Fury isn’t the best war drama around, not even in the top 5, but it’s still well made and features a great cast, with Brad Pitt delivering a fine performance (one of his best in some time), that elevates the writing while Ayer’s direction keeps the pacing just right.
Daughters of Darkness
— Limited Edition —
(1970)
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy
Blue Underground | NR – 100 min. – $59.95 | October 27, 2020
Date Published: 11/05/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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Blue Underground provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Note: The screen captures were taken from the Blu-ray disc and do not represent the 4K Ultra HD transfer.
THE MOVIE — 2½/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Elizabeth Bathory (DELPHINE SEYRIG) is an ageless Countess with a beautiful young ‘companion’ (ANDREA RAU) and a legendary legacy of perversion. But when the two women seduce a troubled newlywed couple (DANIELLE OUIMET and JOHN KARLEN), they unleash a frenzy of sudden violence and depraved desire.
Quick Hit Review: Daughters of Darkness it seems has a bit of a cult following with plenty of high praise. Personally, while it is competently enough directed by Harry Kümel though character motivations, even before falling under the Countess’s spell, were a tad weird, Stefan (Karlen) especially, such as his odd fascination with a woman found dead, unless I missed something, and not to mention issues with his “mother”. Came across a bit random and no real payoff unless it was done as a red herring… In any case, I can’t say I wasn’t fascinated with the film and it does take a more subdued turn as a vampire flick. Plus, the performances were all rather good, headlined by Delphine Seyrig and Danielle Ouimet, both had some solid scenes together.
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SPECIAL FEATURES – 4/5 |
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This release comes with a lenticular slip cover and inside is a booklet. The interior sleeve is reversible. Also included is the CD Soundtrack. Audio Commentaries:
A good selection of commentators here, Kümel obviously provides a first-hand account of making the movie as does Karlen along with Del Valle giving a different perspective. The new track for this release is with Ellinger as she delves into the messages and characters with a historical slant. Interviews:
Theatrical Trailers:
Also included are 4 Radio Spots, the Alternate U.S. Main Titles (1:56) and a Poster & Still Gallery. |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
| Blue Underground falls under the spell of the Daughters of Darkness where the film received a new 2160p high-definition transfer. The film was scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original 35mm camera negative and simply put, it’s a pretty gorgeous picture, detail is incredibly sharp and excellently defined, the natural film grain and noise shines on the screen giving it what I assume is the closest to the theatrical experience, hell it probably didn’t look this good in theaters. In addition, colors are bright and vibrant while black levels are crisp and stark. Outside of a couple bits of minor scratches, this is a clean transfer. |
AUDIO – 4/5 |
| The 4K Ultra HD disc comes with a new Dolby Atmos track (the Blu-ray also has it as well) and although it certainly sounds fine, not exactly an all-encompassing aural experience, though dialogue does come across with good clarity and there was no discernible pops, hisses or other flaws. Sampling the DTS-HD MA 1.0 track, the Atmos does gives slightly more depth with the soundtrack/score. |
OVERALL – 3½/5 |
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Overall, Daughters of Darkness didn’t exactly strike me as great as others have but can acknowledge that there are good elements from Delphine Seyrig and Danielle Ouimet delivering solid performances and it does stand out compared with the many other vampire movies of the 1970s at least. This 4K release from Blue Underground offers up excellent video and good audio transfers to go along with a fine selection of bonus features including a new commentary track. |
The screen captures came from the Blu-ray copy and are here to add visuals to the review and do not represent the 4K video.