7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Count Felix Teleke of Tölöko, accompanied by his faithful valet Ignác during a stay in the Carpathians, comes across the trail of the count’s lost lover, opera singer Salsa Verde. They discover that the diva has been abducted by the fiendish baron Gorc of Gorceny, whose castle home is filled with the bizarre inventions of the mad scientist Orfanik.
Starring: Michal Docolomanský, Rudolf Hrusínský, Vlastimil Brodský, Milos Kopecký, Jan HartlForeign | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Czech: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In other "what the hell did I just watch?" discoveries from the foreign-films vault comes The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, a delightful little Czech comedy gem that's part Monty Python, part Dracula send-up, part delirious treat all its own. Hands down my favorite part of this gig is being forced to watch oddities I might not otherwise give a second thought, much less spend a day laughing my way through both the feature and its bountiful supplemental package. Sure, there are plenty of duds. But it's all worth it for that forgotten bit of genius filmmaking that, for whatever reason, has been nearly lost to time. Thank the movie gods for labels like Deaf Crocodile and their insistence on preserving, restoring and reintroducing great films and overlooked cult classics to our 21st century movie-verse. No need to read much further. Take a chance on The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians. You won't be sorry. That said, on with the Blu-ray breakdown...
It's not coconuts but just look at that umbrella. Mmm.
Minted from a new restoration from Deaf Crocodile's Craig Rogers, The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians arrives on Blu-ray with a remarkable 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. Only two things, in my estimation, could have improved the presentation: one, had more of the film's original grain field been preserved, and two, had the film been released in 4K as well. Otherwise, there's very little, and I mean very little to criticize here. Colors are subdued but faithfully so, until that is stunning bursts of vibrant color fill the screen. Rich reds and blues, golden yellows, and other stylistic flourishes show just how powerful the palette can be. (Not trying to mention The Holy Grail yet again, but Mysterious Castle resembles it visually in almost every way.) Detail is excellent, barring the occasional soft shot that traces back to the original photography. Edges are clean and free of haloing, and textures are notably refined in a number of properly lit scenes. There are several shortcomings in nighttime sequences -- among them middling shadow delineation -- but, as before, it's difficult to fault a transfer for the limitations of its source elements. Grain is still faintly present too, which lends the image a filmic edge, and there aren't any instances of blocking, banding or errant noise. This is as relatively impressive a transfer as is possible. Kudos to Rogers and Deaf Crocodile's efforts and faithfulness to Lipský and cinematographer Viktor Ruzicka's intentions. The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians is reborn.
Deaf Crocodile's LPCM 2.0 track is no less faithful. Voices are clean and intelligible (save in a few outdoor scenes where the original dialogue is a tad muffled and/or wind noise is perceptible), sound effects have the brightly canned charisma of the most memorable catalog foreign comedies, and music, though thin, sounds quite good. There's no LFE or rear speaker involvement to speak of, which may bother some of you, but purists will be pleased with the work that's gone into restoring the original sound design and stereo mix.
The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians is a comedy I didn't know I needed. Crawling out of the primordial Python ooze, this 1981 Czech cult gem is a laugh riot that establishes its own identity quickly and often, and easily earned its place in my collection. Deaf Crocodile's Blu-ray release is excellent as well, with an impressive restoration and video presentation, a faithful LPCM audio track, and a deep, informative supplemental package with plenty of treats all its own. I highly recommend a blind buy on this one.
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