Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Scorchy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 25, 2017

Howard Avedis' thriller "Scorchy" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Shout Factory. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Very Scorchy

Nostalgia is a pretty powerful drug. Most folks discover it in their late 30s and well into their 40s they are already addicted to it. The most serious cases, however, are typically in the 50s and 60s brackets. There are a lot of folks there that I would not hesitate to categorize as ‘hopeless cases’.

Films like Howard Avedis’ Scorchy are the perfect fix for nostalgia junkies, and though I like to think that I am not one of them, while revisiting it a few nights ago I definitely felt the hunger. As soon as Connie Stevens exited the Seattle-Tacoma Airport my mind was instantly flooded with memories I had forgotten existed a long time ago. It was quite odd because the film pulled me in and kept my attention until the very end, but for quite a while it was not its story that I cared about; it was the footage from downtown Seattle and the surrounding areas that had me excited. Indeed, it was almost as if Avedis had figured out that if he captured Seattle’s everyday appearance on film decades later it would have been enough for people like me to declare that Scorchy was worth spending some time with. This is pretty much what this film is good at -- offering a nostalgic trip to sleepy Seattle from the '70s and a feel of its native ambience before the grunge craze, Microsoft, and Starbucks.

The main story is fairly straightforward. Stevens is the awfully hot undercover agent Scorchy and she has just returned from Rome where she has been investigating the growing organization of a notorious drug czar whose trusted courier, Carl Henrich (William Smith, Invasion of the Bee Girls), has been dispatched to Seattle to finalize an important deal. The Italian czar’s partner is the local businessman Philip Bianco (Cesare Danova, Mean Streets) who has made a good chunk of money during the years but needs one final job before he retires in style with his elegant wife. Assuming that Scorchy is just another bimbo who has been gravitating around him because of his wealth and connections, Bianco offers what he believes is a deal she can’t possibly refuse: If Scorchy helps him transport a large load of heroin that has just arrived from Rome, he will forget that she still owes him a few grand that she borrowed a long time ago. But if Scorchy refuses to help him, he will become very, very upset and since she already knows a lot about his business dealings her life will become quite complicated. Scorchy ‘reluctantly’ accepts the offer, realizing that this is the perfect opportunity to break the Italian drug-trafficking ring, but she and her colleagues are repeatedly forced to change their plan after Henrich and another goon (John Davis Chandler) decide to keep the heroin for themselves.

There is a ton of high-octane live action that may inspire some viewers to compare Scorchy to The Seven-Ups, but the simple truth here is that there is a lot more enthusiasm in the former than there is talent and in terms of quality the gap between the two is pretty obvious. On the other hand, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it is almost certainly the reason why Scorchy has so much of the footage that I enjoyed. I think that Avedis knew it as well and instead of trying to shoot a ‘serious’ crime thriller essentially followed his instincts and did the best that he could with what he had available to work with.

In a rather odd sort of way the finale is a perfect reminder why the ‘70s were such a great decade for American cinema. You will know exactly what I mean when you see Scorchy.

Scorchy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Howard Avedis' Scorchy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.

The release is sourced from a very nice remaster with all-around strong organic qualities. I don't know when it was prepared, but it must have been fairly recently because it lacks the type of limitations that are present on remasters that were done early in DVD's life cycle. Indeed, delineation ranges from good to very good and a number of close-ups boast lovely depth (see screencaptures #4 and 14). The wider panoramic shots also hold up nicely, though ideally depth should be even more convincing. The color palette promotes a strong and nicely saturated primaries and a very decent range of nuances. Frankly, while there is some room for cosmetic improvements, I think that the overall balance is already very good. The best news is that the entire remaster is free of compromising degraining and sharpening adjustments. There are a couple of sequences where you will notice some minor density fluctuations with obvious grain spikes, but there are no troubling anomalies (a good example is the long chase sequence where at the end Scorchy jumps in the ocean). Image stability is excellent. A few minor flecks and dirt marks remain, but there are no distracting large cuts, damage marks, stains, or warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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).

Scorchy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is free of serious age-related imperfections. Its basic characteristics are also solid. There was one outdoor sequence where I felt that the overall dynamic balance was a bit suspicious, but this is a very busy sequence and more than likely it is how it was shot. The dialog is clean and very easy to follow. During the action footage sharpness and clarity are also consistently pleasing.

Scorchy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Scorchy. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Scorchy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Replace the sugary romance and melodrama from A Woman for All Men with action and you have Scorchy, a B-grade thriller shot in sleepy Seattle during the '70s. I love viewing these types of films because when they are aware of their limitations they usually turn out to be wonderful time capsules. In Scorchy there is also plenty of the scorching hot Connie Stevens, which will probably be a good enough reason for some people to have the film in their collections. Shout Factory's new Blu-ray release is sourced from a very nice and fully uncut organic remaster, but the only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer. RECOMMENDED.