Harlequin – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Australia, 1980
Director: Simon Wincer
Writers: Everett De Roche, Jon George, Neill D. Hicks
Cast: Robert Powell, David Hemmings, Carmen Duncan, Broderick Crawford, Gus Mercurio, Alan Cassell, Mark Spain, Alyson Best

Release Date: March 16th, 2025 (UK), March 17th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 95 Minutes 45 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"When eccentric faith healer Gregory Wolfe (Powell) apparently cures the terminally ill son of Senator Nick Rast (Hemmings), Rast’s wife (Duncan) places her faith in Wolfe’s powers. But when Wolfe begins meddling in sensitive government business, political fixer Doc Wheelan (Crawford) decides to make the problem go away..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-Ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Harlequin was scanned in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative, preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive (NPSA) of Australia by Fixafilm. Picture restoration and color correction work were carried out by Renasci Films in the UK. Thousands of instances of dirt were removed, scratches, stains, and other imperfections eliminated, and a number of torn or damaged frames repaired. No grain management, edge enhancement, or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

Harlequin comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.9 GB

Feature: 56 GB

The source is in excellent shape; flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, during the opening credits, grain looks heavier than it does for the rest of the film.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include script galleries; dialogue continuity (25 images) and screenplay (61 images), an image gallery (59 images - stills /posters), Australian theatrical trailer #1 (2 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Australian theatrical trailer #2 (1 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), U.S. theatrical trailer under the title Dark forces (1 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an isolated score track, an interview titled Destruction from Down Under with writer Kim Newman, who revisits the Australian genre film boom of the 1970s and 1980s (15 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), appreciation by film historian Stephen Morgan titled More Than Magic (15 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with production designer Bernard Hides, conducted on the set of Harlequin (34 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with associate producer Jane Scott, conducted on the set of Harlequin (51 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with director Simon Wincer, conducted on the set of Harlequin (75 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview from the TV show The Banzura Project with screenwriter Everett De Roche (5 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview from the TV show Clapperboard with actors David Hemmings and Robert Powell (6 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), ‘Not Quite Hollywood’ interviews: Simon Wincer (20 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), producer Antony I Ginnane (21 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Everett De Roche (3 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and actor Gus Mercurio (5 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Simon Wincer and Antony I Ginnane, and an 80-page book with cast & crew information, an essay titled Not quite Australia written by Julian Upton, extracts from producer Antony I Ginnane’s unpublished memoirs titled Memories of Harlequin, an archival interview with Ginnane conducted by Peter Beilby and Scott Murray, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Simon Wincer directed Harlequin. He’s known for Snapshot, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, and The Phantom. Harlequin was released in the U.S. under the alternate title Dark Forces.

A mysterious man with magical healing powers cures a senator’s son of cancer. Skeptical of the man’s abilities, the senator's advisors and the doctor who treated his son insist that the healer is merely a conman.

At the core of Harlequin is a tale about a Rasputin-like character named Gregory whose origins and source of his magical powers are never fully revealed. One could also assume that Gregory is a devil-like character in the way that he pushes everyone he comes in contact with over the edge. At first his special gift is embraced by those who come in contact with him. The tide turns as he gains more power over those close to him. His spiritual hold over his devotees does not sit well with the nonbelievers, who take action and eliminate him before his hold is too strong. The magic that Gregory uses can be interpreted as a reflection of the manipulation often found in politics. This concept is subtly referenced in a scene near the conclusion. When Gregory tries to show Senator Rast the truth, he refuses to acknowledge it. That said, an open-ended finale is an appropriate coda for the film.

The most surprising aspect of Harlequin is the performances, especially Robert Powell’s (The Survivor) portrayal of the enigmatic Gregory Wolfe. The strength of his performance relies on how it is never fully revealed if his character is benevolent or has sinister motives. Gregory Wolfe is a chameleon character that’s hard to pin down, and he delivers a tour de force performance that stands out as his best. Child performances often fall short; however, Mark Spain, portraying the senator’s son cured by Gregory Wolfe, delivers an effective performance that complements Robert Powell’s portrayal. Other performances of note are David Hemmings (Deep Red) in the role of Senator Nick Rast and Carmen Duncan (Turkey Shoot), who portrays Rast’s attention-starved wife.

Illusions play a significant role in the story that unfolds. That said, although the special effects show their age, they work well within the framework of what's happening onscreen. The well-constructed narrative quickly draws you in and holds your attention; pacing is never an issue, as there is rarely a moment to catch your breath. Another area where Harlequin excels is Brian May’s (Mad Max) exemplary score, which does a phenomenal job heightening the mood. Ultimately, Harlequin is an excellent supernatural thriller that does a superb job blurring the line between what is real and what is an illusion.

Harlequin gets an excellent release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer