Greaser's Palace Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by Robert Downey Sr.
USA 1972

Zoot-suited Jesse (Allan Arbus, the guest star visiting psychiatrist on M*A*S*H and husband of photographer Diane Arbus) parachutes out of the sky into a western no-man's land dominated by the violent and sadistic Greaser (Albert Henderson, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE). Sure Jesse can heal the sick and resurrect the dead (including Greaser's son "Homo" [Michael Sullivan, MADMAN], who Greaser kills three times), but he's more interested with meeting up with his agent "Morris" (Don Calfa, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) in Jerusalem and becoming a star - Jesse walks on water for entertainment value - than in playing messiah. The enthralled townspeople follow him on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but Greaser (who keeps an imprisoned Mariachi band beside his outhouse and has a habit of shooting entertainers who give bad auditions) wants Jesse to stay (and his daughter, exotic dancer Cholera) Luana Anders. A very young Robert Downey Jr. (the son of the director) appears as a Quasimodo-like child.

Eric Cotenas

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Theatrical Release: 31 July 1972 (USA)

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Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Scorpion Releasing - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the DVD Review!

Box Cover
Distribution	Scorpion Releasing Region 0 - NTSC	Scorpion Releasing - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:30:21	1:30:28.005
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.34 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 23,654,725,838 bytes Feature: 22,190,315,520 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Bitrate Blu-ray
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	DTS-HD Master Audio English 2049 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2049 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	none	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Scorpion Releasing Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Interview with Robert Downey (16:9; 12:46) DVD Release Date: November 22nd, 2010 Amaray Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Scorpion Releasing 1.78:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 23,654,725,838 bytes Feature: 22,190,315,520 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Video interview with Robert Downey conducted by Rudy Wurlitzer (12:50) • Liner notes by Jonathan Demme Blu-ray Release Date: June 5th, 2018 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

Comments

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

Scorpion's presentation of Robert Downey's "Greaser's Palace" is a huge bump up over the previous DVD. It is advertised as a "BRAND NEW REMASTER of the film struck from the original camera negative". The 1.78:1 image is maintained with a supportive bitrate. This is a brand new transfer from the original 35mm negative. Zooming in on the image reveals some macro-blocking and edge enhancement, but this is not as overwhelming as it could have been. There is a fair amount of detail in the image and the black levels provide a better contrast than the DVD. Colors also get a significant boost here on the Blu-ray. There are occasional marks or scratches on the image.

The film has a 24-bit DTS-HD 2.0 mono track. This seems to be a faithful representation of the film's original theatrical audio. Dialogue is easily discernible and there are rarely cases of hisses and pops. There are optional English subtitles on this Region-A Blu-ray

Scorpion has ported over the previous interview with Robert Downey here. The interview is conducted by Rudy Wurlitzer. This package also contains liner notes by director Jonathan Demme.

Greaser's Palace is a film that would never get made in today's studio system. Though the film's sense of humor is not for everyone, this picture represents a key moment in independent film. The transfer here is a big leap over the previous DVD. Recommended to fans!

Colin Zavitz

ON THE DVD: Previously released in 2000 by Image Entertainment in a barebones, non-anamorphic widescreen transfer, Scorpion presents GREASER'S PALACE remastered from HD (the credits are mostly illegible and probably always were).

I have not seen the previous transfer, but a lot of the softness seems to be inherent in the original cinematography (which is sometimes very beautiful for its roughness). The grain seems natural and the unfiltered close-ups are detailed. The English audio is fairly clean with faint hiss, but is a little low sometimes. Robert Downey Sr. appears in a video interview.

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menu Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - NTSC