Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Supermarkt 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 28, 2024

Roland Klick's "Supermarket" (1974) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Subkultur Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary with Roland Klick; new program with cinematographer Jost Vocano; new program with star Charly Wierczejewski; additional archival interviews; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In German, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It's me, just another nobody. I want my celebration before I die.

Roland Klick was shafted, and pretty badly, too. I am sorry, but there is no other way to explain why Klick is not mentioned in the same conversations where Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s name always emerges. Klick belongs there because Deadlock and Little Vampire are very interesting experimental projects, while Supermarket is a genuine cult film that effortlessly overshadows many of the famous films Fassbinder directed. We know the exact reason Klick was mistreated by the mainstream critics in West Germany. In a recent program that is included on the 4K Blu-ray release of Deadlock, Klick spells it out -- the mainstream critics wanted him to direct arty films, which means that they expected him to be like Fassbinder, but he kept shooting the films he wanted to do. However, I think that there was more happening at the time. The mainstream critics alone would not have been able to keep the public away from Klick’s films and ensure that his career never took off. I think that there was an organized effort, with assistance from a higher place, to ensure that Klick’s films and career were doomed because this is the only way a terrific cult film like Supermarket remains a small film in Germany and an unknown film internationally. As far as I am concerned, this is the very definition of shafting.

Long, uneven hair, stuck in dirty bunches. Tired but nervous eyes. Dirty hands with dirty nails. A worn-out jacket that is not right for the cold winter weather in Hamburg. Long old jeans that most likely have not been washed in months. It is enough to tell that the boy (Charly Wierczejewski) has been living on the streets and trying to survive on his own.

In a rundown bar, the boy nervously steals several coins that have been left as tips in a tray next to the entrance and then immediately runs away. Does he have enough for a sandwich? Maybe, maybe not. The boy uses some of the coins to buy candy from a candy machine, but moments later, two cops jump out of a police car and begin chasing him down the street. The boy has a long record, so they want to get him back to the police station. Because he does not know the area well, the boy is quickly trapped and arrested.

But once at the overcrowded police station, the boy quickly tricks his captors and manages to get away. Soon after, the boy reconnects with a veteran newspaper reporter (Michael Degen), someone he has known for a while and trusts, who tells him that he will honor his promise and help him reset his life. This is not what the boy wants to do because he has already tried and failed, but because he does not want to be taken back to the police station agrees to do what he is told. However, after a silly argument, the boy walks away from his savior.

In a different corner of the city, the boy then meets a homeless thief (Walter Kohut) who explains to him how to bait the local homosexuals and sell tricks to them. The boy’s first client is a very wealthy art collector (Hans-Michael Rehberg) who demands a lot more than he is willing to give, so they end up negotiating the fee. After spending the night at his fancy mansion, the boy goes back to the streets.

The boy’s only pleasant encounter is with a beautiful blonde (Eva Mattes) whom he has previously seen abused in front of a striptease club. She is a mother, but her kid is growing up without her. The two instantly connect, visit the kid, and have a stroll on a cold artificial beach.

After several more encounters with the newspaper reporter, the homosexual, and the blonde, the boy and the homeless thief agree to roll the dice and steal a daily cash transfer from a large and very busy supermarket. The homeless thief provides the machine guns and ski masks, while the boy offers unwavering moral support. The plan to surprise the security guards carrying the cash from the supermarket to their armored truck works exactly as expected, until a garbage truck blocks the exit area and forces the boy and the homeless thief to begin improvising.

Klick directs Supermarket in much the same way the French New Wave directors did many of their most famous films, which is why its entire narrative is essentially a slice of Hamburg reality. Several of the boy’s impulsive decisions and the chaos they create also remind of the actions of Jean-Paul Belmondo’s troublemaker in Pierrot le fou.

But Supermarket remains an unmistakably West German time capsule, unleashing grim post-war visuals with a very thick post-war atmosphere, which very quickly become bigger and more interesting than all of its characters. Many of Fassbinder’s films are worth rediscovering for this very reason, too.

Klick roamed the streets of Hamburg with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Jost Vacano, who lensed such internationally acclaimed and cult films as Das Boot, RoboCop, Showgirls, Total Recall, Spetters, and 52 Pick-Up.

*In an exclusive new audio commentary, Klick reveals that he discovered Wierczejewski in a commune. He was a real troublemaker who had spent a year in jail. Like the character he plays, Wierczejewski was a car thief, too. Apparently, he stole Klick's car and wrecked it.

Supermarkt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Subkultur Entertainment's release of Supermarket is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. The Blu-ray disc is Region-Free as well.

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and 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 #1-27 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #31-35 are from 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Supermarket that is quite the visual stunner -- in native 4K and in 1080p. To be honest, the overall quality of the 4K makeover is so impressive, I do not think that there is a significant gap in quality between the native 4K and 1080p presentations. On my system, both looked sensational. Regardless of the unique qualities of the location photography, delineation, clarity, and depth are always excellent. In a few areas, small density fluctuations can be observed, but even there the overall quality of the visuals is terrific. Color reproduction is beautiful, too. All primaries and supporting nuances are very carefully managed and as a result from time to time it feels like some visuals become portals to 1970s West Germany. Indeed, the natural winter daylight grayness and bright neon lights at night produce some strikingly authentic visuals. The native 4K presentation can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades, which are quite gentle. While some of the nighttime footage with the neon lights looks a bit better balanced with Dolby Vusion, I still think that the color ranges and balance in 1080p are marvelous. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The entire film is spotless as well. Fantastic 4K makeover.

Supermarkt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

I viewed the entire film with the original German track, which is very healthy and stable. If there were any age-related issues on it, and there must have been, it is impossible to tell now. Dynamic nuances are very good too, though the native characteristics of the original soundtrack are predictably average. I tested a few sections with the English track, but I think that the overdubbing is not effective because it changes the identity of the film. The English translation is excellent.

Supermarkt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this recent audio commentary was recorded by director Roland Klick. It is in German but has optional English subtitles, so if you enjoy Supermarket I recommend that you find the time to listen to it because it is very interesting. For example, Klick reveals that he found the star of his film, Charly Wierczejewski, in a commune, and that he was a real street kid with a rap sheet who had spent a year in jail. Also, there are some very interesting comments about Jost Vacano's work on the streets of Hamburg and the overdubbing of the audio. Klick wrote the text of the catchy tune that keeps reappearing throughout the film and explains its significance as well. Finally, Klick deconstructs the finale, which apparently some viewers have found slightly ambiguous.

• Trailer One - presented here is a fully restored original German trailer for Supermarket. In German, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is a fully restored original International trailer for Supermarket. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this recent audio commentary was recorded by director Roland Klick. It is in German but has optional English subtitles, so if you enjoy Supermarket I recommend that you find the time to listen to it because it is very interesting. For example, Klick reveals that he found the star of his film, Charly Wierczejewski, in a commune, and that he was a real street kid with a rap sheet who had spent a year in jail. Also, there are some very interesting comments about Jost Vacano's work on the streets of Hamburg and the overdubbing of the audio. Klick wrote the text of the catchy tune that keeps reappearing throughout the film and explains its significance as well. Also, Klick deconstructs the finale, which apparently some viewers have found slightly ambiguous.

• Interview with Jost Volcano - in this exclusive new program, cinematographer Jost Vocano discusses his background and the evolution of his career in the film industry. Vost also discusses in great detail his collaboration with Roland Klick on Supermarket and explains how his desire to avoid artificial acting turned out to be his greatest strength and weakness. There are some most interesting comments about Charly Wierczejewski and the fact that he was wanted by the police during the shooting of Supermarket. In German, with optional English subtitles. (26 min).

• Interview with Charly Wierczejewski - in this exclusive new program, Charly Wierczejewski discusses his background and involvement with various radical characters and organizations, including, apparently, some characters with connections to the far-left terrorist Baader–Meinhof Group during the 1970s. Wierczejewski also recalls how he met Roland Klick and discusses their work on Supermarket. In German, with optional English subtitles. (25 min).

• Archival Interview with Jost Volcano and Roland Klick - in this archival program, Jost Vocano and Roland Klick view portions of Supermarket and discuss its visuals style and tone, how its unfiltered realism transforms it into a time capsule, and the importance role music has in it. In German, with optional English subtitles. (41 min).

• Archival Interview with Roland Klick - in this archival program, Roland Klick explains why honesty has always been the most important element of his cinematic work, and how it shaped the identities of his films and produced the characters that populate them. In German, with optional English subtitles. (17 min).

• English Credits - presented with music. (2 min).

• Trailer One - presented here is a fully restored original German trailer for Supermarket. In German, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is a fully restored original International trailer for Supermarket. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Gallery - presented is a collection of vintage promotional materials for Supermarket.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - 20-page limited illustrated booklet featuring an essay on Supermarket by critic Paul Poet. In German.

Supermarkt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Supermarket easily overshadows many of the famous films Rainer Werner Fassbinder directed, but together with its creator, Roland Klick, is largely unknown outside of Germany, which of course is most unfortunate. In 1974, while following a real troublemaker, who had spent a year in prison and was again wanted by the police in Hamburg, with Jost Vocano, arguably Paul Verhoeven's favorite cinematographer, Klick preserved a slice of West German reality that looks quite incredible now. To be honest, Supermarket is one of the best European discovers I have made in a long time, so I could not be happier that it was fully restored in 4K and brought to 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray. I will make sure that it appears on my International List of favorite releases at the end of 2024. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.