Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Sweet Baby Charlie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 23, 2018

James Landis' "Sweet Baby Charlie" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive interview with director Joe Dante; archival audio commentary with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond; and alternate opening title. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

We are in trouble

I wish to leave a couple of clarifications about my experience with John Landis’ film at the top of this article because I feel that other people that might be interested in it could find them helpful. First, I discovered it just a few years ago under the title The Sadist, and this current release actually uses the reissue alias Sweet Baby Charlie. The third alias that has been used for TV screenings of the film was apparently Profile of Terror, but I have no recollections of ever seeing it. Second, if you decide to pick up a copy of the film for your collection, now you should definitely avoid the first release and pick up the newer release. Why? Because not only is the newer release sourced from a superior remaster, but it has a terrific audio commentary with the great cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (Heaven's Gate) in which he discusses in great detail the stylistic appearance of the film and what he and Landis actually set out to accomplish with it. Take my words for granted, once you listen to the commentary you will see the film in an entirely different light and there is a good chance that you will find it a lot more interesting to deconstruct.

The film opens up with a short text description that provides a loose summation of its entire narrative: “On a hot August day several years ago, three school teachers set off to see a baseball game at Dodger Stadium. They never made it.” Then a car is seen entering a secluded wrecking yard with a body shop and after the driver parks it under a big shade one of the two passengers begins looking for the owner. They are two men and a young woman.

However, it turns out that no one is around to help the visitors and this visibly annoys the older of the two men. Then in the nearby shack he discovers fresh food and his instincts tell him that something isn’t right, so his annoyance quickly evolves into fear. But before he can convince his friends that his concerns are legit, a maniac with a gun (Arch Hall Jr.) and his slightly kooky girlfriend emerge from the shadows and do the job for him.

In the archival commentary Zsigmond -- who is actually officially credited in the film as William, rather than with his real name, Vilmos -- confirms two important details about the film. The first is a rather obvious one, which is that it was conceived with a tiny budget and shot as quickly as he and Landis could. The second, which is the more important one, is that it was basically a show-off piece that they hoped would further legitimize their talents and open bigger doors for them.

While the performances are decent, it is not a stretch to say that the show-off quality of the film is its one and only strength. Indeed, there is an interesting European vibe that runs through the visuals that almost make it look like a very early experimental nouvelle vague project but with an uncanny affection for torture. As a result, there is a wider range of opportunities for Landis and Zsigmond to try and shine as best as they could.

The miniscule budget, the slightly kitschy violence, and lack of intriguing character transformations, however, pretty much ensure that the film will appeal primarily to folks that have a soft spot for the type of straightforward entertainment that the exploitation genres offer. The unexpected dose of arty flavor alters the end product a bit, but not enough to give them a headache.

*Last year, U.S. label Retromedia produced a beautiful release of Landis’ previously thought lost crime thriller Rat Fink>, which features a groundbreaking performance by Schuyler Haydn. If you do not yet have it in your collection, I urge you to consider picking up a copy while you still can.

Sweet Baby Charlie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, James Landis' Sweet Baby Charlie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.

The release is sourced from a new and very nice remaster. Excluding a few tiny flecks and the fact that ideally density should be a bit better, the film looks about as good as I would have expected without an expensive makeover. Grain in particular could be exposed slightly better, but delineation and depth are very nice. Fluidity is also consistently pleasing, though there are a few spots where minor fluctuations can be observed. The grading is convincing. A bit of extremely light black crush tries to sneak in, but I think that even trained eyes will have trouble spotting it. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Image stability is very good. All in all, this is a solid organic presentation of the film that makes it very easy to appreciate the artistic efforts of its creators. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Sweet Baby Charlie 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 not provided for the main feature.

Stability and balance are excellent. However, there are a few areas where tiny pops and hum can be recognized in the background. They are no distracting, but a full restoration of the film would have quickly and effectively eliminated them. Dynamic activity is good, but the low-budget native qualities of the soundtrack are such that there isn't room for serious dynamic contrasts.

Sweet Baby Charlie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alternate Opening Title - vintage footage with The Sadist title. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 480/60i).

• Joe Dante - in this video interview, dierctor Joe Dante (Matinee) talks about his love for Sweet Baby Charlie, and discusses its interesting production history and style. The interview was conducted exclusively for Code Red. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this archival commentary, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond discusses his involvement with Sweet Baby Charlie, his interactions with James Landis, the fact that the film was meant to be a show-off piece and some of the more interesting technical experiments and adjustments that the two made to make as effective as possible, the evolution of his career, etc. The commentary is moderated by critic Stuart Galbraith IV.

• Reversible Cover - reversible cover with a vintage poster art for The Sadist.

Sweet Baby Charlie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The two Blu-ray releases of James Landis' films Rat Fink and Sweet Baby Charlie a.k.a. The Sadist are very much worth picking up but in my opinion for different reasons. The former is a terrific piece of Americana that I truly believe is a lot better than the various widely praised nouvelle vague films that were produced in France during the 1960s, and Retromedia's Blu-ray release of the film is sourced from a 2K master that was struck from a 35mm print that was only recently discovered. The latter isn't as good but it is a rather wild low-budget experimental project that is available on Blu-ray with an outstanding audio commentary by Vilmos Zsigmond. Code Red's release of Sweet Baby Charlie is also sourced from a very strong fresh remaster, so it should be considered the best one on the market. RECOMMENDED.