Eclipse is a little-known/ rarely-seen British film, which sits somewhere between glum drama and a slowly unfolding psychological thriller. The late 1970s picture is largely set in the wintertime on the lonely and barren Scottish coast. It regards a death at sea, and a small Christmas gathering touched by moments of troubling behaviour, doubt, unsettling reveals- all edged by an uneasy to jarring electronic score, which bubbles up ever so often.  Here from the BFI’s Flipside series is a new Blu-ray release of the film, taking a new 2k scan, new commentary track, and a small selection of new & archive extras.

Eclipse was made in 1977- it was directed and co-written by Farnham, Surrey born Simon Perry- being based on a Nicholas Wollaston 1974 novel of the same name. Eclipse was Perry’s one and only be it film-feature or short, though he is more known as a producer having thirty credits to his name, taking in the likes of 1984 (1984), White Mischief (1987),  Brimstone( 2016), Tom Of Finland ( 2017), and Holiday (2018)- so a decidedly varied selection of titles.

The one-hour and twenty-five-minute film opens with a woman walking her dog alone a barren & deserted beach- she sees a man with a cracked open head, and we then switch to a death inquest. It turns out the man's name was Geoffrey, and he was lost at sea while out on the sea with his brother Tom- Tom Conti( Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, Shirley Valentine, Oppenheimer) plays both brothers. The case is declared as an accidental death

Next, we see Tom driving out to spend time with his brother's wife Cleo( Gay Hamilton), and his nine-year-old nephew, Giles( Gavin Wallace) for the Christmas holiday. The pair live on the stark Scottish coastline, and aside from a lighthouse, there are no neighbours nearby.  

As things slowly but surely unfold, we get to know the three- Cleo is an alcoholic, switching between being a  good enough parent to unpredictable. Giles is a typical nine-year-old of the 70’s, keen for adventure and play. Tom is seemingly a doting uncle and brother-in-law.

The film uses flashbacks to the day before/ the night Geoffrey died, and the trio's rather downbeat/ trying to be positive Christmas celebrations. The picture effectively utilises an electronic score, which only bubbles or suddenly jars in-  it moves between blends of atmospherics and discord, wabbling ambience, etc.

Each of the three actors do well in their roles, but the most praise goes to Conti for his double role of the two brothers, as each is distinctive with their own mannerisms, looks, and character.

Eclipse is very much a slow ‘n’ low-burning mix of drama and psychological thriller, with both subtle and jarring plot reveals. And later on, there really are some shocking/ unsettling moments, as well as a tangible feeling of dread-filled unease, which at times get quite tense. As debut films go, Eclipse is well realised, often bleakly scoped, and decidedly haunting, at points eerie picture.

This new Blu-ray features a new 2k scan of the film- this looks nicely clean and crisp, with well-defined colours. On the extras side, we get a few things- both new & old- let's first talk about the new things. First up, we have a commentary track from Vic Pratt, co-founder of BFI Flipside. He starts off talking about how the film is a particular and striking, and how if left the cinema screens quickly, making little or no impact. He chats about how it’s a picture of space, time, rotations, and retelling of stories. He touches on the film score, commenting on how avant-garde it would have sounded when the film appeared, comparing it to the early work of Kraftwerk or the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.  He talks about the differences between the novel and film, and how the latter is very cinematic. He touches on the career of the film's child star Wallance, and gives a deeper dive into Mr Conti's career. Later on, he talks about the film's producer. We get quotes from reviews of the time, and find out the novel resolves more positively than the film. So a worth a play track.

The other new extra is Sun & Moon – Tom Conti Discusses Eclipse( 9.47). The actor starts off by saying it was not an easy shoot, there were issues with the lighting, and he had to learn to swim, so as not to drown in the out at sea shots. He talks about working with female co-founder Gay Hamilton, a few times before. And how the production brought the turkey used in the film too early, so when they came to use it in the end of the shoot, it had gone off, even though it had been kept in a fridge. 

On the archive side, we have Relative Strangers: two stylish short films, The Chalk Mark (1989, 24 mins) and Marooned (1994, 20 mins), that echo the disjointed relationships central to Eclipse . Not Waving, Drowning: Joe and Petunia: Coastguard (1968, 2 mins); Charley Says: Falling in the Water (1973, 1 min); Lonely Water (1973, 2 mins): three water-safety focused Public Information Films.  The disc is finished off with a new trailer and an image gallery.

The finished release comes with an  Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Vic Pratt, an archival interview with director Simon Perry, an original review, an essay on the film’s locations by Douglas Weir and writing on The Chalk Mark and Marooned by the BFI’s William Fowler.

If you have a penchant for very slow burn blends of drama and low-key thriller, then Eclipse is a must. With this new BFI release taking in a great new scan, and a good selection of new and archive extras.