Island
Of Death
(1976)/The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne
(1981/MVD Visual/Arrow Releasing Blu-ray/DVD Sets)
Now
for two more extensive new editions of cult & horror classics
from Arrow's quickly building U.S. release slate...
Island
of Death
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B+ Film: C
Banned
in many countries for its brutal violence, Greek Director Nico
Mastorakis' brutal vision has found its way on Blu-ray disc uncut and
uncensored thanks to Arrow Releasing. Originally inspired to make
the 1976 film after seeing the original Texas
Chainsaw Massacre
film, Mastorakis aimed to make a film with more violence and
brutality in an attempt to match the box office success of that film.
With a paper thin plot and subpar acting, The
Island of Death
is exactly what it sounds like it is... an exploitation film.
It
tells the story of a man and a woman, posing as newlyweds, but in
fact an incestuous brother and sister, who visit the Greek island of
Mykonos and start a rampage of murder, killing anyone they believe to
be sinful or perverted - which is everyone! A few month ago, I
reviewed a collection called Video
Nasties
(review elsewhere on this site), that essentially rounds up several
exploitation and grindhouse film trailers (these are films banned in
the U.K. in particular, but not limited to that country) and has an
excellent documentary on how these films have come to be cult
favorites, with this film being one of them. If you like movies like
Cannibal
Holocaust
and you have a strong stomach, then you may want to give this one a
shot. For your average horror going American audience that's used to
jump scares and digital blood, this unnerving piece of cinema may be
too much!
The
disc looks and sounds amazing, however with a brand new 2K
restoration of the film from the original camera negative, approved
by writer-director-producer Nico Mastorakis and the original Mono
audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) - the film looks and sounds
as good as it possibly can. Aside from the 1080p digital high
definition Blu-ray presentation, there is also a DVD included in the
set that pushes the boundaries of the format but doesn't live up to
the high definition greatness.
Arrow
again delivers on packaging, inserts, and extras including:
-Exploring
Island of Death - film historian Stephen Thrower on the making of a
cult classic
-Return
to Island of Death - Mastorakis returns to the original Mykonos
locations
-Archive
interview with Mastorakis
-Alternative
opening titles
-Island
Sounds – five original tracks from the Island of Death soundtrack
-Original
Theatrical Trailer
-The
Films of Nico Mastorakis - four-part documentary charting the
director's filmmaking career [Blu-ray only]
-Nico
Mastorakis Trailer Reel [Blu-ray only]
-Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham
Humphreys
-Fully-illustrated
collector's booklet featuring new writing by academic and film
historian Johnny Walker
If
you are a fan of exploitation films then this is one to check out.
It's an acquired taste but a pretty brutal study of the human
condition.
Then we have...
The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: A- Film: B
Available
for the first time in the United States on Blu-ray disc thanks to
Arrow releasing, The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne
(1981) is an interesting sci-fi horror/drama with the famed Udo Kier
(whose horror credentials were already made permanent by his Paul
Morrissey Frankenstein & Dracula films), Marina Pierro and is
directed by Walerian Borowczyk. Based on the infamous Jekyll and
Hyde story and inspired by some true events and people in the life of
the author Robert Louis Stevenson, the film is very intense and moody
and has an incredible transformation sequence that is not to be
missed. This edition of the 1981 film is packed with extras, a
reversible cover, and an insightful booklet that makes this a must
for fans.
The
film takes place before, during and immediately after the engagement
party of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Miss Fanny Osborne, attended by
numerous highly respectable guests (a general, a doctor, a priest, a
lawyer), the last of which informs the company that a child has been
murdered in the street outside. While the others watch a young
dancer perform, Dr. Jekyll instructs the lawyer to alter his will,
leaving everything to a certain Mr. Hyde. Shortly afterwards, the
dancer is found murdered, and the guests realize that he's a maniac
with a prodigious sexual appetite.
The
transfer on this disc is exceptional with a brand new 2K restoration
scanned from the original camera negative and supervised by the
film's cinematographer. Along with this is great audio with English
and French audio track both in lossless LPCM 1.0 Mono. There are
also optional English and English SDH subtitles on the disc as well.
There is also a DVD included in this special edition release that
pushes the boundaries of the format but with a standard definition
transfer doesn't compare to the Blu-ray.
Arrow
instantly is one of the leaders in supplemental content in the U.S.
and this disc is no exception with a TON of extras such as:
-
Introduction by critic and long-term Borowczyk fan Michael Brooke
-
Audio commentary featuring archival interviews with Walerian
Borowczyk, Udo Kier, Marina Pierro and producer Robert Kuperberg, and
new interviews with cinematographer Noël Véry, editor Khadicha
Bariha, assistant Michael Levy and filmmaker Noël Simsolo, moderated
by Daniel Bird
-
Interview with Marina Pierro
-
Himorogi (2012), a short film by Marina and Alessio Pierro, made in
homage to Borowczyk
-
Interview with artist and filmmaker Alessio Pierro
-
Video essay by Adrian Martin and Cristina Alvarez Lopez
-
Eyes That Listen, a featurette on Borowczyk's collaborations with
electro-acoustic composer Bernard Parmegiani
-
Jouet Jouyeux (1979), a short film by Borowczyk based on
Charles-Émile Reynaud's praxinoscope
-
Interview with Sarah Mallinson, former assistant to Borowczyk and
fellow animator Peter Foldes
-
Returning to Méliès: Borowczyk and Early Cinema, a featurette by
Daniel Bird
-
Theatrical trailer with optional commentary by editor Khadicha
Bariha
-
Reversible sleeve with artwork based on Borowczyk's own poster
design
-
and an illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Daniel
Bird and archive pieces by Walerian Borowczyk and Andre Pieyre de
Mandiargues
Voted
as 'disc of the month' in Fangoria, this is a title that horror fans
won't want to miss!
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
