5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A detective is on the trail of the Zodiac, a serial rapist who has been taunting him with rhyming clues and riddles.
Starring: Hal Reed, Tom Pittman (II), Doodles Weaver, Richard Styles (II), Robert TowneHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 3% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
The Manson Family Murders that occurred in the sweltering summer months of 1969 will probably forever be the most iconic and disturbing killings of that particular time period, but another set of gruesome murders which actually had begun a year or so before Manson’s rampage and which actually continued for at least a while after it remains one of the most baffling unsolved crime cases in the annals of American jurisprudence. If Manson’s “territory” was the tony environs of Los Angeles, the serial killer who would become known as Zodiac “worked” in the northern part of California, and it’s some indication of the breadth of his (or, frankly, her—no one knows for sure) activities that there’s still some question as to exactly how many people met their fates at his hands. David Fincher, screenwriter James Vanderbilt (adapting Robert Graysmith’s book) and a large creative team dug through a lot of data in preparation for Fincher’s 2007 opus Zodiac, alluding to one particular suspect but clearly stating that all the facts weren’t in yet and that the case officially remained open (it’s actually been closed and re-opened at least a couple of times). Had Fincher simply taken the time to watch 1970’s The Zodiac Killer, he would have realized that writers Ray Cantrell and Manny Cardoza, along with director Tom Hanson, had already solved the case quite handily (the preceding is said with tongue planted firmly in cheek, just in case that’s not clear). The film comes replete with an imprimatur from San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery (see screenshot 19) which attempts to give The Zodiac Killer a feeling of “you are there” authenticity, but the film is not exactly a model of true crime sensibilities, instead forging a kind of weirdly melodramatic approach that points the figure squarely at a man who has quite literally and figuratively “gone postal”.
The Zodiac Killer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of AGFA and Something Weird Video, in conjunction with MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. AGFA's insert booklet follows the example of another MVD distributed label, Arrow Video, by providing excellent information about the transfers of the two films in this set, to wit:
The Zodiac Killer is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics film scanner from the only 35mm theatrical print in existence. The print was made from the original 16mm camera negative, which is now lost.There are a couple of salient issues to take into account when assessing the image on display in The Zodiac Killer. The first is that the film was shot on 16mm, and the second is that the source element used is a 35mm blow up print, so there needs to be some understanding that detail levels are often pretty minimal, and a fairly heavy grain field keeps things looking pretty gritty a lot of the time. The guys at AGFA mention on the included commentary track that they try to keep things looking as "filmic" as possible, and in terms of grain resolution they've done very well indeed, though the 16mm source and the 35mm blow up keeps things almost crosshatched looking at times. There's arguably a bit more to complain about in terms of damage to the print, which is still very much in evidence and includes expected items like scratches, dirt and even the occasional hair in the gate. While colors are at least relatively more robust than those seen in Another Son of Sam, there's fading on display, with sometime anemic reproductions of primaries. Several dark scenes have extremely low detail levels and noticeable crush.
Another Son of Sam is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution from an original 35mm theatrical print.
Color grading was performed with DaVinci Resolve. Every effort has been made to retain the original theatrical experience of the films. The monaural soundtracks were remastered using Pro Tools HD. The digital transfers were performed by the American Genre Film Archive in Austin, TX.
The Zodiac Killer features a decent sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track, one that doesn't have the same levels of noticeable damage that the video side of things does, but which still lacks really full bodied sound in its lower ranges. Even some of the narration sounds on the boxy and shallow side, though admittedly all dialogue comes through cleanly and clearly enough. Fidelity is fine if not exemplary, with occasional slight clipping in the upper registers.
The Zodiac Killer is a curio, but it's one of those Blu-ray releases where the supplementary material may be more alluring than the actual film. If you're looking for a reasonably accurate accounting of the hunt for the Zodiac Killer, Fincher's film is probably the way to go. On the other hand, if you like your tales fictionalized, that aforementioned Clint Eastwood flick may be the appropriate ticket. AGFA is a really fascinating new label and their partnership with Something Weird Video is sure to excite genre aficionados, and for that type of fan, the technical presentation here is generally very good, with an understanding of the source elements utilized.
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