The Definitive Document Of The Dead (Synapse DVD)/Jaws:
Memories From Martha’s Vineyard – Expanded Second Edition (Softcover Coffee
Table Book by Matt Taylor/Titan Books)/Nobody
Else But You (2011/First Run Features DVD)/Rites Of Spring (2011/IFC/MPI DVD)/Zorro (1975/Alain Delon/Somerville House Blu-ray)
Picture: C/X/C/C/C+ Sound: C/X/C+/C+/C+ Extras: B/X/C-/D/C Main Content: B/B/B-/D/C+
Now for a
look at recent genre works, including revisitings of several classics…
Roy
Frumkes’ The Definitive Document Of The
Dead is an expanded edition of the film he originally made in 16mm to
promote and look at the making of George Romero’s 1978 classic Dawn Of The Dead, especially since it
was a rare look at an independent production of any kind at the time. This new edition has new video-shot footage
of Romero working on the sequel trilogy and discussing all six of his Dead/zombie films, plus we get more on
Romero (including an analysis of his approach to film with a welcome helping of
clips from his underrated Martin)
and it makes for a solid documentary on film culture, the slow way his films
became influential (and now over-imitated) classics and much more.
I really
enjoyed this updated look at his work (they included his underrated Monkey Shines among other things) and
Frumkes delivers an excellent audio commentary as the discs sole extra, though
you can find all six films reviewed elsewhere on this site, including on
Blu-ray and in Blu-ray imports.
Matt
Taylor’s heavily-illustrated book Jaws:
Memories From Martha’s Vineyard is here in a huge, expanded second edition
has arrived as a flexible soft cover book that is also heavy and the cover is
plasticoted. A huge winner of a
chronicle of the culture and enduring success of Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster,
it would go great with the new DTS Blu-ray edition (which supplanted the
already-impressive DTS DVD upgrade) and is as high quality a movie softcover as
we have seen lately. There is also
plenty of text and picture reproduction (including more black and white than
you might expect) is wide-ranging. This
might be too much for non-fans or those who are sick of the film, but
otherwise, this is a great gift volume and I wish more major motion pictures
would get this kind of print treatment.
Gerald Hustache-Mathieu’s
Nobody Else But You (2011) is a
surprisingly good thriller with side ideas that never hurt it too much as a
local model and actress (Sophie Quinton) who is very popular (and has a thing
for Marilyn Monroe) turns up dead in the snow from an apparent suicide, but a
writer of mystery novels (Jean-Paul Rouve) is not so sure and decides to look
into it for himself. When he seems to be
stopped and worse, he knows he is onto something.
From
there, this French film tells her story in flashbacks (she even narrates from
the dead in a noir style, even if this is not a Film Noir) and I was very
surprised this was as effective as it turned out to be. The Monroe
thing may be played out in iconography, but the film is not very heavy-handed
about it and the directing is as effective as the acting. We also get suspense and an intelligent
screenplay throughout, so it is one worth your time and mystery fans will want
to go out of their way for it. A trailer
is the only extra.
Padraig
Reynolds’ Rites Of Spring (2011) had
the potential for being as good and has some elements that work in so far as
its cast and locales are concerned, but it eventually becomes a dumb torture
porn film that could have been a good kidnapping tale, but gets so ridiculous
with its torture, blood and gore that anything good is ruined by its lack of
restraint and total absence of realism or suspense. The actors are wasted as a result, as is the
viewer’s time. The sad thing is this one
could have at least been watchable.
Extras include
an audio commentary with little point, Storyboards, Poster Designs, Trailer,
Sales Trailer and “Worm Face” (yawn!) Art Gallery Work.
That
brings us to Duccio Tessari’s 1975 film of Zorro
with Alain Delon as the title character.
Zorro is one of the early Superheroes (including a forerunner of Batman
along with The Shadow) and with three big such films from the summer hitting
Blu-ray, you can see why the owners wanted a Blu-ray of the film out
there. Zorro has been a success so many
times that like Tarzan, it is easy to lose track, but this was a one-off that
had mixed critical and commercial response.
In this
case, the makers want to cross the character and his familiar story with the
Spaghetti Western style, comedy that Richard Lester offered in his Three Musketeer films, more comedy by
way of the Pink Panther films, the
comic wit of James Bond films of the time Diamonds
Are Forever, Live & Let Die
and The Man With The Golden Gun and
even other slapstick comedy all the way to Our Gang/The Little Rascals. In this way, they throw in everything but the
kitchen sink.
Stanley
Baker is good as the villain and this is an ambitious project, but the results
are mixed and that is likely why there were no more Delon films afterwards as
Zorro. Still, it is as watchable as the
Spielberg/Martin Campbell/Antonio Banderas films and worth a look. However, it plays like a time capsule as much
as anything, but I am glad to see it again as a curio at least and Delon was
still a movie star the camera really liked.
Extras
include three clips to show the restoration, two trailers, two radio spots,
stills and text on the star and director.
For more of our previous Zorro coverage, try these links:
Filmation
animated New Adventures Of Zorro, V.1
DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6505/The+New+Adventures+Of+The+Lone
+ V.2 DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7334/The+New+Adventures+Of+The+Lone
Mark Of Zorro (1940) DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3155/Mark+of+Zorro+%E2%80%93+Special
Mask Of Zorro (1998) Blu-ray
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9325/The+Mask+Of+Zorro+(1998/Sony+Blu
Legend Of Zorro sequel Blu-ray
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6354/Legend+Of+Zorro+(Blu-ray)
Walt Disney 1957 Zorro Season One + Season Two DVD Sets
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9487/Walt+Disney+Treasures+%E2%80%93
Zorro 1990 TV series DVD set
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11065/Zorro+%E2%80%93+The+Complete
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Zorro comes from a damaged
35mm print (maybe one from a photochemical internegative considering how orange
it is) and has flatness, plenty of white specks and damage that could not be
repaired, yet it is still the best looking of the four video releases here and
has its moments of good color, though no demo shots. This also looks better than all previous home
video editions I have seen and some were very weak. The 1.33 X 1 image on Dead
is weaker because the analog video footage and later analog video shooting is
pale, especially as compared to the original 16mm shoot. A limited edition Blu-ray has also been
released.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on Rites
is weak because of its styling and the same on Nobody is somewhat colorful, but the transfer of the Techniscope
35mm shoot is just a bit weak, making me wish for a Blu-ray in this case. First Run should strongly consider it,
because this is a nicely shot film.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless track on Zorro is also weak, showing how the available audio is a generation
or two down and we get some tape his and background noise throughout. The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 on Dead is a mix of mono and stereo, plus
location audio with issues, so it is only so good, is uneven and could use some
work. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Rites lacks a consistent soundfield and
could/should have been the best sounding release here, but the same on Nobody (better than the Dolby 2.0
Stereo mix also offered) is just a sliver better and the best-sounding film
here.
- Nicholas Sheffo
