Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 29, 2023

Sam Peckinpah's "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include numerous new and archival interviews; documentaries; vintage production and promotional materials; new and archival audio commentaries; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The powerful Mexican lord El Jefe (Emilio Fernández) tortures his daughter, and she admits to him that she is carrying the baby of Alfredo Garcia. El Jefe then announces in front of his private army of bounty hunters that he will pay one million dollars to the man who brings him the playboy’s head.

While trying to track down their man, two of El Jefe’s bounty hunters end up in a shady brothel where drinks and women are cheap. Bennie (Warren Oates, Badlands, Cockfighter), the piano player, offers to help them after they leave a $100 tip and promise to pay him more if he delivers Alfredo Garcia’s head. After the bounty hunters disappear, Benny picks up his old friend Elita (Isela Vega, Bordello), a beautiful but lonely prostitute, and the two hit the road.

Along the way, Elita tells Bennie that Alfredo Garcia is already dead and buried. While looking for his grave, the two decide to finally get married. They also plan to have a romantic night and make love under the stars, but two bikers show up and spoil their party. One of them demands that Elita sings his favorite song, while the other announces that he will make love to her before Bennie does.

On the following morning, Benny and Elita hit the road again. Some hours later, they arrive in the small village where Alfredo Garcia was apparently buried. Without knowing that they have been closely followed, they begin digging in the nearby graveyard.

Sam Peckinpah’s Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a brutal, gritty and utterly uncompromising film that seems to promote violence as much as it condemns it. Even today, this is a film that can easily polarize casual viewers and critics.

The film focuses on Bennie’s profound character transformation and ultimately self-redemption. Through his eyes, Peckinpah delivers two entirely different views of the world, as well as life philosophies. Early on, Bennie is an opportunist whose moral standards are so low and so flexible that he is willing to do virtually anything in order to move up the social ladder. The second half of the film is purgatory -- a tragic event forces Benny to reconsider his entire system of beliefs and choose a new direction in life.

There is a lesson to be learned here, but Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is not a preachy film. Peckinpah only shows, at times with a rather intimidating directness, how the lust for money can transform men into animals and then quickly destroy them.

As far as genre characteristics are concerned -- a favorite theme for many critics who have written about Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia -- the film is essentially a western with a unique contemporary look. Peckinpah shot it on location in Mexico, and his direction is simply flawless. There are some incredibly rough but at the same time enormously poetic sequences, particularly during the second half where the film becomes very dark.

Oates is spectacular as Benny. Most of the time, he wears big, thick black glasses and drinks heavily to numb the pain deep inside -- just like Peckinpah did while he was alive. He really does look like a man that would do anything for money. Vega is also terrific as his disillusioned friend. Kris Kristofferson has a small but memorable cameo.

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

This release is supposed to introduce the recent 4K restoration of Sam Peckinpah's film that Arrow Video completed in 2017. Unfortunately, I have to report that there has been a mix-up like the one that occurred with Kino Lorber's release of the film in 2021. So, instead of introducing the 4K restoration, this release is sourced from the old MGM master that has been available for years. I am going to send a note to the Imprint team and will update our review when additional information is provided to us.

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is solid. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are very good. It is free of age-related anomalies as well. However, on the 4K master, the audio sound a tad better rounded and more dense. (This is the only way I can describe the difference I hear on my system). Dynamic intensity is good. For the record, the Spanish exchanges in the beginning of the film are subtitled in English. The subtitles are white.

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE - BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA

• Commentary One - in this exclusive new audio commentary, filmmaker and Sam Peckinpah scholar Mike Siegel shares a lot of interesting information about the conception and production of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia while, according to him, he does his best to avoid reusing information that can be found in his excellent documentary Passion and Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah. There are some particularly interesting comments about Mexico and Mr. Siegel's relationship with the country -- according to him Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is the best film about Mexico made by non-Mexicans -- as well as the film's critical and commercial reception. It is a lovely commentary that does indeed provide a lot of new and good information about the film.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by film historians Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons, David Weddle, and is moderated by Nick Redman.

• Commentary Three - this archival audio commentary was recorded by co-writer/co-producer Gordon Dawson and is moderated by Nick Redman.

• Commentary Four - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Paul Seydor and assistant to the director Katy Haber, and is moderated by Nick Redman.

• Passion & Poetry: Sam's Favorite Film - this program focuses on the production history Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia as well as Sam Peckinpah's working methods. Included in the program are clips from archival interviews with actress Isela Vega, friend Chalo Gonzalez, author Garner Simmons, Kris Kristofferson, and Gordon Dawson, among others. In English, not subtitled. (56 minutes).

• A Writer's Journey: Sam Peckinpah in Mexico - in this program, author Garner Simmons describes his first interaction with Sam Peckinpah, which was an unusually long phone call, and the time he spent with the director during the shooting of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia in Mexico as well as the material he gathered for his autobiography. Also, there is some fascinating information about Peckinpah's decision to "live on the edge" and how it affected the people around him. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Peckinpah in Locarno - presented here is an interview with Katy Haber that was conducted at the Locarno Film Festival during a Sam Peckinpah retrospective in 2015. Mrs. Haber discusses Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and the romantic relationship that is at the center of it, which apparently links to a different, lesser known side of Peckinpah as well. The interview is conducted by journalist and film historian Fernando Ganzo. (14 min).

• "Portrait of the Artist as a Dead Man: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and Sam Peckinpah's Last Chance" - this exclusive new video essay was created by film writer Travis Woods. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Animated Galleries -
  
  1. Promoting Alfredo Garcia - presented with music. (6 min).
  2. Filming Alfredo Garcia - presented with music. (16 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original U.S. trailer for Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• TV Spots - presented here are several original U.S. TV spots for Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Isolated Score - presented as LPCM 2.0.

DISC TWO - PASSION & POETRY: THE BALLAD OF SAM PECKINPAH

• Passion & Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah - Mike Siegel's documentary provides a wealth of information about the life and cinematic legacy of Sam Peckinpah. A good portion of it is dedicated to Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. Also, there is an enormous amount of raw footage from the shooting of various other films, rare archival footage, and vintage promotional materials. In English, not subtitled. LPCM 2.0. (120 min).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, Mike Siegel explains why it took him nine years to complete his documentary and what inspired him to do it, and discusses his relationship with Sam Peckinpah's films and how they impacted his life and maturation. Also, there is quite a bit of information about the film scene in Germany during the 1970s and later, how films were distributed and promoted, and what it was like to research Peckinpah and his body of work.

• Stories on a Storyteller - this documentary features additional interviews with many of the same individuals that appear in Passion & Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah as well as archival footage. It is presented in three parts. In English, not subtitled.
  
  Part One: The Westerner (30 min).
  Part Two: Art & Success (37 min).
  Part Three: Poet on the Loose (39 min).

• Mike's Home Movies: Behind the Scenes, Retrospectives, & Festivals - presented here is footage that Mike Segel shot at various festivals and public events where Sam Peckinpah's films were screened and celebrated. With music. (15 min).

• "The Passion & The Poetry Project" - this documentary focuses on Mike Siegel and his work on Sam Peckinpah's cinematic legacy. In English, not subtitled. (44 min).

• "The Passion & Poetry in Portugal" - presented here is footage from a retrospective on Sam Peckinpah's films that was presented at the Encontros Cinematograficos event in Portugal in 2022. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Passion and Poetry Restoration Comparison - Passion & Poetry was filmed between 2002 and 2004 in MiniDV with a ccd (3-chip) Sony VX 2000 camera in 4:3 letterbox standard definition. In 2018, the film was upscaled frame-by-frame by Niki Wurster from 720x576 to 1920x1080. Presented here are several before-and-after comparisons. (3 min).

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The amount of exclusive new and archival bonus features that are included on this lavish two-disc set is staggering. Unfortunately, I have to report that disc one offers a presentation of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia that is sourced from MGM's old master, not the recent 4K master that was prepared at Arrow Video after the film was restored in 4K. The same error occurred when the folks at Kino Lorber issued their release of the film in 2021, which leads me to believe that someone at MGM keeps sending the wrong master to parties that wish to license the 4K restoration. We have contacted Imprint Films and will provide additional information if a replacement program is announced.