6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
In this stylish and atmospheric psychological thriller reminiscent of Henry James's Turn of the Screw, a widowed English writer brings a young, glamorous new bride to his bleak, isolated home in rural Spain. She soon becomes obsessed with her 12-year old stepson, who she learns has just been expelled from school for mysterious offenses; while the boy enjoys, exploits, and feeds her increasing paranoia about him. That he is a brilliant and lonely child is obvious. But is he the victim of a neurotic woman's overwrought imagination-- in Shakespeare's words, the innocent flower, or the serpent under it?
Starring: Mark Lester (I), Britt Ekland, Hardy Krüger, Lilli Palmer, Harry AndrewsHorror | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 6% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
James Kelly's "What the Peeper Saw" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of VCI Entertainment. Th eonly bonus features on the disc are an original trailer for the film an archival TV spot. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Let's play a different game
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-2 and granted a 1080p transfer, James Kelly's What the Peeper Saw arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of VCI Entertainment.
The release is sourced from what is essentially a remastered reconstruction of the film that includes the controversial footage that was previously cut. I don't have a DVD or VHS release of this film in my collection to compare and confirm if all of the original cut footage is reinserted, but if there is anything that is sill missing it is very difficult to tell because the transitions are very good. On the other hand, it is very easy to tell that whatever elements were available to do the reconstruction -- my guess is that a print of some sort plus an old home video release might have been accessed -- time was not particularly kind to them because density and delineation are not at optimal levels. Though mostly stable and nicely managed, colors very clearly should have better saturation and overall balance as well. Some very light degraining corrections appear to have been performed to rebalance the image, but the overall integrity of the image is still intact. Obviously, the major limitations here come from the original condition of the available elements. All in all, while there is clearly room for substantial improvements, I would say that this is a fairly decent presentation that makes it rather easy to enjoy the film. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The dialog is very easy to follow, but minor fluctuations are present throughout the entire film. The good news is that there are no serious distortions, audio dropouts, or other major age-related imperfections. Basically, the audio was transferred without any major optimizations or enhancements.
I would place James Kelly's What the Peeper Saw right next to Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Romolo Guerrieri's The Sweet Body of Deborah, and enthusiastically argue that it is a minor masterpiece that was way ahead of its time. I can't describe how happy I am that VCI Entertainment decided to reconstruct the film and save it from obscurity. If you enjoy risky but very intelligent and stylish thrillers, pick up a copy for your collection. Trust me, you are in for a very special treat. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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1992
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1981
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Remastered | Collector's Edition
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2015
Limited Edition
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2011
1991