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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Viy" or "Вий" or "Viy, King of the Ghosts" or "Viy or Spirit of Evil")
Directed by Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov
Soviet
Union 1967
Based on the classic novella by Nikolai Gogol - and previously adapted by Mario
Bava as
BLACK SUNDAY - the first horror film ever produced in the Soviet Union
remains "genuinely frightening" (1001 Films You Must See Before You Die), "a
visual grab bag of terror" (FilmInquiry.com) and "one of the best horror films
of all time." (IndieWire). *** And so, we come to Viy, a beautiful aberration in the landscape of Soviet/Russian cinema. Viy derives its plot from one of the few Russian horror texts—the eponymous short story by Nikolai Gogol. The story is very simple. A couple of seminaries on a few days vacation are lost and find a house where an old woman resides. They beg her to give them a place to stay overnight and when she at first seems reluctant Khoma, our anti-hero, mutters some unkind words about her, which she overhears. As it happens this old woman is a witch who turns into a beautiful young woman when Khoma cruelly beats her to death as a result of her jumping on his back and riding him through the night skies like a broom. Her last words, overheard by her father, are for Khoma to come and pray over her body for 3 nights. Excerpt from Veronika Ferdman at NotComing.com located HERE |
Posters
Theatrical Release: November 27th, 1967
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison
:Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures for VIY: |
Bonus Captures for Sveto Mesto: |
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Distribution | Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:16:34.590 | 1:16:30.590 |
Video |
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,884,761,354 bytesFeature: 23,367,567,360 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.99 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,444,600,739 bytesFeature: 24,819,391,872 bytesVideo Bitrate: 34. 83 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Severin Blu-ray: |
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Bitrate Masters of Cinema Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
DTS-HD Master
Audio Russian 1856 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1856 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 /
48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio English 1559 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1559 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) |
LPCM
Audio Russian 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM
Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit |
Subtitles | English, English (DUB titles), None | English, English (DUB titles), None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Severin
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,884,761,354 bytesFeature: 23,367,567,360 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.99 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• VIY the Vampire - An interview with Richard Stanley (22:57)
Black Blu-ray Case Chapters 8 |
Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,444,600,739 bytesFeature: 24,819,391,872 bytesVideo Bitrate: 34. 83 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Brand new audio commentary with film historian and eastern European
cinema expert Michael Brooke
Disc 2 Sveto Mesto (A Holy Place)
1990, dir. Djordje Kadijevic)
Transparent Blu-ray Case inside O-card slipcase (see image below) Chapters 8 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
"I summon the vampires! I summon the
werewolves!... I summon Viy!"
ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray
package (2-disc) March 2021: The Masters of Cinema have also transferred
1967's VIY to Blu-ray. It is also
on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and has come from the same
restoration looking very similar with only the pixels moving around
slightly. I may have perceived the
Masters of Cinema to be negligibly more stable, but I am willing to be
incorrect in that observation. For the majority of viewing systems, this is
a duplicate HD presentation.
In the audio, Masters of Cinema use a linear PCM tracks What is really exciting are the supplements added by The Masters of Cinema. Michael Brooke must have been practicing 'circle breathing' as I can't find him taking a breath in his brilliantly detailed commentary. He leaves no stone unturned and is as prepared as any commentarist I can recall. The only issue being you will have to listen to it a third time to get most of the information he imparts. It is exactly the type of extra needed for this Blu-ray release. On this feature disc Masters of Cinema also include the three silent Soviet Horror fragments as found on the Severin; The Portrait runs 8 minutes - made in 1915, directed by Wladyslaw Starewicz and based on another short story by Nikolai Gogol. The Queen of Spades is a 1916 film adaptation of the Aleksandr Pushkin short story. It has surprisingly high production values and style, often considered one of the best pre-revolutionary Russian films. It runs 16.5 minutes in SD. Lastly is Satan Exultant is a 1917 silent film directed by Yakov Protazanov. The plot involves Pastor Talnoх furiously urging his flock to fight temptations, but he himself becomes a victim. Later, in his home Satan arrives and he succumbs... It runs almost 20-minutes. On The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray these are transferred in 1080P with LPCM audio. Moc include a brand new 1/4 hour audio essay on Russian novelist and VIY author Nikolai Gogol by Dr. Samuel Goff - his research examines the intersection of visual and physical culture in the early Soviet Union, with an emphasis on cinema. Plus there is a 20-minute archival documentary 'Remembering Nikolai Gogol'. MoC include a second Blu-ray with the 1 1/2 feature Sveto Mesto aka "A Holy Place" (1990, dir. Djordje Kadijevic) - it is an adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s short story and a stunning example of Serbian Gothic cinema from director Kadijevic. Described by critic Dejan Ognjanovic as “an unparalleled excess of perversity and terror”. I enjoyed it although there is plenty of damage - usually in the form of green scratches that are more prevalent in the beginning and in a few later scenes but not throughout the 1080P presentation. They look intentional as in Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror trying to emulate 70's Grindhouse. It is described as 'based on a literary classic, Nikolai Gogol's 1835 short story, 'VIY'. However, Kadijevic uses it only as a starting point for his own explorations into the dark side of eroticism'. I was so glad to have seen this and would have loved a Michael Brooke commentary on this feature as well. NOTE: We have added 30 more large resolution Blu-ray captures of Sveto Mesto for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE. Also on the second Blu-ray is a new 1/2 hour interview with director Djordje Kadijevic. As a survivor of WW2 many of his early films dealt with war. He discusses this and his career. Part of The Masters of Cinema's package are newly commissioned sleeve artwork by Peter Savieri and a collector’s booklet featuring a new essay on Aleksandr Ptushko by Tim Lucas, and a new essay by Serbian writer and film critic Dejan Ognjanovic.
Well, I never thought the Severin package would be exceeded -
big thanks to them for bringing 'VIY'
to Blu-ray
in the first place. But this UK edition adds much more with the wonderful
and revealing Brooke commentary, audio essay, limited edition book, slipcase
and Sveto Mesto aka "A Holy
Place" second Blu-ray
inclusion. It gets our highest recommendation!
***
NOTE: We have added 46 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.
On their
Blu-ray,
Severin offer DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel tracks; in the original Russian (24-bit)
or in an English
DUB. We encourage watching with the Russian dialogue track for a pinch
more depth but the DUB is adeptly rendered. The effective,
orchestra-based, score is by Karen Khachaturyan (nephew of Soviet
Armenian composer and conductor Aram Khachaturian) and is excellent and
really adds a unique atmospheric flavor in the lossless. Severin offer optional English subtitles on
their Region FREE
Blu-ray.
Severin add some good
supplements. VIY the Vampire is a 22-minute interview with
Richard Stanley (Hardware,
Dust Devil,
The Island of Doctor Moreau) who is always an interesting listen
talking about the film. From The Woods to the Cosmos spends
35-minutes with John Leman Riley on the history of Soviet Fantasy and
Sci-Fi Film. He is an expert in many things 'Soviet' and provides some
highly interesting details on the culture pervading the production, era
and genre. Severin include three short silent Soviet Horror films;
The Portrait runs 8 minutes - made in 1915, directed by Wladyslaw
Starewicz and based on another short story by Nikolai Gogol. The
Queen of Spades is a 1916 film adaptation of the Aleksandr Pushkin
short story. It has surprisingly high production values and style, often
considered one of the best pre-revolutionary Russian films. It runs 16.5
minutes in SD. Lastly is Satan Exultant is a 1917 silent film
directed by Yakov Protazanov. The plot involves Pastor Talnoх furiously
urging his flock to fight temptations, but he himself becomes a victim.
Later, in his home Satan arrives and he succumbs... It runs
almost 20-minutes (in SD).
Camp culture runs rabid in VIY.
It is irresistible and effective! No wonder that it placed seventh place in our
Blu-ray of the Year poll for 2019. Hey Severin, how
about
Planet Bur next? or a superior BD of
Eolomea? VIY has so much value and the Severin Blu-ray
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Menus / Extras
Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Package - Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample - English (translated) and English (DUB titles)
1) Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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Another Sample of English (translated) and English (DUB titles)
1) Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures of Sveto Mesto for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
Damage Samples
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures for VIY: |
Bonus Captures for Sveto Mesto: |
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Distribution | Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |