Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 9, 2017

"Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the compilation and large gallery with original theatrical posters. In English, not subtitled. Region-Free.

I have seen two very interesting trailer compilations that are currently available on Blu-ray in the United States. The first, 42nd Street Forever, came via Synapse Films in 2012 and grouped a number of vintage trailers for genre films the majority of which I was unfamiliar with. So I had a great time going through the collection and even took some detailed notes because there were various films that piqued my interest. Since then quite a few have appeared on Blu-ray domestically and overseas and I have added them to my library, and I even ordered a few on DVD. These are basically wild exploitation films and a few that can probably be categorized as period thrillers.

The second compilation was just released by Severin Films. This release is a little different than the one Synapse Films produced as it focuses strictly on kung fu films, which is why it is appropriately titled Kung Fu Trailers of Fury. It has a number of trailers for what I consider to be classic Hong Kong martial arts films as well as informative bonus features in which the history and significance of some of these films are discussed. Later this month, Severin Films are bringing a second volume titled Return of Kung Fu Trailers of Fury, and the press release confirms that this release will also have a substantial number of vintage trailers as well as a nice selection of bonus features. (I am aware that another boutique label, Garagehouse Pictures, has also released three trailer compilations, but I have not seen them yet. I am, however, planning to pick up all three shortly. See them here, here, and here). I wanted to mention the domestic releases because until yesterday I was unaware of other similar releases that are available for purchase outside of the United States.

This has all changed now, as I just received two brand new very similar releases from Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The first gathers 116 theatrical trailers for a wide range of ‘80s films, while the second combines 146 theatrical trailers for various ‘60s and ‘70s films. Both are Region-Free and are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players and the PS3.

The second release, Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery, is a lot more diverse. Once again, there is a good selection of trailers for big genre classics such as John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, Brian De Palma's The Fury, Michael Cimino's Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, and Robert Wise's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but this time there are plenty of trailers for far more 'extreme' and 'controversial' films. For example, there are trailers for some of the most talked-about blaxploitation, naziploitation, and sexploitation films from the period, including Tinto Brass' Salon Kitty, Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Larry Cohen's Black Caesar, and Martin Campbell's Eskimo Nell. Horror, in just about all of its sub-genre reincarnations, is also heavily represented. There are trailers for Brian De Palma's classic Carrie and Nic Roeg's Don't Look Now, as well as plenty of trailers for popular Hammer films. Lastly, there are even trailers for some classic westerns, such as Sergio Sollima's The Big Gundown, and cult action favorites like John Flynn's Rolling Thunder and Richard C. Sarafian's Vanishing Point.

As it was the case with Drive-In Delirium: Maximum '80s Overdrive the trailers are gathered in two large groups, but they cannot be accessed chronologically via the disc's main menu.

If you have already seen our review of Drive-In Delirium: Maximum '80s Overdrive and like the content, consider getting a copy of Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery as well. The two releases cover an enormous amount of genre films for which original trailers can be quite difficult to track down and see, and also have extensive collections of original posters. More importantly, however, many of these films are now restored and available on Blu-ray and you can use these compilations as a reference when you try to fill gaps in your library that you were unaware existed.

Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Once again, there is a wide range of aspect ratios that reflect the original framing choices for the films. According to Umbrella Entertainment these trailers are also presented "uncut, uncensored and remastered". A few of the trailers for the Hammer films can look a bit rough, though, and this is rather surprising because a few years ago StudioCanal fully restored quite a few of them. Nevertheless, I think that it is fair to say that the quality of the entire compilation is similar to that of the compilation from Drive-In Delirium: Maximum '80s Overdrive. Some native limitations remain and occasionally density and color values fluctuate, but there are no stability issues or serious damage that would affect your viewing experience. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

There are signs of aging -- including some minor balance issues and basic wear -- but they will not affect negatively your viewing experience. To be perfectly clear, these are the type of minor limitations that vintage content has and can be fully addressed only with extensive restoration. The overall quality of the audio really ranges from decent to very good.

Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Poster Gallery - a gallery with original posters for the many films included in this excellent compilation.(7 min).

• Sleeve - reversible sleeve.

Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery is a bit more diverse than Drive-In Delirium: Maximum '80s Overdrive, though I have to say that in its trailer compilation there is also a greater emphasis on horror titles highlighting different sub-genres. Many of these vintage films are now remastered or fully restored and are available on Blu-ray, so these compilations can be tremendously helpful to folks that would like to fill important gaps in their libraries. The two releases also have extensive collections of original vintage posters. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.