6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
The story of Jennifer Hill, a writer who retreats to the country to work on her novel. Whilst there she is subjected to a horrific gang rape by four locals and left for dead. She somehow manages to regain her strength and sets out to exact a deadly revenge... Banned by censors, bashed by critics, reviled by feminists... The legacy of Day of the Woman can be summed up in one word: controversy.
Starring: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Gunter Kleemann, Alexis MagnottiHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 27% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Have a nice summer.
What makes a movie "too much?" What takes it "too far?" Where's the line between good taste and pointless exercises in violence? Whatever
happened to cheering on the good guys, enjoying the sweet taste of revenge, or even the old proverb that advocates an eye for an eye? I Spit on
Your Grave is a decidedly brutal picture that's certainly flawed, but is it really so wrong to cheer on the grotesque deaths of four rapists
who are as guilty as the sun is hot? Of course, the problem isn't the principal; it's the vivid depiction of violence against a woman that, sure, maybe
goes a little further than Deliverance, but whereas that film is lauded -- and rightfully so -- as a tale
of triumph over adversity; the unbreakable bonds of friendship even in the most challenging of circumstances; and, yes, sweet revenge leveled against
pigs who deserve all they get and more, I
Spit on Your Grave is seen as borderline pornography, brutal trash that has no place in the cinematic medium, even up against pictures that are
infinitely more grotesque, and without purpose at that. I Spit on Your Grave is an epic cult classic, the sort of off-limits
film that's more a victim of perception than reality and, at the end, it just feels good to watch the girl get her revenge on a quartet of slime
balls who punched their own ticket to hell long before their victim sent them there for eternity.
Raped.
I Spit on Your Grave definitely shows its age and budget in Anchor Bay's commendable but not-without-flaws Blu-ray release. The transfer exhibits some issues that can and do become distractions -- there are some static and fleeting pops and scratches evident throughout, some flickering and wobbly shots, a few scattered soft elements, and speckle-ridden and overwhelming blacks -- but the bulk of the transfer has nothing but overwhelming positives to offer, even if parts of the transfer give off the vibe that this is a decent but worn print culled straight from the reels found in a drive-in theater projector. Anchor Bay's 1080p transfer delivers solid, but not exceptional, details; tree leaves can look clumpy and medium-distance objects lack perfect definition, but the image's foreground elements -- wood and wooded terrain, faces and clothes, brick and stone textures, and cloth furniture -- tend to impress a great deal in terms of details and clarity. Colors are quite good, never appearing extraordinarily robust but certainly steady and pleasant for the duration. A fair bit of grain is retained over the entirety of the transfer that, along with the era-specific feel of the colors and details, rounds this transfer into form and creates a solid throwback cinematic texture. I Spit on Your Grave is far from the perfect catalogue transfer, but it's honest and steady in most every shot, those several problem areas not withstanding.
There's really not all that much to Anchor Bay's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack for I Spit on Your Grave. This relatively low-budget film sports a somewhat mushy soundtrack that gets the job done but never extends itself beyond the delivery of basic sound effects, atmospherics, and dialogue. The front speakers handle the vast majority of the track, and even atmospherics -- country chirping birds, slight gusts of wind -- rarely find themselves playing from the back with any kind of force or volume. The track's heaviest element comes in several scenes where a small engine motorboat zips around the screen. The rumble of the engine is handled adequately enough, but there's no sense of the sheer force or raw power one might associate with such a device. Church organs blare with a high-pitched but fairly true-to-life tenor in one scene. The track's lone gunshot enjoys a fair bit of oomph and authority. Dialogue is a mixed bag; it's generally crisp and accurate but does play as decidedly and unquestionably muffled in a few scenes, a prime example coming during a campout scene featuring the soon-to-be-rapists in chapter three. Overall, this isn't a bad listen, it's just a flat and inconsequential one, one that's more attributable to the natural elements than any fault of the Blu-ray.
I Spit on Your Grave features a nice assortment of extras, highlighted by a pair of excellent commentary tracks and a quality interview with
Director Meir Zarchi.
I Spit on Your Grave is a tough assignment, no doubt about it. For some, it'll be an even tougher watch. It's a movie with its heart in the right place no doubt about it; the execution, on the other hand, is certainly up for debate, and whether or not the film should even exist is another matter altogether, one that just can't be answered rightly or wrongly. I Spit on Your Grave is one of the most notorious films ever made, and that's just the sort of publicity that keeps it going, that continues to make it a big seller and one of the quintessential "off-limits" movies ever made. For some, the labels and nefarious quotes and general hate towards the movie will be enough to keep it always at arms length; for others, that's the whole reason to embrace it, but there's no real reason for the vast chasm between this and Deliverance, at least from a very base perspective and never mind that Deliverance is the far and away superior technical production. I Spit in Your Grave is a must-see for audiences who pride themsleves in giving anything and everything a chance and for those who aren't swayed by controversy or general consensus; the best works of art are sometimes the most controversial. I Spit on Your Grave is tough to watch and, even beyond those difficulties, it's not a very good movie, but darn it if that little voice inside in't cheering like mad for the entire final act. This Anchor Bay Blu-ray release is solid all around; the technical presentation could use a bump, but all things considered the picture and sound presentations are in relatively good shape. The supplements could stand a few more features, too, but what's here is rather good. Highly recommended to those willing to give it a shot and who can accept the film for what it is.
Day of the Woman
1978
Day of the Woman
1978
Day of the Woman
1978
Day of the Woman / 4K Upgrade
1978
Unrated
2010
1972
2013
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1980
2009
Collector's Edition
2013
1977
1980
Ahí va el diablo
2012
Unrated Edition
2006
2012
2015
2013
2011
Uncut
2013
2015
Director's Cut
2007
Unrated
2005
Director's Cut
2005
Limited Edition
2009