, madness and… friendship? I haven’t seen director Ben Wheatley’s previous films Kill List, Sightseers, or Down Terrace, and therefore can’t draw any comparisons, but Panos Cosmatos’ mind-bender Beyond The Black Rainbow may be an apt reference point. While the two films are stylistically different, both emphasize a unique, if incomprehensible, audiovisual sensory experience in a manner that may prove similarly divisive among viewers.
The film opens with an explosive blast and the sounds of battle. It’s a fitting start, as the aural experience will go on to define so much of the film. We never actually see the skirmish; it is relayed only through the sound of armies clashing off-screen. Sound — and even silence — will continue to play a huge role in the film, both through amazing audio design and a descriptive, energetic, and very enjoyable musical score.
The setting is the English Civil War, 1648. We meet Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith), a bookish, jittery, man on the run. After a narrow escape from an aggressive pursuer, the self-admitted coward runs into three other men, apparently deserters, and they join company with the idea of finding a nearby ale house.
We discover something of Whitehead’s background — he is an assistant to an alchemist, and set upon a mission for his master — which he has failed and is now in the act of abandoning. The men, with the exception of the devoutly religious Whitehead who is fasting, partake in a meal of wild mushroom stew.
At this point it may help the viewer to know something about “fairy rings” or “mushroom circles”, as director Ben Wheatley mentions in an interview on the disc. A mushroom circle is a natural phenomenon, the arrangement of mushrooms growing in a large ring. In folklore, these rings are closely associated with mysticism and can signify danger to those who enter them, or in the case of this film, a possible portal to the faerie world. This is never actually mentioned within the film, despite its importance as a possible explanation of some of what soon transpires.
The group unwittingly accomplishes Whitehead’s mission by finding (through some very odd circumstances), the object of his quest: a man named O’Neil (Michael Smiley), who was also in the service of Whitehead’s alchemist master before stealing some of his documents and fleeing. He claims to have attained magical powers (perhaps culled from the documents he stole?), and that it was his influence, not blind chance, that led them to find him.
From this point things get pretty weird. There are a lot of bizarre, non-sequitur happenings and visual oddities, and the reasons behind them aren’t clear. Whether these are hallucinations brought on by mushroom-induced delirium, the magic of a fairy circle or the field itself, or the work of alchemy or sorcery, is inherently a mystery. But as O’Neil imprisons the men and forces them to do his will, they descend into madness and confusion. This escalates into violence, and it will be up to Whitehead to put an end to the chaos. The film may be difficult to understand, but Whitehead’s “coward to hero” character arc is the one thing that comes across pretty clearly.
I mentioned the emphasis on sound earlier, but the film is no slouch visually, either. The sumptuous monochrome photography emphasizes texture in the absence of color, and the filmmakers use a number of optical and practical effects to achieve a unique and sometimes hallucinatory vision: lenses of varying quality and clarity, slow motion, tracking shots, tableaus, macro shots and close-ups, and powerful imagery of huge winds whipping through the field’s tall grass.
A Field In England won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s an often incomprehensible experience, emphasizing style over coherence, and may frustrate anyone looking for a straightforward narrative or sense of logic. I watched it three times, plus all the extras, for purposes of this review in order to give it full consideration (let it never be said I don’t take this seriously), and even now I’m not sure I understand certain aspects. Viewers looking for an enigmatic experience will embrace it; others may dislike it intensely. I say it’s definitely worth checking out, but probably not a good candidate for a blind buy.
THE PACKAGE
The film is available in a Blu-Ray (or DVD) edition from Drafthouse Films, Spine №17. It features the usual handsome packaging afforded to most of their releases: a clear (not blue) Elite case, a unique reversible cover featuring different artwork on each side, a 16-page booklet, and a digital copy redemption insert.
Both covers feature artwork by Jay Shaw, and are downright gorgeous. Usually with these reversible covers I can quickly pick a favorite and stick with it, but this one has me flip-flopping.
The film is not rated but in practical terms can be treated as an “R” for violence, language, and adult themes.
Special Features
Master Class Featurettes (85:11)
The meat of the extras; a dozen featurettes which add up to a massive making-of documentary. These videos debuted as film diaries on the film’s official website, but it’s nice to have them in a comprehensive and accessible format on the disc. The two longest featurettes, Journey Of A Scene and Anatomy Of A Scene, are included on the Blu-Ray edition, but not the DVD.
The Making Of A Field In England (21:23)
This feature isn’t mentioned on the case, perhaps because the content seems to be culled from the Master Class featurettes. It’s a nice option for anyone who’s interested in the film’s craft, but not “85 minutes” interested.
Audio Commentary with Director Ben Wheatley, Producer Andy Starke, and Sound Editor Martin Pavey
This is a pretty technical commentary track that covers a lot of ground regarding the craft behind the filmmaking. After watching the film, I’d guess that many viewers would hope that the commentary will elaborate on some of the film’s more incomprehensible happenings. Unfortunately, it offers little in this respect, still leaving things wide open to viewer interpretation. However, the inclusion of Sound Editor Martin Pavey is a nice touch. As I mentioned before, a huge amount of the storytelling is conveyed through sound.
Interview With Ben Wheatley (22:43)
This is the only feature which makes any attempt to explain any aspect of the film’s bizarre narrative — namely that the mystical elements of the field tie into real “mushroom circle” folklore.
Camera Tests Reel (10:29)
About 10 minutes of beautiful — albeit sometimes shaky — test-cam footage set to music. This would be a pretty unremarkable extra if not for one very important feature: every test lists the camera and lens used, and in some cases stylistic or equipment notes to achieve certain styles such as dolly mount, boardcam, and slow motion. The filmmakers used a number of commercial and homemade lenses in the test footage as well as the film. For enthusiasts only.
Trailers
In a certain sense the US trailer for A Field In England is actually more informative than the film itself, providing a date and quick synopsis. Also on the disc are some other Drafthouse Films trailers including The Act of Killing, Pieta, Wake In Fright, and a Drafthouse Alliance promo (basically the coolest sizzle reel ever, set to the theme music from Bill Lustig’s Vigilante).
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
A Field in England — [Blu-ray] | [DVD] | [Amazon Instant]