And we have another new, restored blu-ray release from 88 Films, this time it's Joe D'Amato's most successful horror flick, spelled here as Anthropophagous. I also have this on DVD, where it's spelled Antropophagus, but the most common spelling seems to meet those two in the middle with Anthropophagus. However the heck you're supposed to spell it, the word apparently means cannibal, which is certainly fitting for this nutty film.
Update 8/6/15 - 8/26/17: And we're back, with an all new Remastered Special Edition blu-ray release of Anthropophagus from 88 Films. Wait a minute, didn't we just say 88 Films had come out with a blu-ray restoration in 2015? Yup, but they felt they could do better, so as the final entry in their second indiegogo campaign (which also included the sequel to Anthropophagus, Absurd) we have a new version in 2017 with a fresh 2k scan, "extensive colour correction," new special features and some other improvements.
Update 8/21/19: And we're back again, this time with a US blu-ray from Severin. It has a different 2k scan, alternate color timing and all new special features.
But this isn't your typical Italian "cannibal film" about a native jungle tribe... This is actually set in a very interesting little Greek island town. A couple of young tourists, including Tisa Farrow, sail over for a short vacation, only to find the entire town abandoned. Eventually they do find one or two inhabitants, or more accurately survivors, who seem to have gone a bit funny since of their locals, George Eastman, has turned into a completely insane and even somewhat monstrous killer. The film can be a bit flat and plodding, with a lot of these bland vacationers wandering around empty locations, but Eastman's character has a perfect, memorably horrible look. And when the film finally does come around to its shock sequences, they're rather effective and a couple are particularly over the top, giving this film a nice touch of infamy. It's one of those movies where people who've seen it probably won't remember it too well, but they'll be like, "was this the film where ____ happened?" And oh yes, it's that movie. Those few moments are certainly etched into the memories of everyone who's seen it and they're really what everybody who's interested in this release are here for. And at least there's some interesting scenery during all that time in between.
Now, a lot of people were naturally comparing it to Shriek Show's previous release of the film; but that's not the one I went with back in the day. I used to have an old German DVD from Astro that was taken from a VHS source, but when I upgraded from that, instead of picking up Shriek Show's cropped 1.78:1 DVD, I imported the Italian DVD from Beat Records. It's a two disc set with some extras, which I'll get into, and kept the film more open at 1.66:1. It's debatable which of the two DVDs is better, but the real question these days is how the modern blus rate against the older DVD - how much ground did we gain? And then, of course, how do the blus stack against each other? Because, at this point, we've had three BD generations in short succession: 88 Films' initial 2015 blu, their 2017 crowd-sourced remaster and Severin's 2018 US edition, each with all new transfers and features.
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1) 2005 Beat Records DVD; 2) 2015 88 Films BD; 3) 2017 88 Films BD 4) 2018 Severin BD. |
The improvements are more objective leading up to the 2017 blu, and the differences between the two latest are more subjective. The colors are flatter on the older discs, and both the 2017 and 2018 releases have had quality color correction jobs. To my eye, Severin's seems more natural and more aesthetically pleasing, though you could definitely pick different favorites shot to shot. In the two sets of shots highlighted here, I think 88's looks like it has too much of a purplish hue, and that Severin pulls a lot more dynamism out of the second shot. But we're really getting into the realm of guessing what the filmmakers' intentions were. Is that second shot supposed to be a darker, creepier shot? Yeah, we can make out faces better in Severin's pass, but 88's makes it look more like a scary, nighttime shot. And at this stage in the film, it's a stormy night where the power's gone out and people are wandering around in fear as the killer could be lurking around each corner. 88's second blu is also the only where you can see the lightbulb in the electric lantern... in every other shot, the brights are too flared out. So I'd say Severin's screenshot looks better in a vacuum of context, but 88's is telling the story better. But I still don't think the boat shot should be so purple. The point is: we're getting into very subjective judgment calls here.
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1) 2005 Beat Records DVD; 2) 2015 88 Films BD; 3) 2017 88 Films BD 4) 2018 Severin BD. |
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2015 blu left; 2017 blu right. |
Now, labels have always had a hard time coming up with extras for Anthropophagus. Shriek Show just had an interview with Eastman and a general featurette on D'Amato's career, and that's pretty much the best anyone's until very recently. The DVD I've got comes close to tying them, however. It has its own Eastman interview, which is pretty fun; and a 12 minute D'Amato featurette, including a brief on-set interview where he's working on a film called The Monk. And since Beat Records is also a record label, there's a feature called "Best Of," which is a collection of music tracks from D'Amato soundtracks. Those are the main things, though there's also a useless photo gallery which just consists of stills from the film, but framed in a small, distorted "TV screen" image making the whole endeavor completely pointless, a text-only filmography and trivia, and the trailer. Oh, and it has a nice double insert with some cool poster images.
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42nd St. Memories |
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old content left; new content right. |
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the deleted scene |
But in 2018, Anthropophagus finally got what I'd consider a worthy special edition. Yeah, the 2017 remaster was called a "Special Edition," and it was a fair way to distinguish it from the 2015 BD, but I'm not sure it really has enough extras to justify that title. Severin's does. First of all, yes, there's another new interview with George Eastman, because you've got to have that. And this might be the best of all of them, because it's focused and charming. But now, finally, we've got proper interviews with other cast and crew members about this film. We talk to actors Saverio Vallone and Zora Kerova, editor Bruno Micheli and effects artist Pietro Tenoglio. We also get three trailers and reversible artwork. What's more, you could've ordered their "maneater" bundle, which included a slipcover, t-shirt, two pins and a Grim Reaper plush doll with "pull out entrails!"
The only disappointment is they didn't include the deleted scene. I mean, the alternate credits and the Shriek Show piece on D'Amato would've been nice, too. But the deleted scene feels particularly conspicuous in its absence.
So, the two newer blus are a real improvement on everything we've had before in pretty much every department. Some of us were definitely questioning why 88 chose to remaster a title they'd just recently released as opposed to one of so many titles still needing a release, but the results speak for themselves. Between the 2017 and 2018 blus, it's a closer call. It will depend on factors like how much you care about extras, and how much of a hassle you find importing. Just about every release of this film has something unique going for it, though, including the DVD featurettes and the 42nd St. doc, which to be clear is not on the 2017 release (you can also find it on the Grindhouse blu-ray release of Pieces, though). So this is one of those films die-hard collectors could be going nuts on. But if you're just in the market for a single version, it's easily between the 2017 and 2018 editions. Personally, I'd go with Severin's, but a strong case could be made for either, so follow your pull-out entrails... I mean "gut."
Could you please let us know if these discs are region free in your reviews???? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYeah, region coding is such a pain, I usually try not to even think about it. haha Region free and no looking back. But since you asked on this post, I can tell you 88's Anthropophagus blu is region B.
DeleteYou should add a "handy little guide to getting yourself a region-free blu ray player" section to this site.
DeleteHa! That's actually a good idea. I think I will add something like that...
DeleteThe new blu is region free. The first blu was B.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great arm pit shot of 42nd street Pete.
ReplyDeleteYou have an absolutely wonderful site here.
ReplyDeleteI still don't know what release to buy. But what's the most complete version from a release? Thanks
ReplyDeleteWell, there's no strict, definitive answer as to which one to get, because different releases have their pros and cons. So it's a subjective call. But personally I'd go with Severin's blu, especially if you're in the US.
DeleteAs far as the most complete, though, you're safe so long as you're not buying any of the old DVDs. All three of the blu-rays here feature the full, uncut film.
thanks for the info. I always hate it when a movie has so many releases and they almost are all the same; and what you must choose. But I live somewhere in the EU and I think I'm going for the severin release. I read many good things about the release.
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