Dogtooth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Dogtooth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 10, 2019

Yorgos Lanthimos' "Dogtooth" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted scenes; new QAA session with the director; new audio commentary by actors Angeliki Papoulia and Hristos Passalis; and more. In Greek, wit optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked'.

The head of the family

The text below was initially used for our review of the first Blu-ray release of Dogtooth, which British label Verve Pictures produced in 2010. You can access the review here. You can also read Casey Broadwater's review of Kino Lorber's first U.S. release of the film here.

Dogtooth is a controversial Greek film that was screened at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Un Certain Regard Prize, and more recently selected to represent Greece at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. In the United States, Kino International are set to release it on DVD in 2011.

What takes place in it is impossible to describe accurately with simple words. At best, a writer would likely point out how shocking parts of it are. Also, more than two-thirds of it can be easily rearranged without impacting the precision and efficacy of its message.

Dogtooth follows closely several members of a wealthy family living in a large suburban house somewhere in Greece. The head of the family is a slightly overweight man (Christos Stergioglou, Chariton's Choir) in his late forties, possibly early fifties, who has a well-paying job in a nearby factory. His wife (Michele Valley, Birthday Town), son (Hristos Passalis), and two daughters (Mary Tsoni, Angeliki Papoulia) spend all of their time in the house, without ever leaving. No names are given for any of them.

Recognized as the undisputed provider, the man takes care of everything the family needs -- food, clothes, porn. When he is in a good mood, the family knows it. When he is in a bad mood, the family feels it. Because things are the way they should be, no one ever attempts to question his authority.

The man’s son is in his early twenties, which is why he occasionally pays Christina (Anna Kalaitzidou), a security guard from the factory, to visit the house and have sex with him. The man is convinced that it is good for the boy. Christina does not mind either. She is single and needs the extra money the man pays her.

During a regular visit, Christina asks one of the girls to lick her. If she does, Christina will give her a present. The girl agrees, and later tells her sister about Christina’s unusual request. Then she tells her father. Soon after, the two girls begin licking everyone’s fingers, elbows, and arms.

Meanwhile, the man announces that there will be a new addition to the family because Mom is pregnant. Everyone is happy, even Christina. They take a picture together. Then they laugh and have a good time.

But an odd accident changes everything -- one of the girls decides to explore the world outside the house and makes a bold move. The man fails to react accordingly and, much to his annoyance, all hell breaks loose.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, Dogtooth is a minimalistic, extremely polarizing film, which Michael Haneke would have loved to direct. It hits hard where it hurts the most. One cannot possibly like it, but one should certainly be able to appreciate it. It is bold and brutally uncompromising, to the point of being offensive, but also illuminating.

The message of Dogtooth is simple -- parents could be as dangerous as those that they are supposedly trying to protect their children from. This message is impossible to reject. In the United States, Jerry Springer made a fortune welcoming some of the worst of these parents to his popular show, producing thousands of hours of shocking content that proves its validity.

*In 1990, Michele Valley, who plays the mother in Dogtooth, also appeared in another very controversial Greek film, Singapore Sling, which won multiple awards at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Dogtooth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I don't have the first release of the film that Kino Lorber produced in 2011, which is now out of print. I only have the Region-B release that Verve Pictures produced in 2010. However, I remember testing the previous domestic release, and I know that it was sourced from the same master. This brand new release is sourced from the same (older) master as well.

What is important to underscore here is that the film now runs at a different speed, which I believe is the correct one. The Region-B release is encoded in 1080/50i and has a running time of approximately 94 minutes. The U.S. release is encoded in 1080p and has a running time of approximately 97 minutes. This is the main discrepancy between the two releases. Now, I think that the film looks decent, often even good in high-definition, but this film can definitely benefit from a fresh remaster. Some of the darker areas for instance can have more consistent density and wider ranges of fine nuances, and this particular limitation does not surprise me at all because it is very common on masters that were done a decade ago. Some of the highlights can be rebalanced as well. The color scheme is fine, but this is another area where I think that there is room for some meaningful rebalancing work that can improve saturation. Finally, a new remaster will surely eliminate the surprising amount of tiny white specks and even a few tiny black dots that pop up here and there. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Dogtooth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Greek DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Greek DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I revisited the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Clarity and balance are very nice. Depth is hard to critique because, outside the random exchanges, most of the material is essentially a mish-mash of minimalist organic sounds and noises. There are no stability issues to report. (As noted elsewhere, here the audio is pitched differently as well).

Dogtooth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original trailer for Dogtooth. In Greek, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Yorgos Lanthimos - in this archival interview, director Yorgos Lanthimos remembers how the original idea for Dogtooth emerged and discusses some of the key themes and conflicts that are present in the film. In English, not subtitled. 13 min, 1080p).

• Yorgos Lanthimos in Conversation - in this recent interview, Yorgos Lanthimos discusses his latest film, The Favourite and his working methods with critic and director of the NYFF Kent Jones. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• Deleted Scenes - three deleted scenes:
  
  1. Father Sings
  2. Fly Me to the Moon
  3. Bathroom Dance

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by actors Angeliki Papoulia and Hristos Passalis. The bulk of the information that is shared in it addresses the shooting of various sequences from the film, many of which were apparently completely improvised. The commentary is in English.

• Cover - reversible cover.

Dogtooth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I revisited Dogtooth a couple of nights ago, and to be honest, my second viewing of it was quite the struggle. Obviously, without the surprising shock value, the viewing experience should be different, but there was something about the minimalism and graphic nature of the story that this time really rubbed me the wrong way. Kino Lorber's new release is sourced from the same master that was used to produce this out-of-print release, but there are some new bonus features on it. RECOMMENDED.