How Scream Factory Salvaged The Vault of Horror (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

In 2007, MGM released Tales From the Crypt and its follow-up, Vault of Horror, on DVD in a 2-disc set as part of their Midnite Movies line-up. Tales From the Crypt is a minor horror classic, so it was only natural, when Scream Factory got access to MGM's masters and rights, that they would announce this pair rather quickly as one of their double feature blu-rays. But just one problem: MGM's DVD was cut! They'd let some version cut down for a PG rating back in the days through their gates. In the UK, the uncut version was out on DVD, so it's not like we're talking about long lost footage here; ut we just had this lame-o cut version stateside. So what choice did Scream Factory have in this but to fix this situation? And fortunately they did.

Amicus was already known for making anthology horror films by the time they got to Tales From the Crypt. This one, though, was based on stories from the classic EC horror comics from the 50s, Tales From the Crypt and Vault of Horror (you see now where the second film's title came from). Except, strictly speaking, most of the stories aren't actually taken from the comic books, but are just more Amicus original short horror stories. But their sensibilities are so similar, you'd be hard pressed to pick out which are which if you didn't already know going in. They're fun, ghoulishly twisted little stories that are almost appropriate for all ages, especially compared to more modern horror films. They're all slightly humorous stories, often of "just desserts," with a bit of a punchline twist ending to them. As I said, Amicus was already expert at these (and they'd surely been inspired by the old EC stories in the first place), and had gotten some excellent British actors and directors for these films. In the case of Tales and Vault (released as Tales From the Crypt II in some markets), we have notable contributions by Peter Cushing, Denholm Elliot, Joan Collins, Patrick Magee and veteran directors Freddie Francis and Roy Ward Baker. It's safe to say you're going to have a good time with these.

This killer Santa episode was remade as the first episode of the HBO series.

But you'd have less of a good time if you were watching the cut version of Vaults. Some cuts are less devastating than others, but each one is kind of a key moment that it sucks to have spoiled. One in particular is the very punchline to the whole story. Imagine someone told you a really long, complicated joke, that went on for like twenty minutes... "and then the rabbi said to the priest," and on and on... Finally, at the very end he goes, "so the bartender says to ALL of them" and then stops. What? What did the bartender finally say?  "Well, I can't tell you that bit.  But you got 99% of the joke, why fuss over a few missing little words?" I mean, I like to think the stories in these films are a little richer than just gags, but you get the idea.  You CAN'T just clip these films and think they're still close enough. Something had to be done, and Scream Factory had posted different possible plans as the release date for their disc grew nearer... they could splice the uncut footage from the UK DVD into MGM's HD master. But finally on October 3rd last year they announced a welcome discovery:

"Thankfully, there was rumor that the British Film Institute had done a restoration on the film years ago. We contacted them and, sure enough, BFI had done an HD transfer from a film print--and it was the UNCUT version!  :) We quickly had a clone made of their master and then removed dirt and scratches from it to the best of our resources.
 

The release is now a 2-disc set. The first disc will include TALES and VAULT's uncut widescreen. The 2nd disc will include VAULT's theatrical cut (from the Fox master) and a rare open-matte version of the BFI master."

The downside was that the expense they acquired getting the new master meant there would be no extras to speak of  That's a drag, because I'm sure there are a lot of fun stories behind these two movies and how they made their way from comic books to Amicus anthologies, which ultimately lead to an HBO series and more movies decades later. But still, getting Vault uncut was essential. I would never have picked up the MGM set if I realized it was cut... But I did, so we can compare it now, along with... what did that quote say?  Two extra versions of Vault? Oh boy, that's going to be a lot of screen grabbing.

Scream Factory's 2014 blu on top; MGM's 2007 DVD below.

So we start off easy with Tales From the Crypt. There are no varying cuts of that one; just the original SD DVD and the HD blu-ray. As you can see, it's the same master, with identical framing, colors, etc.It's a fine blu-ray upgrade, but the MGM DVD was excellent enough that you barely notice the difference until you start zooming into the finest detail like eyelashes in the upper shot (with the basketball), which do get a little lost on the DVD. The film grain also gets a little smudged out on the DVD. There's no question which is superior, but this is one of those releases where casual viewers with modestly sized televisions would probably not notice the difference.

But now let's get into the comparisons we all came here to see:

Scream Factory's uncut blu first, cut blu second, full-frame version third and MGM's DVD last.

The first interesting thing you'll probably notice is that the cut and uncut versions on Scream Factory's blu don't look the same. Obviously, you'd expect the uncut version to have a little extra footage; but why should the rest of the film look different? Well, Scream Factory's story above explains it: The uncut version is the new transfer made by the BFI, and the cut one is MGM's older HD transfer. So there are distinct differences, most notably probably the colors. Look at the painter's hand: it's much redder in the cut version and yellower in the uncut version. Naturally, then, MGM's DVD also has the redder skin tone, and the full-frame version on disc two must be from the BFI transfer as well, as he has yellower hands again there.

Otherwise, the framing (slightly letterboxed to 1.85:1) is pretty identical... Except for the BFI's fullscreen version on disc two, obviously, which is open matte, showing more picture on the top and bottom. It's a bit of fun for curiosity seekers, I suppose; but it's evident just from watching the film that the widescreen version is the proper aspect ratio.

Apart from the colors, I'm not sure how much of a revelation the BFI transfer is. It's a bit smoother and nicer - look again at the painter's hands in the MGM (reddish) image; they look downright spotty. But it's really not much of an upgrade; the key thing is that the BFI brought all the cut footage into HD. That's pretty awesome and the key reason to support this release and replace your DVDs.

So let's talk extras. Like I said, there's really nothing to speak of, so don't get excited. But there's not absolutely zero. MGM had a fullscreen, black and white (presumably for television) trailer for Vault of Horror on the DVD. That trailer has been carried over to the blu, and they've also included an alternate opening credits sequence for Vault with the alternate Tales From the Crypt II title card. That's it. Nothing else on either disc.

So there ya go, two good, vintage horror films on a nice double bill, presented exactly as they should be. The second disc isn't as desirable as just a few nice extras would've been - is anyone really going to sit down and watch the cut version when they've got the uncut one? It's not like it's got any unique alternate scenes; it's just missing stuff. And the music skips on the cuts and one bit of film is quite distractingly replaced by a still frame. But it's what they had, I guess. And the important thing is they went the extra mile for Vault of Horror. So sit down and enjoy before some crumbling dead person digs his way out of the grave and delivers whatever poetic irony you've got comin' to you.

The White Ribbon

 Michael Haneke has been a pretty polarizing filmmaker for at least 25 years. You know, one of those "love him or hate him" artists, where people are either excited every time they hear he has a new film coming out, or they can't stand him and can't understand why or how other people actually like his work. He's definitely not the guy you turn to if you want escapist entertainment. But in the last few years he seems to be broadening out, making films that are no less challenging pieces of art, but might also be more palatable for mainstream audiences. He actually even got Oscar nominations (writing and directing) for his last film, Amour. And this film here, his previous, I think is the one that first bridged that gap: The White Ribbon.

Update 11/10/20: I've added the French TF1 blu-ray from their 2013 'Le Cinéma de Michael Haneke' boxed set. It's not English friendly, but just for the record, 'ey?

But don't let that and the title fool you. The White Ribbon is absolutely not The Red Balloon. Yeah, children play a big part in this one, too. The children are much more like the ones from Who Can Kill a Child, which if you haven't seen it, gives you a much better sense of its tone from its title. In this stark, black and white film, the inhabitants of a small German village, isolated from initial stirrings of World War I, are suffering some tragic losses. But it's possibly their own fault, even as it's at the hands of their children. So yeah, this is still about as far from puerility and sentimentality as you can get. But it's more relatable and touching than most of his earlier work, and it doesn't use any audience-frustrating devices like Funny Games. It looks like an old Bergman film and the performances are as powerful as always with Haneke. But this one's riveting and I think even people who felt they "hated" earlier Haneke films would have a hard time dismissing it.

That's assuming they could actually make out any of the dialogue, however. Jeepers creepers, the subtitles are small and challenging on Sony's US blu-ray release! They're also white (at least with a thin black outline) on top of a black and white movie. I mean, it's a black and white movie: the perfect opportunity to use colored subs that would also stand well out. Just look at this:

And I could've intentionally picked some worse shots that make it ever harder to read, but I wanted to be fair. Granted, their are better, darker scenes, but there are some that really swallow up the little font. Like, why is it all bunched up in the middle there, not even along the bottom? The concurrent DVD release isn't the best (I still don't get why they're up there in front of the actor while there's so much empty space below), but the subs are substantially larger and more legible.  Fortunately, however, there is another subtitle option, not listed on the menu but accessible with your remote, that puts black bars behind the subs, making them very easy to read... thanks goodness I found them!

How crazy would it be to have to opt for the DVD over the blu just so you could read the subs?  Especially since, as with Warner Bros' Informant, it's missing compelling extras that are only included on the blu. TF1's newer blu actually gives you the option between white and colored subtitles; but of course, they're French only, so fat lot of good that does most of us.

Sony 2009 blu-ray top; Sony 2009 BD mid; 2013 TF1 BD bottom.

All three images are slightly letterboxed to 1.85:1. Sony's DVD and blu are naturally the same transfer and the same in most respects, but TF1 turns out to use the same one, too.  Of course the HD images are superior; check out the extra detail in the blu-ray crowd shots as opposed to the DVD's. Look at the girl in white on the stairs who's facing the audience - she actually has eyes on the blu-rays. Overall, the picture is smoother, more natural and without all the compression artifacts that always separate a DVD from a blu.

The US blu-ray also has two crisp 5.1 DTS-HD audio tracks, with bonus the original full German tracks, or one with English narration, but the dialogue still in German. Whereas the DVD just as the one German 5.1 track.  TF1 has a bevy of audio options, lossless and lossy, with the original German or French translation, but none of it in English.

And yeah, the DVD really falls short in the extras department. I guess Sony was doing the same as Warners, cutting all the extras from the DVD to compel people to switch to blu-rays? Well, it's too bad for DVD viewers, because the extras here are deeper and more substantial than your average Haneke film. First of all, there's a great 40-minute making of documentary that looks at everything behind the scenes of this film. Then there's your typical but always welcome Haneke interview where he talks about the film for about 14 minutes. After that, there's a 50 minute retrospective on Haneke and his work. And finally there's a 19 minute featurette on the film at Cannes. Oh, and there's the trailer, plus a bunch of bonus trailers for other Sony Pictures Classics titles.

The DVD just has the trailer. And TF1, well, they've got most of the same goodies as the Sony blu - just none of it English friendly.  They're just missing the 14 minute Haneke interview, which they've replaced with their own original featurette with two French critics.  Of course, that's not in English either.

So it's an easy choice. The DVD sucks and the French blu is useless unless you an read French.  So eleven years later, the old Sony blu still rules the roost.

Ang Lee's Underrated Lust Caution: Domestic Vs Import (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

So, this could either be a post about what a terrific recent release Lust Caution was, and why it's so baffling, then, that it never got a blu-ray release; and we just look at caps of the DVD and feel bitter about the decline of physical media... OR it could be a post about how there's a perfectly excellent blu-ray version available from Asia, and comparing those crisp, high-def screenshots to the US DVD. I choose the latter! Let's be positive! And hey, this blu-ray here is even Region A, so no one has anything to complain about - huzzah!

If you missed Lust Caution initially, don't feel too bad, just know that it's something you should correct. A lot of us jumped off the Ang Lee train, I think. Remember when he only did incredible movies like The Ice Storm, Eat Drink Man Woman and Sense and Sensibility, and if his name was on a poster, it meant "must see?"  Yeah, then things got a little hazy and there was a Hulk flick and what was that teenage Woodstock movie? I actually saw it and I still don't know. So, you can be forgiven by not somehow getting the undelivered message that this smaller, less publicized Ang Lee film was actually the kind of compelling cinema we expected from him in the 90s, not more, uh, whatever the heck it is he tends to do now. According to the imdb, he's preparing a Kojak movie starring Vin Diesel?

Yeah, forget contemporary Ang Lee; this is classic Ang Lee. And that's not to say it's just like his old films superficially... I don't think he ever made a spy thriller before. But in the sense that it's a thoughtful film examining the subtle human nuances of its characters rather than showing off excessive CGI. It's about the Japanese occupation of China during World War II, and a group of young students who get caught up in a very violent plot to support the resistance.  Despite their youthful innocence, they find themselves having to murder and sacrifice their identities for a cause they probably don't even fully understand. It gets pretty dark and pretty real; in fact, part of why you might not have seen it at your local cinema is because it was released with an NC-17 rating here in the states.

In fact, while it didn't play big enough for Universal to release Lust Caution on blu-ray in the US (did I mention that?), they did release did distinct DVD versions. The theatrical NC-17 cut and an abridged R-rated cut. So if you're going to take a pass on importing and quickly snag a DVD, be careful which edition you're throwing in your cart. The cuts were actually for the sex rather than the violence, despite a couple of the violent scenes being particularly brutal. But then again, the sex in this film could get fairly violent too, which is probably what really gave the MPAA such a hard time.

So we've got the NC-17 Universal DVD, and the Korean blu-ray from Art Service. And don't worry, no, the blu is not censored; it's the complete NC-17 version. In fact, just to be thorough, let's also throw in the Hong Kong blu-ray from Edko Films. They even released a steelbook edition (the one I've got; pictured right). It's region free and also the fully uncut version; but I don't think anyone reading this is going to come away wanting this version. You'll see why in a minute - it's time to compare.

Universal's USA DVD on top; Art Service's Korean blu-ray below.

So on first glance they look pretty much the same. After all, it's a brand new movie, so you expect every release to use the same basic, already digitally prepared master. One's just the HD version of the other, right? Well, not exactly when we look closer. For one thing, the DVD is missing a little bit of picture along the top and bottom. That's because it's very slightly letterboxed to 1.85:1, whereas the blu is at 1.78:1. It's a very slim distinction (see what I did there?), but the DVD version is probably the correct of the two. Otherwise, colors, framing, brightness, all the same.

All Service blu-ray on the right; Universal DVD on the left.

But getting in close, that SD/HD distinction is very real. This frame is just a cropping of the upper comparison shot. And when you get in this close, you really see the difference between a DVD and blu-ray. Not only are the edges much smoother on the blu than the blocky DVD, but the compressed grain winds up making his skin look all blotchy and spotted. So if you were worried this Korean release might be some dodgy upscale or something, no; it's a true HD 1080p image of the original transfer.

Edko's Chinese bl-ray

All Service blu on the right; Universal DVD in the middle and Edko Chinese blu on the left.

So what about that Chinese blu? Well, for the most part it's really the same as the Korean blu-ray. It has all the same features and specs; it even has the same menu screen. It's the same HD 1.78:1 transfer (maybe a micro-smidgen smoother? But it's really imperceptible in motion). The thing is: it's a BD-R. Dual layered, but still a BD-R. I had consistent problems with it freezing and skipping on my players towards the end of the film, and even failing when trying to rip it on my PC. The Chinese disc is actually the version I bought first (not knowing it was a BD-R until after I opened it up and looked at the disc), and the Korean disc is the one I replaced it with. So I'd stay away unless you're comfortable taking the gamble.

Audio-wise, the Korean blu features DTS-HD 7.1 audio, as well as PCM 7.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 options, whereas the DVD just offers Dolby 5.1. These audio tracks are the original Mandarin, because that's the original language of the film that the characters are speaking (although, curiously, the DVD also provides a French dub). All three editions I'm covering offer complete English subtitles, and not just for the film, but the extras as well. But if you want language options, this is where you might find the Chinese risk worth taking: It has Mandarin LPCM7, Mandarin Dts-HD 7.1, Mandarin 5.1, and French, Thai and Japanese dubs, all in 2.0. It also has the most subtitle options, including English, Spanish, French, Korean, Thai, Japanese and two Chinese tracks (not sure what the difference is between the two). But really, all most of us will care about is the Mandarin audio with English subs, which is available on all the releases, even for the extras.

Yes, there are extras and the blu-rays have got them, too. The primary extra that's on all three releases is a seventeen minute featurette entitled Tiles of Deception; Lurid Affections (or Tiles of Deception, Lust Affections as the blu-rays both label it). It's pretty good, with interviews from Lee and the cast. But it feels kinda promotional, with lots of clips from the film you've just watched. This isn't the kind of great making of feature that comes on a fantastic special edition, but it's not without merit and is at least worth having.

That's it for the US DVD, except for some previews for Atonement, Elizabeth: the Golden Age, a generic ad for HD DVDs, and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, that autoplay when you start the disc, making them more of a detraction than an attraction. But the blu-rays also include three theatrical trailers for the film itself, two TV spots, and an animated poster and photo gallery. Nothing particularly of interest, but again we see the Asian releases having the edge and getting a little more care. The Korean blu also has a nice booklet that folds out into a mini-poster.

So that's where we stand with Lust Caution. A terrific film, but you've got to import if you want a blu. I really don't see Universal doing anything more with this film now that it's no longer a new release. But then again maybe Criterion will pick it up one of these years and give it the lavish special edition treatment, and even crop it back to 1.85. But you could be holding your breath for a long time. Art Service's blu-ray already exists.

Exploring The Swimmer from Grindhouse Films (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

In 1968, Burt Lancaster starred in Eleanor and Frank Perry's adaptation of John Cheever's short story, The Swimmer. Despite a troubled production, including a lot of re-shot scenes and alterations after the director was removed from the picture, a smart and beautifully artistic film somehow managed to come out of the process. ...not that being a smart, beautifully artistic film is all that suited for box office success. So the film has quietly lived on just as a small cult film - a cult film ripe for a rediscovery via a 2014 lavishly restored special edition blu-ray from Grindhouse Releasing.

The story is an almost surreal, not entirely literal tale of a man, Lancaster, who surprises his distant neighbors by showing up at their backyard swimming pool. While reuniting, he realizes that the landscape of his upscale county has become so full of swimming pools that he can swim all the way home. He names it the River Lucinda, after his wife, and declares himself a noble and splendid explorer traversing a river of sapphire pools to his home and family. But as he makes his way nearer and nearer to his home, he encounters people closer and closer to him in his life, and has to face some very dark and painful truths.

A problem most literary adaptations have is that a novel is way longer than a film, so a lot - the overwhelming majority even - has to be cut out, unless you're afforded the luxury of a mini-series or something. A short story or novella is about the perfect length for a movie. But The Swimmer has the opposite problem; it's too short. It's a quick, breezy little read that was originally just a quick fiction piece in The New Yorker. But it turns out not to be a problem, as the film is fleshed out so richly, it actually adds a good deal more strength and substance to the original story. Going back to it after seeing the film makes it seem a little light and pale in comparison. From the changes to the original story to the changes by meddling producers and even Sydney Pollack (who was hired to reshoot scenes the producer didn't like after Perry was fired), it's hard to imagine any detail of this film wasn't always meant to be, because it's so fitting and effective.

Now, to be fair, this film isn't exactly making its DVD debut here through Grindhouse. Columbia Tri-Star released this film in 2003 in the US and the UK. And they even gave it an anamorphic, widescreen presentation. But they certainly didn't give it the special treatment Grindhouse has, either in terms of extra features or their new 4k scan. And of course, it's long out of print, though still readily findable online. So let's have a look at how the two stack up against each other.

2003 Columbia DVD on top; 2014 Grindhouse blu-ray on bottom.

Both are framed nicely with just slight letterboxing to 1.85:1, although there's slightly more vertical information in the new Grindhouse scan. It's certainly a nicer, cleaner image on the blu... the biggest difference is that the DVD just looks murky. Look at that top image, darker, blander colors. It's also a single-layer DVD (as opposed to Grindhouse's dual-layered blu), so the extra compression gives the old DVD even more of an electric pixel-y feel in motion. The colors are also warmer and more attractive on the blu, and scratches and damage has been cleaned up - look at that white fleck on Cornelia Skinner's lip in the second shot. Grindhouse presents the film with it's original mono audio in DTS-HD, while Columbia had a standard Dolby 2.0 track.

Grindhouse's 2014 DVD.

Grindhouse's release is also a blu-ray/DVD combo pack, so just for the record, here's a comparison shot of the Grindhouse DVD, so anyone who hasn't gone blu can see what they'll be getting.  Of course it's the exact same transfer, just in standard definition, and still quite an improvement over the old disc.

 

Grindhouse handily trumps the competition in the extras department, too. Columbia Tri-Star only had the theatrical trailer and bonus trailers for a couple other Lancaster films: From Here To Eternity and The Professionals. Well, Grindhouse not only has the trailer, plus five TV spots, six bonus trailers for other Grindhouse titles and six photo galleries, but, well... the main thing is a huge, two and a half hour documentary about The Swimmer. It's lead by assistant directors Michael Hertzberg and Ted Zachary, who have a ton of first-hand information of everything that took place on location, even the behind-the-scenes drama. Joanna Lancaster speaks both for her father and from her own memories of being on set. It also features actresses Janet Landgard, Joan Rivers (who, as you can imagine, has a lot to say despite her small role) and Marge Champion, composer Marvin Hamlisch (oh, did I mention that this film has a sublime score as well?) and even Burt Lancaster's swim coach Bob Horn. It doesn't leave any questions unanswered.

Still, there's more, including an extended interview with Marge Champion. We saw clips of it in the documentary, but here we see the whole thing, where she's interviewed by filmmaker Allison Anders (Gas, Food, Lodging) more about the rest of her life and other films she worked on, including an audience Q&A. Then there's a collection of outtake footage from the opening credit sequence - you can watch them try to get the rabbit to run in the right direction through the woods. The entire film is also given an isolated stereo music track. And last but not least there's a full audio recording of Cheever reading his original story, where you can really appreciate how faithful yet enriched the film was. Oh, and there's a booklet with liner notes by Chris Innis and, believe it or not, Stuart Gordon.

I guess this movie isn't standard fare for Grindhouse, but then again, it really isn't standard fare for any studio. It's a rather unique and terrific film. And while it wasn't exactly non-existent on DVD before (which, sadly, is still very true for a number of films), it's only now been given the respect and treatment it deserves. This is one to add to your collection whether you owned the old edition or not.