Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

In a Glass Cage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 19, 2011

Screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Spanish director Agustí Villaronga's "Tras el cristal" a.k.a. "In a Glass Cage" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; Q & A session with director Agusti Villaronga filmed at Lincoln Center in New York City in 2010; new featurette produced in 2011; and three short films directed by Agusti Villaronga - "Anta Mujer" (1976), "Laberint" (1980), and "Al Mayurka" (1980). In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free. Please be advised that the film contains disturbing footage that is not appropriate for minors!

The nurse

The film opens up with a shocking sequence – a man (Günter Meisner, Borsalino and Co., Magdalene) tortures a naked boy, takes pictures of his wounded body and then kills him. Moments later, the man attempts to commit suicide. He fails and becomes paralyzed from the neck down.

Fastforward. The man is placed in a glass tube that keeps him alive in a large villa somewhere in Catalonia. The woman (Marisa Paredes, All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In) he is married to loves him dearly but is on the verge of a nervous breakdown - part of her wants him alive but part of her also wants the man dead because this isn’t the life she dreamed about when she married him. The woman does not know her husband is a former Nazi doctor who has killed thousands of innocent boys while experimenting on them in a concentration camp in Germany.

Fastforward again. A boy (David Sust) arrives in the villa looking for a job. After he is introduced to the man, the boy agrees to be his nurse. The two immediately click – or so the man’s wife believes, until she asks the boy to give her maid a shot and he runs away. When the woman begins asking questions about the boy’s medical training, he goes berserk.

Eventually, it becomes obvious that the boy knows everything there is to know about the man. However, instead of exposing him the boy begins to tease him. He even scouts the area and brings other clueless boys to see the man and his tube – and remind the man about a past he has been trying to forget.

When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you. This is what the famous 19th century German philosopher and poet Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, and he was right. Evil can destroy people, but evil can also consume their souls and create monsters that are difficult to destroy, sometimes even impossible to destroy.

Spanish director Agustí Villaronga’s In a Glass Cage is about two people trying to overcome the evil that has corrupted their souls. One is slowly dying and trying to forget it, the other wants to confront it. They both fail for different reasons.

The film is very difficult to watch because it is deadly serious about its subject. There isn’t a drop of sensationalism in it and not even a partial attempt to downplay the shocking. Undoubtedly, this is why it works – it enters a very dangerous territory with a near controversial authority.

The atmosphere in the film is very intense. None of the shocking sequences have any graphic or explicit imagery, but the unique use of color, light and sound often points exactly to what the mind has already figured out. The editing is also very impressive, particularly during the final third of the film, where the tension becomes unbearable.

Meisner is superb as the paralyzed Nazi doctor who is slowly dying in his 'glass cage'. Pedro Almodovar’s favorite Paredes also delivers a memorable performance as the doctor's seriously depressed wife. The film, however, belongs to Sust, whose character is the epitome of pure evil.

A disclaimer at the end of the film clarifies that none of the child actors were harmed. This is good to know, because there are more than a couple of scenes that look shockingly realistic.

Note: In 1988, In a Glass Cage won Best First Work Award (Agustí Villaronga) at the Sant Jordi Awards in Barcelona, Spain.

In a Glass Cage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Agustí Villaronga's In a Glass Cage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.

The Blu-ray release represents a dramatic improvement in quality over the old R1 non-anamorphic DVD release. Detail and clarity in particular are so much better -- on the DVD many of the darker sequences from inside the villa were almost unwatchable because they were overwhelmed by artifacts and macroblocking; contrast was also incredibly disappointing. The high-definition transfer gives the film plenty of depth and allows the prominent blues and grays to breathe. Some light noise has been retained, but there are no traces of problematic sharpening or degraining. There are no serious compression or stability issues to report in this review either. All in all, this is yet another competent and much needed upgrade from Cult Epics. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

In a Glass Cage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Cult Epics have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

I prefer the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track because I felt that in terms of balance and dynamics there were some mild inconsistencies with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (the cello, in particular, would often sound rather distant). The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track keeps the music and the dialog closer and better balanced. It also matches the dynamic intensity of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. However, you should experiment with the two loseless tracks to see which one you like better. For the record, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. Also, there are no sync issues or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is very good.

In a Glass Cage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for In a Glass Cage. Music only. (3 min, 1080p).

• Q & A - Q & A session with director Agusti Villaronga filmed at Lincoln Center, New York City, on December 11, 2010. The Spanish director answers a series of questions about the film's disturbing narrative, its message, the controversy that ensued after it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, etc. In Spanish and English. (14 min, 1080p).

• Featurette: Agusti Villaronga - in this long and very informative new featurette, the Spanish director recalls how In a Glass Cage came to exist and discusses its controversial protagonists, the message of the film, etc. Spanish actor Lluís Homar, who dubbed Günter Meisner, also recalls his contribution to the film. Finally, actress Marina Gatell, who worked with Agusti Villaronga on his latest film, Black Bread, shares her thoughts on the film and its message. The featurette was produced in 2011. In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles. (36 min, 1080p).

• Short Films - three very rare short films directed by Agusti Villaronga.
  
  -- Anta Mujer (1976). In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (23 min, 480/60i).
  -- Laberint (1980). Music only. (12 min, 480/60i).
  -- Al Mayurka (1980). In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (24 min, 480/60i).

In a Glass Cage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spanish director Agustí Villaronga's In a Glass Cage is about two people trying to overcome the evil that has corrupted their souls. It is beautifully lensed but uncompromisingly brutal film that matches the intensity of Pier Paolo Pasolini's controversial Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom. Cult Epics' Blu-ray release represents an impressive upgrade in quality over the company's DVD release of the film. The Blu-ray also contains an excellent new featurette and very informative video interview with the Spanish director. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.