Review: The Mind of Mr. Soames
Blu-ray: The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970)
With a similar narrative to the recently reviewed The Baby (grown man has the mind of an infant), The Mind of Mr. Soames is a thought provoking drama about the human condition and nature versus nurture.
When John Soames (Terence Stamp) is medically awoken by Dr. Bergen (Robert Vaughn) from a 30 year coma that he has been in since birth, Dr.Maitland (Nigel Davenport) takes it upon himself to see if he can educate Soames within a condensed time period.
Maitland’s tactics are not to the liking of Bergen, who feels that Soames emotional needs are being neglected in favour of forced education.
When Soames manages to escape the medical facility, his underdeveloped mind finds it difficult to ingratiate himself into society.
Based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Charles Eric Maine, The Mind of Mr. Soames is both wordy and sedate in its pacing. The occasional bouts of action being far overshadowed by long monologues.
With several suspenseful and unsettling scenes, The Mind of Mr. Soames does just enough to keep you engaged and caring about whether Soames will eventually find a comfortable place within society.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television, and Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic: Classic Horror Cinema 1897–2015
• The Mind of Mr Stamp (2018, 19 mins): new and exclusive interview with Terence Stamp in which he discusses his early career and the time he spent away from acting
• Memories of Mr Soames (2018, 5 mins): actor Christian Roberts, cinematographer Billy Williams, researcher John Comfort, and sound mixer John Aldred recall their experience of working on the film
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: promotional photography and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Laura Mayne, contemporary interviews with Stamp, Nigel Davenport and Robert Vaughn, profiles of cinematographer Billy Williams and writer David McIlwain, contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• World premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited Edition of 3,000 copies
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Review by Dave (host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.