Mario Bava's WHIP AND THE BODY

[nitin]

got this the other day, the regrading just looks like a blanket brightness/gamma push?

I say this because the whole thing looks too washed out to me now, like a lot of those japanese film releases with incorrectly set black levels. And setting the color input to RGB makes it look a lot like the Kino disc...

[Dan8700]

I'd wait for a direct comparison before ordering.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by Dan8700

I'd wait for a direct comparison before ordering.

well I got it for 7.99 from zavvi so cant complain. Thing is I think it looks similar to the Kino if the black levels are corrected. The washed out look really hurts the dark scenes, especially with Odeon's encoding at those washed out black levels (the issue virtually disappear when you set colour input to RGB).

[oddbox83]

Essentially, yes. There's nothing else you could do with this master. I agree they pushed it a little too far in some shots though so instead of being murky and black it looks murky and grey. Garbage in, garbage out.

[mikey 6]

Did they correct the spelling mistake of the director's surname before this was released or does it actually say 'Brava' on the cover?

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by mikey 6

Did they correct the spelling mistake of the director's surname before this was released or does it actually say 'Brava' on the cover?

Yep, they corrected it.

I hope a properly graded master of this can get made at some point...

[Aclea]

I still have a promotional UK VHS sleeve that went out with the press release for Roger Corman's The Pot and the Pendulum (I think it was one of Polygram's labels). Sadly they corrected it on the retail copies.

[drush9999]

Shame there's no decent release of this, perfectly watchable but you never know whether it's night or day.

[Kuroneko]

I know we have been spoiled with beautiful transfers. Just look at the beautiful disk of Blood and Black Lace from Arrow. I went in to The Whip and the Body with lower expectations. But I wasn't prepared for such an atrocious print. It is the worst BD I own I think. Certainly the most dissapointing. Black levels are wrong, there is macroblocking and there is an ugly green tint over a lot of scenes. I just couldn't enjoy the movie. It was very distracting. You could see what Bava was trying to accomplish but it can't be seen or enjoyed. All the colours are dull and lifeless.

The disk has some nice extra's. But there are no subtitles. So the Italian or French dub are worthless. When you watch to movie with the audiocommentary without subs, you can't follow the dialogue. So many missed opportunities.

Was there no quality check? Did someone really think this was the way to go to watch The Body and the Whip?

[rip63]

The German DVD is still the best representation of the film on disc.

I wish Arrow or someone like that would get hold of it. It's one of Bava's best in my opinion, certainly one of his most beautiful, and it deserves just treatment for a proper HD release.

[Mikezilla3k]

So what was the outcome of the 88 Films release? Was it an improvement or another dud.

[T4ffer]

I would say an improvement, but not perfect. I didn’t take notes and don’t remember what issues I had exactly, besides initially being shocked that there were way more colors now.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by Mikezilla3k

So what was the outcome of the 88 Films release? Was it an improvement or another dud.

Very definitely an improvement.

The elements still have some issues (mainly just grain due to the elements being a couple of generations removed from the neg), but there's no dicking about in the grade this time.

Basically, it looks like a Bava film again. One that you can actually see without squinting through the darkness.

[rip63]

Originally Posted by Mikezilla3k

So what was the outcome of the 88 Films release? Was it an improvement or another dud.

Any minor issues aside, it looks fabulous and very much like a Bava film finally. For me, it's his most visually beautiful. Great extras and packaging for this edition.

[RFK]

Looks very good on my JVC projector. I also have the German DVD but I'll be watching 88 films blu-ray from now on.

[Bes30]

The 88films disc has a beautiful looking transfer. The German dvd was a pain as there were no subtitles for the vastly superior Italian dub. Thankfully this blu ray does everything right. The two commentaries are both decent as well.

[cakefactory]

Here's a bunch of screen comparisons I did in the US thread about the movie. Kino vs 88 Films. From what I've seen the first UK version looks about the same as the Kino.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...8&postcount=91

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...2&postcount=97

[rip63]

88 Films for the win. Easily.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Here's a bunch of screen comparisons I did in the US thread about the movie. Kino vs 88 Films. From what I've seen the first UK version looks about the same as the Kino.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...8&postcount=91

And it's sure they weren't meant to be day-for-night scenes?

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by ravenus

And it's sure they weren't meant to be day-for-night scenes?

Yes, it’s still day in the plot and the earlier dvd also was daylight in that scene.