A Few Words About A few words about...™ Immoral Tales -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I experience my first Borowczyk in early 1975, during a film-buying visit to Paris, when Gogo, Island of Love was screened for me.

Going back to the late 1940s, Mr. Borowczyk was a graphic artist, and short film director, who made his way into features in the mid to late 1960s.

While Immoral Tales (1974) may sound very much like a Pasolini film, it isn't.  While Pasolini offered a more gay-centric experience, Borowczyk liked his women -- and normally MOC or mit out clothes, inclusive of lovingly photographed  closeups of genitalia.

Composed of five segments (the shorter theatrical theatrical version, also offered has four), Arrow's new Blu-ray of Immoral Tales if gorgeous.  One segment is shot in 16mm, but the other four are 35.  The image harvest is from an IP, and color, densities, and especially grain structure are never less than superb.

Whether Borowczyk is for you, may be another matter.  While some may consider his work soft-core porn, most find it art.

My favorite of the five -- Elisabeth Bathory -- the tale of a medieval countess who would used the blood of virgins in an attempt to keep her young.  I believe she's now quite well, and living in Hawaii.

Image - 5

 

Audio - 5

4k Up-rez - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

 

RAH

 

[Charles Smith]

Wonderful to read about these with so much discovery yet ahead of me.

(Blind-bought the Boro box on trusted recommendations. Have so far watched Goto and Dr. Jekyll/Miss Osbourne.


In a word: thrilled.)

 

[schan1269]

I already have the UK release, this is in my cart...might bite.

 

[Ignatius]

A couple of minor corrections -


It was Borowczyk himself who removed the 'Beast of Gévaudan' segment in order to expand it to feature length, therefore the shorter theatrical cut is regarded as his preferred version.


While most of the film was taken from an IP, the 'Thérèse Philosophe' sequence was scanned from a 35mm low contrast print and 'Beast of Gévaudan' from a 16mm print, the only known element.

I already have the UK release, this is in my cart...might bite.

If you have the UK release then you also have this one. The discs are identical.

 

[schan1269]

A couple of minor corrections -

It was Borowczyk himself who removed the 'Beast of Gévaudan' segment in order to expand it to feature length, therefore the shorter theatrical cut is regarded as his preferred version.

While most of the film was taken from an IP, the 'Thérèse Philosophe' sequence was scanned from a 35mm low contrast print and 'Beast of Gévaudan' from a 16mm print, the only known element.


If you have the UK release then you also have this one. The discs are identical.

I had to go check. For some reason I thought the UK was short version only...

 

[Ruz-El]

Spun this one last night and really enjoyed it. "The Beast" section is staggering and sticks out like a broken thumb compared to the other stories. Looking forward to seeing the expanded version.

 

[Ignatius]

Spun this one last night and really enjoyed it. "The Beast" section is staggering and sticks out like a broken thumb compared to the other stories. Looking forward to seeing the expanded version.

The feature film is a superb social satire which incorporates the original short brilliantly. Seeing the original short on its own for the first time was quite a shock to the system - even understanding the ironic nature of the work it still feels almost indefensible.


It's also worth noting that the short version is actually more explicit that its expanded counterpart, to the point where Arrow worried it might fall foul of the BBFC when the disc was originally released in Britain. It's probably for the best that Borowcyzk removed it, the shock value of 'The Beast' almost certainly dilutes the impact of the brilliant 'Elizabeth Bathory' segment.

 

[haineshisway]

I've been watching this on Netflix - not really my cuppa so I won't be getting it, but how wonderful to see women not trying to look like pre-pubescent children in the manner of today's women.