From Larry Peerce, the acclaimed director of One Potato, Two Potato, The Incident, Goodbye, Columbus, Ash Wednesday, The Other Side of the Mountain and Two-Minute Warning, comes this jet-black satire that takes a brilliant and bloody look at power, hypocrisy and corruption. The Centennial Club: a rich man’s paradise, where he can get away from business, his wife and the “lower” classes. The very select membership limits itself to those bred to rule—the American Royalty. When the current members of the club meet for a 100-year anniversary celebration, one of the younger men decides it’s time to “purify” the membership. His plan takes shape as the opening of a time capsule sets off a wild party and men suddenly revert to a savage animal level. Starring Robert Fields (They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?), Maggie Blye (The Italian Job), Nicolas Coster (The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper), Jack Warden (The White Buffalo) and Linda Blair (Savage Streets), it’s a film of disturbing yet insightful surprises!

For thoughts on The Sporting Club, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

The Sporting Club debuts on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from a new 4K restoration by StudioCanal. The film has been all but impossible to find since the VHS era, so it is quite satisfying to have it looking so great now. This presentation is very striking with only the occasional deficit here and there. The color saturation is strong with the earthy hues of the woods coming through nicely along with some vibrant colors in some of the clothing. Instances of print damage have been cleaned up immensely with very little in the way of specks or marks visible.

Black levels are very pleasing in their depth with only some of the more shadowy scenes lacking some precise detail. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation which resolves without becoming chunky or swarmy – just a little dense in some shots. Overall clarity and detail is admirable with natural skin tones and subtle facial features that are easily noticeable in closeup. There is a very memorable ending sequence which becomes slightly less defined to coincide with the free-flowing nature of the narrative action. This new presentation from Scorpion Releasing is a gift for those who have long to check out this film. .

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this film really well. Dialogue comes through crisply without any notable issues such as competition from other sounds. Environmental noises such as crackling fire or murmuring of the various groups are rendered well alongside everything else. The score and soundtrack sets a unique tone for this story that maintains wonderful fidelity. The source elements seem to be in fine shape here as you rarely experience much in the way of wear and tear or distortion. Scorpion Releasing has delivered a great audio presentation. There are English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer provides a really informative commentary track in which he discusses the background and forgotten nature of this film, the careful camera movement, the soundtrack, the careers of the performers in the film, the filmmaking of Larry Peerce, the themes at the core of the narrative and much more that makes for a rewarding listen.

Interview with Director Larry Peerce: A new 19-minute interview with Peerce in which he discusses how this film fits into his career, his personal background, the reaction to the film, the arc of the narrative, the changes that were made outside of his control, the shooting locations, the concerns over filming the very interesting finale and more. Peerce is very clear and honest about his experiences which makes this an essential viewing.

Interview with Co-Star Nicolas Coster: A new 15-minute interview with Coster in which he discusses his professional background and early history in the movie business, his admiration for Larry Peerce, memories of his co-stars, the ways in which the film was compromised and more.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for The Farmer, Trackdown, Privilege and Slow Dancing In The Big City.

Final Thoughts

The Sporting Club is a really wild and ambitious film which will be a source of confusion to certain segments of the audience, but greatly appreciated for its sly social critiques by others. Larry Peerce apparently had his creative vision tinkered with after the film was out of his hands, but there is still much to admire in the final product. There is an unsettling sense of disquiet and paranoia which permeates the mood and sustains itself until the unexpected conclusion. It is far from a perfect film, but really worth checking out all the same. Scorpion Releasing and Kino Classics have released a new Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and some engaging special features. If you have been on the hunt for this film, you will be excited by what has been delivered. Recommended

The Sporting Club 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: Scorpion Releasing and Kino Classics have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.