Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Fleshpot on 42nd Street Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 5, 2021

Note: This version of this film is available as part of The Dungeon of Andy Milligan.

Lovers of what might be charitably termed Grade Z Cinema have had a number of outstanding releases by a variety of labels over the past few years. Arrow has offered fans surprisingly deluxe-ified (that's a word, I insist) editions of The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast and Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection, among others, while Severin Films has gotten into exploring this decidedly odd nook and/or cranny with releases like Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection. Severin's back with more, um, "masterpieces" with this inventively packaged homage to the late Andy Milligan, a kinda sorta auteur whose professional life had more than its fair share of hurdles, and whose personal life unfortunately ended up not being much better. The 14 films (with one bonus film in HD, Toga Party) aggregated in this set are exploitation outings at their "finest" (?), which means those with more patrician tastes are probably well advised to steer completely clear of this release. Those with grittier sensibilities will find some at times oddly entertaining movies and Severin's usual supply of appealing supplements.

Fleshpot on 42nd Avenue is one of the releases in the Milligan set which has had a previous release on Blu-ray, in this case a standalone disc put out by Vinegar Syndrome (which was a limited edition and is apparently sold out and out of print). For those wanting a plot recap, I refer you to my colleague Brian Orndorf's Fleshpot on 42nd Street Blu-ray review of that version. Brian's review is also a good resource for anyone wanting to compare screenshots of the two versions. The Vinegar Syndrome release is the clear winner in the supplements department (bonus features are detailed in Brian's review), as this Severin Films version offers none associated with this film.

Fleshpot on 42nd Street Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fleshpot on 42nd Street is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.32:1, which is just slightly narrower than the 1.33:1 presentation offered on Vinegar Syndrome's disc. This Severin release does not include the 1.85:1 framing that the Vinegar Syndrome release did. Severin's booklet included with this release has the following information on the transfer:

Fleshpot on 42nd Street was scanned and restored in 4K by Vinegar Syndrome from its 16mm camera reversal. It is presented in 1.33:1, Milligan's intended aspect ratio.

I don't have the Vinegar Syndrome disc to do a side by side comparison, but judging from screenshots, this looks similar if not identical to the Vinegar Syndrome release. It looks to me that this version is slightly brighter, though the palette looks generally the same (I'd maybe argue the Severin release is marginally warmer, but not by much). I'm a bit more of a curmudgeon than Brian was with regard to the overall look of this transfer, which I found to be just slightly muddy looking at times, though as with all of the other transfers in this Milligan set, there's a nice, gritty organic appearance to the grain which is perfectly in line with the 16mm source. As Brian mentions in his review of the Vinegar Syndrome release, and as with all of the other films in this Milligan set, there's recurrent age related wear and tear on display.

Fleshpot on 42nd Street Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I'm assuming that the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mix here is culled from the same master Brian in his review describes Vinegar Syndrome created, but, again, I'm apparently a less forgiving listener than Brian is, hence our different scores. Once again, variances in amplitude can provide occasional listening hurdles, and there's the same strident (and my hunch is for some, painful) overly bright high end that can be a bit of a distraction. All of this said, there is really no overtly horrible damage, and dialogue is generally rendered clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

Fleshpot on 42nd Street Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements associated with this film on this disc.

Fleshpot on 42nd Street Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For those who didn't pick up Vinegar Syndrome's release from a couple of years ago, this new Severin version of Fleshpot on 42nd Avenue should be welcome. Technical merits are occasionally problematic, but within the context of this overall set more than acceptable, for those who are considering making a purchase.