Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 17, 2018

Anthony Weber's "Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Pop Cinema. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers and the vintage film "Double-D Experiment". In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The guards

It is the year 2062. A nuclear conflict has destroyed America, and the few survivors have organized themselves in gangs and tribes that are scattered all over the place. Because supplies are very limited, they frequently clash.

A few of these survivors are in a desert area nearby a road that a long time ago might have served a giant plant. The most vicious ones are members of a gang of leather-clad bikers that very rarely leave witnesses to tell other survivors how they attack their targets. In the short prologue, a few of these savages are seen robbing and then raping some desperate girls from a bigger tribe. When their male guards eventually arrive, the bikers quickly disappear without a trace.

The members of the tribe that the guards protect live in a large, see-through tent and follow a simple philosophy that makes them look like very distant relatives of the hippies. They believe in free love and understand that each minute that they are alive is precious, which is why inside the tent they routinely engage in intense sexual activities. For a while it certainly looks like these activities may indeed be the perfect fix for post-apocalyptic depression, but eventually a series of security incidents force the survivors to reconsider their chosen lifestyle.

It is easy to see why the folks at Pop Cinema paired Anthony Weber’s film Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death with Jerome Hamlin's Invasion of the Love Drones -- the basic concept behind them is the same. Indeed, they are both '70s hybrid projects that essentially legitimize some more explicit erotic content while making it an integral part of an otherwise conventional plot. In Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death the erotic content is used to highlight the complete disintegration of the traditional social order after a nuclear disaster has apparently wiped out thousands of years of human progress.

The best post-apocalyptic films are always the ones that manage to build up a special atmosphere. Always. Mad Max, Hardware, and The Last Battle are remembered because for a short period of time they can transport their audience to a future world that suddenly comes alive. And it is not the action that does the trick, but the film’s atmosphere. The more unique it is, the bigger the mind’s response to it is. (Interestingly but not surprisingly, the greatest horror films do something very similar. Instead of unloading a ton of graphic visuals, they show less and leave the mind to fill the gaps). The post-apocalyptic world in Weber’s film is a lonely and dangerous place that most likely won’t be remembered long by those that spend some time visiting it, but it is nevertheless a pretty interesting place. It reminds of the industrial desert that Luc Besson envisioned in The Last Battle where pretty much the same type of wacky characters are caught in a seemingly never-ending game of survival. Unlike Besson, however, Hamlin was clearly working with a minuscule budget to make it look legit and a fittingly modest group of actors.

A few words about the erotic content. Folks expecting straightforward hardcore action will be disappointed because there is none, though it appears that at least one sequence was almost certainly edited. On the other hand, there is still enough of Uschi Digard as well as some softcore group action that will be of interest to folks that enjoy these types of experimental erotic films.

Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Anthony Weber's Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Pop Cinema.

The technical presentation is similar to that of Invasion of the Love Drones, which means that Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death was transferred in high-definition from the best available element that Pop Cinema accessed without additional corrections. For these types of low-budget films I am fine with this if the only available element is indeed in less than optimal condition, though I must say that this particular film almost certainly would have been treated better by the folks at Vinegar Syndrome. Regardless, the bigger point I am trying to make is that it is better to have a raw filmic presentation than a digital mess of some sort like some of the recent 'restorations' that have been promoted by VCI Entertainment.

Density and depth fluctuate but not so much that the visuals become distracting. In fact, overall density here is more consistent than on the Invasion of the Love Drones transfer. Some fading is present and it has affected ranges of color nuances, but the overall balance has an acceptable vintage quality. The best news is that there are no traces of recent degraining or sharpening adjustments. It makes a big difference because when viewed on a large screen even with the obvious source limitations the film still has an organic quality. Image stability is good, but some small inherited shaky transitions remain. (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).

Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

Unlike the Invasion of the Love Drone this film comes only with a lossy track, but the quality is pretty much identical to that of the lossless track. Depth and clarity are and there are no serious balance issues. On the other hand, I am unsure if all of the music and effects are retained because I noticed at least two rather abrupt switches. Regardless, I would not describe them as anomalies as the film's original sound design is anything but elaborate.

Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - four trailers.
  
  1. Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death
  2. Invasion of the Love Drones.
  3. Female Chauvinists
  4. Hot Connections

• Double-D Experiment - a pretty funny softcore film starring Roxanne Brewer. It has not been restored/remastered. In English, not subtitled. (65 min).

• Booklet - six-page illustrated booklet featuring Jeremy Richey's essay "Revolution Blue!". (The author is writer on film and music who created the blogs Moon in the Gutter and Fascination: The Jean Rollin Experience. He is also the editor of the print only publication Art Decades and the author of the upcoming From Emmanuelle to Chabrol: Sylvia Kristel in the Seventies).

Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death and Invasion of the Love Drones turned out to be surprisingly atmospheric films of the type that I actually love viewing in the wee hours of the night. Both are essentially low-budget hybrid projects that do a lot of interesting things to legitimize their erotic content, but I'd say that if you expect them to deliver straightforward adult entertainment you will be seriously disappointed. They are a lot more suitable for folks that have seen and enjoyed the likes of The Bed Sitting Room, Don't Touch the White Woman!, The Last Battle, The Beast in Space, and Gwendoline. The one serious criticism that I have, which really is a deal breaker for me when I choose to see or purchase these films, is that they absolutely have to be presented uncut. I urge Pop Cinema to do whatever it takes to bring uncut versions of the films that they plan to introduce via the Racy Reels From the Something Weird Vault collection in the future. RECOMMENDED (but with reservations).