It baffles me when films like this are chosen for the high-definition treatment ahead of classic visual masterpieces like Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia which have not yet been released. It seems a little sacrilegious in all honesty- because on initial inspection,
When Saturday Comes can gain very little from the transfer, and it isn't the kind of film that would offer anything back to the high definition world. Sadly however, I don't make the rules, and When Saturday Comes is
available to buy on blu-ray now. This is genuine 'Boys Own' stuff from
Sean Bean and
Pete Postelthwaite, as Bean plays Jimmy Muir, an aspiring footballer (or soccer player if you're from the other side of the pond) who gets the opportunity to abandon his mundane life as an amateur footballer and play for the team he supports- Sheffield United (via a stint playing under Postelthwaite). It's a veritable Roy of the Rovers story- a sort of terribly dull, and limited scope British alternative to films like The Fighter where the hero transcends his grim industrial background to achieve sporting notoriety, while simultaneously battling his own demons.
It seems ludicrous to me that it's been 15 years since I first saw this film, given its utter familiarity on re-watching it this time around- but that is more to do with the film's tendency towards replaying cliches and recognisable characters from other triumph in the face of adversity style stories. Every character seems to have been lifted out of another film, and it becomes very difficult to believe in their various maladies or triumphs, though I will admit that the final football match goes a long way to glossing over all of the problems that precede it. I'm a huge admirer of anyone who can bring a staged football match to screen and make it look both authentic and believable, given the logistics of replicating both professional skill and match atmosphere, and if there is one thing that director
Maria Giese actually does get right, it's that match. And given the importance the match plays to the "magic" resolution of the storyline, that is especially commendable (even if applauding something that should really be a given irks me somewhat). Sean Bean seems at home playing quasi-Full Monty character Jimmy (though he has proved himself subsequently to be a far better villain), and Postelthwaite takes care not to over-act (but only just) as Jimmy's amateur manager and kind-of mentor, and really both actors do well with limited scope and material to play with. There is a pretension of working-class grit, and there are some definite mildly heart-wrenching moments, but it's a story about a man's opportunity to play for (and romantically score the winning goal for) the team he lives to support. It isn't exactly an authentic social commentary film.
There is however an admirable attempt to convey exactly what football culture means to British working class men that isn't condescending or trivialising, which is a rare thing in a genre that is so often ruled by "hooligan films" like Green Street and The Football Factory. But then, the film is only really a fairy tale that is badly let down by a meagre, unbelievable script, and some of the accuracies related to the sport spoil the truth that it offers in terms of fan culture. Overall, repeated viewing doesn't do a great deal for the experience of When Saturday Comes- it is a film almost entirely defined by its finale, both in terms of impact to the storyline and also, oddly, in terms of technical execution. And while it is quite easy to be lost in the Roy of the Rovers fairy-tale aspect, the rest of the film suffers by comparison, thanks to a bad script and some problems with establishing the simple reality of football. The best thing you can say other than that is that it will only set you back
£8.99 on Amazon.
Quality
Okay, I get that there was a clearly a conscious decision from Fabulous Films to release this as a budget back catalogue release alongside their other release this week -
Airwolf: The Movie - but it is precisely this type of lazy transfer that devalues the high-definition arena as a whole. The transfer does add some quality to the original source, but I can't shake the feeling that everything that could have been skimped on has been skimped on- every corner has been cut, making the £8.99 cover price a lot easier to understand. The one other enduring feeling is that the whole affair is entirely obligatory- there is clearly so little conviction in the execution that it seems those in charge of it have written the whole thing off as an unlikely big seller and just put it out with a whimper. I'm sorry, but it just isn't possible to get excited by this sort of thing.
Extras
In line with feeling like an entirely obligatory high-definition transfer, the Extras are limited at best, with nothing new added from the original DVD release, other than an Introduction to the film that adds very little value. Bland. Original Full Length Feature Original Theatrical Trailer Extensive Stills Gallery Original Cast and Crew Biographies Introduction to the Film Subtitles
When Saturday Comes is available to buy on
Blu-ray now.