Out of Order 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Out of Order 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 1, 2022

Carl Schenkel's "Out of Order" a.k.a. "Abwarts" (1984) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Subkultur Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new programs with actor Hannes Jaenicke and cinematographer Jacques Steyn; Alternate English version of the film; alternate scene; vintage promotional materials; and more. In German, with optional English and German SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Why do some people insist on wearing dark sunglasses when they are inside buildings where there is hardly any light? Some people even have them on when they go out at night. Do you recall Corey Hart’s hit Sunglasses at Night? Back in the early ‘80s, I could never figure out why Hart’s song became such a big deal. It does have some catchy harmonies, but its lyrics are beyond silly. “And I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can keep track of the visions in my eyes.” Classic ‘80s material here. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, which is precisely why a few years ago MTV ridiculed the heck out of this song in one of those programs where younger critics would deconstruct various strange music hits and even films previous generations thought were special.

If, like Hart, you like wearing sunglasses when they aren’t needed, you should track down a copy of Carl Schenkel’s film Out of Order (Abwarts) because it will present you with one excellent reason why you shouldn’t do it. (Just to be clear, there are many more such reasons, but the one from Schenkel’s film is simply impossible to dismiss). I will describe it for you. Immediately after the opening credits disappear, in a giant commercial building a technician is seen doing work on an elevator that has been out of order. Then moments later, on the twenty-fifth floor, a young man wearing dark sunglasses presses the button of another elevator and when the door opens up tries to enter it with his back facing the door, but there is no floor, just a seemingly bottomless pit filled with thick steel wires. In the building’s posh lobby, the technician then hands a piece of paper to the night guard and casually suggests that someone should check more often the elevator system’s control mechanism because even a speck of dust can shut it down -- or, as the film reveals, make it malfunction in all kinds of other strange ways.

The young man is Pit (Hannes Jaenicke) and he is a troublemaker who has just stolen a Coke from a lonely vending machine. After he barely evades a meeting with the Grim Reaper, Pit gets stuck in a different elevator with three strangers who are on their way out of the building as well. The oldest of the three is Gossmann (Wolfgang Kieling), who works in an office and has just stolen nearly half a million Deutsche Marks. Jorg (Gotz George) and Marion (Renee Soutendijk) are coworkers and part-time lovers who plan to have a weekend celebration. When the elevator dies before it can reach the lobby, the four begin speculating how long it would take to get them out of the elevator. Then, as time passes by and they fail to reach the night guard on the other side of the elevator’s emergency line, they become increasingly frustrated with each other. Eventually, while seemingly on the verge of a very painful confrontation, Pit and Jorg agree to open up the ventilation shaft and see if they can manage to reach an elevator door and open it up.

The film produces a number of situations that essentially make it impossible to root for any of the four characters, so as odd as it may sound at least for a while it is a bit of a treat to see them get on each other’s nerves and struggle to exit the elevator. However, Schenkel’s visualization of the drama is the main reason why the film is as effective as it is. Indeed, there are some really terrific shots from the elevator shaft that add a great deal of authenticity that I personally found a lot spookier than the similar shots from The Lift. There is nothing ‘smart’ about this elevator. It is just badly damaged, so when it becomes clear that the four characters are running out of time, it feels like everything they do makes perfect sense even though it is actually incredibly dangerous.

Even though Schenkel obviously had a fairly small budget to work with, it feels like enough of it should have been sacrificed for a solid electronic soundtrack. As I was watching the film, I could not stop thinking how much more stylish it would have been with one of those lush soundtracks Tangerine Dream delivered for cult ‘80s hits like Thief and Kamikaze '89.

Out of Order 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Subkultur Entertainment release of Out of Order is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray offer presentations of the recent 4K restoration of the film.

Two sets of screencaptures are included with this review. Please note that the screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures: 1-16 are from the 4K Blu-ray.
Screencaptures: 20-33 are from the Blu-ray.

I viewed the entire film on 4K Blu-ray with Dolby Vision enabled. After that, I only did a few random comparisons with the 1080p presentation from the Blu-ray.

The film looks gorgeous in native 4K. I was particularly impressed with how nicely the darker footage looked because there are all sorts of minor nuances and shadows that are just perfectly balanced. Colors looked lush and and very healthy, equally nicely balanced as well. So, it is pretty clear that the person that graded the finalized 4K master did some great reference work to ensure that everything is as convincing as it needs to be. Fluidity is terrific too, so on a larger screen the visuals have a very attractive organic appearance. Obviously, I did not encounter any traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless as well. Terrific 4K restoration.

The most notable discrepancy that I was able to spot between the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray was in the manner in which grain is exposed. Everything looks tighter in native 4K, so improved density of the visuals also has a positive impact on grain exposure. You can observe slightly more pronounced grain fluctuations in 1080p, with the most obvious examples emerging during very dark footage. Fluidity is superior in native 4K as well, so when the camera moves in native 4K everything looks a bit better.

Note: The 4K Blu-ray release is Region-Free. The Blu-ray release is Region-Free as well.

Out of Order 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: German: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Optional English and German SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the German Mono track. The audio was very clear, sharp and stable. I would say that dynamic intensity was very nice too, though I did test the 5.1 track and during the elevator malfunction at the end there is clearly more happening on it. I assume that there is more happening elsewhere throughout the film, but I was quite happy with the Mono track. I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. (The 5.1 track was apparently finalized in 2001).

Out of Order 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Alternate Scene - fully restored alternate scene. In German, with English subtitles. (6 min).

• Isolated Score - presented as DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0.

• English Credits - presented silent. (5 min).

• Textless Credits - presented silent. (4 min).

• Trailer - remastered original German theatrical trailer for Out of Order. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Gallery - a collection of vintage publicity materials for Out of Order.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Alternate Cut - this cut of the film is a couple of minutes longer and is dubbed in English. (91 min).

• Interview with Actor Hannes Jaenicke - in this new video interview, Hannes Jaenicke recalls how he entered the film business, some of his early struggles as an actor, his involvement with Out of Order, and what it was like to work with Carl Schenkel and the rest of the cast members. In German, with English subtitles. (28 min).

• Interview with Cinematographer Jacques Steyn - in this new video interview, cinematographer Jacques Steyn recalls his early work as lighting and camera assistant, the enormous influence Robby Muller (The American Friend) had on him, and his contribution to Out of Order and professional relationship with director Carl Schenkel. In German, with English subtitles. (19 min).

• Isolated Score - presented as DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0.

• English Credits - presented silent. (5 min).

• Textless Credits - presented silent. (4 min).

• Trailer - remastered original German theatrical trailer for Out of Order. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Gallery - a collection of vintage publicity materials for Out of Order.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• CD Soundtrack - the original soundtrack for Out of Order, placed on a separate CD disc. A total of 18 tracks. Total length: 33.36.

• Booklet - 16-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film and technical credits. In German.

Out of Order 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Had the boys at Tangerine Dream created one of those very atmospheric electronic soundtracks that you can hear on the likes of Thief and Kamikaze '89 and handed it to director Carl Schenkel, right now Out of Order would have been considered a cult '80s German thriller. I think that it works really well. It knows its limitations and creates a pretty great atmosphere in the elevator shaft its protagonists are trapped for nearly ninety minutes. To be honest, because it is free of gimmicks, a couple of times it sent chills down my spine. Subkultur Entertainment's 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release is sourced from a beautiful exclusive new 4K master and is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If you decide to pick up Out of Order for your library, keep in mind that the same release is offered with an alternate cover. See listing here).