Candice Bergen is T.R. Baskin, a naïve young woman with a droll sense of humor, who ventures from small town Ohio to the bright lights of Chicago in search of an interesting career, intellectual stimulation, true love, and happiness… and instead discovers that the urban existence is as unfulfilling and lonely as the one she fled. A tender encounter with one man (James Caan) ends with an unfortunate misunderstanding. However, it leads to a therapeutic Sunday afternoon with a sincere traveling salesman (Peter Boyle), who provides hope and encouragement, as he confides in her about his own insecurities and disappointments. Herbert Ross directs this wryly humorous drama from a perceptive script by Peter Hyams.

For thoughts on T.R. Baskin, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/UbusyprQuNI?si=tn8trmGYiA8OWsn7&t=1262]

Video Quality

T.R. Baskin debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Fun City Editions with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio that is derived from a 4K restoration of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. The presentation retains the natural gritty film aesthetic of the era with image stability and clarity rendering nearly flawlessly. Everything looks natural to its intended look yet refined to avoid any unsightly, clumpy grain frozen in the background. It is a true pleasure to see how well this one has been taken care of with this new restoration.

The Chicago setting is a bit on the dreary side, but there are elements of the clothing and production design thrown in to keep things somewhat hopeful and bright. Skin tones are natural and consistent with distinct features such as freckles easily distinguishable in closeup. Virtually all instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches have been eliminated. Colors are carefully saturated with deep, natural hues coming through with precision. Black levels hold up favorably with no major moments of crush or banding observed. Fun City Editions has delivered one of our favorite presentations to date with this release.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures the soundscape of this narrative well. Dialogue is one of the most vital aspects of this experience thanks to the uniquely snarky and endearing asides from T.R. throughout her story. Every throwaway joke comes through clearly even in crowded spaces with competing elements such as rows and rows of typewriters at work. This track is not intended to be as immersive as more modern pictures, but it sounds just perfect for what it needs to accomplish. The film uses music very effectively to conjure the appropriate atmosphere with unwavering fidelity. We did not spot any shortcomings or signs of age-related wear such as sibilance or distortion. Fun City Editions has delivered the audio track this film deserves. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Ben Reiser and Scott Lucas from the 70 Movies We Saw In The 70s podcast provide a fun and informative commentary track in which they discuss the overlooked quality of this feature, the careers of the talent involved, the misreading of the tone by certain critics, the influence of Jacques Tati, the themes of the feature, the importance of the city within this narrative, and much more that is worthwhile.

Get In The Tent – Interview with Writer/Producer Peter Hyams: A new 15-minute interview with Hyams is provided in which he reflects on how this movie got him “into the tent” of the film business, how director Herbert Ross viewed the material differently from him, his friendship with the performers, the music that he wanted that didn’t make it into the film, the construction of certain sets, and more.

Booklet: There is a bound booklet included featuring the essay “Girl Meets Chicago” by critic Kat Sachs which provides a great amount of analysis and history to the viewing experience.

Final Thoughts

T.R. Baskin is one of our favorite discoveries in recent memory. We have always really enjoyed and respected Candice Bergen, but this title may have pushed us squarely into the “love” category after this totally singular performance. The mixture of heartbreaking pathos and wry comedy works really well as our titular character meets obstacle after obstacle with a unique mixture of confidence and despondency. The world has a somewhat heightened sense of reality, yet the film always delivers something emotionally truthful. It has been overlooked for years, but this is one of the best movies you haven’t seen. Fun City Editions has delivered a Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a couple of great supplemental features. Don’t overlook this gem. Highly Recommended

T.R. Baskin is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Fun City Editions has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.