The Red Riding Trilogy (2009)
3xDVD9 + DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 308 mins | 17,92 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery
3xDVD9 + DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 308 mins | 17,92 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery
The Red Riding Trilogy follows controversial stories revolving around the manhunt for the brutal Yorkshire Ripper. After a failed attempt to crack Fleet Street, a cynical journalist returns to his homeland of Yorkshire and finds himself assigned to report on the case of a local girl who has gone missing. But after her bizarrely mutilated body is discovered, he is thrown into a sleaze infested, nightmarish world of corruption. As the killer's identity remains a mystery, savage events spiral out of control, spanning generations and leading to a shocking climax.
The name David Peace may not be familiar to many literary buffs stateside but the bestselling English author, who recently gained fame through the TV and film adaptation of his books, may finally find himself in the spotlight. The West Yorkshire-born Peace's novels fall into the genre of fictional stories set against real-life historical events that occurred in the U.K. Peace started out with a series of four noir crime novels titled "Red Riding Quartet," that tells the fictional story of police corruption during the Yorkshire Ripper's murderous reign from 1975 to 1980. Peace then followed that up with "GB84," which is again, a fictional portrayal of the U.K. Miner's Strike from 1984. Then came "The Damned Utd," another fictional piece based on Brian Clough's disastrous 44-day reign as the manager of the Leeds United football (soccer) club.
While "The Damned Utd" has recently been made into a feature film starring Michael Sheen (who played David Frost in "Frost/Nixon"), a more notable adaptation of Peace's work is of the "Red Riding Quartet," which was turned into a three-part movie series that aired on the U.K.'s Channel 4 last year. The four novels, titled (in chronological order) "Nineteen Seventy-Four," "Nineteen Seventy-Seven," "Nineteen Eighty" and "Nineteen Eighty-Three," have been translated into into three interconnected but separate films by Tony Grisoni, who most notably had a hand in writing the screenplay for Terry Gilliam's cult classic, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." This "Red Riding" film trilogy is an ambitious undertaking to say the least for the filmmakers involved and through a grand total of 308 minutes, three different directors (with three distinct visions) and more than a dozen characters to keep track of, it is an overwhelming task for the audience as well.
The slightly befuddling decision to adapt just three of the novels ("Nineteen Seventy-Seven " is left out) can be confusing for Peace's fans. In addition, in the film adaptations, the phrase "In The Year of Our Lord" is placed in front of the titled years, as if to further emphasize the almost medieval and horrific nature of the crimes. However, this is of little consequence because each movie stands on its own merits, with the latter films referencing events from its predecessors and most of the characters appearing in multiple films. Taken together, all three films create a unified whole that envelopes the audience within a dark cocoon of deadly sins, revenge, betrayal, shifting motives and police corruption. To make the experience even more compelling than it already is, each movie is captured using a different film format: 16mm, 35mm, and high-definition digital for each of the chronologically titled films respectively. This process provides a visual style that is not only distinct across each film but also helps create an immersive, almost post-apocalyptic vision of North Yorkshire in the first two movies.
Not for the faint of heart, the "Red Riding" trilogy is a daunting and complex web of interconnected events that will test the audience's endurance as well as their ability to keep track of the story as it moves from the present to flashbacks and back without much warning. Strict continuity is forsaken as each movie offers a new angle or a glimpse into events that had already occurred. As the layers are slowly peeled away, the puzzle pieces start to come together until it finally reaches a dramatic crescendo in the last film's fantastic finale. In a movie series that incessantly projects such a bleak undertone, it is a fitting culmination–almost like sunshine shining through the clouds–to what has been, up to that point, the absolute failure of good triumphing over evil. Patience is truly rewarded.Hock Guan Teh, DVDTown
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[01] The Red Riding Trilogy: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2010)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 01:46:08 | 5,03 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery | 4 wins & 9 nominations | UK
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 01:46:08 | 5,03 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery | 4 wins & 9 nominations | UK
The year is 1974 and North Yorkshire seems almost like a wasteland of destitute. The weather is always bleak, cloudy, cold and wet, with no break in sight. Much like the heavens, the conditions on the ground are even darker and more sinister. The county is in an uproar over the disappearance of a little girl named Clare Kemplay and young hotshot crime reporter, Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield), from the Yorkshire Post, is sent in to cover the story. After some digging, Dunford begins to suspect a connection between Clare's disappearance and that of two other missing girls in the same area years before. His inquiries into this theory are met with indignation and even threats of violence from the authorities.
Early impressions of the Yorkshire police department isn't exactly favorable and it seems to be made up of self-centered and incompetent detectives, all saying the right things but none seem to be really trying very hard to solve the crime at hand. Dunford's investigations take him deep into the seedy underbelly of Yorkshire and he slowly uncovers evidence of rampant corruption and heinous cover-ups that reaches high into the ranks of the police department as well as touching powerful local property magnate, John Dawson (Sean Bean). As Dunford gets closer to the truth, the powers that be start to feel threatened and things begin to perilously spiral out of control as torture and death consume the people closes to him.
Extras:
- 1974 TV Spot
- Julian Jarrold Interview
- 1974 Deleted Scenes
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[02] The Red Riding Trilogy: The Year of Our Lord 1980 (2010)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 01:37:24 | 5,02 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery | 1 nomination | UK
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 01:37:24 | 5,02 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery | 1 nomination | UK
The year is now 1980 and the reign of the Yorkshire Ripper is at its peak. In the last five years, thirteen murders of young women have been attributed to the Ripper and the Home Office is worried about the pace of the investigations. To help things along, Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine), a well-regarded officer from Manchester is sent in to help with the Ripper inquiry. Of course, being an outsider, Hunter is welcomed not with open arms by the Yorkshire lads but with a solid wall of internal obstruction.
The same corrupt policemen characters from "1974" are again in charge of the investigations but from Hunter, they have a more sinister crime to cover up, a crime that involves one of their own. The center of attention may be the Ripper case and a possible cover-up but this film goes deeper, examining Hunter's own demons and how he deals with a depressed wife who can't conceive and an illicit affair with a fellow officer that might mean the end of his career.
Extras:
-1980 TV Spot
-1980 Making Of
-1980 Deleted Scenes
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[03] The Red Riding Trilogy: The Year of Our Lord 1983 (2010)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 01:44:36 | 4,93 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Sub: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery | 1 nomination | UK
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 01:44:36 | 4,93 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Sub: English SDH, Spanish
Genre: Crime, Neo-Noir, Mystery | 1 nomination | UK
1983 is upon us and so far, the Yorkshire Ripper has been caught (in "1980") and a local boy, Michael Myshkin (Daniel Mays) confessed and was convicted of the little girls' murders from "1974." However, a ten-year old girl, Hazel Atkins (Tamsin Mitchell) has just disappeared and it feels like 1974 all over again. On the case is Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey), a constant character from the previous two movies. Jobson is just as corrupted as the other Yorkshire officers, as evidenced by his presence at a get-together of all the corrupted officials where his boss Bill Molloy (Warren Clarke) declares in a chilling toast, "To the North, where we do what we bloody want!". However, this time, things might be different as Jobson is starting to feel a tinge of regret over his years of orchestrating cover-ups and condoning police brutality.
Caught up in all the mess is unassuming solicitor, John Piggott (Mark Addy), who had come home to Yorkshire to bury his mother. Asked by Myshkin's mother to appeal for her son's release, Piggott gets wind of the fact that Myshkin is actually a scapegoat for the murders and that his confession was coerced by both the cops and his own court-appointed lawyer. Both Piggot and Jobson must now work from opposite ends to finally bring an end to the evil that has eluded so many for so long.
Extras:
-1983 TV Spot
-1983 Making Of
-1983 Deleted Scenes
-Trilogy Theatrical Trailer
-Trilogy TV Spot
-IFC Exclusive: Behind the Scenes
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[04] Bonus Disc (2010)
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 and 4:3 | 68 mins | 2,94 Gb
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 and 4:3 | 68 mins | 2,94 Gb
This Disc contains the bonuses from three discs only.
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These are three amazing films with equally amazing acting performances by all the actors involved, who make the neo-noir world of Yorkshire circa mid-1970's and early-1980's seem so very much believable. What is also amazing is that even with three different directors with different visual and directorial styles, the trilogy of films, taken as a whole is united in their theme and instantly recognizable as a single piece of work. The films work so well in complementing one another, making the payoff for the audience to sit through all three films worthwhile. For example, a significant event that occurs in one film is further expanded and provided a logical explanation in another.
With the constant darkness (both metaphorically and visually) and graphic brutality perpetrated by the law, the corrupt policemen seemed like an unstoppable force. When the level of corruption is so deep and widespread, breaking the law to further their own agenda becomes business as usual. Throughout all three films, the neverending beating taken by the regular joe on the street puts the audience in a deeply frustrating position of wondering if the good guys would ever win. But as with all great fiction, good almost always triumphs over evil. That holds true here as well. It's just that this trilogy would never let you forget the gripping and depraved journey that you have to take in order to get to that point. The "Red Riding" trilogy is truly one of the best British crime drama series on the market today.Hock Guan Teh, DVDTown
Many Thanks to Original uploader.