The White Reindeer Blu-ray - Mirjami Kuosmanen

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

(aka "The White Reindeer")

Directed by Erik Blomberg
Finland 1952

The directorial debut of Finnish cinematographer Erik Blomberg, The White Reindeer is one of world cinema s criminally under-seen masterpieces. A vampiric fairy-tale set amongst the starkly beautiful fells of Finnish Lapland, Blomberg combines an almost documentary filming style with avant-garde experimentation to produce a dreamy art-house horror film without compare.

A newly-married young woman, Pirita (Mirjami Kuosmanen), becomes frustrated and lonely as her husband, a reindeer herder for a small Arctic village, spends much of his time away from home in devotion to his work. Desperate for affection, she visits a shaman who offers a potion that makes her an irresistible object of desire, but there is a terrible cost. Pirita becomes a bloodthirsty shapeshifter who lures men out into the barren wilderness where she consumes them.

With its portrayals of gender inequality, societal pressures and sexual anxiety (represented through animal transformation, echoes of Jacques Tourneur s Cat People...), The White Reindeer is a timeless classic that deserves to be rediscovered and recognised as a defining film in the horror and fantasy genres.

***

A newly wed woman goes to the local shaman to get some help with her lovelife, but instead gets turned into a white reindeer vampire.

Posters

Theatrical Release: July 25th, 1952

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Review: Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Masters of Cinema - Spine #203 - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:08:07.374
Video	1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,021,547,461 bytes Feature: 21,165,532,992 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.91 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio Finnish 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema 1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,021,547,461 bytes Feature: 21,165,532,992 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.91 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Feature Length Audio Commentary by critic and film historian Kat Ellinger • Religion, Pleasure, and Punishment: The Portrayal of Witches in Nordic Cinema a new and exclusive video essay by film journalist and writer Amy Simmons (22:23) • With The Reindeer Erik Blomberg s 1947 documentary short (7:49) • Colour Test Footage (1:10) • 1952 Jussi Awards Ceremony featurette (1:11) • Reversible Sleeve • Limited Edition O Card Slipcase [2000 copies ONLY] PLUS: A collector s booklet featuring new writing by film critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and journalist Philip Kemp DVD Blu-ray Release Date: April 8th, 2019 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside cardboard sleeve (see below) Chapters 6

Comments:

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

Masters of Cinema transfer the 1952 Finnish fantasy-horror The White Reindeer via a "1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration completed in 2017 by the National Audio-visual Institute of Finland". It's on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed-out bitrate. There are inconsistencies from the source condition that are mostly notable in the first 5-10-minutes, although are sporadic throughout usually dependant on the scene. However, there are plenty of scenes that have impressive detail, contrast and depth. Light damage is noticeable in the form of marks, and light scratches, but generally the image is highly pleasing in-motion and the HD video presentation, of this rarely seen film, is warmly appreciated. Wonderful.

The audio is transferred via a linear PCM 2.0 channel mono track (24-bit) in the original Finnish language. It also suffers from its original production roots sounding a bit scattered in spots. The audio quality seems an accurate representation. The score is by the Swedish composer and actor Einar Englund There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'B' Blu-ray.

Masters of Cinema load this Special Edition Blu-ray with many new supplements. We are privileged to have an optional feature length audio commentary by critic and film historian Kat Ellinger who discusses the differences and similarities between western horrors especially the werewolf-transformation and vampire films as well as the gothic-atmosphere genre with discussion of the frequent use of the shots of the barren, picturesque and hauntingly stark environment. It is filled with interesting analysis including the Pirita character (played by Mirjami Kuosmanen, wife of director Erik Blomberg). Religion, Pleasure, and Punishment: The Portrayal of Witches in Nordic Cinema is a new 23-minute exclusive video essay by film journalist and writer Amy Simmons (Time Out London, Sight & Sound, the BFI and Senses of Cinema) who provides more insight into the witch-figure of The White Reindeer examining the film in the concept of folklore, rooted in Nordic culture. With The Reindeer is Erik Blomberg's 1947, 8-minute, documentary short narrated by Veikko Itkonen. There is about a minute of color 'Test Footage' and a minute of the 1952 Jussi Awards ceremony. The beautiful package has a reversible sleeve (see image below) plus a collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and journalist Philip Kemp. There are 2,000 copies with the Limited Edition O-Card slipcase. There is also a second disc DVD included.

The White Reindeer is absolutely the most wonderful film experience. I was so interested in the vampiric and transformation concepts of this Finnish film. It was fascinating in that I had never seen a Finnish take on this genre. It is also a beautiful and interesting film showing the cultural differences residing in this Northern lifestyle and the magical representation of a white reindeer. Many will greatly appreciate the 4K-restoration, 1080P, Blu-ray transfer plus the supplements. This should get votes in our year-end poll. Our highest recommendation!