6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Tom Corbett is asked by a friend of the family to come home. The family farm is now property of the Scott family, and Tom’s brother Jeff has become an alcoholic. Behind all this, is Scott Junior, a bullwhip wielding psychopath. Jeff seems amused, even when Tom is brutally tortured by Junior, but when the Indian woman, who has raised him and Tom, is killed, he decides to take up his guns and side with his brother during the final shootout.
Starring: Franco Nero, George Hilton (I), Linda Sini, Giuseppe Addobbati, Nino CastelnuovoForeign | 100% |
Western | 21% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns.
There may be a popular category of film described by the unwashed masses with the term "Spaghetti Westerns", but some of the
supplements included in this new Arrow collection prefer the more geographically (and/or gastronomically) diverse "Euro Westerns" as a rubric. The
four films aggregated in this collection probably could easily fit into the "Spaghetti Western" mold, since there are in fact Italians by the
bucket load involved in the productions, and as is discussed in some of those aforementioned supplements, there's little doubt that the huge success
of Sergio Leone's films helped to spark the international craze for such efforts, whatever you want to call them. The films offer production dates
ranging from 1966 to 1970 and feature several iconic names associated with the genre, including Franco Nero, George Hilton and Klaus Kinski, and as
the back cover of the slipbox mentions, all four have at least a subtext involving revenge to help catapult the dramatic momentum.
Massacre Time is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet aggregates three of the four films together in their informational verbiage, as follows:
Massacre Time, Bandidos and My Name is Pecos are presented in their original aspect ratios of 2.35:1 with Italian and English mono audio. Scanning and restoration work was completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm camera negatives were scanned in 2K resolution. The mono Italian and English lanugage tracks were remastered from the optical sound negatives. The audio sunch will appear slightly loose against the picture, due to the fact that the dialogue was recorded entire in post-production, as per the production standards of the period. The films were graded at R3Store Studios, London.This is an appealing looking transfer that manages to offer substantial detail levels despite a prevalence of technical issues like optical dissolves and production elements like windstorms that blow significant amounts of dust through the frame. Fulci offers quite a few wide vistas throughout the film and fine detail can be surprisingly good even on smaller elements in the frame like leaves, grasses or even animals. The palette may tilt just ever so slightly toward browns at times, but things still pop really well, and primaries like reds are often exceptionally vivid. Grain is heavy, even gritty at times, but resolves without any issues.
Massacre Time features three audio options, English LPCM 2.0 Mono, Italian LPCM Mono and the "alternate US dub" which is presented in LPCM Mono. As with some other films in this set, there are some noticeable amplitude differences between the tracks, with the "main" English audio track sounding louder and more full bodied than either the Italian track or the alternate English dub. There's a slightly "phase-y" quality to some of the sound effects, like the ravaging dogs in the opening sequence, that to my ears was slightly more prevalent in the Italian track. Dialogue and score are presented cleanly in all three tracks, though the alternate English dub definitely can sound a bit anemic and thin at times. Optional English subtitles are available.
It's fun to see Franco Nero and George Hilton paired in this film, but from a performance perspective, Massacre Time is a 100% showcase for the alarmingly disturbing Nino Castelnuovo as Junior. Technical merits are solid, and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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1966
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1968
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1970
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Blood at Sundown / Il ritorno di Ringo
1965
¡Mátalo!
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Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom
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