Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Dark Habits Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 26, 2016

Pedro Almodovar's "Dark Habits" a.k.a. "Entre tinieblas" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on this release include a new featurette with cast and crew interviews and filmed introduction by critic Jose Arroyo. In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Strange habits

Luis Bunuel’s influence can be detected all over this film. It is a dark parody of sorts whose main message is that the Church promotes hypocrisy as well as it condemns it. Pedro Almodovar is not yet in top form here, but his ability to create surprising and thought-provoking contrasts is already impressive.

Nightclub singer Yolanda (Cristina Sanchez Pascual) is forced to go on the run after her shady lover overdoses with a bad pack of heroin. While the authorities are trying to track her down, she ends up hiding in the Convent of Humble Redeemers, a wacky sanatorium somewhere on the outskirts of Madrid.

The place is on the verge of collapsing because it no longer has a wealthy patron to support it and there aren’t enough donations from the public to fund its noble work. But there is an even bigger problem. In their quest for salivation the nuns running it have actually become as weak as the sinners they have been helping. A few might have even lost their minds -- the Mother Superior (Julieta Serrano) is now addicted to heroin; Sister Manure (Marisa Paredes) has become famous for her LCD-laced cakes; Sister Damned (Carmen Maura) has confessed that her best friend is her big pet tiger; while Sister Rat (Chus Lampreave) has secretly started writing dirty novels.

Initially Yolanda ignores the bizarre secrets of her hosts, but the more time she spends with them, the more difficult it becomes for her to pretend that she does not find them concerning. Meanwhile, the nuns casually begin competing for her friendship, and eventually begin questioning each other’s sincerity and kindness.

This early film from Almodovar works well in two different ways. On one hand, it is a bizarre comedy of surprising contrasts. Almodovar borrows heavily from Bunuel’s old book of laughs and then creates a range of interesting situations in which all sorts of clichés and perceptions are targeted and destroyed. On the other hand, the film can also be effective as an unconventional political piece. A lot of the discussions between Yolanda and the nuns actually offer some quite interesting food for thought about the role of the Church in a society that has been struggling to redefine its relationship with it. (Familiarity with the post-Franco era is probably needed to connect all the dots, but there are plenty of universal themes as well).

The film does look a bit tame now, but that’s mostly because since its release in the early 1980s Almodovar has raised the bar impossibly high. Indeed, Almodovar enjoys a certain reputation now that essentially places his work in a category of its own and as a result expectations are automatically altered. In other words, the film’s shock value is no longer as high as it once was.

There are some rough spots here and there, but they actually help the film look less surreal and this is something that ultimately works to its advantage. (If ready to experience a truly uncompromising shocker with similar Bunuel-esque overtones, see Italian director Marco Ferreri’s film La Grande Bouffe a.k.a. The Great Feast).

Dark Habits 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, Pedro Almodovar's Dark Habits arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

Dark Habits is one of a number of different films from Pedro Almodovar that have been recently restored in 2K by French label TF1. This release is sourced from a brand new master and the film looks the best it ever has. (Direct comparisons with the old DVD release from Wellspring are absolutely pointless as the gap in quality between the DVD release and the Blu-ray release is simply gigantic).

Generally speaking, depth and especially fluidity are now as good as one can expect them to be. Close-ups typically look wonderful and even in areas where light is somewhat restricted definition remains excellent. Density is very pleasing, but I must mention that there are a few bits here and there where minor fluctuations are noticeable. There are no traces of compromising digital work there; it appears that some sort of natural deterioration is responsible for the drop in density. (You can compare screencaptures #1 and 10 with screencaptures 11 and 12). Excluding the density fluctuations, grain is typically very well exposed and resolved. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Colors stable, very healthy, and natural. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Dark Habits Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 1.0 and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Imposed English subtitles are provided for the main feature. (They cannot be turned off via the main menu or with the remote control).

I viewed the film with the Spanish LPCM 1.0. track. The audio has been fully remastered and it immediately shows. The sounds is very clean and crisp, and there are no balance issues to report. It is easy to tell that manual work has also been done to remove all age-related imperfections.

Dark Habits Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Around Dark Habits - in this featurette actress Maria Paredes recalls how she was offered to play the one of the nuns in Dark Habit. Also included are clips from new interviews with Anabel Alonso, and Lluis Homar, amongst others. In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles. (14 min).

• Introduction - a filmed introduction to Dark Habits by film historian Jose Arroyo.

Dark Habits Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've looked at a couple of the films in The Almodovar Collection and my initial impressions are that TF1's restorations will make fans of the Spanish director's work very happy. These films, Dark Habits included, have never looked this good before. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.