6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Period piece set during the Inquisition about a witch-finder general who falls in love with the village beauty, who has made a pact with the devil to seduce and condemn the man who is killing off Satan's servants.
Starring: Paul Naschy, Mónica Randall, Daniela Giordano (I), Tony Isbert, Julia SalyHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 66% |
Period | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Spanish: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Paul Naschy's "Inquisition" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of U.S. label Mondo Macabro. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn; new video interview with actress Daniela Giordano; archival interview with Paul Naschy; and more. In Spanish or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Bernard de Fossey
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Paul Naschy's Inquisition arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro.
The technical presentation is quite disappointing. At some point the film was probably remastered, but it was also heavily filtered from start to finish. (The even distribution of the filtering suggests that it was almost certainly preset). My guess is that the work was done during the remastering process, not after the files were delivered to the U.S. label. Regardless, the end result is very problematic in more than a few ways. For example, virtually all of the darker/indoor footage lacks the type of proper depth that it should have -- shadow definition is extremely disappointing and existing fine detail is almost completely wiped out (see screencaptures #12, 13, and 14). During the daylight footage there is very obvious digital flatness that also produces very distracting smearing (see screencaptures #7 and 19). These effects are visible during close-ups and larger panoramic shots. The film has a healthy color-scheme, but because of the digital anomalies described above some of the key primaries are destabilized and entire ranges of nuances appear compromised. Image stability is excellent. Also, there are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or other age-related imperfections to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 1.0 and English LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I viewed the film with the original Spanish track. Post-production dubbing must have been done despite the fact that the entire film was shot in Spanish. (This was a standard practice at the time because many of these films were shot with an international cast and then different audio tracks were created for different territories). So there is some light unevenness, not serious anomalies in terms of dynamics and balance. Clarity and depth are very pleasing. There are no distortions, pops, cracks, or background hiss to report.
I find this film to be much more effective and despite the nature of its story even more convincing than the cult favorite Witchfinder General. Unfortunately, Mondo Macabro's technical presentation of Inquisition is quite problematic. The master that was used to source the Blu-ray release was essentially filtered from start to finish and as a result the entire film has a harsh smeary appearance that can be quite distracting. If you wish to own a copy of the film in your collection, I think that the best thing to do is find a way to rent it first and see how much you are bothered by the filtering. If you can't, my advice is to avoid the release and consider a different title from Mondo Macabro's catalog.
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