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

NOTE: The menu offers an option for both 3-D and 2-D playback, but only plays the 3-D if your system is capable - otherwise it defaults to 2-D. We will only review the 2-D version here.

Kino, with the help of the folks at the 3-D Film Archive, premiere a newly remastered (in HD from 4K of the original camera negative and a 2K scans of the interpositive) Blu-ray of "Jivaro" (also known as "Lost Treasure of the Amazon".) The Blu-ray offers both the 3-D and 2-D (Standard) versions of the film. The restoration of "Jivaro" looks very impressive via the Blu-ray transfer from Kino Lorber. It looks as though the 2-D and 3-D versions are not seamlessly-branched but are separate transfers residing on the same dual-layered BD disc. The condition of the source and restoration work done are quite remarkable. The film premiered in 1954 in 2-D only and failed at the box office, with the 3-D release not seeing the light of day for many decades, according to Bob Furmanek's excellent 3D Film Archive, "The rich visual treasure of “Jivaro” in 3-D lay dormant and unappreciated for over half a century until the second 3-D Film Expo in 2006, but the full luster of its 3-dimensional photography will finally be seen in the 3-D Film Archive restoration with a precision befitting the original artistry, and unattainable until now."

The 1.66:1 HD image is held up by a modest bitrate (split into separate left eye/ right eye bitrates for the 3-D presentation.) Grain is intact and not too thick. Colors are pretty vibrant in most scenes, though a few shots (most likely from the interpositive) are a bit lacking. The contrast shows depth, with a fair range of black levels. There are sporadic instances of damage, with the occasional tiny scratch in the frame (See the caption with the shrunken head and note the purple scratch under the eye). This is a great transfer from Kino/3-D Film Archive.

"Jivaro" gets a 24-bit 2.0 Mono DTS-HD Master Audio Track. Gregory Stone (Girls' School, Her Jungle Love) composed the score here. The dialogue is clear and audible, with the expected jungle and river sounds also in the mix. There are no subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The first extra is an 8.5-minute shot by shot stereoscopic analysis, showing lens focal length, individual convergence interocular settings and more. The 3-D technology used on the film was very sophisticated and this is explained in great depth on the other extra, the audio commentary. 3-D Film Archive Technical Director Greg Kintz. Hillary Hess and Jack Theakston also from the 3-D Film Archive contribute to this new audio commentary discussing the many challenges with the restoration. These guys know their stuff, providing stories about the shooting of the film in stereoscopic 3-D and giving background on the film and its cast/crew. They talk for the first 39-minutes and are then replaced by Mike Ballew for the next 20-odd minutes. Ballew gets very technical, explaining paralax vision in stereoscopic 3-D, and the lenses and processes used to achieve such an effect. Theakston and Hess then return for the rest of the picture.

"Jivaro" would almost certainly never be made in this day and age. The location and characters are exotified in a way that dates the picture somewhat. That being said, this is a fantastic transfer that I hope to view in 3-D someday soon. I would especially encourage anyone with a 3-D compatible system to pick up this Blu-ray title, as the 3-D technique sounds enticing.

Colin Zavitz