7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A young man is confined in a mental hospital. Through a flashback we see that he was traumatized as a child, when he and his family were circus performers: he saw his father cut off the arms of his mother, a religious fanatic and leader of the heretical church of Santa Sangre ("Holy Blood"), and then commit suicide. Back in the present, he escapes and rejoins his surviving and armless mother. Against his will, he "becomes her arms" and the two undertake a grisly campaign of murder and revenge.
Starring: Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Sabrina Dennison, Adan Jodorowsky, Guy StockwellHorror | 100% |
Drama | 31% |
Mystery | 14% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (3 BDs, 1 CD)
4K Ultra HD
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
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.
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.
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.
4K UHD Disc and 1080 Blu-ray Disc 1 (Feature Film)
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.
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