Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Santa Sangre 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 18, 2021

The Alejandro Jodorowsky Collection was a pretty easy choice to make my list of Top 10 Blu-ray releases of 2020, and one of the reasons why is that, aside from the pure visual phantasmagoria and almost doctoral level metaphysics and occultism (in about equal measure) that can show up in any given Jodorowsky film, Jodorowsky himself might be thought of as the cinematic equivalent of "the most interesting man in the world". As I mention in our The Alejandro Jodorowsky Collection Blu- ray review, his patently insane background, which includes everything from drawing cartoons to being a therapist, as well as his inimitable talents as a raconteur, make him as engaging an on screen presence as he is behind the camera. That aspect is very much in evidence in a featurette included on this release that is ostensibly about the restoration that Santa Sangre enjoys in this "new, improved" version, but which, typically of Jodorowsky, soon ripples out to all sorts of ancillary material. One of the most telling things Jodorowsky says dovetails almost perfectly with a recent comment by Guillermo del Toro that I mentioned in our recent Clapboard Jungle Blu-ray review where the famed writer and director waxed philosophical about his love of actually making movies, but his equal and opposite hatred for having to then sell them. In a similar way, Jodorowsky kind of disparagingly describes the "movie industry", and states outright that he is not an industrialist, but an artist. As such, he may not always have had major studio support, but that may have actually been a blessing in disguise, as even Jodorowsky himself seems to realize when he also mentions that having had to do everything himself, he at least was able to make sure things were done the way he wanted them to be.

Severin Films released Santa Sangre several years ago, and I frankly could not top the fantastic Santa Sangre Blu-ray review written by Casey Broadwater, so for those wanting both a great plot summary as well as some incisive insights into the film, I recommend reading Casey's take on things. Casey's review is also a good source for screenshot comparisons, which I also highly recommend. I will add just a couple of passing comments, including building on Casey's mention of the obvious influence of Fellini on this film. Santa Sangre actually plays at times like a nightmare version of the already emotionally treacherous La Strada, not just in terms of its circus setting, but its use of both a mute character and a hulking strongman who is a brute to women. However, Santa Sangre also works in the frequent Fellini trope of things seen through a child's eye, in this case focal character Fenix, who is seen as both a child and a somewhat childlike adult throughout the story. Interestingly, while Jodorowsky jokes in the above referenced featurette that producer Claudio Argento told him he wanted to do something different than what he had done with his brother Dario, and therefore wanted to make a film where a lot of women were killed, the whole murder aspect is kind of discursively handled, with a couple of notable exceptions. The film's religious subtext, which Casey again likened to Fellini, may in fact not totally withstand scrutiny, since Fenix, whose name inherently suggests resurrection, is obviously presented as a Christ figure, and yet perhaps has a few temperament quirks which suggest he may not be one to turn the other cheek.

Santa Sangre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 Blu-ray disc.

Santa Sangre is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Severin Films with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release's slipcase states this features "a 4K scan from the original negative and supervised by the director himself". Both the 1080 and 2160 presentations included on this release are markedly different looking than Severin's old 1080 release from years ago, and I strongly recommend those interested to peruse screenshots in Casey's review as well as those here and in my concurrent Santa Sangre Blu-ray review of this new version. As can pretty readily be seen, while Casey gave great marks to the old Severin release, it has very little of the clarity and vividness that is so remarkable in the new versions. The palette is much more deeply suffused for the most part, but that said, curiously there's no HDR on the 4K UHD version, and while primaries, especially reds and blues, are remarkably vigorous in the 4K presentation in particular, I'm sure some will wonder what some form of HDR might have added to the presentation. As with the new 1080 version, there are isolated moments, notably a lot of the asylum material, that looks noticeably cooler and with less fulsome densities, with a kind of beige blandness permeating. The 4K version offers clear upticks in detail, with everything like the elaborately textured clown outfits to even the roughhewn skin of the baby elephant looking very precise. As with the 1080 version, there are a couple of clear if momentary downgrades in image quality, as around 1:45:23, which are probably exacerbated in the 4K version due to the increased resolution. There are also a couple of what I'm assuming are weird compression anomalies that look almost like ghosting. The first time I noticed this was when young Fenix is walking up to the bright purple car housing his drunk father early in the film, and there was almost a liquid looking halo the appeared very briefly around his head. It's not the same sort of effect that comes from over aggressive sharpening, but it was somewhat similar looking, though more diaphanous, if that's the right descriptor. The increased resolution can give a somewhat more "swarm like" look to grain against brighter backgrounds, but there are no real resolution issues, and the presentation maintains a nicely organic appearance throughout.

Santa Sangre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This edition of Santa Sangre offers DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 tracks in English, along with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in Spanish and Italian. Casey mentioned how generally pleased he was with the stereo English track on Severin's first Blu-ray release of the film, but I have to say the 5.1 repurposing on this disc is effective without feeling overly artificial. In fact, amplitude overall is generally improved, and toggling between the two English language tracks reveals the 2.0 version to be a bit boxy sounding and not as forceful generally as the surround track. That said, the surround track doesn't really offer consistent engagement of the side and rear channels, though there are some nice immersive moments, many featuring some of the film's eclectic (to say the least) score. Certain sequences, like the showdown between the protestors and developers at the "religious shrine" early in the film do offer some opening up of the soundstage. The Spanish 2.0 Mono track is considerably louder than either the English 2.0 track or the Italian 2.0 Mono track. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Santa Sangre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc and 1080 Blu-ray Disc 1 (Feature Film)

• Audio Commentary with Alejandro Jodorowsky & Journalist Alan Jones


• New Blood (HD; 31:50) bears the subtitle Alejandro Jodorowsky on the Restoration of Santa Sangre, and is therefore ostensibly about the restoration of the film, as mentioned above in the main body of the review, but it's a wide ranging and absolutely fascinating monologue by Jodorowsky that unsurprisingly covers a huge gamut of material.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 7:35) feature more commentary by Jodorowsky and Jones.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:49)

1080 Blu-ray Disc 2 (Extras)

• Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen: The World of Santa Sangre (HD; 1:36:38) is an absolutely first rate overview with a ton of great interviews, including Alejandro Jodorowsky (of courese), Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Thelma Tixou, Sabrina Dennison, Adan Jodorwosky, Elenka Tapia, Teo Tapia, Roberto Leoni, Simon Boswell, Sergio Arau and Greg Day. In Spanish with English subtitles.


• Like a Phoenix (HD; 38:22) is an interview with producer Claudio Argento. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Holy Blood (HD; 42:08) is an interview with cinematographer Daniele Mannuzzi. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Mexican Magic (HD; 36:07) is an interview with executive producer Angelo Iacono. In Italian with English subtitles.


• The Language of Editing (HD; 21:13) is an interview with editor Mauro Bonanni. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Innocence & Horror (HD; 28:48) is an interview with screenwriter Roberto Leoni. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Santa Sangre 30th Anniversary Celebration at Morbido Festival, Mexico City (HD; 10:00) has red carpet appearances and Q&A sessions. In Spanish with English subtitles.


• Goyo Cardenas Spree Killer (HD; 17:40) is a documentary about the real life serial killer whom Jodorowsky met under improbable circumstances and who sparked the idea for this film. In Spanish with English subtitles.


• Jodorowsky 2003 Interview (HD; 32:39) offers more great if occasionally disturbing anecdotes. In English.


• Jodorwosky On Stage Q & A (HD; 25:40) stems from a London screening in 2002. In English, with a little help from a translator at times.


• Echek - Adan Jodorowsky Short Film (HD; 3:56) features an optional commentary by Alejandro Jodorowsky.


• Simon Boswell Interviews Jodorowsky (HD; 7:57) is in English, with English subtitles, I'm assuming since Boswell in particular is a bit hard to hear.


• "Close Your Eyes" Simon Boswell Music Video (HD; 5:47)


• Blink Jodorowsky (SD; 2:02) is a short by Simon Boswell.

Santa Sangre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Santa Sangre is unabashedly gonzo from the get go, but for those attuned to Jodorowsky's singular artistic vision, it's a must see. "Meaning" here may be tentative at best, and some of the film is outrageously ludicrous even within its own hyperbolic context, but the overall effect is unforgettable. This 4K version sports a noticeably better suffused palette than the old 1080 version, despite the lack of HDR, and also boasts good upticks in detail levels from even the improved 1080 version also included with this release. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplementary package as well as the packaging itself are very well done. Recommended.