Well, there's no denying that 1995 was a good year for Scottish folk heroes. Not one, but two major films dealing with characters from different time periods in Scottish history were released this past Spring and the first, 'Rob Roy', has been released on disc by MGM/UA. Though lacking the epic scope and emotional strength of Mel Gibson's wonderful 'Braveheart', 'Rob Roy', none the less, stands as one of the better films I've seen this year. Fashioned more along the lines of 1992's 'Last Of The Mohicans', 'Rob Roy' is the story of Robert Roy MacGregor, played by Liam Neeson, leader of the Clan MacGregor in early 18th century Scotland. MacGregor borrows money from a local English nobleman, the Marquis of Montrose, played by John Hurt, so his clan can buy and resell cattle to provide for the coming winter. A visiting relative of the Marquis', Archibald Cunningham, a fop and a bastard (literally and figuratively), conspires to steal the money and thus puts MacGregor in a position to lose his lands. Cunningham is played with obvious relish by Tim Roth in a performance that has to go down as one of the most vile and cold blooded villians to ever grace the screen. Most of the action is, like the ending, predictable (how many films these days aren't) but the performances are solid and Director Michael Caton-Jones does a good job of keeping things interesting. One must also make mention of Director of Photography Karl Walter Lindenlaub because perhaps the most alluring element of this film is the photography. Filmed on location in the Scottish Highlands, Lindenlaub's photography and Caton-Jones's terrific widescreen compositions make for a visually splendid show. If you are unlucky enough to only see 'Rob Roy' on scanned and cropped VHS, you are indeed getting cheated out of a rare visual treat.
MGM/UA's laser disc edition, however, does a fine job of preserving the Director's widescreen compositions as well as the mist-shrouded vistas of the Scottish countryside. Filmed in J-D-C Scope, the framing on the disc transfer looks to be dead-on 2.35:1. For the most part, this is an excellent transfer with one exception. In a number of scenes, there is noticable graininess. I am not certain if this is an artifact of the transfer or film grain, but it is only really noticable in about a third of the film. While not too severe, it is the only thing to mar an otherwise fine looking disc.
Though released theatrically in DTS, the disc carries the Dolby AC-3 logo so one presumes the matrixed mix is Dolby as well. Whichever hardware was used, the soundtrack is every bit as good as the visuals. Most notable is the wide dynamics one has come to associate with the laser format. Dialog is, in a few passages, a bit low making the Scottish brough a bit hard to make out, but then again, the Scottish brough is a bit hard to make out even when you can hear it. Carter Burwell's score is rich and full with good depth and range, though there is a notable lack of bagpipes. Perhaps he was trying to be a bit more original, but certainly James Horner's score for 'Braveheart' was more memorable with the pipes. Besides, I like bagpipes.
'Rob Roy' runs 139 minutes and the disc contains 37 chapters with the theatrical trailer (framed at 1.85:1) following the feature. The film has been spread to 3 sides in CLV. Presumably to make for better side breaks, though the breaks are not really that good. List price is $44.95 which is a tad on the high side. This may keep many from giving 'Rob Roy' a spin, but if you are a fan of this film or of well produced period pieces, you could do a lot worse.
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