NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Radiance Blu-ray (August 2024): Radiance have transferred Fernando Arrabal's Viva la Muerte to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K restoration of the original 35mm negative by the Cinémathèque Toulouse in collaboration with Fernando Arrabal". The 1080P looks clean with dull / faded colors. The film employs cinematographic techniques of overexposure and tints intentionally blurring detail. Overall it leans very green. There are also stock footage sequences utilized that are, predictably, of lesser quality. I would guess that this "surrealist" cinema via the restored HD presentation seems probably accurate to the filmmakers intentions. 

NOTE: We have added 44 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Radiance use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the mostly French language with some Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Filipino, Tagalog, Cebuano and Berber spoken in the film. Viva la Muerte has violence that is often cloaked but can show graphic imagery that is impactful. Ekkoleg is used in the film - written and performed by Danish composer and music teaching-pioneer Grethe Agatz. There is also diegetic sounds in a film occurring within the context of the story and able to be heard by the characters. The dialogue is audible and odd music choices bring a unique expression to the often harsh visuals. Radiance offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Radiance Blu-ray offer a one hour-6-minute audio discussion from the Project Booth podcast featuring Mike White, Heather Drain (The Bizarro Encyclopedia of Film) and Jess Byardy discussing the "Panic Movement", the production, pronunciations, Jodorowsky, Arrabal and much more. Sur les traces de Baal is a 20-minute, 1970, archive behind-the-scenes documentary by Abdellatif Ben Ammar in which the filmmaker followed Arrabal’s film and captured him at work on Viva la Muerte. This was shot on location in Tunisia. Vidarrabal is a feature-length documentary on Arrabal by Xavier Pasturel Barron capturing the life and work of this singular filmmaker, playwright, painter and essayist, featuring interviews with admirers, friends and family, including members of the Panic Movement. It was originally released in 2011. There is also a newly filmed 21-minute interview with professor David Archibald providing an analysis and background of Viva La Muerte! filmed exclusively for Radiance in May 2024. There is also a trailer and image gallery and the package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork and a booklet featuring new writing by Sabina Stent (The Hollywood Surreal: How the European Surrealists Changed American Cinema) and an archival interview with Fernando Arrabal.  

Fernando Arrabal's Viva la Muerte is controversial as it has scenes of torture and animal cruelty. The film involves autobiographical memories shown through the prism of a child's recollection via surrealistic imagery that includes Oedipal fantasies, sequences of insect and animal symbolism, religious dogma, betrayal etc. while seeking the mystery of a father's death or imprisonment and the fascist-sympathizing mother's involvement. It's graphic and disturbing. I'd heard about the film for years but this is the first time I had actually seen it. Certainly Viva la Muerte is not everyone's cup of tea, but fans of surreal, provocative and politically-charged cinema will appreciate the stacked Radiance Blu-ray package. To that niche the film is absolutely recommended. "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever." - George Orwell, 1984

Gary Tooze