The Devil Incarnate Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Devil Incarnate Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2018

Paul Naschy's "The Devil Incarnate" a.k.a. "El Caminante" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage video introduction by Pau Naschy; new video interview with actor David Rocha; exclusive new audio commentary by critic and author Troy Howarth; and more. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

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Paul Naschy never became as big of a target as Pier Paolo Pasolini was, which is why outside of Spain his work appealed almost exclusively to knowledgeable film buffs and a few more adventurous European festival organizers. Naschy’s personal life also lacked the outrageous rumors and mystery that Pasolini allowed to flourish in his life. All of this is why today The Devil Incarnate is not as popular as The Decameron.

In a rare moment of inspiration, the Devil decides to visit earth and experience life as the mortals do. So he borrows the body of Leonardo (Naschy), a 16th century Spanish lowlife without family and friends, and hits the road. Somewhere in the countryside, Leonardo has his first authentic earthy experience -- he meets a cruel elderly blind man and his young servant, Tomas (David Rocha), and after he tricks the former to drink a cup of his urine convinces the latter to abandon him and explore the world with him. Later on, Leonardo teaches the clueless Tomas how to cheat, humiliate, fornicate and even kill without feeling guilt and remorse.

But an angry rascal eventually outsmarts the two explorers and seriously wounds Leonardo. The owner of a popular whorehouse, Dona Leonor (Ana Harpo), agrees to let them recover there, and after Leonardo regains his strength the two have an unforgettable night of carnal pleasures. Dona Leonor and Leonardo then agree to scam a group of very naughty noblemen while they have fun with her beautiful girls. During the planned festivities, however, the wealthiest of the noblemen, an old pervert traveling with a large entourage of bodyguards, asks Dona Leonor to put a price on Tomas’ ass. After consulting with Leonardo and receiving his permission to do so Dona Leonor arranges the deal and on the following morning the old man claims his prize. The betrayed boy then agrees to leave with the nobleman, while Leonardo continues his journey alone. Not too long after that, the cold-blooded visitor gets a proper dose of his own medicine.

In a vintage video introduction included on this release, Naschy speculates that The Devil Incarnate might be his “most significant film”, and he is probably right. Indeed, the film does a lot of very particular things to offend, but it actually uses the offensive to very effectively argue that everything the Devil represents and is supposedly capable of unleashing the mortals can prevent. This is the very reason for the existence of the dream sequence, for instance, in which Tomas has a glimpse of the future and is stunned by the graphic footage from the Nazi extermination camps.

Each of the vignettes from the Devil’s journey has a small dose of light humor which Naschy uses a lot like Pasolini does in The Decameron. It ridicules fake morality and then produces harsh contrasts that basically destroy the credibility of the hypocrites that excuse their actions as the Devil’s work.

The modest period appearance feels most appropriate because it provides the film with a wonderful theatrical quality.

The Devil Incarnate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Paul Naschy's The Devil Incarnate arrives on Blu-rayt courtesy of Mondo Macabro.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K remaster struck from the original camera negative. Aside from a little bit of black crush that sneaks in, I think that the film looks pretty spectacular in high-definition. Indeed, depth, clarity, and fluidity are at levels that I consider optimal for this type of a period project, while the color grading supports a very solid range of healthy primaries and nuances. There are a few sequences where color filters and unique lighting are used and as a result minor density fluctuations appear, but these are all conventional organic changes (see n example in screencapture #12). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening corrections. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (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).

The Devil Incarnate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film's native sound design is rather unremarkable. There really are only a couple of segments where the baroque music actually leaves a meaningful impression; the rest is organic sounds and noises that emerge as the travelers move from one location to another. The dialog is stable and clean.

The Devil Incarnate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Paul Naschy - in this vintage video introduction, Paul Naschy why he considers The Devil Incarnate his most significant film and discusses the key themes and contrast that are presented in it. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080p).

• Interview with David Rocha - in this video interview, actor David Rocha (Tomas) recalls his initial encounter with director Paul Naschy, their professional relationship and the production of The Devil Incarnate. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Sergio Molina - in this video interview, Sergio Molina, son of director Paul Naschy, discusses the life and colorful legacy of his father. There are some particularly interesting comments about the reception of his films in Spain and abroad. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Bruno Molina - presented here is a filmed tour of Paul Naschy's study and office with his son, Bruno Molina. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, European cult cinema expert and author Troy Howarth (Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy) offers an outstanding analysis of The Devil Incarnate and its themes and discusses the unique qualities of the style that established Paul Naschy as a cult director and performer. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Mondo Macabro's Blu-ray recent Blu-ray release.

The Devil Incarnate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paul Naschy understood the Devil as a creation of our weaknesses and hypocrisy, not as the powerful mythic entity that countless theologians have described over the years. For that and the unorthodox manner in which he insisted that he was right, Naschy was frequently a bigger target than his films. The Devil Incarnate is his ultimate statement on the subject, and as such it is perhaps a bit controversial. (It certainly was back in the days). It does a lot of very particular things to offend, but it actually uses the offensive to very effectively argue that everything the Devil represents and is supposedly capable of unleashing the mortals can prevent. The Devil Incarnate and Piere Paolo Pasolini's Trilogy of Life emerged from the same era and have plenty of interesting similarities, so keep this in mind if you are trying to decide whether to pick up this release for your library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.