The Red Light Bandit Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Red Light Bandit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 31, 2024

Just in case Arrow's almost overhwhelming Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe set from earlier in this year didn't provide quite enough Brasilian bizarreness to quench whatever thirst in that particular category some may have, The Red Light Bandit might potentially at least help to satisfy untamed desires for the weird. In fact, several short clips from various Coffin Joe outings are briefly included in an introductory montage in a supplement on this disc called Cinema Marginal. Rather interestingly, especially for those who may have actually begun to fall in love with Brasilian films courtesy of Black Orpheus, a movie which famously started to introduce audiences to the seductive charms of the Bossa Nova, there's another form of "nova", i.e. a word meaning "new", underlying the Cinema Marginal movement, which was actually a later development arising out of the so-called Cinema Novo movement. Cinema Novo itself probably intentionally echoed two other national traditions with a form of "new" in their cinematic "revolutions", namely Italian Neorealism and the French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave). As with those movements, Cinema Novo was what might be jokingly termed high-falutin' in its intellectual ambitions, as well as concerned with some of the same socioeconomic issues that informed Neorealism in particular.

The back cover of this release touts The Red Light Bandit as the "centerpiece of the radical undergound Cinema Marginal movement", which frankly may or may not be a good thing depending on one's tolerance for provocative plot points like a rapist who engages in "meaningful" conversations with his victims. The basic plot here, which is presented disjunctively and in an intentionally fragmented way, involves a high energy burglar named Jorge (Paulo Villaça), who engages in a crime spree in Sao Paulo, which some familiar with Brasil's history may know is a probably less "luxurious" urban environment than, say, Rio de Janeiro.

The film was the handiwork of a then 21 year old Rogério Sganzerla, making his feature film debut. The result is perhaps understandably then a bit reminiscent of a "student film", even if Sganzeria was, as evidently many of the founders of Cinema Novo were, an autodidact. The Red Light Bandit is, again quite like some of the Coffin Joe outings, vignette driven and unabashedly psychedelic in various presentational aspects. Sganzeria evidently touted the film as a "western in the third world", though even that description hardly comes close to capturing the sheer glut of lunacy that often unfolds on the screen, one which, as a pull quote from the BFI on the back cover states, "mixes true crime, Godard, Welles and flying saucers".

The Red Light Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Red Light Bandit is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The back cover of this release (which also announces that this is the film's worldwide Blu-ray premiere) states this was "scanned in 2K from the original camera negative". Of the three perceived "cult movies" Severin has released simultaneously (the other two being Don't Change Hands and The Mad Bomber), this has by far the most problematic source element, one that is not hobbled just by what was probably very poor curation through the decades, but by the fact that the film itself cobbles together so much stock footage and snippets of varying quality. Some of the at times severe scratching and other damage can be spotted in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, and there's also recurrent speckling and nicks throughout as well. On the plus side, in at least relatively damage free moments the film provides a rather surprisingly lush account of the almost chiaroscuro suffused cinematography, with some very nice detail levels. Due to the wide array of material that's been cobbled together, everything from clarity to grain structure can be quite widely variable. My score is 3.25.

The Red Light Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Red Light Bandit features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Portuguese. I might jokingly say that the good news here is the sound design is often so baroque and multilayered that background hiss and other slight damage like pops and the like tend to not be so noticeable, but in the few quiet moments (as in a nanosecond or two at the very beginning), these problems, while minimal can be discerned. Otherwise, the track is really rather nicely full bodied, if boxy, in its treatment of some recurrent narration and/or voiceover (as in the kind of funny "any resemblance to people living or dead" disclaimer at the beginning), and dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Red Light Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cinema Marginal (HD; 31:18) is a really interesting interview with producer and film conservationist Paulo Sacramento, who gives a good overview of some of the trends at what might appropriately be called the "edges" of Brasilian cinema, including those aforementioned Coffin Joe snippets, not to mention any number of other entries. Subtitled in English.


• The Anti-Muse (HD; 24:35) is another very engaging piece featuring an interview with actress Helena Ignez, herself one of the founding members of Cinema Novo. Subtitled in English.


• Trailer (HD; 1:56)


• Short Films are each subtitled in English, though the introduction by Dennison Ramalho is in English:

  Comics by Rogerio Sganzerla (HD; 10:11)

  
  

  Introduction to Horror Palace Hotel by Filmmaker Dennison Ramalho (HD; 5:32)

  
  

  Horror Palace Hotel by Jairo Ferreira (HD; 40:43)

Packaging features a slipcover.

The Red Light Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Brasil's culture has always had an almost peculiar hold over me for reasons I'm not able to adequately account for, other than in both film and music in particular I have frequently found myself almost entranced by some of the efforts emanating from that country. (My love for Brasil is one of the reasons I try to honor its culture by spelling the country the way its natives do.) I'm sure there are Art House aficionados, especially those who may favor national "movements" and experimental films, who would probably give this film a raving 5 star review, and others in the so-called "unwashed masses" who would probably watch the craziness with mouths agape and offer no stars. This is a film virtually wallowing in style, and while almost feral at times, it may therefore have so much energy that its references and socioeconomic critiques get swallowed in the process. Video here is certainly watchable, though be prepared for some recurrent age related wear and tear, and audio is also generally fine. The cult appeal of this film will almost inherently recommend it to those aforementioned Art House types, but the two main supplements as well as the short films offered as supplements may also appeal to anyone who may be considering making a purchase.