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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

directed by Dario Argento
Italy/USA 1980

 

In New York, poetess Rose (Irene Miracle, THE NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS) discovers the alchemist-authored tome THE THREE MOTHERS in a nearby antique shop and learns that her apartment building is one of the houses of the damned belonging to Mater Tenebrarum (the mother of darkness) one of a trio of witches (the other two houses being in Frieberg, Germany - the setting of Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA - and the other being in Rome). An underwater subterranean lair complete with floating rotting corpses suggests to Rose that the book is a work of fact and she writes to her brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey), a music student in Rome. The appearance of Mater Lachrymarum (Ania Pieroni of Argento's TENEBRE) in his music class distracts Mark from reading his sister's letter which is discovered by classmate Sara (Eleonora Giorgi, THE STORY OF A CLOISTERED NUN) who seeks out the book and is herself menaced by a supernatural slasher. After Rose disappears, Mark goes to New York and learns more about her sister's interest in The Three Mothers from neighbor Elise (Daria Nicolodi, Argento's OPERA) and bookseller Kazanian (Sacha Pitoeff, LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD) who also mysteriously disappear while Mark follows clues that lead him to an eventual encounter with The Mother of Darkness. Alida Valli (SUSPIRIA) and Feodor Chaliapan (THE CHURCH) also star.

Eric Cotenas

Poster

Theatrical Release: 2 April 1980 (USA)

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Comparison:

Arrow Video - Region 2 - PAL vs. Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the DVD Screen Caps!

1) Arrow Video - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT

2) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

 

Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

Repackaged December 9th, 2013

Distribution

Arrow Video

Region 2 - PAL

Anchor Bay
Region 1 - NTSC

Arrow Video

Region FREE - Blu-ray 

Blue Underground

Region FREE - Blu-ray 

Runtime 1:42:15 (4% PAL speedup) 1:46:08 1:46:40.394 1:46:14.368
Video

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.23 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.82:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 4.78 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 42,443,291,278 bytes

Feature: 26,817,337,344 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 36,508,584,232 bytes

Feature: 27,930,998,784 bytes

Video Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

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

Bitrate:

 

Arrow Video

 

Bitrate:

 

Anchor Bay

 

Bitrate:

 

Arrow Blu-ray

 

Bitrate:

 

Blue Underground Blu-ray

 

Audio English Dolby Digital 5.1; English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

English Dolby Digital 5.1; English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

DTS-HD Master Audio English 4155 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4155 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio English 768 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio Italian 768 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1988 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 1988 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps /
16-bit)
Dolby Digital EX Audio English 640 kbps 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio Italian 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles English (for English dialogue), English (for Italian dialogue), none none English (for English dialogue), English (for Italian dialogue), none English (SDH), Spanish, French, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Arrow Video

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• DISC 1:
• Introduction by Daria Nicolodi (16:9; 0:15 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Dario's Inferno - interview with Dario Argento (16:9; 15:39 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Acting in Hot Water - Daria Nicolodi remembers INFERNO (16:9; 18:21 - Italian with English subtitles
• The Other Mother - Luigi Cozzi on THE BLACK CAT (16:9; 15:19 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Easter Egg: Argento Remembers Bava (16:9; 5:15 - English)
• DISC 2:
• Dario Argento - An Eye for Horror (16:9; 56:48)
• Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava on INFERNO (16:9; 8:54)
• Dario Argento Trailer Gallery (16:9; 39:24)
• Spanish Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 3:25 - In Spanish with English subtitles)
• International Trailer (16:9; 3:23)
• 4 alternate covers and 6 poster art cards
• Double sided folded poster insert (newly created art and original art)
• Liner Notes Booklet

DVD Release Date: 13 September 2010
Amaray

Chapters 12

Release Information:
Studio: Anchor Bay

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.82:1

Edition Details:
• interview with Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava (16:9; 8:20)
• Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 3:25)
• Still Gallery
• Talent Bios
 

DVD Release Date: 25 April 2000
Amaray

Chapters 20

Release Information:
Studio: Arrow Video

 

1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 42,443,291,278 bytes

Feature: 26,817,337,344 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:
• DISC 1 (
Blu-ray):
• Introduction by Daria Nicolodi (16:9; 0:15 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Dario's Inferno - interview with Dario Argento (16:9; 15:39 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Acting in Hot Water - Daria Nicolodi remembers INFERNO (16:9; 18:21 - Italian with English subtitles
• The Other Mother - Luigi Cozzi on THE BLACK CAT (16:9; 15:19 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Inferno Q+A (30:30)
• DISC 2 (DVD):
• Dario Argento - An Eye for Horror (16:9; 56:48)
• Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava on INFERNO (16:9; 8:54)
• Dario Argento Trailer Gallery (16:9; 39:24)
• Spanish Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 3:25 - In Spanish with English subtitles)
• International Trailer (16:9; 3:23)
• 4 alternate covers and 6 poster art cards
• Double sided folded poster insert (newly created art and original art)
• Liner Notes Booklet

Blu-ray Release Date: 13 September 2010
Thick (UK) Blu-ray Case

Chapters 12

Release Information:
Studio:
Blue Underground

 

1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 36,508,584,232 bytes

Feature: 27,930,998,784 bytes

Video Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:
• Art and Alchemy - interview with star Leigh McCloskey (15:05 in 1080P)

• Reflections of Rose - interview with star Irene Miracle (13:33 in 1080P)

• Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava on INFERNO (8:20 in 480i)
• Theatrical Trailer (3:25 in 1080P)

Blu-ray Release Date: March 29th, 2011
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 20

 

 

Comments

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

ADDITION: Blue Underground Region - FREE - Blu-ray - March  2011: The Blue Underground looks great - with some different colors - more notable in some scenes (see last capture - bathtub) than in others. It is bolder, darker but seems to retain the same detail. I can't comment on which is more, theatrically, correct but the Arrow did seem a shade pale to me and some have reported DNR on the UK disc - although I didn't find this softness overly distracting - many might. It shouldn't have occurred and it appears as though the B.U. has no such manipulations.

So if I give the video appearance to Blue Underground - I might lean to the Arrow for audio - the B.U. has one more option but the lossless is less robust although the 7.1 may have better, or at least more notable, range. I sampled the EX 5.1 and it was pretty lively too. Both Blu-rays offer the original Italian mono (Bravo!).

Extras are not as stacked as the Arrow but offer some good stuff, regardless - Art and Alchemy is an interview with star Leigh McCloskey for 15-minutes while Reflections of Rose talks with star Irene Miracle for a little less - both are in HD. The 'Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava on INFERNO' piece is less than 10-minutes but is good with yellow English subtitles. There is also a Theatrical Trailer in HD.

With the superior video - we strongly suggest the Blue Underground - it is the best visual presentation!  

***

ADDITION: Arrow Region - FREE - Blu-ray - September 2010: First-off, amazing package by Arrow Films - they, along with Blue Underground in the US, continue to raise the bar - making both companies the dominant DVD/Blu-ray production venues for this brand of horror films (ex. see our reviews of Romero's Day of the Dead, and Fulci's City of the Living Dead).

As far as the image goes - it's an upgrade in most areas - marginally brighter (than the Arrow DVD), a shade pale (orangey/red skin tones) - and, some DNR with less noise. It is consistent throughout.  

The Arrow Blu-ray is £4 more than the same company's DVD - and I think - at this stage - it is worth the upgrade despite the weaknesses - if only for the impressive lossless audio - a DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a strong 4155 kbps. It's a solid mix focusing on the aggressiveness as well as the subtleties. The same subtitle options are available and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Eric has discussed the extensive extras below and they are duplicated (1/2 hour Inferno Q+A with Irene Miracle and composer Keith Emerson appears to be added on Blu-ray feature disc) but, the good news in regards to the Blu-ray, they all play in a region 'A'-locked player. The 2nd disc DVD however is PAL but also region FREE. The 4 alternate covers, 6 poster art cards and double sided folded poster are still there.

If you are a Blu-ray adopter and Argento fan - this is an easy purchase. We anxiously await Arrow's future HD output of this master director. As for this package - it is certainly recommended.

Depending on your preference for the video - we have two excellent releases. I really enjoyed the Blue Underground transfer - it gave me a great presentation - and I watched the film only 6 months previous. Yes - Inferno keeps getting better!

Gary W. Tooze

****

Arrow Video's Blu-ray (available HERE) and DVD are sourced from the same HD master (it is likely that upcoming French Wild Side DVD/Blu-ray and German Camera Obscura DVD/Blu-ray upcoming releases will also use this master; Blue Underground has announced the title for a 2011 Blu-ray release). The HD-mastered Arrow disc is quite an improvement over the Anchor Bay disc. Some colors are not as saturated as on the older transfer but there are plenty of shots where the reds and blues are wonderfully vibrant and likely true to the source (this presentation also makes one aware of the uses of green and violet lighting throughout). The Arrow transfer also features additional slivers of picture information on the right, left, and top over the Anchor Bay release. There is evidence of edge enhancement but it is not as severe as on caps of the Fox Italy DVD suggesting that it was utilized in the HD master (Arrow reportedly had some additional work done on the HD master). In the first few notes of the score on the 5.1 track there is a slight warbling but that was also evident on the 5.1 track of the Anchor Bay disc and may be a flaw in the music and effects track elements that appeared after the original stereo English and Italian mono mixes were done because it is not present on those track. English dubtitles are provided for the English audio tracks and English subtitles are provided for the Italian track (the English track is truer to the film as most of the actors performed in English; Eleonora Giorgi seems to be dubbing herself as her voice sounds the same as it does in the English sync-sound shot Liliana Cavani film BEYOND OBSESSION).

For a long time, the single-layer Anchor Bay's release of INFERNO was the only game in town (Blue Underground's release is a port of the Anchor Bay transfer) until Fox in Italy released their HD-mastered disc. The AB Dolby 2.0 Surround mix is not the original mix but a downconversion of the 5.1 track. The BluRay edition replaces the Dolby Digital 5.1 track with a DTS Master Audio 5.1 mix and retains the Dolby Digital encodes of the original English stereo and Italian mono mixes. Extras are divided between newly-produced extras on disc 1 (including an Easter Egg on the main menu) and older extras on disc 2 included the informative EYE FOR HORROR TV special (previously released separately as well as an extra on the R4 discs of CAT O'NINE TAILS, SUSPIRIA, TENEBRE, PHENOMENA, and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, the Anchor Bay UK disc of TWO EVIL EYES, the UK disc of SLEEPLESS, and the Danish and Australian discs of DEEP RED), the Dario Argento trailer reel (available on other Arrow Argento discs), the Argento/Lamberto Bava interview from the Anchor Bay US edition, and the Spanish and English theatrical trailers. My check discs did not come with them but the usual array of Arrow alternate covers, poster cards, folded poster reproduction insert, and liner notes booklet are listed in the official specs.

 - Eric Cotenas

 


DVD Menus
(
Arrow Video - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)
 

 

 Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 

Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 


 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Screen Captures

 

1) Arrow Video - Region 2 - PAL - TOP

2) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Video - Region 2 - PAL - TOP

2) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Video - Region 2 - PAL - TOP

2) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Video - Region 2 - PAL - TOP

2) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 


More Blu-ray Captures

1) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

1) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

1) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

1) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

1) Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Blue Underground Blu-ray

Sound:

Arrow Blu-ray

Extras:  Arrow Blu-ray
 


 

Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

Repackaged December 9th, 2013

Distribution

Arrow Video

Region 2 - PAL

Anchor Bay
Region 1 - NTSC

Arrow Video

Region FREE - Blu-ray 

Blue Underground

Region FREE - Blu-ray 

 




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