6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A busboy at a disco has sexual problems related to events in his childhood. He becomes obsessed with a disc jockey at the club, leading to obscene phone calls, voyeurism, trips to the porn shop and adult movie palace, and more! A police detective is similarly obsessed with sexual materials, leading him to become personally involved in the case.
Starring: Sal Mineo, Juliet Prowse, Jan Murray, Elaine Stritch, Margot BennettCrime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Joseph Cates' "Who Killed Teddy Bear" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; Max Miller's documentary "LSD: Insight or Insanity"; vintage episode of Court Martial; and more. The release also arrives with a 14-page illustrated booklet featuring Laura Mayne's essay "Sexual Transgression in Sixties New York: Who Killed Teddy Bear", as well as original stills and promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
I will make you feel like a real woman
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joseph Cates' Who Killed Teddy Bear arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.
The release is sourced from a recent remaster that was struck from a 35mm print, apparently one of the few surviving elements. The film looks healthy and has a good organic appearance, but there are a few areas with some obvious rough spots. It is nothing serious that will affect negatively your viewing experience, but be prepared to see a few obvious horizontal lines, some fading spots, and large stains. Naturally, my guess is that the 'remastering work' was primarily transfer work with some automatic cleaning work that removed surface damage and stabilization enhancements. The grading is very nice. However, there are segments with small density fluctuations where some improvements can be made to strengthen the visuals. There are no traces of problematic digital work. However, in an ideal environment grain and overall fluidity would be better. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is clear and there are no distributions or dropout to report. However, there are a couple of segments where balance is very fluid. To be clear, I am not referring to the raw street footage as it is quite clear that it has a native organic quality. I refer to indoor exchanges where balance isn't as consistent. On the other had, I would not be surprised to hear that the recording equipment might have been less-than-optimal, or that the final audio mix was done with the current qualities.
NOTE: If you reside in a Region-A territory, you will need a Region-Free player to access all bonus features but the gallery with the vintage promotional materials that are listed below.
This film most definitely does not play by the rules, and while it is unclear whether its creators envisioned it in its current form, it is difficult not to agree that there is something quite attractive in everything that makes it 'bad'. It feels a lot like a project that a naughty John Cassavetes would have pulled off early in his career. However, it reminded me of James Landis' Rat Fink -- which should not be surprising as both films were conceived in 1965 -- though I did not find Sal Mineo to be quite as engrossing as Schuyler Haydn. The release is sourced from a decent remaster, and folks residing in North American should be glad to hear that it is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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