6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Bent on ridding society of it's most boring element, suburbanites, Divine and company tour under the guise of Lady Divine's Cavalcade of Perversions, a not-so-elaborate ruse to lure in the most complacent element of the population and slaughter them en masse.
Starring: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Cookie MuellerHorror | 100% |
Dark humor | 28% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
John Waters' "Multiple Maniacs" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new audio commentary by writer-director John Waters; newly produced program featuring new interviews with cast members; and new video essay by film scholar Gary Needham. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring writer and journalist Linda Yablonsky's essay "Genuine Trash" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Freaky lady
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Waters' Multiple Maniacs arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"The film was shot on an Auricon 16mm camera using Kodak black-and-white reversal film with audio magnetic stripe. Additional exterior footage was filmed on a Bell & Howell hand-cranked camera. Kodak Plus-X film was used for the exteriors, while Kodak Tri-X was used for the interiors. The reversal original was kept in Waters' closet from 1970 until he moved in 1990, after which it was kept in Waters' attic at occasional 100-plus-degree temperatures -- until the Criterion Collection retrieved it and scanned it in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner at Metropolis Post in New York. The film was in remarkably good condition even after its tumultuous nonarchival history. Digital restoration techniques were used to stabilize the image; clean the up the dirt, scratches, and debris; and give Multiple Maniacs a new shine for its digital premiere. The monaural soundtrack was remastered from the original 16mm magnetic audio track and digitized in 96K resolution at DJ Audio in Burbank, California. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.
Transfer supervisor: John Waters.
Picture supervisor and colorist: Lee Kline.
Sound supervisor and mixer: Ryan Hullings.
Restoration supervisor: Phoebe Harmon.
Restoration facility: Criterion Collection/New York."
Because different stock was used for different segments some minor density fluctuations can be observed, but fluidity is never impacted and actually the entire film has an enormously impressive solid organic appearance (you can see the difference if you compare screencapture #6 and screencapture #13). Depth and clarity are largely very pleasing, though I must point out that some sporadic drops in focus and delineation can emerge because plenty of the hand-held footage could be uncharacteristically erratic. Grain is nicely exposed and resolved, but for the exact same reasons that are described above minor fluctuations can be seen again. Also, there are select areas where highlights appear slightly elevated and image balance is affected, but the stock and unique lensing preferences are responsible for them, not digital anomalies that were introduced during the restoration process. Image stability is very good. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, or warped frames (even previously easy to spot wear marks and vertical lines are now effectively minimized and virtually impossible to spot; see screencapture #15). My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-a or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
In the new commentary that is included on this release dierctor John Waters mentions that the excellent audio restoration has made it possible to hear lines that were previously unrecognizable. I have to agree, because while there are minor balance and fluidity fluctuations overall clarity is outstanding, and even during the outdoor sequences where there are plenty of organic sounds and noises there are no distracting age-related anomalies. Dynamic intensity, however, is modest.
I choose to view Multiple Maniacs as one giant freak show with a few exceptionally colorful characters that probably belong in the annals of American cinema but for all the wrong reasons. There is no doubt that it is not for everyone, though the truth is that it was never meant to be, and this is essentially the reason why it still largely works as intended. The film has been recently restored in 4K by Criterion and looks astonishing on Blu-ray. Let's hope that Lee Kline and his team will also be able to work on some of Paul Morrissey's films and bring them to the Collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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