ABSOLUTION (1978)

4 stars

88 Films. Blu Ray and DVD. 10th November

IN ABSOLUTION, Richard Burton plays Father Goddard – a priest and the strict form master to a bunch of teen boys at a Catholic boarding school. He has ambitions for his star pupil Benjie (Dominic Guard), maybe even becoming a priest like him. He is less enamoured with the crippled Arthur (David Bradley, of KES fame, here credited as Dai Bradley).

Of course Goddard is less than happy when he discovers that Benjie has been hanging out with Blakey (Billy Connolly in his feature film debut), a biker who has started camping in the woods near the school – and has also stolen food from the kitchen. He forbids him to see him again – which angers the young man.

In lessons they have been discussing the sanctity of the confessional – the fact that even if a person admitted to something heinous, the priest cannot tell anyone else about it. Benjie sees this as an opportunity to get back at the priest – and pleads with him to hear his confession, where he makes a false claim. Then, at another session, he says he has killed Blakey and buried him… but is he now telling the truth or still lying?

A smartly scripted thriller, this was written by Anthony Shaffer, he of WICKER MAN fame (with additional uncredited work by John Bowen and Richard O’Keefe). At one point this was considered by Christopher Lee as his next project with Shaffer after WICKER.

Directed with a sure hand by Anthony Page, Burton just about stays the right side of not hamming it up too much, and both Guard and Bradley are strong in their roles. Some clever twists and turns along the way.

Back in the mists of time I used to work in a video rental store (in the VHS days) and ABSOLUTION was one of our go to recommendations when a customer would ask “do you have a good film I can watch”. It holds up remarkably well.

Steve Kirkham

EXTRAS

Two Audio Commentaries – one by Kim Newman and Sean Hogan; one by Kevin Lyons

The 2018 Director’s Cut

Interviews with Anthony Page and Dominic Guard

Image Gallery; Original Trailer; Reversible sleeve featuring new art by Sean Longmore

Initial pressings – O Ring featuring Longmore’s artwork and a booklet written by Andrew Graves