tHe mAsTeR aPpRoVeS oF tHiS nEwS! Manos the "Hands" of fate comes to Blu! (1 Viewer)

[Tony J Case]

Um. . . well, they no doubt have big brains to come up with 10 years full of funny riffs. So technically I am correct - and that is the best kind of correct!

 

[Dr Griffin]

Manos: The Hands of the Audience (going for his throat).

 

[Mike Frezon]

LEGO Torgo

 

[Tony J Case]

So I finally got around to watching the disc (actually a couple of days ago). Here's my thoughts, recycled from the Halloween Horrorthon Thread:

A family on vacation gets lost in the desert, they meet a strangely deformed man named Torgo, stay the night a spooky old house and a thousand Riffs were launched.


And so, 4 years of waiting for the restored blu ray to drop, "Manos" finally arrives. The theory behind the restoration is that years of watching the movie via terrible, poorly framed prints where you can't see anything has harmed the movie, that perhaps it's not as terrible as everyone seems to think it is.


Spoiler alert: it is.


No amount of clean-up will cover up the poor acting, terrible editing, lack of direction. Just because you can see everything that's going on doesn't mean that there will be more story uncovered in the corners of the frame. Shots go on far too long, the actors stand around in between line deliveries, there are continuity errors would make Ed Wood weep, and since the film was looped in post there's no boom mike to get into the shot, we'll have to settle for a clapperboard instead.


Is "Manos" the worst movie ever made? Good lord no - any of the Transformers movies are a thousand times worse. That said, this is still a pretty fucking terrible movie. (and yes, I'm calling it new to me since I've never seen the unedited, un-MSTed version before)

 

[SilverWook]

That it's hilariously bad is kind of the whole point. Should only "good" movies be restored and preserved?


And you're comparing a film made by an rank amateur who didn't know what the heck he was doing, to a professional filmmaker who ought to know better what the heck he's doing.

 

[Tony J Case]

That it's hilariously bad is kind of the whole point. Should only "good" movies be restored and preserved?

Absolutely not! I threw my 50 bucks at the Kickstarter back in 2011 when this whole thing got rolling. And I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the movie - I'm just saying that polishing the movie as best as possible had no real appreciable increase in quality.

And you're comparing a film made by an rank amateur who didn't know what the heck he was doing, to a professional filmmaker who ought to know better what the heck he's doing.

A rank amateur who never touched a camera before in his life vs a professional with no talent and no skill and no money (but loads of vision) - yeah, I call it a push.

 

[KMR]

So I finally got around to watching the disc (actually a couple of days ago). Here's my thoughts, recycled from the Halloween Horrorthon Thread:

You wrote: "The theory behind the restoration is that years of watching the movie via terrible, poorly framed prints where you can't see anything has harmed the movie, that perhaps it's not as terrible as everyone seems to think it is."


I don't think that was at all the theory behind the restoration. Rather, it was essentially: Why not create the best possible presentation of a film that is considered one of the most inept ever made, but is also a well-loved cult classic (essentially because of its badness). What I gather from the restoration website (http://www.manosinhd.com/why-im-saving-manos-the-hands-of-fate/) is that seeing the film in all of its original glory doesn't really make it any better, but just adds a whole new level of weirdness.

 

[SilverWook]

Between three releases of the MST3K episode, (twice from Rhino and once from Shout Factory) and a PD version of the unMSTied version, the Blu Ray will be the fifth copy of Manos I own.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Well its definitely a "warts-all" restoration, Even in this form there are plenty of heavy tram line scratches, chemical stains, splice marks, the works. But that's part of the charm of Manos. Even in pristine high-deffinition it still looks like ass.

 

[Squire]

My BD copy arrived today. I'll check it out tonight!

 

[Lord Dalek]

The restoration documentary is really interesting in making the case for why 4k isn't necessary 100% of the time.

 

[Squire]

It's a disappointment. There are still a great many flaws in a what is supposed to be a restoration. It does look and sound better, but I'd rather have damaged sections repaired with frames from lower quality prints than have to look at black screen creeping into the shot several times. The flaws are distracting and I wish they had done more to correct them. The extras aren't much either. The half hour "making of" documentary is the most interesting. The restoration short is worthless. Don't talk tech for seven minutes, show examples of what was done to restore the movie! Didn't care for the puppet feature either. I think puppet shows (like Avenue Q) where you see the puppeteer are stupid! If you're not a ventriloquist, I don't want to see you! If you want to be seen, be an actor not a puppeteer! (Side rant over) it is interesting to compare the "Grindhouse" version to the restored one. I always enjoy comparisons like that. I've yet to watch it with the commentary but I expect it will be enjoyable.

 

[SilverWook]

Puppeteers are actors, IMHO. You should probably avoid ventriloquists too.


Is this getting a retail release at all? Even Barnes and Noble doesn't seem to have it.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Puppeteers are actors, IMHO.

John Malkovich would agree.

 

[Squire]

"Ars est celare artem". Yes, puppeteers are actors, but if they want to be seen they should be a regular stage actor and not a puppeteer. Ventriloquists are different in that they are supposed to be seen and heard as part of the act. Speaking without moving the lips help sell the illusion that the dummy is alive. Having a puppeteer onstage visibly working the puppet and so very obviously speaking the words goes a long way toward destroying the illusion.

 

[Tony J Case]

It's a disappointment. There are still a great many flaws in a what is supposed to be a restoration. It does look and sound better, but I'd rather have damaged sections repaired with frames from lower quality prints than have to look at black screen creeping into the shot several times. The flaws are distracting and I wish they had done more to correct them.

Well, the goal here was not to make the movie look pristine, but to restore it to as it would have been seen back in the 60's, warts and all. If it was on the original negative (and not a result of years of degradation from sitting on a shelf), then they left it alone.


I can see both sides of the coin - make it look as good as possible versus restoring it to the original shape. Both views have their merits.

If you're not a ventriloquist, I don't want to see you! If you want to be seen, be an actor not a puppeteer!

So not a big fan of Bunraku, then?

Is this getting a retail release at all? Even Barnes and Noble doesn't seem to have it.

Well, it's coming from Synapse - so anyone who usually carries their discs should have this (should being the operative word). But yes, it should be out there.

 

[SilverWook]

I would imagine the wind up camera used to shoot the film left it's mark on the footage before it even made it to the lab.


Weird that B&N has listings for the DVD, and even the soundtrack on vinyl, but no Blu Ray. May just have to resort to Ebay.

 

[Tony J Case]

Weird that B&N has listings for the DVD, and even the soundtrack on vinyl, but no Blu Ray. May just have to resort to Ebay.

You mean this blu ray?

 

[SilverWook]

Okay, that's weird. It still doesn't show up when I search for "manos the hands of fate", but thank you very much for finding that!

 

[Lord Dalek]

Some other observations about the restoration...


Fans may be disappointed to know that the infamous clapperboard that makes an appearance just before the second "Endless Make-out Couple car" scene has apparently been trimmed out.


Several clearly audible instances of what appears to be the sound of either a vinyl record or 4-track tape of the soundtrack being "restarted" for the lack of a better word have been fixed.


As mentioned on the official website, all the titles were recreated for this release as the original workprint just has the raw footage. One must wonder why Solovey didn't take the opportunity to give you the option to watch the film with the intended opening credits Hal Warren allegedly forgot to put in, but that's not part of the "Manos Experience" now is it?


As you know this version includes the complete opening sequence for the first time since 1966. The old Alpha dvd starts as Michael, Maggie, and Debbie have already pulled over to the scenic vista whereas the copy MST3k used starts just as they're about to pull in omitting the first two shots. Why the other versions were incomplete remains a mystery.