7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
After Dr Mazali (Rafael Betrand) makes his dying colleague Dr Aldama (Antonio Raxel) promise to reveal the secrets of the afterlife to him, in a séance he is then given a stark warning: in a few months time, he will indeed learn what lies beyond death, but at great personal cost. For even as "science senselessly struggles to break the barrier which separates us from God", one door will close just as another opens, in an irrevocable and fearful process. Meanwhile a mysterious stranger contacts Aldama's estranged daughter Patricia (Mapita Cortes) and brings her to Mazali's sanatorium where events will reach their climax in madness and tragedy...
Starring: Gastón Santos, Rafael Bertrand, Abel Salazar, Mapita Cortés, Carlos AnciraForeign | 100% |
Horror | 94% |
Mystery | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Spanish: LPCM Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Fernando Mendez's "Black Pit of Dr. M" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Eduardo de le Vega Alfaro; new program with critic Abraham Castillo Flores; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Black Pit of Dr. M arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
It is very easy to tell that Black Pit of Dr. M has been remastered because it looks quite good in high-definition. I think that the majority of the visuals gravitate between pleasing and good, so my guess is that most viewers will enjoy the presentation a lot. However, it is also easy to tell that the surviving elements for Black Pit of Dr. M are not in top condition and that someone had attempted to eliminate most of the damage that exists on them. So, there are some traces of digital work that makes the visuals look a tad softer than they should, plus in a few areas there are small anomalies that could have been avoided. (For example, in screencapture #8 you can see posterizarion-like effects that could have been avoided). Background details appear flattened as well, though I am quite certain that there are plenty of inherited issues that contribute as well. Nevertheless, on my system, the film had an acceptable organic appearance, which is the type of organic appearance you would get when a master is struck from a second or third-generation element. So, while not ideal, the presentation is good. Also, the entire film looks very clean. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
All exchanges are easy to follow. However, in quite a few areas the audio minor stability fluctuates and can become noticeably flat. Given the age of the film and how it looks now, it is very difficult to tell whether these are entirely inherited limitations or newly introduced effects of digital work. You will not be distracted by their presence, but you will notice when these fluctuations begin to emerge. There are no audio dropout or distortions to report.
Daniel Birman Ripstein is right. The genre films his famous grandfather, Arturo Ripstein, produced have obvious flaws and their budget limitations are instantly recognizable but ooze tremendous enthusiasm that makes them very attractive. However, I think that some of the people that made these films were incredibly talented. For example, much of the work that Fernando Mendez and cinematographer Victor Herrera did in Black Pit of Dr. M produces some quite striking visuals that could have been perfect in a big Mexican film noir. Black Pit of Dr. M is one of four films that are included in Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales From the Alameda Films Vault, a four-disc box set, which is Reigon-Free. An identical North American box set is available as well. You can see our listing of it here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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