Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The End of Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 17, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe collection from Arrow Video.

If you know about Coffin Joe, no introduction is necessary, and if you don't, no introduction could probably ever suffice. That said, for those who aren't aware of this weirdly iconic Brasilian character, he (it?) sprang from the febrile imagination of one José Mojica Marins, a writer and director who in addition to those tasks in fact played Coffin Joe in several films aggregated in this gonzo new collection from Arrow Video. Rather interestingly, and perhaps saliently, one supplement in this immense set has the redoubtable Stephen Thrower refusing to call Marins "insane", despite the fact that other pundits have described Marins as meeting that clinical definition, while another supplement is devoted to Marins as a "neuro divergent" and at least possibly ADHD afflicted filmmaker. That rather wide gamut of reactions will probably be matched by the general public, though if Marins was "crazy", he was crazy like a fox, as they say, and his films, while intentionally provocative and rather frequently horrifyingly graphic in terms of bodily immolations and the like, generally have rather impressive production values, which suggests a certain competency at least. One way or the other, virtually all of Marins' films are suffused with mood, even if narrative structures can be on the wobbly side. This is another impressive effort from Arrow Video that is obviously designed to cater to a cult audience, but that particular demographic should find themselves very well served by this release.

While this film offers the always interesting to watch José Mojica Marins, replete with his Joe-vian untrimmed fingernails, monobrow and beard, it's most definitely not a Coffin Joe outing, and for that reason alone it may actually be one of the better places to start for the "uninitiated". A mysterious naked man rises from the foamy waters of the ocean perhaps less like Venus on the half shell than the quasi-walking dead character in the recently reviewed Korean horror film Gangnam Zombie (though that guy had his clothes on). This apparent naïf strolls through crowded urban streets in his birthday suit, until he is finally offered a rather comical outfit by a woman who herself might not be making any other best dressed list than in some kind of Arabian Nights cosplay contest.

This odd character finally co-opts the name "Finis Hominis" after a priest catches him drinking holy water and considers the sacrilege "the end of Man". There are tethers here to the same sort of "innocent Messiah" conceit that underpins Being There, and this film seems to have more of a sense of humor about things than many of the much darker Coffin Joe outings. This is still a strange, surreal viewing experience that may short circuit the rational brain and therefore not have a "traditional" narrative, but it's weirdly engaging in its own way, and the denouement, while perhaps not all that surprising, is still rather funny.

The End of Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The End of Man is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. Arrow's insert booklet offers some general information about all of the transfers, followed by more individualized information about this particular film, as follows:

The Coffin Joe films by José Mojica Marins have been exclusively restored by Cinecolor, in cooperation with One Eyed Films and Arrow Films. All restoration work was overseen by producer Paulo Sacramento in collaboration with Arrow Films.

The original film elements sourced for this project represent the best existing film elements available, and while every effort has been made to present these films in the highest quality possible, some instances of damage remain, in keeping with the condition and age of these materials. Likewise, the audio soundtracks which at times have a slightly rough quality of are in keeping with their production origins. In places audio synch will appear loose as very little audio was ever recorded live and the mixes were generally recorded and created in post-production.

The End of Man / Finis Hominis is presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with mono Brazilian Portuguese audio.

The film was scanned and restored in 4K resolution from the original 35mm camera negative.

The audio was remastered from an original 35mm print.

Additionally, a prefatory text card offers the following further information:

2023 4K restoration executed at Cinecolor Brazil Lab with the support of Arrow Films and under the supervision of Mojica's last producer, Paulo Sacramento.

Digital restoration done from the original 35mm image negatives supplied by Cinemateca Brasileira.

The audio files were restored from the preexisting telecine of a 35mm print.

Probably due at least in part to its negative source element, this is one of the stronger looking presentations in the already generally excellent offerings on tap in Arrow's set. This film ping pongs between color and black and white, like many of the previous entries in the collection, though this time it's the color sequences that predominate. This arguably has some of the same yellow/orange skewing that is mentioned in the reviews of This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse and Awakening of the Beast, but I'd say less so, overall, resulting in a rather healthy and nicely suffused looking palette. The black and white sequences offer solid contrast and well modulated gray scale. Detail levels are commendable throughout, though the opening scenes in particular tend to feature wider framings (probably because Marins is buck naked), where fine detail understandably isn't as noticeable. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

The End of Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The End of Man features LPCM Mono audio in the original Portuguese. This is another generally fine sounding track, though like a number of other audio tracks in this set, there is a very bright high end that is probably most noticeable in some of the whimsical underscore (notably some music box material). There's also just a bit of flutter in the opening score, and the entire track can reveal a bit of background hiss and crackle. The film's hilarious use of source cues won't be spoiled here, other than to say you've never quite experienced "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" the way you will in this film. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The End of Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arrow has packaged The Awakening of the Beast and The End of Man together on one disc, with the following supplements:

• Audio Commentary on The Awakening of the Beast is an archival piece featuring writer, director and star José Mojica Marins with filmmaker and writer Paula Duarte and film scholar Carlos Primati. In Portuguese with English subtitles. This is accessible under Special Features once the film has been chosen.


• Audio Commentary [on] The End of Man is an archival piece featuring writer, director and star José Mojica Marins with filmmaker and writer Paula Duarte and film scholar Carlos Primati. In Portuguese with English subtitles. This is accessible under Special Features once the film has been chosen.


• The Strange Mind of Coffin Joe (HD; 18:25) offers Guy Adams suggesting Marins was "neuro divergent" with ADHD qualities.


• The Woman for Joe: The Gender Politics of Coffin Joe (HD; 17:40) is another interesting piece by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas focusing on what are called "complex" gender politics in Marins' films, in what will be an almost hilarious understatement to some.


• Alternate Opening Titles for The Awakening of the Beast (HD; 4:04) features the original title O Ritual dos Sadicos.


• Trailers

  Awakening of the Beast (HD; 3:16)

  
  

  The End of Man (HD; 4:02)

The End of Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you wend your way through Arrow's set "in order", The End of Man will probably be something of a palette cleanser, and it's oddly endearing in its own totally gonzo way. Technical merits are solid and the supplements enjoyable. Recommended.