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'Breaking Glass' (1980) Blu-Ray Review - Underrated Music Drama Embraces The Punk Spirit

An exciting 'new wave' soundtrack permeates this poignant rags to riches story of a talented and rebellious young singer-songwriter. Hazel O'Connor gives a tour-de-force performance as Kate, the lead singer of the rock group 'Breaking Glass.' Kate's socialist ideals are juxtaposed to her pragmatic rock manager, Danny (Phil Daniels, Quadrophenia), the streetwise hustler who discovers her and develops her into a star. The film pivots around the struggle for artistic recognition and an energetic singer whose talent and sanity are jeopardized by the music business power structure. O'Connor's vibrant music–she wrote and performs thirteen songs for the film–is extremely captivating even to the ear uninitiated in new wave music. Made by writer-director Brian Gibson (What's Love Got to Do with It), with producers Davina Belling and Clive Parsons (Scum and Gregory's Girl), on location in London, Breaking Glass is one of the few mainstream films set firmly in the then-nascent punk and new wave milieu. The film captures the excitement, innovation, passion and anger that courses through the music and its surrounding culture. O'Connor's original soundtrack, produced by longtime David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti, spawned five singles and reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Supporting O'Connor and Daniels are Jonathan Pryce (Brazil) as the band's junkie saxophonist, Mark Wingett (Quadrophenia) on guitar and Jon Finch (Hitchcock's Frenzy) as the powerful music producer who takes Kate to superstardom. Stephen Goldblatt's (Outland) scope cinematography grants the film an appropriately epic quality. Now, for the first time in North America, Breaking Glass appears in its original, longer UK cut, in a new restoration created from archival film elements. For thoughts on Breaking Glass, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: Video Quality Breaking Glass comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Fun City Editions with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio that is derived from a new 4K restoration of archival elements. This release is the longer UK cut of the film that has not previously been available domestically. The U.S. cut of the film was previously released on Blu-Ray in 2011 with an older master from Olive Films, but we have never seen that release to compare. The presentation retains the natural textured film grain free of ugly DNR or other digital nuisances. Everything appears to be authentic to its intended appearance yet refined to avoid any clumpy grain frozen in the background. Image stability and clarity are exceptional with textures of the clothing, the show makeup, and dingy production design showcasing resolutely. Most instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches have been eradicated, but there are a few sections where the footage exclusive to the UK cut has some lingering damage due to the condition of the source. This is not a major distraction, and the effort to present the film uncut is a blessing for fans. Skin tones are natural and consistent across the ensemble with distinct features such as pores and stubble easily observable in close-up. The colors are faithfully saturated with deep, natural hues coming through with ideal accuracy. There is a fair amount of bright costumes and flourishes in the production design and lighting to make this a visually daring experience. Black levels hold up favorably with no moments of crush or banding spotted. Highlights never struggle with blooming. Fun City Editions has put forth impeccable work here. Audio Quality The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that handily satisfies every sonic requirement of this music-driven narrative. Dialogue holds up well with this with every exchange coming through clearly in all environmental circumstances. There are some thick accents at play, so some may need to engage the subtitles to get some of the vocal nuances. The star of this show is the music, and this release conjures every enthralling tune with the utmost strength as it fills the room. We did not experience any sonic shortcomings or signs of age-related wear such as hissing, sibilance, or distortion. This track delivers a pleasant experience on all fronts for this rocking feature. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. Special Features Audio Commentary: Film Historians Marc Edward Heuck provide an informative commentary track in which he discusses the legacy of the feature, the scarcity of the UK cut in the United States, the differences in the two cuts, the careers of the talent involved, and much more that is worthwhile. A Movie People Will Talk About – Video Interview with Davina Belling: A new 19-minute interview with the producer in which she talks about her background in producing, getting the production off the ground for Breaking Glass , the nature of the production, giving new directors chances, and more. The Experience Is Shattering: A 16-minute video essay from Chris O'Neill in which he discusses the political history of this time in the United Kingdom, the state of the British film industry, how this feeds into the narrative, and more. Image Gallery: A nearly 19-minute slideshow of stills and marketing materials. Scenes From The North American Version: A 13-minute look at the scenes that differed in the truncated North American version. Booklet: There is a bound booklet included featuring an essay by Margaret Barton-Fumo that explores the production, the themes, the reception of the film, the music, and much more which is enlightening. Final Thoughts Breaking Glass tackles a familiar artistic trope of a renegade musician who breaks through and has to struggle with the realities of fame. This is perfectly fine, as it is what writer-director Brian Gibson and star Hazel O'Connor do with the story that makes it special. There is a clear personal element to the narrative that grounds the audience, and the sociopolitical backdrop brings some effective thematic commentary to add some gravitas. The music at the center of everything is very catchy and exciting, and the ensemble that brings everything to life on and off the stage keeps things quite compelling. Fun City Editions has delivered a Blu-Ray featuring a rewarding A/V presentation and a valuable assortment of special features. We could not ask for more. Recommended Breaking Glass is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: Fun City Editions has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.