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The New York Ripper aka Lo squartatore di New York [Blu-ray]
(Lucio Fulci, 1982)
Comparison by Gary Tooze - Special Thanks to Eric Cotenas for the DVD screencaps
Production: Theatrical: Fulvia Film Video: Blue Underground vs. Anchor Bay
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:32:59.282 Disc Size: 22,781,942,884 bytes Feature Size: 20,191,721,472 bytes Video Bitrate: 24.99 Mbps Chapters: 16 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: September 29th, 2009
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 2065 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 2065 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, none
Extras:
• "I'm an Actress!" - Interview with Zora Kerova (9:29 in
HD!)
Bitrate:
Description: A blade-wielding psychopath is on the loose,
turning The Big Apple bright red with the blood of beautiful
young women. As NYPD detectives follow the trail of butchery
from the decks of the Staten Island Ferry to the sex shows
of Times Square, each brutal murder becomes a sadistic
taunt. In the city that never sleeps, he's the killer that
can't be stopped!
The Film:
In the opening scene of Lucio Fulci’s 1982
Giallo/slasher flick, New
York Ripper, the astute Fulci fan is treated to several of the
legendary Italian goremeister’s cinematic trademarks. In a deserted New
York lot, with the Brooklyn Bridge looming in the background, a man
plays fetch with his dog. He throws the stick into some dense foliage
and we watch, in a long shot, as the dog brings his bounty back to his
master. We never see just what the dog has brought back, but Fulci gives
us one of his infamous cut shots to the man’s face—then zooms in so that
only his eyes are visible. From this expression, we know something’s not
right. Then, with a discordant blast of music designed to jangle our
nerves, he cuts to the dog’s mouth, then zooms in what it’s carrying—a
decomposing hand. Fulci holds the shot for several seconds, leering at
the gore effect and allowing the audience to check it out in detail,
then he cuts to another scene entirely.
Image :
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc. Thanks again to Eric for supplying the 1999 Anchor Bay captures. That original edition, by the way, was directly ported by the April 2008 Blue Underground DVD of The New York Ripper. The improvement on Blu-ray though is staggering. While flesh tones may be the first thing to comment on with the 1080P resolution losing the awful orange/yellow skin - it seems everything has been bumped up a significant notch. The older DVD was very video-y and so dark at times it obscured detail - and the Blu-ray is much brighter, with less damage, and even has more information in the frame. Detail is much better in the HD rendered transfer. The Blue Underground gives a solid presentation in its own right with a nice sheen of consistent grain and even some minor depth. It's only a single-layered Blu-ray disc with the feature taking up somewhere over 20 Gig with a decent-to-strong video bitrate. I wasn't expecting it to look as strong as it does with no discernable DNR or edge-enhancement manipulations and it advances beyond the earlier DVD editions in several key areas - notably detail and colors.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC TOP vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
Audio :Blue Underground give the option of two English tracks - a lossless DTS-HD Master 7.1 at 2065 kbps and a modest mono offering. The HD track hasn't had excessive tinkering with the mix and still relates well to the early 80's video. There are a few nice subtleties and the overall effects remain consistent with production roots. It's not the most dynamic of tracks with extensive range but it has some separation appeal. The mono track sounded pretty clean in testing too - not extravagant flaws or weaknesses were noted. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras :There are 3 supplements - each in HD. "I'm an Actress!" is a 10minute interview with Zora Kerova who played Eva the sex show performer. She talks in Italian and there are optional English subtitles - she still looks great. There is a 4-minute short piece on NYC Locations Then and Now - showing scenes from the film to how the city has changed in almost 30-years. There is also a theatrical trailer running just under 3.5 minutes. the Anchor Bay appears to have had some text screen bios.
Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray LEFT vs. Anchor Bay (1999) - Region 1- NTSC RIGHT
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze October 10th, 2009
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
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find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
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