Why would an intelligent middle aged man feel that he has to swim the English Channel? Laid off without warning Frank Redmond (Peter Mullen) a 55 year old working class stiff decides to challenge himself and reestablish his own sense of self worth and self esteem by doing the impossible. Frank gradually cuts himself off from his friends and loved ones isolating himself in his task. As the day grows closer he realizes to accomplish his task he must reestablish the bonds that originally strengthened his resolve. ***

A well made thoughtful and moving drama with moments of comedy mixed in “On A Clear Day” has much in common with another film about men in transition “The Full Monty”. Although it isn’t as memorable as that film with its comic overtones the wonderful performances make up for what we’ve seen or heard before. Unfortunately the film got little in the way of support when it was released which is a pity the film has a stunning turn by Peter Mullen (“The Magdalene Sisters”, “Shallow Grave” and “Trainspotting”) and terrific supporting turns by Brenda Blethyn (“Secrets and Lies”) and Billy Boyd (“Lord of the Rings”) ---

Image & Sound:

“On A Clear Day” looks fine in this transfer with accurate skin tones and solid blacks. The color palette is accurate throughout and quality is quite good with sharp, crisp images dominating. The audio presented in 5.1 isn’t all that active but there is nice ambient use of the surround speakers. We also get Spanish and French subtitles. ---

Universal has chosen a bare bones presentation of the film. I’m perplexed as to why. The European version of the film has both a director’s commentary and interviews with Mullan, Blethyn and director Gaby Dellal. Porting these over to the U.S. release wouldn’t have taken much effort nor would it have added much to the expense of this set. Fans of the movie might be interested in the background on shooting the film. Universal makes some of the most inexplicable decisions when it comes to marketing and I’m frequently at a loss as to why they do what they do. ***

I suspect this presentation has more to do with the fact that this film is geared (in their minds) for a middle aged audience. Perhaps they feel DVD technology is beyond their audience or, more accurately, that this audience doesn’t really matter. It seems to me that all films regardless of who their audience might be deserves to be treated the same. This is almost like a form of ageism and I find it deplorable. ---

Final Words: