7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
José Ramón Larraz's dark and stylish film tells of a young woman who is invited by her friend to stay at her remote English country mansion. Events take a disturbing turn when a menacing ground-keeper interrupts their time together, and a woman's body is found in the mansion's lake.
Starring: Angela Pleasence, Peter Vaughan, Lorna Heilbron, Nancy Nevinson, Ronald O'NeilHorror | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 7% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Screened at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award, José Ramón Larraz's "Symptoms" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Mondo Macabro. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; Celia Novis' documentary "On Vampyres and Other Symptoms"; the documentary "From Barcelona... to Tunbridge Wells: The Films of Jose Larraz"; exclusive new video interviews with actors Angela Pleasence and Lorna HeilBron, and producer Brian Smedley-Aston; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The friend
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, José Ramón Larraz's Symptoms arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro.
The release is sourced from a very beautiful new 2K restoration. Excluding a few minor density fluctuations the film looks quite spectacular in high-definition. However, I mist make it clear that there are some pretty obvious stylistic preferences that give the film a notably subdued appearance, with the darker/indoor footage in particular having distinctive Gothic/Victorian qualities. My guess is that a filter of some sort was used to reduce the harshness of direct light (see screencapture #4). During the outdoor footage efforts were also made to avoid bright natural light. Detail is excellent, though because of the stylistic preferences depth dose vary. The important thing to note is that there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, which means that all shifts in terms of depth and clarity inherited. Colors are stable and appear natural. Finally, it is easy to tell that during the restoration debris, starches, cuts, and other age-related imperfections were carefully removed. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
During the intense storm depth is quite good, but overall dynamic intensity is rather modest. There is some sporadic thinness in the upper register, but clarity isn't compromised. This leads me to believe that the intent was to have stronger organic qualities rather than a decent range of enhanced effects. The dialog is clean, stable, and always easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.
José Ramón Larraz's Symptoms is a moody, at times incredibly spooky film that is every bit as impressive as his Vampyres. I think that it can also be compared to Victor Erice's period chiller The Spirit of the Beehive, which was released a year before it. Mondo Macabro's Blu-ray release is sourced from a brand new and very beautiful 2K restoration of the film. Also included on the disc are two excellent documentaries with plenty of information about José Ramón Larraz's work and legacy (both have some fantastic material about Vampyres). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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