6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ilsa, now a vicious warden, runs a mental-hospital for young women. A girl deliberately "checks" in to the hospital to find out what has happened to her sister who stayed there. Meanwhile Ilsa and one of the guards are forcing the inmates to have sex with male prisoners, filming them and selling it as porno flicks.
Starring: Dyanne Thorne, Lina Romay (II), Tania Busselier, Eric Falk, Angela RitschardHorror | 100% |
Erotic | 44% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
DD is 192 kbps
English, Japanese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Jess Franco's "Ilsa: The Mad Butcher" a.k.a. "Greta - Haus ohne Männer" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Ascot Elite Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival interview with the Spanish director and writer/director/producer Erwin C. Dietrich; and a collection of promotional materials for the film. In English, German, Italian, or French, with optional English and Japanese subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Ilsa
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jess Franco's Ilsa: The Mad Butcher arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Ascot Elite Home Entertainment.
The high-definition transfer has been struck from a pre-existing master, most likely one that was produced around 2002 when a number of Jess Franco and Erwin C. Dietrich films were remastered. Excluding some traces of fading and a few uneven transitions, the film looks quite good in high-definition. Indeed, well-lit close-ups boast good depth, while the outdoor shots convey good fluidity (see screencaptures #2 and 7). Contrast levels remain stable. Colors appear natural, but color balance is a bit uneven. I must speculate, however, that the existing master probably isn't graded properly (screencapture #10 shows signs of aging as well). Additionally, there is extra footage that most likely comes from an entirely different surviving element (see screencapture #20). Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no serious encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, while there is some unevenness and it is clear that age has definitely left its mark, this is certainly a very pleasing organic presentation of Jess Franco's film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), and French: Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Ascot Elite Home Entertainment have provided optional English and Japanese subtitles for the main feature.
The English track has good depth and clarity is pleasing. Because some overdubbing was done, minor balance fluctuations are present. However, there are no odd interactions between the music and the dialog. Additionally, there are no pops, cracks, distracting background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.
Jess Franco's women-in-prison films are not for everyone, but they definitely have various odd charms that make them rather fascinating to behold. I think that Ilsa: The Mad Butcher is one of the Spanish director's best films, but you should keep in mind that these are niche films and they are typically assessed differently. There is some room for improvement on Ascot Elite Home Entertainment's release, but the film has a very nice organic appearance. Franco fans will be pleased. RECOMMENDED.
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