The Strange Affair (1968) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: David Greene
STARRING: Michael York, Jeremy Kemp, George A. Cooper
RATED: R/Region: A/2:35/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Vinegar Syndrome
The Strange Affair is one of those late-’60s British films that desperately wants to warn you about the dangers of corruption, vice, and counterculture… while also looking like it wants to bum a cigarette and ask where the party’s at. It’s a very serious movie wearing very groovy pants.
Based on the real problems facing London’s police force in the era, the film follows a young officer (played by Michael York, looking so fresh-faced he might as well still be in the package) as he stumbles his way through a web of sleaze, manipulation, and complications that range from “poor decision-making” to “please stop, you’re embarrassing everyone.” He’s earnest, idealistic, and just naïve enough that you spend half the runtime wanting to pat him on the head and the other half wanting to shake him.
To its credit, the movie has atmosphere. That late-’60s grit is thick enough to taste—kind of like cigarette smoke blended with moral panic. And the performances are committed, especially York, who acts like he’s trying to win an award for “Most Troubled Young Policeman in a Dramatic Social Commentary.”
The problem? The Strange Affair can’t decide if it wants to be a hard-hitting examination of institutional decay or a PSA about the dangers of hanging out with the wrong crowd. Sometimes it’s sharp and gripping; other times it feels like your dad trying to explain why hippies are ruining society while wearing a tie that could signal planes.
The pacing also wobbles—not disastrously, but enough that you occasionally glance at the clock and wonder if the movie has entered its own existential crisis.
Still… there’s something genuinely compelling under all the self-seriousness. When the film leans into its rawness and stops worrying about being “Important Cinema,” it works. And even when it doesn’t, it’s never boring—just unintentionally funny in that very special “1960s British moral drama” way.
In the end, The Strange Affair is a film that takes itself too seriously but has enough style, tension, and period flavor to justify a watch. It may not be the swinging, shocking exposé it thinks it is, but it is a strangely addictive ride through London’s underbelly—complete with good intentions, questionable choices, and the occasional narrative faceplant.
Extras
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL TECHNISCOPE NEGATIVE
- Commentary track with filmmaker, film writer, and producer Kat Ellinger
- Swinging to London (5 min) – a featurette with words by actor Michael York
- Greene Recruits (35 min) – a making-of documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew
- In Like Quince (18 min) – an interview with actor David Glaisyer
- Reversible sleeve artwork
- English SDH subtitles
- REGION-A “LOCKED”
