DVD

The Blue Underground Syndrome

Source: Dark Discussion

We've not heard much from cult DVD producers Blue Underground recently, barring a few Argento and Fulci re-releases, with news so quiet that many people began to speculate that the company might be on the verge of folding. On a recent webcast interview at Deadpit.com, however, head honcho Bill Lustig let slip some morsels of information, the tastiest of which was the news that the company plans to release a 2-disc special edition of The Stendhal Syndrome, Dario Argento's best film of the last two decades, in August. For Region 1-restricted American fans especially, who currently have to make do with Troma's monstrosity, this is huge news. For the more fortunate, a good but not brilliant 2-disc release has been available from Italy since late 2003, but even so I'll be all over this if Lustig and co are able to deliver on the bonus content, and perhaps even issue a better transfer.

Of course, if they don't include the superior Italian dub (which features Asia Argento's own voice) then I would personally consider the disc more or less worthless, as the film is incredibly painful to watch in English (and is also missing a couple of minutes of footage only found in the Italian print). Blue Underground were kind enough to include Italian audio for their 2005 2-discer of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and also for Paolo Cavara's The Black Belly of the Tarantula, but it must be said that, as far as including Italian audio is concerned, their track record isn't all that great. Still, here's hoping.

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

Mother of Scissors

Source: Dark Discussion

According to a news post on Dario Argento's Profondo Rosso shop web site, The Third Mother's distributor, Medusa, have not only delayed the film's release date to October 31st (so they can have a Halloween-themed advertising campaign), but are also demanding cuts to the film's more violent scenes and effects. This sort of thing truly beggars belief. Did Medusa seriously think that the sequel to Suspiria and Inferno wouldn't be violent? What is the point of this? This isn't even a censor attempting to cut things, just a bunch of meddling executives sticking their oar in.

I suppose the best course of action right now is to hope that the news becomes widespread and a backlash from angry fans convinces Medusa to rethink their decision. Failing that, we can only hope that it will eventually surface in an uncut form on DVD. This really is the story of Argento's career, isn't it? Something tells me that something is seriously wrong with the way people think when Pelts can be screened on American television without any cuts, but what has got to be one of the most highly-anticipated sequels of all time for the Euro-cult crowd looks set to be butchered at the whims of a bunch of people in suits.

Royale cuts

Source: Mobius

Much has been made of cuts made to Casino Royale's infamous torture sequence in the UK in order to secure a 12 rating. All well and good, but few people seem to be aware that the US release is in fact cut as well. The MPAA took the scissors to it (by proxy, at any rate), with two key action scenes being cut quite substantially. The first is the black and white bathroom beating that runs before the opening credits, and the second is the stairwell fight at Casino Royale. In both cases, several shots have been removed entirely, shortened or substituted, although, in practice, these don't make a huge amount of difference to the way the film plays. I've compared my Blu-ray copy with an, erm, other version, and noted the following differences. (Obviously, spoilers abound, although none of them particularly major.)

At 00:01:50:
Dryden: "Your file shows no kills, and it takes - "
Bond: "Two."
CUT to a flashback of Bond's first kill. He kicks Dryden's contact in the chest, sending him crashing backwards into a toilet cubicle.
CUT to a higher angle as the contact flies backwards.
CUT to a close-up of Bond advancing on him.
CUT to a wider shot as Bond punches the contact in the face.
CUT to a slightly different angle as Bond punches again with his other hand. This time the contact dodges. The door to the cubicle shuts in the process.
CUT to a close-up of the two men struggling.
CUT to an overhead shot as Bond barrels the contact backwards, smashing down a wall in the process.
CUT to Bond elbowing the contact in the chest. NOTE: the first and last few frames of this shot are missing in the US version.
CUT to Bond smashing the door into the contact's face. NOTE: missing from the US version.
CUT to Bond and the contact both barrelling through the door.
CUT to a wider shot as they both land on the ground.
CUT to a different angle as Bond gets to his feet.
CUT to a different angle as Bond kicks the contact in the face NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond grabbing the contact, who in turn grabs a garbage can, which he hurls at Bond. NOTE: in the US version, we only get the last few frames of this.
CUT to Bond kicking the bin away.
CUT back to Dryden's office, where he points his gun at Bond.

At 00:02:27:
Dryden: "How did he die?"
Bond: "Your contact? Not well."
CUT to Bond hurling the contact into a row of sinks, one of which smashes as he hits the floor. Bond hauls him to his feet and manouevres him towards another sink.
CUT to a low angle shot showing the contact's face as he struggles. NOTE: the US version loses many frames at the start of this shot.
CUT to a wider shot as Bond tries to force the contact's head into the sink.
CUT to a close-up a gun on the floor, which the contact picks up.
CUT to a wider shot, as the contact tries to aim the gun at Bond. Bond deflects it, causing the bullet to hit another sink.
CUT to a higher angle shot as Bond smashes the contact's hand into a mirror, causing him to drop the gun.
CUT to a close-up of Bond's face as he pushes the contact's head underwater.
CUT to a close-up of the contact as he is held under. NOTE: in the US version, much of this shot is replaced with a shot of the contact's legs kicking.
CUT back to a close-up of Bond's face. NOTE: missing in US version.
CUT back to the contact as his struggles weaken. NOTE: missing in US version.
CUT back to a close-up of Bond's face.
CUT back to a close-up of the now-lifeless contact as he falls.
CUT to a wider shot as the contact hits the ground.

At 01:19:52:
Bad Guy 1 enters the stairwell. Bond grabs him.
CUT to Bond kicking him over the bannisters.
CUT to a low angle shot of him falling. Bad Guy 2 comes in, swinging his sword and knocking the gun out of Bond's hand. Bond and Vesper retreat down the stairs and BG2 continues swinging, hitting the bannister and causing sparks to fly.
CUT to a high shot showing BG1 hitting the ground below. NOTE: missing in US version.
CUT back to BG2 continuing to swing his sword. NOTE: in the US Version, this is a continuous shot with the shot immediately before the previous one.
CUT to a tight shot as BG2 kicks Bond.
CUT to a higher shot from behind as BG2 swings and Vesper runs away.
CUT to a close-up of Bond's face as he throws BG2 past him.
CUT to a close-up of BG2 as Bond smashes his head into a window, shattering it. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wider shot as BG2 recovers and swings again. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond throwing him against a wall. NOTE: the first few frames are missing in the US version.
CUT to a wider shot as BG2 swings again. Bond dodges under him.
CUT to a low wide shot showing Bond, Vesper and BG2.
CUT to a close-up as Bond grabs BG2's arm.
CUT to a wider shot as Bond tosses him down the stairs, flipping him over.
CUT to BG2 landing on his back, narrowly missing Vesper.
CUT to Vesper running.
CUT to BG2 grabbing Vesper's leg. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Vesper falling but stopping herself in time. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond getting up.
CUT to an overhead shot as Vesper runs away and Bond leaps down a few steps.
CUT to Vesper running as Bond and BG2 struggle.
CUT to a behind overhead shot as Bond and BG2 fight.
CUT to a close-up of BG2 swinging at Bond.
CUT to Bond aiming at BG2 with his elbow.
CUT to a wider shot of Bond elbowing BG2 in the face.
CUT to BG2 grabbing Bond from behind and hurling both of them down the stairs.
CUT to an overhead shot as they fall.
CUT to them falling behind Vesper.
CUT to an overhead shot as they hit the floor.
CUT to BG2 getting up and lunging.
CUT to Bond jumping out the way as BG2 swings his sword.
CUT to the opposite angle as Bond falls down the stairs backwards.
CUT to a close-up of Vesper looking up.
CUT to BG2 swinging and Bond dodging.
CUT to a close-up of Bond as BG2 swings again.
CUT to a high wide angle as Vesper runs down another flight of stairs.
CUT to Bond blocking the sword with his jacket.
CUT to BG2 kicking Bond down the stairs.
CUT to Bond hitting his head on the wall.
CUT to a low shot as BG2 jumps down the stairs, waving his sword.
CUT to a wide shot as Bond rolls backwards and gets to his feet. BG2 swings again.
CUT to a lower shot as BG2 drops his sword.
CUT to Vesper running to the emergency exit and trying to open it.
CUT to a wide shot as BG2 shoves Bond pulls back in anticipation of headbutting him. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wide shot of BG2 falling back. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to BG2 reacting as Bond kicks him. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wide shot as BG2 rams Bond against the wall. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a close-up of Bond hitting BG2 and then dodging another blow.
CUT to a wide shot as Bond smashes BG2's head into the wall, then throws them both over the bannister.
CUT to a different shot as they fall.
CUT to an overhead shot as they both hit the ground.
CUT to Vesper reacting to the sound of them falling.
CUT to a close-up of Bond and BG2 struggling on the floor, Bond choking BG2.
CUT to BG2's legs kicking.
CUT to a different shot of his legs kicking. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a close-up of BG2's face as he chokes.
CUT to him reaching for the gun on the ground. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wider shot of them struggling. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to him reaching for the gun again. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond's face.
CUT to BG2 grabbing at the gun.
CUT to Vesper rushing forward.
CUT to a high wide angle as Vesper grab's BG2's gun hand.
CUT to a close-up as Vesper smashes his hand against the floor.
CUT to a close-up of BG2's face.
CUT to a wider shot of Vesper smashing his hand on the floor.
CUT to the gun flying out of BG2's hand.
CUT to a close-up of Vesper as the gun fires.
CUT to Bond's face.
CUT to BG2's face.
CUT to BG2's legs kicking, slowly.
CUT to Vesper watching.
CUT to BG's legs slowing. NOTE: only in US version.
CUT to BG2's face as it goes lifeless and Bond lets him fall.

Note that I'm not aware of the status of the UK release. It may be that the only cuts are to the torture sequence, or it may be instead that it also includes these MPAA cuts. Either way, the Region 3 release is currently considered to be director Martin Campbell's approved cut.

DVD review: Asterix and the Vikings

Despite these criticisms, Asterix and the Vikings leaves an overall impression of being one of the better adaptations of the series. We've been starved for traditional animation lately, and to see a new film that is not only hand-drawn but also drawn well is a rare treat indeed. Still, if you're already a fan of the book, don't expect this adaptation to convey the depth and tone of the source material, although, conversely, it may give you a newfound appreciation for what Goscinny and Uderzo were able to achieve in only 44 pages that the filmmakers struggle to convey in 75 minutes. That said, a new Asterix has been a long time in coming, and I only hope we don't have to wait another 12 years for the next one.

I've reviewed the UK DVD of Asterix and the Vikings, the latest animated feature starring the wily yellow-whiskered Gaul, given a decidedly unimpressive release by Optimum.

Asterix in Britain

I received a check disc of Optimum's recent UK DVD release of Asterix and the Vikings for review this morning (expect a review at DVD Times at noon tomorrow - one of the fastest turnarounds I've ever given a review disc, although the fact that the review of the film itself was already written helps).

Unfortunately, Optimum clearly felt the need to ensure that this disc fit in with their DVDs of the first six Asterix films, which means that it's not a particularly impressive release at all. The transfer is a slight improvement on its French counterpart, which looked overly harsh and with some oddly jagged outlines. The lines in this new release are still slightly too jaggy for my liking, and there are a few visible compression artefacts here and there, not to mention the fact that the whole image has a rather filtered appearance to it, but the rampant edge enhancement has been tamed, resulting in a smoother and overall more eye-pleasing images.

Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends. The French DVD featured English and French audio tracks (both 2.0 and 5.1) and subtitles, but all Optimum provides is a 2.0 English track - not even any subtitles (take that, disability anti-discrimination enforcers!). Okay, so the film was made in English, but the French dub was, in my opinion, the better of the two, and, in any event, I don't understand the justification for leaving out the 5.1 mix. It's not as if the film was made in stereo!

Oh, and there are no extras.

I really don't understand Optimum. They put out some amazing discs, including what it probably the best all-round version of Howl's Moving Castle in the world, not to mention what seems to be a fully-loaded special edition of Pan's Labyrinth (a film I really want to see, by the way, although I'm holding out for an HD DVD release), but they're also capable of putting out some absolute junk. Okay, so Asterix and the Vikings hardly fits under the category of "junk", but it's decidedly underwhelming nonetheless, particularly when a much better version can be had in France... oh, and supposedly an HD DVD is being released in Spain at some point within the next couple of months from DeAPlaneta. Now I sincerely hope they get that right.

DVD review: Waking the Dead: Series 4

Waking the Dead is one of these shows that can rub people the wrong way. Many viewers dislike the character of Boyd and his temper tantrums, and the manner in which Trevor Eve portrays him (although, in comparison with the most recent series, he is an absolute saint here). Others find it confusing for the sake of being confusing (again, this may be true of later series, but the cases presented here are for the most part, logical). I consider it an excellent series, however, and one which, at least at this stage in its life, could be relied on to deliver solid entertainment week in, week out. It may be resembling CSI more and more with every year that passes (there's always something slightly painful about an older child aping its younger siblings), but it's nice to see a home-grown crime series which doesn't insist on insulting its audience's intelligence.

With the sixth series of Waking the Dead having recently drawn to a close, I've taken a look at the Cold Case Squad's fourth series, released on DVD by 2 Entertain.

Just to set the record straight...

I think it would be a good idea if I clarify a few issues regarding my coverage of Severin Films' DVD release of Perversion Story, as one or two people seem to have misinterpreted my comments (or I didn't make my comments clear enough, or a combination of the two).

First things first, my in-depth comparison of the two cuts is in no way intended as a means to tar and feather Severin or encourage people to boycott their DVD. Rather, it's there so people can not only make an informed decision about their purchase, but also learn about the differences between the two versions if such matters interest them. I have no intent to persuade people not to buy the DVD: everyone is free to make up their own minds, so I am simply presenting the facts about this release in what I hope is a clear and unambiguous manner. For what it's worth, I would actually encourage people to buy it, but simply to be aware that it will be missing some key scenes that they may be expecting to see.

According to Marc Morris over at the Anchor Bay UK forum, the French cut was the only version Severin had access to, as it was what was supplied to them by the licensor (who apparently didn't know that any alternative versions existed). As such, they could either release the version we now have, or not release it at all. Given the choice, I think we all know which is the preferable option. As such, Severin's only "crime" (so to speak) was not making it clear which version they were releasing (except on their web site). Now, you may say "But they never said they were going to release a full-length version, so what have they done wrong?" Well, as a point of comparison, what if Anchor Bay decided to release George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead on DVD, but only put out the Italian Argento cut, and didn't indicate anywhere on the packaging that this was the version being included. Technically, they would have done nothing wrong. It's a legitimate alternate cut of the film, just like the French Perversion Story cut. I suspect some people would be a bit put out, though. The simple fact is that most people, not unreasonably, assume they'll be getting the complete package, just as, when I order a pizza, I don't expect it to be delivered with a slice missing ("Well, we never said you'd get the whole pizza..."). Of course, when multiple alternate cuts exist, it becomes a lot more complicated, but I'm a big believer in clear advertising: I think that if you're going to put out a DVD that features a cut of a film that's missing material that most people are likely to be used to, you have a duty to state this.

It's sometimes difficult to reconcile the differences between two distinct crowds of Euro-cult fandom. The way I see it, there are two extremes, with most people being somewhere in the middle. At one end of the spectrum, there are the people who expect every release to be absolutely perfect, cry blue murder if there's the slightest flaw, and organise mass boycotts to teach those nasty distributors a lesson. I certainly am not going to go this far: I expect a certain level of transparency from distributors (i.e. be honest about what you're releasing - if there are multiple versions of a title available, make it clear which one you're putting out, and get the running time correct on the back cover!), and I expect high standards, but within reason.

At the other end of the spectrum, there's the "put up and shut up" crowd that, for some reason, thinks we should be grateful for anything that gets put out, no matter how expensive and no matter how poor the quality. In my experience, these are quite often people who collected grimy bootlegs in the 80s and 90s and believe that this somehow makes them more "legitimate" fans than those who only came along with the advent of DVD. Of course, they too are only seeing these films second-hand, having not been around for their original 70s releases, although this is something that they conveniently choose to forget. There's a certain level of masochism here: "I had to put up with a worse copy than you!"

Generalising much? Maybe, but, in the four and a half (or thereabouts) years that I've been actively into these films, I've come across fans from both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between. Obviously most people are a bit more realistic, but you do get the odd lone nutter who thinks that a couple of seconds of accidentally misplaced footage is grounds for fire-bombing the distributor's headquarters, or who thinks that anything better than a VHS dupe is good enough. Both extremes do damage to the Euro-cult scene: the former because, if everyone were to boycott every release with the slightest problem, the companies responsible would soon go out of business; the latter because, if everyone took the "it'll do" attitude, the overall standard of DVDs would be much lower. Does anyone seriously believe we would have received the excellent new release of A Lizard in a Woman's Skin without a whole lot of complaining about the previous version?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we should expect high standards, but within reason. And Severin's DVD of Perversion Story is of a high standard. No, it's not definitive, and I'm personally disappointed that Severin only had access to the French cut (the English version is a better film, frankly), but it looks as if they've made the best of a problematic situation. As such, while I can't pretend that I don't hope a more all-inclusive version comes along at a later date, I don't think that should put you off buying their DVD. At the end of the day, though, the choice is yours.

Oh look, a smear campaign!

http://www.anchorbay.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=11321&page=2

Apparently making people aware of the differences between the English and French cuts of Perversion Story, and wondering why Severin elected to include the latter on their DVD, is just one step too far some people. Generally speaking I find fans of the Euro-cult circuit to be most pleasant people, but there are a few really hateful individuals out there.

DVD review: Perversion Story

Given that more than ten minutes of important material are missing from this release, it's difficult to call Severin's DVD of Perversion Story definitive. It is, however, a legitimate cut of the film, and as such it still gets my recommendation, albeit with the warning that, if you are already familiar with the film in its more widely available English form, you are likely to find some of the instances of missing footage rather distracting. Until a more complete edition comes along, though, Severin's package is probably the best way to view this long-lost giallo gem.

Better known as One on Top of the Other, Lucio Fulci's long-lost first giallo finally arrives on DVD from Severin Films as Perversion Story. I've reviewed their 2-disc release, courtesy of DVD Pacific.

I've also made my comparison available in HTML form here, with some handy screen captures to illustrate some of the differences.

DVDs I bought or received in the month of February

• American Psycho (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Babel (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• Beatrice Cenci (R2 France, SD DVD)
• The Descent (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Enemy of the State (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Kingdom of Heaven (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Masters of Horror: Pelts (R1 USA, SD DVD)
• Perversion Story (R0 USA, SD DVD)
• This Film is Not Yet Rated (R1 USA, SD DVD)

As you can see, a rather blue month for me - put that down to the giddy thrills of a new format to play around with. I suspect that, in future months, as the HD DVD side continues to ramp up production, there will be a more even split between the two formats as far as purchases are concerned.

Warner talks HD

Source: Home Theater Forum

On Monday night, in a live chat with Home Theater Forum, Warner Home Video unveiled some of its plans for the next year, including a considerable amount of material pertaining to HD DVD and Blu-ray. I've selected a few of what I consider the most important announcements:

• Warner's intention, wherever possible, seems to be to keep bonus content the same across the board for DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray (although, obviously, DVD releases won't be able to have In-Movie Experience features).
   
• Warner isn't commenting on New Line's releases, as they only handle distribution, not content.
   
• North by Northwest will not be released until 2009, its 50th anniversary. A new master will be created, since the one used for the DVD release is 1080i only. (Hopefully they won't go overboard with the DVNR this time, then.)
   
• Michael Mann's Heat is due to be released in 2008.
   
• A deluxe Blade Runner box set will be coming out later this year, with comparable extras to the standard definition release (presumably this also means that it will feature an extravaganza of different cuts of the film).
   
• Deliverance, Poltergeist and LA Confidential will all be coming out this year, the former as a 35th anniversary edition and the latter as a 10th anniversary edition.
   
• Many Kubrick titles, originally expected in 2006, will see the light of day this year.
   
• The studio is considering new high definition masters of Hammer films for DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray.
   
• There will be many further high definition announcements in the next few weeks.

By the very nature of these web chats, it's all still a little sketchy at this stage. Most glaring is the fact that the ongoing Blu-ray interactivity issues (which apparently are causing Warner to hold back a lot of titles with the In-Movie Experience, on both Blu-ray and HD DVD, in order to avoid accusations of "favouritism") are not discussed, so we're still no closer to knowing when the big guns like the Matrix trilogy will be seeing the light of day (although a tentative schedule does exist for France, where the local Warner division presumably couldn't give two hoots about the people whining about "favouritism"). Still, some good titles have been confirmed, and I for one look forward to seeing what else gets announced in the coming weeks.

A comprehensive catalogue of perversions

My full comparison between the Severin Films DVD release of Perversion Story, culled from a French print, and my VHS dupe, sourced from a US print, is now available to be viewed here. I suppose it goes without saying that this document is riddled with SPOILERS. The results are, as they say, quite eye-opening. In total, the Severin DVD includes 4 minutes and 29 seconds of footage not found on the VHS dupe, but at the same time is missing 10 minutes and 11 seconds that can be found on the VHS dupe (give or take a few seconds here and there due to missing frames, slightly more abrupt scene transitions, and my own fallibility).

Again, I must reiterate that I'm somewhat disappointed that Severin elected to go with this sexed-up French cut rather than the more narrative-driven English variant. Both cuts are, I suppose, legitimate, and without access to the 99-minute Italian version (which may, in fact, contain yet more material not found in either English or French prints), it's really difficult to get an overall impression of Fulci's intentions. That said, I really struggle to imagine him intending to throw away the material between Jean Sorel and Elsa Martinelli, the dogged investigation of Inspector Wald (John Ireland), the growing despair of the crucial character of Benjamin (Riccardo Cucciolla), or Arthur's (George Rigaud) summation of the truth behind the supposed death of Susan Dumurrier. The French cut has its merits, but few if any of the additional scenes and scene extensions that it includes are particularly relevant to the narrative. In comparison, the narrative moments lost in the French cut give it a more fractured feel, at times making it more difficult to follow the mystery.

Personally, I'd like to hear from someone at Severin Films to get some idea of why the French cut was selected for release. Was it the only version available to them? Or did they purposefully elect to discard narrative coherence in favour of sex?

A comparative study of perversions

I'm around 25 minutes into my shot-by-shot comparison of the two different cuts of Perversion Story/One on Top of the Other, and the differences are pretty interesting. Of the material missing from the Severin DVD/French print, a considerable amount of it seems to be scenes which give away the film's geographical locations of San Francisco, Reno, etc. My guess would be that the French distributors chose to remove these in an attempt to pass it off as a film set in France, but, not having access to the French audio track, I'm unable to confirm this. It's not just geographical material, though: someone seems to have been intent on cutting the role of Alberto de Mendoza's character down to the bare minimum - most of his scenes with Jean Sorel are cut or shortened, unless absolutely necessary to the plot. There are, however, a number of moments on the Severin DVD that don't appear in the English print dupe - in addition to an extended sex scene between Sorel and Elsa Martinelli, there are a few minor shots of Sorel driving around, a brief close-up of an undertaker, a shot of him entering a strip club, and so on.

Essentially, what we seem to have here is a French cut of the film with English and Italian dialogue slapped over it. As such, it is, in my view, essentially a rogue version of the film created specially for this DVD by Severin Films, and as such it's difficult to consider the disc definitive. I'm not sure why we ended up getting the French cut, unless Severin Films simply thought: "To hell with plot and character development – people want to see Elsa Martinelli’s breasts!" I'm not really sure how to feel about the situation, because, with films like these, it's difficult to really claim there to be one "correct" cut, since so many of them are co-productions aimed at different markets, each with their own concerns and tastes. Still, I'm not best pleased that so much dialogue and character building seems to be missing from this version. Personally, given the choice between that and more explicit sex scenes, I'd take the dialogue any day of the week. Of course, in an ideal situation, an "integral" version would have been assembled, similar to what Anchor Bay did with Deep Red and Media Blasters recently did with A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, but it looks as if Severin have opted for a less labour-intensive solution. I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I understand that projects like these aren't cheap, especially when you consider that they are aimed at a niche market. As such, they probably couldn't afford to pick up multiple prints - but I do wish they'd chosen a more complete one than this French version. I'm not about to rake them over the coals, though.

If anyone wants to read my work-in-progress comparison, check out this Word document.

Perverted cuts

Bad news, folks: it would appear that Severin Films' release of Perversion Story is in fact cut after all. I came across a post at the Latarnia Forums in which user operaman35 points out the bad news:

I'm so disappointed. I thought we could trust Severin to release an uncut version of this classic Fulci giallo. But I immediately noticed that a sequence filmed in Reno, Nevada has been abbreviated (after Jean Sorel meets Elsa Martinelli at the train station - the scene where they're talking in the car while driving from California to Reno, the scene where they drive into downtown Reno, and part of their scene in a casino has been cut). In short, the Severin DVD is 5 minutes shorter (97 minutes) than the fullscreen English language Greek version (which runs 102 minutes).

I've checked the running time myself, and he is indeed correct: although the back of the DVD cover lists a running time of 103 minutes, the DVD in fact only runs for 97 minutes and 10 seconds (and it's not a standards conversion, in case anyone's wondering, so PAL speed-up doesn't enter the equation). My VHS dupe of the English print, meanwhile, runs for 98 minutes and 40 seconds, although, judging by the higher pitch of the dialogue and music, this is because it is a PAL to NTSC standards conversion (which would give it an original running time of just under 103 minutes). I've also checked the material cut from the DVD, and it's not exactly what you'd call unimportant stuff: George and Jane discuss the future of their relationship as they drive along a snowy hilltop motorway, before driving through Reno at night, and arrive at a casino, where a clerk hands George a telegram. At this point, the Severin DVD's print kicks in again, with a noticeable splice, making it fairly clear, even to the untrained eye, that something has been lopped off.

Gone!

Gone!

Gone!

Gone!

Now, this only accounts for around a minute of the running time discrepancy, and the added sexual material in the French cut accounts for a lot of additional running time, with this version still shorter than the English version, so there is obviously considerably more material missing somewhere else - at a rough estimate, I would say a good 7 minutes, at least. Clearly, I'm going to have to go through the whole thing shot by shot and catalogue the differences between the two versions.

What really galls me, ultimately, is that Severin had to conform their French print to the English and Italian audio tracks, so they must have known that material was missing! Now I understand why they list this title on their web site as the "French theatrical version" rather than the "uncut version", while their decision to release it under its French title of Perversion Story rather than the English One on Top of the Other now makes a lot more sense. As such, it's a little difficult to attack them for false advertising, but I really am rather disappointed that they didn't make an effort to release a less truncated version of the film. Essentially, we gain a bunch of raunchier sex scenes but lose elements of the plot - not exactly the sort of trade-off I'm happy about making, although at least one member of the Latarnia seems to have other ideas. ("Isn't [the sexy footage] the kind of stuff that matters? Unless it effects the narrative, isn't decrying the lack of a few minutes of dialog being a bit nit-picky?")

Burying the dead

After some delay, I finally managed to finish making my way through the fourth series of Waking the Dead this evening, a full review of which is forthcoming at DVD Times. As it happens, the sixth series finished airing on TV last Monday, and the difference between the two could not have been more pronounced. I've always liked Waking the Dead: its creator, Barbara Machin, is an excellent writer, and one capable of crafting interesting characters with believable foibles. For the first four years, the show focused on the same core five characters, but much changed at the end of the fourth series, with the departure of co-stars Holly Aird and Claire Goose (and executive producer Alexei de Keyser, who died shortly before the final episode of Series 4 was screened). The replacements drafted in to replace them have never quite managed to convince (in fact, Aird's replacement, Esther Hall, disappeared without any mention after a single series and was herself replaced by Tara FitzGerald), while the notoriously convoluted plots have become baffling in the extreme, with the writers clearly assuming that it doesn't have to make a blind bit of sense provided you include copious references to DNA and have the character of Boyd have at least three temper tantrums per episode.

Speaking of Boyd, what have they done to this character? He was always an irritable old so-and-so, an egomaniac with a belief that he who shouts the loudest will ultimately get his way, but his behaviour this year has verged on ridiculous. In the past, his outbursts were occasional and often used by the writers to make jokes at the character's expense, but the sixth series has reduced him to a slavering, screaming moron who behaves like a petulant child. Furthermore, Series 6 was so filled with blithering and moronic, incomprehensible storylines that I actually gave up mid-way through the fifth two-parter (out of six), Double Bind - something I rarely do, and never with a series of which I consider myself a regular follower. Only the final episode, Yahrzeit, which focused on an old case being investigated by Goose's character, Mel, succeeded in coming even close to matching the quality of the earlier episodes, and even then I found it a little confused as to the adopted Amelia "Mel" Silver, whose birth name was the decidedly Anglican Mary Smith, could have been trying to track down her Jewish ancestors (to be an ancestor, you surely have to be related by blood).

I really am pretty miffed by this turn of events. This show's decline has been quite staggering - the fifth series wasn't exactly brilliant, but it did have a couple of solid episodes among the dreck - and, for the first time, I'm not exactly bothered about whether or not another series will be commissioned. (In contrast, the most recent series of ITV's Trial & Retribution, which aired at the same time on the same nights as this series of Waking the Dead, and which has in the past typically been the more variable of the two shows, was consistently excellent.) Perhaps Barbara Machin needs to come back and write an episode or two, like she did for Casualty during Christmas 2006. Then again, after her two episodes of that show had aired, it promptly went back to its now-customary banality. I don't know - maybe it's just time to call it a day.

A delivery of perversion

My review copy of the long-awaited DVD release of Lucio Fulci's first giallo, Perversion Story (although I still prefer the more literal translation from the Italian Una Sull'Altra, One on Top of the Other), arrived this morning. First impressions suggest that it's a very good release. Extras are minimal, with nothing more than a theatrical trailer on the first disc, while the second disc is a CD of Riz Ortolani's score - a very welcome inclusion to be sure, but not as welcome as an insightful commentary and/or documentary would have been. The transfer, however, looks to be solid, with minimum filtering and noise reduction (although there does seem to be a little going on here and there). This version of the film, meanwhile, is not the slightly trimmed version released in Italy and English-speaking territories, but rather the raunchier French edition (and yet, on this DVD, the on-screen logo before the film is in German, while the opening credits are in Italian - confused yet?). As far as I'm aware, there are no real changes to the narrative, but the the sex scene between Jean Sorel and Marisa Mell now goes on for what seems like forever. Yowza!

Hopefully a full review will be ready for DVD Times within the next week or so.

DVD review: Masters of Horror: Pelts

Anchor Bay have put together a decent package for Pelts. The film is one of the weakest products to which Argento has ever attached his name, but it's hard to find fault with the transfer or the quality of the (admittedly somewhat limited) extras. In any event, Argento completists are going to want to own this no matter what, so it gets the strongest recommendation I can give, considering the quality of the film itself.

Dario Argento cashes a pay-cheque with Pelts, his contribution to the second season of Masters of Horror. I investigate Anchor Bay's R1 DVD, courtesy of DVD Pacific.

DVD debacle

My review copy of the R1 US DVD release of Pelts, Dario Argento's episode in the second season of the Masters of Horror TV series arrived this morning. I've not had a chance to watch it all, but I've sampled the audio commentary, featuring writer Matt Venne, which seems very good. As bad as the script is, he sounds like an intelligent, knowledgeable guy, and his enthusiasm is pretty infectious. Otherwise, the sampling of extras seems a bit lacklustre, especially compared with the inferior Jenifer, which, by all accounts, was loaded to the gills with extras on the US release (I have the Danish release, which is somewhat pared down).

Expect a full review at DVD Times in the next week or so.

DVD review: This Film is Not Yet Rated

It's an oft-overused statement, but I'm going to say it anyway: This Film is Not Yet Rated is something that anyone with any interesting films, mainstream or independent, needs to see. The MPAA's decisions have such an impact on the viewing experiences of every filmgoer, regardless of whether or not they live in the US, that people really should be more aware of just how what they can or cannot see is decided. The documentary does suffer from a handful of oversights, and it doesn't even pretend to be unbiased, while the DVD itself is hardly a technical masterpiece, but don't let those provisos dissuade you from seeking it out.

I've reviewed the recent R1 release of This Film is Not Yet Rated, a documentary exposing the practices of the notoriously clandestine MPAA.

Delivery debacle

My copy of the Blu-ray release of Ridley Scott's director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven arrived today from DVD Pacific. At 194 minutes, this is one of the longest title to be released on either of the two HD formats, as far as I'm aware beaten only by the 198-minute Spartacus on HD DVD. Anyway, on DVD, this cut of Kingdom of Heaven came in a lavish four-disc set, splitting the film across the first two and showcasing a wealth of extras on discs three and four. For the Blu-ray release, all of the extras, barring the trailer, have been disposed of. And why? Would it really have been so hard for them to include an extra disc - even a standard DVD9 or two - including the extras? Was space on the BD50 really so scarce that they couldn't toss in the three audio commentaries at a low bit rate? The first question can be answered by simply stating that Fox are cheapskates and have already built up a reputation for diddling customers over when it comes to extras on their Blu-ray releases. The second question can also be answered by going down the "Fox are cheapskates" route: instead of licensing a more efficient codec, they chose to encode the movie using bloated old MPEG2, and in doing so ensured that the only element of the disc that's "Beyond High Definition" is the pop-up menu.

Anyway, what of the transfer itself? It's impressive, and in the upper echelon of Blu-ray efforts. No, it's not The Descent or Silent Hill, and it doesn't hold a candle to HD DVD greats like Serenity and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, or even almost-but-not-quite titles like King Kong and The Adventures of Robin Hood. It is very good, though: a solid 8/10 affair marred only by some artefacting in the opening snow-laden scenes (MPEG2, look at you!) and some mild but persistent edge enhancement. Obviously, I've not watched the entire film yet, so I may uncover some additional problems when I go through it with a fine toothcomb, but first impressions would put it more or less on a level with Constantine and Robin Hood Daffy.

My copy of the French collector's edition DVD release of Lucio Fulci's Beatrice Cenci also arrived today, from FNAC, along with the two most recent "Grande Collection" Asterix books (interesting that one, shipped on the final day of the last month from Amazon.fr, arrived on the same day as the other, shipped four days ago from FNAC). I've given it the once-over, and it appears to have a decent if unremarkable transfer (it's 1.85:1, which appears to be the intended aspect ratio, although some of the opening credits on the right-hand side are barely contained within the frame on a zero-overscan display), although the lack of English subtitles is going to be a bit of a pain. Still, at least my French (rudimentary) is better than my Italian (non-existent), so I suppose I can probably just about muddle through with the help of the subtitles.