7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A gang of juvenile delinquents lead by a fifteen-year-old boy named 'Jaro' wrecks havoc in Madrid, Spain. A middle-aged prostitute takes a liking to Jaro and tries to care for him, but Jaro is on a path of self-destruction.
Director: Eloy de la IglesiaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 36% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Biography | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Eloy de la Iglesia's Quinqui Collection.
It can be kind of interesting to trace when various genres or subgenres in film started to appear in various countries. In the United States, for
example, there was a veritable glut of so-called "juvenile delinquent" films that began showing up in the fifties in particular, though there are
probably
isolated incidents of quasi-JDs appearing considerably earlier (arguably like those seen in 1937's Dead End,
who continued on as The East Side Kids, among other appellations) . But the post-World War II era really seemed to
give
rise to this kind of film, with everything from Blackboard Jungle to
Rebel Without a Cause ensuing (both of those interestingly from the
same year of 1955). The genre may have tended more toward exploitation fare as it continued, with more overtly hyperbolic productions like
Reform School Girl, The Green-Eyed Blonde and The Party
Crashers (the last two directed by genre stalwart Bernard Girard, and the last film offering the final big screen performances from both
Frances
Farmer and Bobby Driscoll). By the time juvenile delinquents were seen singing and dancing in West Side Story, the genre may have obviously morphed pretty significantly, but in its own way, it continued
apace with any number of films throughout the sixties and beyond, including a glut of "biker gang" outings.
Perhaps due to the influence of Franco, who may not have wanted the world to think that "his" country had any problems with errant youth, Spain
didn't really start offering juvenile delinquent films until the 1970s, though, again, there are isolated examples that can be cited, like Luis
Bunuel's The Young and the Damned, which kind of
interestingly given the above data was released in 1950. The word quinqui was utilized to define this emerging late 70s - early 80s
genre (or subgenre, if you prefer) featuring Spanish JDs, and while that word may seem like it should be inherently linked etymologically
to "delinquent", the
actual facts may be a bit
different, as is discussed in one of the supplements included on this set of discs. Whatever the genesis of the term actually is, Eloy de la Iglesia is
considered one of the prime creators of quinqui films, and this collection from Severin offers a trio of often graphically disturbing works
that have a bit of a Neorealist flavor to them, albeit in the mean streets of Madrid and Bilbao rather than Rome and environs.
Navajeros is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. The back cover of this release states that all three films in this collection have been "scanned in HD from the original negatives". This is a generally very strong looking transfer that offers abundant detail levels and a warmly suffused palette for the most part, though this particular presentation can have a slightly yellowish tint at times that comes and goes, and which can perhaps be made out in some of the screenshots accompanying this review. However, the majority of the transfer boasts natural looking colors, with an organically resolved grain field and no really appreciable major damage to report.
Navajeros features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that capably supports the film's kind of rough and ready sound design, which frequently finds characters marauding between outdoor and interior environments. It looked to me that at least some of the film had been post-looped, though I'm assuming most if not all of the actors spoke Spanish on set. As a result, synch can appear loose, as they say, but fidelity is fine throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
Navajeros is an unabashed gut punch, and it retains a visceral and very disturbing energy now decades after its original release. Manzano was a real find, and his personal life refracts into this film in an unavoidably melancholy way. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements are very interesting. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Overdose
1983
1984
2004
2017
The Young and the Damned
1950
1965
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1975
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1975
El Huerto del Francés | Standard Edition
1978
2020
Standard Edition
1966
1970
1971
1973
1999
1995
1997
Dolor y gloria
2019
1979
影なき声; / Kage naki koe
1958