Notes On Blindness

Notes On Blindness was a multi-faceted project from the start, showing at Sundance and other festivals alongside a virtual reality experience (accessible for free here) to enhance John's words. This thoughtfulness extends to the DVD package produced by Curzon Artificial Eye.

It features, alongside the regular feature - which also has HoH subtitles for those who require them - a series of alternative soundtracks.

One is the sort of audio descriptive track that will be familiar to viewers with sight loss, read by Louise Fryer in the standard fashion. Showing what a difference intonation can make, is Stephen Mangan's second audio description. Although he is working from the same script, he brings a warmth of tone to it that more connects in a more emotional fashion that Fryer.

Finally, there is an "enhanced soundtrack version" which, in the spirit of trying to immerse myself as a sighted person more fully in Hull's world - and that of the film - I watched while wearing a sleep mask, which I realise sounds a bit odd but was well worth a go. The result is a beautifully immersive experience, halfway between an essay and a radio play, that takes flight from the day to day narrative into more intellectual, less concrete spaces by way of additional audio from Hull.

There are a series of short featurettes also included - Notes On Notes On Blindness, Directing As a Team, Lip Synching and John And Marilyn - all are informative, if brief. The only small shame is that these extras don't feature HoH subtitles, which seems a pity given the lengths taken for accessibility elsewhere.