Elgar

Perfectly reproduced in its original 4:3 monochrome splendour, Elgar looks great. The contrast is good and the picture quality free from artefacts. Occasionally the print has a few scratches, but most of the time it's fine, except for the stock footage used, which is, and probably always was, rather run down.

Of the extras included, the commentary by Ken Russell and Michael Kennedy is best. It really gives you an understanding of the making of the film and the change in public attitude toward Elgar since it was shown. Apparently, he was somewhat more adulterous and patriotic than shown on screen. Russell and Kennedy discuss the differences at length.

The Abbey Road Studio's opening is also interesting, showing Elgar conducting Land Of Hope And Glory" for HMV.

The other extras are fairly ordinary, especially the director's biography and the stills, which are functional, but little more. The video of Elgar at the Three Choirs Festival is of interest only to real trainspotters and will be skipped by everyone else.

For a television documentary from 1962, these are a good set of featurettes, managing to be interesting, although far from exceptional.