DVD Comparison:

Carlotta Films (4-Disc Limited Collector's Edition) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Tartan (3-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 2 - PAL

Thanks to Gregory Meshman and Henrik Sylow

directed by Paul Morrissey

USA 1968, 70', 72'

Flesh          Trash         Heat



Paul Morrissey was introduced to Andy Warhol in 1965. He had by then already for a few years made short independent films, and Warhol asked him to contribute ideas and bring new direction to the film experiments he had been recently begun presenting. Morrissey then signed a contract with Warhol putting him in charge of all operations at the Warhol studio with the exception of the sales of artwork.

Morrissey would control more and more elements of the creative process and after "Lonesome Cowboys" (1967), he would take total control of all subsequent films presented by Andy Warhol, beginning with the classic trilogy, simple called "The Trilogy", "Flesh" (1968), "Trash" (1970) and "Heat" (1972). Andy Warhol's only contribution was to add his name after it was done.

After working with Carlo Ponti and Jean-Pierre Rassam on "Flesh for Frankenstein" (1974) and "Blood for Dracula" (1974), Morrissey parted with Warhol, who had begun to concentrate on his painting and business activities instead of film. Morrissey went on to be one of the very few American directors who remained completely independent.

Joe Dallesandro was only 15 when he in 1963, as an already then professional car thief, was shot by the police and send to prison. It was here at Camp Cass he would get his famous "Little Joe" tattoo. After prison he supported himself partly as nude model for Physique Pictorial, before he, by accident, met Warhol and Morrissey in 1965.

Morrissey would become Dallesandro's mentor, teach him to express himself, and the central work for the two of them became "The Trilogy". Dallesandro had a stunning beautiful face, which both female and gay male were very attracted to, and Morrissey tapped into that face.

The first openly eroticized male sex symbol, Dallesandro became an icon of the milieu and the period, amongst others posing for Rolling Stone's "Sticky Fingers" cover. He would later go to Europe and work with amongst others Louis Malle, Jacques Rivette and Serge Gainsbourg, before returning to the US to work with Francis Ford Coppola, John Waters and Steven Soderbergh. He did underwear commercials with Kate Moss for Calvin Klein, and in 2004, the New York Times reported, that the Joe Hustler haircut was back in style.

Dallesandro was and still is the icon for natural male beauty, Morrissey was the key underground director, and "The Trilogy" is their legacy.

 - Henrik Sylow

(aka "Andy Warhol's Flesh" )

 

directed by Paul Morrissey
USA 1968

 

"Flesh" is the first installment in Morrissey's "The Trilogy". When Warhold and Morrissey learned that "Midnight Cowboy" was being shot, they simply made their film about a male hustler, and according to Morrissey beat Schlesinger to it.

Joe Dallesandro plays Joe, a heroin addicted hustler, who tries to raise $200 for an abortion for this wife's lesbian lover.

One of the key films of the sixties underground films, "Flesh" is a portrait of the wild side of New York, with its hustlers, its transvestites, its Johns and Joes. It broke ground in the way it framed the body and face of Dallesandro, ways normally only used to shoot women in pornography, but also by attacking the code directly, by being the first non-pornographic film ever to display an erected penis.

The stars of "Flesh" was immortalized in Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"; Little Joe never once gave it away (Joe Dallasandro), Jackie is just speeding away (Jackie Curtis), Candy came from out on the island (Candy Darling).

Henrik Sylow

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 26, 1968 (New York City, New York)

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

 
DVD Box Cover

 

Distribution

Carlotta Films

Region 2 - PAL

Tartan

Region 2 - PAL

Runtime 1:25:48 (4% PAL speedup) 1:29:31
Video

1.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.43 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 8.80 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Carlotta Films (Flesh)

 

Bitrate

Tartan (Flesh)

 

Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono 2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono
Subtitles French, None No subtitles
Features Release Information:
Studio: Carlotta Films

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.30:1

Edition Details:
• Short 'All aboard the dreamland choo-choo' (13:12)
• Deleted Scenes (original sound or with director commentary) (11:49)
• Short Clip 'Joe Dallessandro' (2:34)
• Short Clip 'Flesh en 68' (1:33)

 

extras on the 4th bonus disc:
- Paul Morrissey: Les Annees Warhol (15:37)
- Paul Morrissey About Flesh (19:30)
- Paul Morrissey About Trash (20:03)
- Paul Morrissey About Heat (14:27)
- John Mecas on Cinema Underground (11:33)
- John Mecas and Paul Morrissey show around Cinema Underground (12:31)
- Filmographies for Morrissey, Dallesandro, Mecas (Text Screens)
- Short 'About Face' (7:04)
- Documentary 'Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol' (35:14)
- Music Factory: Paul Morrissey on Velvet Underground (5:57)
- Short 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable'(14:02)
- Interview with Ronald Nameth about 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable' (9:34)
- Fashion Factory (Interview with modern fashion designers, some in French) (15:45)
- Reviews (Text Screens, in French)
- Links (Text Screens)

DVD Release Date: April 16, 2003

Chapters 6

Release Information:
Studio: Tartan

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.30:1

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary by Penny Woolcook and Nicola Abel-Hirsch
• Paul Morrissey introduction (3:02)
• Deleted Scenes (original sound or with director commentary) (10:37)
• Short 'About Face' (original silent or with optional director commentary) (4:52)

• 20 page booklet: ‘All Fixed Up – The story of Trash and the BBFC’ by Craig Lapper (Chief Assistant, BBFC)

DVD Release Date: July 25, 2005
Keep Case

Chapters 16

Comments Bottom line: The most important image comparison attribute can be identified by two pieces of information - the running times and the last capture of each separate film/DVD comparison. The Tartan is from an NTSC source and will have all the associated deficiencies of that less expensive transfer process - ghosting in motion sequences, more artifacts etc. At times the Carlotta looks a little red but I have no idea of how it is supposed to have looked theatrically. The Tartan shows some minor cropping in spots especially on the left edge. The NTSC->PAL issue is enough to determine that the Carlotta has the better image quality.

Audio is the same in both: Original English mono. The Carlotta has optional French subtitles and the Tartan offer none.

Extras: Those who enjoy audio commentaries will definitely lean towards the Tartan as they have ones included in both Flesh and Heat. There are other features including a liner notes booklet (please see list for complete inclusions). The Carlotta disc has an entire 4th Bonus disc of extras including Morrissey and Warhol interview and featurettes about each film. I enjoy commentaries so the Tartan would be my choice but fans will want that bonus disc of the Carlotta as it is loaded with valued information.

So, those concerned with the purity of the image will want the Carlotta, Extras is a personal choice but the true fans will want both releases to own the commentaries and all the goodies on the Carlotta's bonus disc.

Gary W. Tooze

Henrik says about the Tartan:

The audio commentary is by filmmaker Penny Woolcook and her friend, a Kleineian psychoanalyst, Nicole Abel Hirsch. It is a very strange commentary track. On one side Woolcook talks about the films history, its technical aspects and so on, on the other, she and especially Hirsch talks about psychological aspects of players, on the other yet again, Hirsch interprets some scenes some a psychoanalyst point of view. The disturbing element is Hirsch, as Woolcook really comes with some good points, but obviously doesn't want to go into arguments with Hirsch's at times naive observations.

The deleted scene can either be seen with original sound or with commentary by Morrissey. The scene is the longest of any of the rediscovered footage cut from "The Trilogy" and depicts Geraldine Smith cutting Joe's hair before he hits the streets in the beginning of the film.

The extras are concluded by Morrissey's short "About Face" from 1964, either in original silent form or with commentary by Morrissey, where he talks about the way he made film (or tried to) and traditional filmmaking.

NOTE:
Many sources suggest "Flesh" to run 105 minutes, whereas this version runs only 89 minutes. However, Paul Morrissey has later said, that the running times reported back then were simply guesses on his part. This is the full version of the film.

 - Henrik Sylow

 


DVD Menus

(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
 

 

 


Screen Captures

 

(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 

(aka "Andy Warhol's Trash" )

 

directed by Paul Morrissey
USA 1970

 

The second film in "The Trilogy", "Trash" is sort of a sequel to "Flesh", where Joe plays Joe the Junkie, who with his trash collecting transvestite girlfriend Holly (Holly Woodlawn) try to get thru each day.

Contra to his virility in "Flesh", Joe is here impotent. But the film deals more directly with sex than "Flesh", in a grotesque way, like when showing Holly masturbating with a beer bottle.

It is the most improvised and the funniest of the three film. Take the entire middle section with Jane Forth (who has to be the most annoying and stupid woman not a blond ever to hit the screen) who just cannot shut up while Joe is shooting heroin and continues to talk about stupid things even while helping the wasted Joe on his feet. It is here you really sense the spontaneity and strength of Morrissey's film.

Henrik Sylow

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 5, 1970 (New York City, New York)

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Tartan (3-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!

DVD Box Cover

 

Distribution Carlotta Films
Region 2 - PAL

Tartan

Region 2 - PAL

Runtime 1:44:52 (4% PAL speedup) 1:49:36
Video

1.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.44 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.87 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Carlotta Films (Trash)

 

Bitrate

Tartan (Trash)

 

Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono 2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono
Subtitles No Subtitles
Features Release Information:
Studio: Carlotta Films

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.30:1

Edition Details:
• Short 'Like Sleep' (11:41)
• Deleted Scenes (9:40)
• Alternative Takes (8:25)
• Morrissey commenting on deleted scenes and alternative takes (9:59)
• Short Clip 'Icones Factory' (1:54)
• Short Clip 'Trash en 70' (1:33)

 

extras on the 4th bonus disc:
- Paul Morrissey: Les Annees Warhol (15:37)
- Paul Morrissey About Flesh (19:30)
- Paul Morrissey About Trash (20:03)
- Paul Morrissey About Heat (14:27)
- John Mecas on Cinema Underground (11:33)
- John Mecas and Paul Morrissey show around Cinema Underground (12:31)
- Filmographies for Morrissey, Dallesandro, Mecas (Text Screens)
- Short 'About Face' (7:04)
- Documentary 'Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol' (35:14)
- Music Factory: Paul Morrissey on Velvet Underground (5:57)
- Short 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable'(14:02)
- Interview with Ronald Nameth about 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable' (9:34)
- Fashion Factory (Interview with modern fashion designers, some in French) (15:45)
- Reviews (Text Screens, in French)
- Links (Text Screens)

 

DVD Release Date: April 16, 2003
 

Chapters 9

Release Information:
Studio: Tartan

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.30:1

Edition Details:
• Paul Morrissey introduction (3:20)
• Deleted Scenes (original sound or with director commentary) (10:36)
• Short 'All aboard the dreamland choo-choo' (original silent or with optional director commentary) (5:53)

• 20 page booklet: ‘All Fixed Up – The story of Trash and the BBFC’ by Craig Lapper (Chief Assistant, BBFC)

DVD Release Date: July 25, 2005
Keep Case

Chapters 16

 

 

Comments Bottom line: The most important image comparison attribute can be identified by two pieces of information - the running times and the last capture of each separate film/DVD comparison. The Tartan is from an NTSC source and will have all the associated deficiencies of that less expensive transfer process - ghosting in motion sequences, more artifacts etc. At times the Carlotta looks a little red but I have no idea of how it is supposed to have looked theatrically. The Tartan shows some minor cropping in spots especially on the left edge. The NTSC->PAL issue is enough to determine that the Carlotta has the better image quality.

Audio is the same in both: Original English mono. The Carlotta has optional French subtitles and the Tartan offer none.

Extras: Those who enjoy audio commentaries will definitely lean towards the Tartan as they have ones included in both Flesh and Heat. There are other features including a liner notes booklet (please see list for complete inclusions). The Carlotta disc has an entire 4th Bonus disc of extras including Morrissey and Warhol interview and featurettes about each film. I enjoy commentaries so the Tartan would be my choice but fans will want that bonus disc of the Carlotta as it is loaded with valued information.

So, those concerned with the purity of the image will want the Carlotta, Extras is a personal choice but the true fans will want both releases to own the commentaries and all the goodies on the Carlotta's bonus disc.

Gary W. Tooze

Henrik says about the Tartan:

There is no audio commentary on "Trash", which really is a shame. So Morrissey's introduction has to stand alone.

The deleted scenes are two scenes: The first is an extension of an existing scene, where Joe and Johnny are waiting for Holly to come back with drugs and talk about getting high. Joe says "I'm always high. I'm never straight." (3:09). The second is an alternate scene of the finale interview between the Welfare investigator and Joe and Holly (7:20).

The extras are concluded by Morrissey's short "All aboard the dreamland choo-choo" from 1964, either in original silent form or with commentary by Morrissey, where he talks about the way he made film (or tried to) and traditional filmmaking.

- Henrik Sylow

 

 



DVD Menus


(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

 

 

 

 


Screen Captures

 

 

(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 

 


(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 

 


(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 

 


 

(aka "Andy Warhol's Heat" )

 

directed by Paul Morrissey
USA 1972

 

The final installment in "The Trilogy", "Heat" is a camp reversion of "Hollywood Boulevard", starring Sylvia Miles (of "Midnight Cowboy" fame) as the washed-up movie star Sally Todd, who tries to help out former child star Joey Davis (Joe Dallesandro), while fighting with her insane lesbian daughter (who has the hots for Joe) and her agent for small TV game shows.

Even though the star obvious is Joe Dallesandro, and the camera once again is in love with his face and body, Sylvia Miles completely steals the show. She improvised all her lines and gives a performance far better than her Oscar nominated performance in "Midnight Cowboy".

Henrik Sylow

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 5, 1972 (New York City, New York)

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Tartan (3-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!

DVD Box Cover

 

Distribution Carlotta Films
Region 2 - PAL

Tartan

Region 2 - PAL

Runtime 1:36:21 (4% PAL speedup) 1:40:32
Video

1.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.38 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 8.80 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Carlotta Films (Heat)

 

Bitrate

Tartan (HEAT)

Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono 2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono
Subtitles French, None No Subtitles
Features Release Information:
Studio: Carlotta Films

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.30:1

Edition Details:
• Short 'The Origins of Captain America' (9:32)
• Deleted Scenes (original sound or with director commentary) (15:24)
• Short Clip 'Paul Morrissey' (2:55)
• Short Clip 'Heat en 72' (1:40)
 

extras on the 4th bonus disc:
- Paul Morrissey: Les Annees Warhol (15:37)
- Paul Morrissey About Flesh (19:30)
- Paul Morrissey About Trash (20:03)
- Paul Morrissey About Heat (14:27)
- John Mecas on Cinema Underground (11:33)
- John Mecas and Paul Morrissey show around Cinema Underground (12:31)
- Filmographies for Morrissey, Dallesandro, Mecas (Text Screens)
- Short 'About Face' (7:04)
- Documentary 'Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol' (35:14)
- Music Factory: Paul Morrissey on Velvet Underground (5:57)
- Short 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable'(14:02)
- Interview with Ronald Nameth about 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable' (9:34)
- Fashion Factory (Interview with modern fashion designers, some in French) (15:45)
- Reviews (Text Screens, in French)
- Links (Text Screens)
 

DVD Release Date: April 16, 2003
 

Chapters 10

Release Information:
Studio: Tartan

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.30:1

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary by Don Boyd
• Paul Morrissey introduction (3:19)
• Deleted Scenes (original sound or with director commentary) (15:17)
• Short 'Like Sleep' (original silent or with optional director commentary) (10:16)

• 20 page booklet: ‘All Fixed Up – The story of Trash and the BBFC’ by Craig Lapper (Chief Assistant, BBFC)

DVD Release Date: July 25, 2005
Keep Case

Chapters 16

 

 

 

Comments Bottom line: The most important image comparison attribute can be identified by two pieces of information - the running times and the last capture of each separate film/DVD comparison. The Tartan is from an NTSC source and will have all the associated deficiencies of that less expensive transfer process - ghosting in motion sequences, more artifacts etc. At times the Carlotta looks a little red but I have no idea of how it is supposed to have looked theatrically. The Tartan shows some minor cropping in spots especially on the left edge. The NTSC->PAL issue is enough to determine that the Carlotta has the better image quality.

Audio is the same in both: Original English mono. The Carlotta has optional French subtitles and the Tartan offer none.

Extras: Those who enjoy audio commentaries will definitely lean towards the Tartan as they have ones included in both Flesh and Heat. There are other features including a liner notes booklet (please see list for complete inclusions). The Carlotta disc has an entire 4th Bonus disc of extras including Morrissey and Warhol interview and featurettes about each film. I enjoy commentaries so the Tartan would be my choice but fans will want that bonus disc of the Carlotta as it is loaded with valued information.

So, those concerned with the purity of the image will want the Carlotta, Extras is a personal choice but the true fans will want both releases to own the commentaries and all the goodies on the Carlotta's bonus disc.

Gary W. Tooze

Henrik says about the Tartan:

The extras begin with an audio commentary by producer director Don Boyd and what a commentary. Boyd really is into this film and his love for the film and admiration for Morrissey as director shines thru. Boyd talks about Warhol and Morrissey, about the construction of scenes, about the legacy and impact of the film. Simply a great commentary.

The deleted scenes consists of two alternate takes and a deleted scene. The first scene is an alternate scene of Sylvia Miles’ visit to daughter Andrea Feldman in the beginning of the film (7:07). The second scene is a deleted scene where Joe is on the telephone talking to his film connections (0:55). The third and last scene is an alternate scene of Pat giving Joe a backrub and being interrupted by Andrea (7:03).

The extras are concluded by Morrissey's short "Like Sleep" from 1965, either in original silent form or with commentary by Morrissey, where he for about 1-2 minutes introduces the film.

 - Henrik Sylow

 


DVD Menus

(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
 

 

 

 


Screen Captures

 

(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 

 

 


 
 

(Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

DVD Box Cover

 

Distribution

Carlotta Films

Region 2 - PAL

Tartan

Region 2 - PAL

 

 

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Image:

Carlotta Films

Sound:

Extras:

Tartan have commentary on two discs / Carlotta has 4th Bonus disc

Menu: Tartan

 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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