3) Arrow Video (30th Anniversary Edition) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD

Arrow Video

Region 0 - PAL

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Region FREE - Blu-ray

1.84:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.8 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.83:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.68 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

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

Arrow Video (30th Anniversary Edition)

Anchor Bay Entertainment (Lucio Fulci Collection)

Arrow Blu-ray

English Dolby Digital 5.1; English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.84:1

Edition Details:
• DISC ONE:
• Introduction by actor Carlo de Mejo (16:9; 0:36)
• Audio Commentary by actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice
• Audio Commentary by actress Catriona MacColl moderated by Jay Slater
• International Trailer (16:9; 2:55; in English or Italian)
• DISC TWO:
• FULCI IN THE HOUSE documentary (16:9; 17:50)
• CARLO OF THE LIVING DEAD - interview with actor Carlo de Mejo (16:9; 17:28)
• DAME OF THE DEAD - interview with actress Catriona MacColl (16:9; 24:51)
• FULCI'S DAUGHTER - interview with Antonella Fulci (16:9; 27:34)
• PENNING SOME PAURA - interview with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti (16:9; 18:12)
• PROFONDO LUIGI - interview with Luigi Cozzi (16:9; 16:59)
• LIVE FROM THE GLASGOW THEATRE (16:9; 24:47)
• THE MANY LIVES (AND DEATHS) OF GIOVANNI LOMBARDO RADICE (16:9; 50:26)
• GALLERY OF THE LIVING DEAD (16:9; 3:35)

DVD Release Date: 24 May 2010
Amaray

Chapters 12

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.83:1

Edition Details:
• International Trailer (16:9; 3:03)
• Radio Spots (1:17)
• Lucio Fulci Filmography

DVD Release Date: May 23, 2000
Amaray

Chapters 26

Chapters 12

Chapters 12

ON THE DVDs: Mastered from high definition (a joint venture between Blue Underground and Arrow Video and forthcoming on Blu-ray and DVD from both companies with exclusive extras), Arrow Video's anamorphic transfer of CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD is without question superior to previous editions. Unlike Fulci's other early eighties gorefests which were photographed in Techniscope, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD was shot in 16mm and will always look grainy but the new master is the best the film has looked (my previous scope of reference for this film being two faded, scratchy domestic tape releases, Anchor Bay's earlier DVD release, and Vipco's non-anamorphic DVD). The new transfer reveals slivers of additional picture information not present on the Anchor Bay disc, the colors are bolder, and the grain finer. Anchor Bay's 2000 disc is also an anamorphic transfer but darker with less visible detail although sometimes the skin tones are warmer (the living Father Thomas has a slightly ruddier pallor in the AB image than he does on the Arrow). Grain looks larger on the lower resolution image. The 5.1 and 2.0 remixes are similar to the ones on the current Arrow disc (except the 2.0 track on the AB is surround-flagged) but the volume is lower. Only in the second set of comparison caps does the Anchor Bay disc look better.

The single-layer encoding is a bit disappointing (not technically but in presentational terms) but while Blue Underground's own SD downconversion will likely be a dual-layer disc, the array of half-bitrate DTS-ES, Dolby 5.1 EX, 2.0 surround, and original mono audio mixes will likely mean that the video stream will also be single-layer sized. Arrow's Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo remixes both sound clean and feature subtle brain-crunching, drill-spinning, and gut-vomiting effects (not as artificial-sounding as the 5.1 remix performed for Fulci's THE BEYOND) with a little bit of hiss. The film is accompanied by two audio commentaries; the first newly-recorded with actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice and the other with actress Catriona MacColl ported over from the out of print 2003 Vipco DVD. The actors shared no scenes together so their recollections differ but both express their views on censorship in reaction to their respective moderators' mention of the film's status as a "Video Nasty." The film's international trailer (in English or Italian) rounds out the first disc.

The second dual-layer disc is packed with supplements. Each of the interview segments is preceded by lengthy and amusing introductions featuring animated adaptations of sequences from the film. The documentary "Fulci in the House" seems like it was intended for Arrow's release of Fulci's HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY. After discussing ZOMBI 2 (the unofficial sequel to George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD which was titled ZOMBI in Italy), the documentary glosses over CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (and THE BEYOND) to discuss HOUSE for the remaining 2/3 of the running time (the documentary also features clips only from ZOMBI 2 and HOUSE). Carlo De Mejo and Catriona MacColl relate their memories of the production. De Mejo has anecdotes about some key sequences (he is just as uncertain about the ending as other commentators), points out the CITY hommage in Tarentino's KILL BILL VOLUME 2, and also mentions his subsequent Fulci film appearances briefly. There is some overlap between MacColl's interview and the 7 year old audio commentary especially since she is asked some similar questions. The interview with Fulci's daughter Antonella is interesting because she talks about the film's story seriously rather than focusing on the set-pieces. She draws parallels between the outcast scapegoat characters in DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING and CITY and mentions being on set for Florinda Balkan's death scene in the former film (and being fascinated with the effects work). Luigi Cozzi mentions how he nearly got to work with Fulci twice (first when a producer expressed interest in Fulci directing his script "Out of the Depths" not knowing that the title had been changed to THE BLACK CAT and that it had already been directed by Cozzi and then the Dario Argento-produced WAX MASK but Fulci died before production) and also mentions how his directorial career took off with CONTAMINATION as a result of Fulci's success with ZOMBI 2 and the new-found box-office draw of extreme gore. The "Live at the Glasgow Theatre" Q&A session features both MacColl and Radice and Arrow has helpfully subtitled the offscreen audience's questions. The longest featurette is the 50 minute "The Lives (and Deaths) of Giovanni Lombardo Radice" and features his amusing recollections of his memorable Italian genre appearances. The extras are rounded out with a stills gallery.

Not included with my check discs are 4 sleeve artwork options, a double-sided poster, and a liner notes booklet featuring additional text interviews.

The out of print Italian NoShame and current Scandanavian Another World Entertainment DVDs were also mastered from a high definition source but reviews suggest that heavy noise reduction was applied and the image did not fare well in motion. Blue Underground's 2007 edition of the film was a direct port of the Anchor Bay disc but they will also be releasing a new 2 disc version along with their competing Blu-ray but specs suggest that the some extras will be exclusive to the Blu-ray and not carried over to the SD version.

 - Eric Cotenas