6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A pair of enterprising street thugs provide anatomical specimens to the Edinburgh Medical College—often by robbing the graves of the recently dead, sometimes though even more nefarious methods.
Starring: Derren Nesbitt, Harry Andrews, Glynn Edwards, Yootha Joyce, Françoise PascalHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: LPCM 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Cadavers were hard to come in 19th century England—for dissections and medical experiments, at least. The only corpses legally fit for that purpose were the short in supply remnants of executed criminals, leading doctors and university professors to turn to an underground network of "resurrectionists," who procured the dead by illicit means for a tidy profit. Grave- robbing, of course, was the most common practice, but some greedier body-snatchers made the leap to outright murder, killing the homeless and the infirm and the socially undesirable. That is, those that no one would ever miss. The most famous of these corpse-makers were William Burke and William Hare, who sold seventeen cadavers to anatomy lecturer Robert Knox between 1827 and 1828. The majority of the victims were tenants in the lodging house operated by Hare's wife; the two Williams plied them with hard drink and smothered them in a method that's now known, appropriately enough, as "burking." In today's money, the bodies fetched around $1,200. Not exactly chump change, but not exactly easy cash either.
Burke & Hare
Burke & Hare doesn't look quite as good as The Blood Beast Terror—which Kino /Redemption Films are releasing concurrently—but this comes down to the state of the 35mm print more than anything. As usual, Kino hasn't done any extensive restoration, so you will notice white specks and a few light scratches. This is to be expected, but more unusual is the color strobing that occurs in three or four scenes. Basically, these are repetitive fluctuations that momentarily turn blacks into a deep purplish hue. This also affects the tone of the mids and highlights, naturally, but it's most apparent in the shadows. I wouldn't say it's adversely distracting—you do get used to it—but it's certainly worth noting. Aside from these scenes, color is relatively stable and balanced, with a palette of dense neutrals, occasional flashes of bright color—like the prostitutes' lingerie— and good contrast. Clarity is somewhat mixed, with some discernibly soft shots and others that are quite sharp, but I suspect the film looks as good here as it's ever going to look. Finally, there are no real compression issues and no overt edge enhancement or digital noise reduction.
The film's audio is handled by way of an uncompressed Linear PCM 2.0 track that's consistently listenable and free from any major distractions. Of course, this being a low-budget horror movie from the '60s, there are bound to be some age/recording-related issues—brashness in the high end, a slight but audible hiss that runs through many scenes, rare pops and crackles—but nothing unexpected or actually bothersome. The most memorable aspect of the mix is the weirdly anachronistic score—electric guitar in the 1820s!—and the kooky theme song, both of which sound just fine aside from some light peaking. And dialogue, if not always perfectly recorded, is at least easy to understand throughout. Once again, my only real complaint is that there are no subtitle options whatsoever for those who might need or want them.
Burke & Hare is a 1960s variation on the so bad it's good movie; specifically, it's so campy it's passably entertaining. This tale of two murderous corpse-procurers is chest-heavy and mildly risqué thanks to the ample bosoms of Françoise Pascal and Yutte Stensgaard, but dramatically—and comedically, and thrill-wise—it sags. Your own particular tolerance for kitsch over quality will likely determine how much you enjoy it. Kino/Redemption Films' Blu-ray release has a few picture quality quirks—most notably some pervasive color fluctuations—but otherwise it more than does the film justice. For diehard cult horror collectors only.
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