THE MOVIE

Derek and Clive Get the Horn is the irreverent documentary chronicling a live performance by comedy duo Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Eventually the mixed, polished and edited finished product would end up on their hit album Ad Nauseum. This however aims to pull back the curtain and take a peek at the creative process. It a straightforward look at the acerbic Cook and the playful Moore in a studio basically improvising a lot of the material.

Filmed over one day in 1978 at one of Richard Branson's Virgin studios, the doco garnered a lot of controversy during its initial release in Britain. It could be described as a rude video nasty - with the focus on intense and graphic discussions of sexual topics rather than violence - similarly frowned upon by the oppressive British censors.

Covering a broad range of topics, it is abundant with material that few would feel comfortable to record in conservative England during the late 70's. It shows Cook and Moore at the beginning of the downward spiral of their career together. At the time they had massive mainstream appeal and it's painfully obvious that they are aware just how many cages they are rattling with the subject matter.
The team covers almost every taboo issue, from homosexuality, religion and pedophilia to politics and, "getting the horn" at almost everything. In less than a minute the tone is set for the day and those expecting the bar to be raised are in for a shock.

The central theme is the difficulties and pressures behind the success. After viewing the documentary. It comes as little surprise that this is the last original performance between the two, whose creative dynamic is tested at every turn. Aussie director Russell Mulcahy has a rough and ready technique reminiscent of a cameraman in a war. That may not be far from reality as he captures this particular brand of lunacy.
In just over the hour and a half span of the feature, we see Moore's musical and comedic talent dwarfed by Cooks' disdain for his partner and the day rapidly deteriorates into a series of snide put downs and hateful name calling. Although it starts as a relaxed session the bile, progressively fueled by a mixture of booze and drugs, becomes unbearable and viewers will watch with the morbid curiosity usually reserved for road accidents. The later the evening gets more further the mood degenerates until finally the rift seems to grow on camera.

The horse race skit is a bright patch in the material, with double entendres echoed during the 80's in Rowan Atkinson's famous filthy roll call. The musical talent, which would help Dudley Moore achieve a successful film career, shines through some of the improvised musical numbers. Cooks overconfident persona looms heavily but he manages to produce some of the cleverest comedy of the day. Sadly these amusing moments are few and far between. When all is said and done, it is an uneven look at the personal lives of people seemingly uncomfortable with their star status. The two obviously possessed enormous talent but despite their successes, the egos of two very different people are stripped back and the clash is obvious.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

The video is presented here in full screen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. From the outset, this has the look to have been mastered from an existing VHS master. Originally filmed for theatrical release, this transfer is shown in the open matte 35mm frame. It is home to just about every sort of film artefact. There is a lot of dirt, a few scratches and even the odd blob of emulsion in the old film. The picture is soft and shimmers nearly all the time. Had this been given a theatrical release, it may have been better kept, but due to the risqué nature, this is not the case.

There is no depth of field and the shadow level is sub par. During the murky, dark presentation, there are moments of colour (which is for the most part washed out. Close ups show the scarlet tones in their faces and Cook's psychedelic orange glasses. The contrast is awful and it's a good thing that Moore is wearing white or he might end up like Cook: almost indistinguishable from the backdrop during the darker moments.

The picture quality deteriorates even further when they stray from the lit areas, which in and of themselves are not the best. The lack of lighting and the quality of the film stock contribute significantly to the overall average picture quality. The underground tone of the film is perfectly demonstrated by the quality of the video here.

Audio:

The one and only audio soundtrack is 224kbps Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. This is the soundtrack equivalent of Mick Jagger. It is only 34 years old and sounds like it is 50. On the up side dialogue is mostly understandable, although incoherent mumbling in some of Moore's characters is problematic. This is a simple audio presentation, and the sections where they move onto the instruments sound a little hollow.

Most likely the soundtrack was produced using the tapes recorded in this session because it is of higher comparative quality than the video. Having said that, the recording technology was rudimentary by modern standards. Considering it's a 34-year-old recording, we're lucky to get stereo. There are numerous pops and jumps in the soundtrack and a few sharp edits of the mix lead to some incomplete ramblings. Don’t expect too much from the mix and you won't be disappointed sonically.

THE EXTRAS

Nothing. The one and only silent menu page (a static picture of the characters Derek and Clive) leads into the only option available on the disc (Play movie). At least there is no pretense of extra features, so it's not in any way misleading. This is really a DVD version of an underground VHS tape. People who want extras would always be disappointed and fans wouldn’t need anything else.

SUMMARY

The films reputation precedes it and the reports about the release of this film are understandable, if not forgivable, considering the sensibility at the time. The banning of it by censors only served to drive this film underground, making it a cult hit in the process. It is an incoherent stream-of-consciousness torrent of comedy that is hit and miss. They are given a lot of latitude as they are always potentially on the verge of hilarity, but it rarely eventuates. Since the advent of the Internet, attitudes to all sorts of subject matter have relaxed and it fails to shock like it would have at that time.

The video presentation is terrible but provides and uncensored view of the warts and all session. The audio is better than expected and befits the underground nature of the subject. Finally, there isn't a sniff of extra materials present on the disc. For fans of radical comedy this will probably stand as a record of the momentous gathering. People going in cold though might consider this a vulgar and uncharacteristic introduction to the duo.