Studiocanal have announced their release on Blu-ray and DVD of the brand new 4K restoration of The Comedy Man.
The film stars Kenneth More, towards the end of his most prolific leading man period. Originally released in 1964, The Comedy Man centres mainly around Chick Byrd (More), a down-on-his-luck actor who is still struggling in the business. Also heavily featured are those who surround him in his world: colleagues who have all met with varying degrees of success. These satellites to More’s character are cleverly cast of known faces, yet they were more often supporting players in British film, which gives an air of authenticity. Such names as Cecil Parker, Edmund Purdom, Billie Whitelaw, Dennis Price and More’s future wife, Angela Douglas.
The Comedy Man is a fairly faithful example of Kitchen Sink drama. Kitchen Sink was a style of drama which brought more grit and realism to the stage and screen, with less glamour and melodrama than had previously been in vogue. It dealt with issues of real characters, the struggles of working class couples, families and individuals. Turbulent interpersonal relationships were often explored in such works, in a way they had not been before.
Also included in this release are the brand new special features The Show Must Go On: An Interview with Alvin Rakoff and More to the Point: An Interview with Neil Sinyard.
The Comedy Man is the newest addition to Studiocanal‘s Vintage Classics Collection. The collection contains previous releases such as The Servant (1963), The Wicker Man (1973), King and Country (1964), Appointment in London (1953), The Third Man (1949), An Inspector Calls (1954), The Gentle Gunman (1952), Peeping Tom (1960), The Dambusters (1955), The Ladykillers (1955) and many more.
