6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A controversial look at the lives and conflicts of a group of homosexual men set during one evening in a New York bath house for men.
Starring: Robert Dahdah, Gerald Jacuzzo, Hal Sherwood, Hal Borske, Richard GoldbergerDrama | 100% |
Short | 21% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of
The Dungeon of Andy Milligan.
Lovers of what might be charitably termed Grade Z Cinema have had a number of outstanding releases by a variety of labels over the past few
years.
Arrow has offered fans surprisingly deluxe-ified (that's a word, I insist) editions of The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast and Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection, among others, while Severin Films has gotten
into
exploring this decidedly
odd nook and/or cranny with releases like
Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection. Severin's back with more, um, "masterpieces" with this inventively packaged homage to the
late Andy Milligan, a kinda sorta auteur whose professional life had more than its fair share of hurdles, and whose personal life
unfortunately
ended up not being much better. The 14 films (with one bonus film in HD, Toga Party) aggregated in this set are exploitation outings at
their "finest" (?), which means those with more
patrician tastes are probably well advised to steer completely clear of this release. Those with grittier sensibilities will find some at times oddly
entertaining
movies and Severin's usual supply of appealing supplements.
Vapors is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Severin's booklet included with this release has the following information on the transfer:
Vapors was scanned and restored in 4K by Vinegar Syndrome from its 35mm blow-up dupe negative.This presentation boasts generally great detail levels and some well modulated gray scale, though as tends to be the case with Milligan's films, both framing issues and technical aspects like focus pulling can temporarily affect things. There are some very slight flirtations with crush that tend to accrue mostly in the corners of the frame in some of the less well lit moments. Close-ups offer nice fine detail levels on the characters' faces. Grain resolves naturally throughout.
Perhaps to save a little room, Severin offers only a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track here, while it looks like Vinegar Syndrome's previous release of this title on Blu-ray may have had lossless audio. Regular readers of my reviews know I am a strong proponent of Blu-ray releases having at least one lossless audio option available, but within the context of lossy audio, Vapors has such a minimal sound design and such limited overall sonic ambitions that a lossy track is probably not that objectionable. Dialogue is rendered without any major problems, and there are optional English subtitles for those encountering any difficulties.
This film shares a disc with Seeds and Fleshpot on 42nd Street, but there are no supplements associated with Vapors.
Vapors probably could have benefited from having been filled out a bit (it's by far the shortest film in this set), but it's a rather viscerally engaging portrait of gay characters in crisis. Technical merits are generally solid, though Severin has included only lossy audio for this film, for those who are considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1968
Slipcover Edition Limited to 2,500 | SOLD OUT
1973
Garu, the Mad Monk
1970
1984
1968
1970
1974
Legacy of Horror | Theatrical and TV Cuts
1978
1970
1972
1970
Pelvis
1977
1970
1972
1976
1973
Black Sister's Revenge
1976
1971
1970
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1994