7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The psychologist Dr. Hamilton is fascinated by the supernatural and adores his wife Tânia. Out of the blue, Dr. Hamilton has daydreams and nightmares with Zé do Caixão that wants to take Tânia to deliver his perfect offspring. His colleagues at the Psychiatric Clinic Dr. Adolfo Hansen invite José Mojica Marins, who is the creator of Zé do Caixão, to convince Dr. Hamilton that the character is not real but fruit of his imagination.
Starring: José Mojica MarinsForeign | 100% |
Horror | 92% |
Surreal | 14% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Portuguese: LPCM Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe collection from Arrow Video.
If you know about Coffin Joe, no introduction is necessary, and if you don't, no introduction could probably ever suffice. That said, for those who
aren't aware of this weirdly iconic Brasilian character, he (it?) sprang from the febrile imagination of one José Mojica Marins, a writer and
director
who in addition to those tasks in fact played
Coffin Joe in several films aggregated in this gonzo new collection from Arrow Video. Rather interestingly, and perhaps saliently, one
supplement in this immense set has the redoubtable Stephen Thrower refusing to call Marins "insane", despite the fact that other pundits
have described Marins as meeting that clinical definition, while another supplement is devoted to Marins as a "neuro divergent"
and at least possibly ADHD afflicted filmmaker. That rather wide gamut of reactions will probably be matched by the general public, though if
Marins was "crazy", he was crazy like a fox, as they say, and his films, while intentionally provocative and rather frequently
horrifyingly
graphic in terms of bodily immolations and the like, generally have rather impressive production values, which suggests a certain competency at
least. One way or the other, virtually all of Marins'
films are suffused with mood, even if narrative structures can be on the wobbly side. This is another impressive effort from Arrow Video
that is obviously designed to cater to a cult audience, but that particular demographic should find themselves very well served by this release.
Arrow's insert booklet offers some general information about all of the transfers, followed by more individualized information about this particular film, as follows:
The Coffin Joe films by José Mojica Marins have been exclusively restored by Cinecolor, in cooperation with One Eyed Films and Arrow Films. All restoration work was overseen by producer Paulo Sacramento in collaboration with Arrow Films.Additionally, a prefatory text card offers the following further information:
The original film elements sourced for this project represent the best existing film elements available, and while every effort has been made to present these films in the highest quality possible, some instances of damage remain, in keeping with the condition and age of these materials. Likewise, the audio soundtracks which at times have a slightly rough quality of are in keeping with their production origins. In places audio synch will appear loose as very little audio was ever recorded live and the mixes were generally recorded and created in post-production.
Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind / Delírios de um Anormal is presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with mono Brazilian Portuguese audio.
The film was scanned and restored in 4K resolution from the original 35mm camera negative.
The audio was remastered from an original 35mm print.
2023 4K restoration executed at Cinecolor Brazil Lab with the support of Arrow Films and under the supervision of Mojica's last producer, Paulo Sacramento.This presentation offers some of the most secure color timing of the set, though there can still be traces of the yellow-orange undertone I've noted in a number of other reviews of the color films in the collection, a slight anomaly which is probably discernable in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. Some of the "recycled" material appears here in tinted or toned form, choices that can arguably slightly decrease fine detail levels at times. On the whole, though, detail is precise, meaning it can be quite gruesome at times. Perhaps surprisingly, there are not huge variances in clarity or grain structure despite this having been cobbled together from a variety of previously produced films and newly shot material.
Digital restoration done from the original 35mm image negatives supplied by Cinemateca Brasileira.
The audio files were restored from the preexisting telecine of a 35mm print.
Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind features LPCM Mono audio in the original Portuguese. This is another track that can reveal some very slight distortion and/or crackling at higher amplitudes, probably most noticeably in some of the wacky source cues or sound effects Marins always favors. Otherwise, though, the track offers capable support for all dialogue. Optional English subtitles are available.
Arrow has packaged Hellish Flesh and Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind together on one disc, with the following supplements:
- Hellish Flesh (HD; 3:53)
- Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind (HD; 3:49)
/blockquote>
The newly shot material for this film is actually rather stylish, and I kept wishing there were actually more of it, instead of the "new, improved" retreads the film offers more abundantly. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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