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The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant [Blu-ray]
(Anthony M. Lanza, 1971)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Harlequin Pictures Video: Kino Lorber
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:27:54.769 Disc Size: 20,703,388,174 bytes Feature Size: 18,040,172,544 bytes Video Bitrate: 23.91 Mbps Chapters: 8 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: November 24th, 2015
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1648 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1648 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps
Subtitles: English, None
Extras: • Audio commentary by the RiffTrax trio and ex Mystery Science Theater 3000 legends, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett • Interview with screenwriter James Gordon White (9:08) • Radio Spot (1:02) • Original Theatrical Trailer (2:14)
Bitrate:
Description: What do you get when a mad scientist grafts the head of a maniac onto the body of a giant? A true cult classic that the Los Angeles Times calls "lots of fun"! When a brilliant yet obsessive surgeon is cast out by the medical community, he takes science to a shocking new level - by grafting the head of one man onto the body of another. But his terrifying two-headed creation escapes the lab and goes on a rampage! Cult director Anthony M. Lanza (The Glory Stompers) directed the original 2-headed monster classic featuring a script by James Gordon White (The Hellcats) and James Lawrence (The Loners) and a stellar cast that included Bruce Dern (Coming Home), Pat Priest (TV’s The Munsters) and broadcasting legend Casey Kasem (American Top 40).
The Film:
This ridiculous '70s exploitation quickie is notable mainly for its casting: Bruce Dern toplines as the crazed doctor Girard, with Munsters star Pat Priest as his beleaguered wife and top-40 DJ Casey Kasem (who also lends his talents to various voice-overs throughout the film) as a medical colleague. Girard's semi-successful attempts at surgically attaching additional heads to various lab animals leaves him a bit unfulfilled, and it's no time at all before he goes about performing the operation on a human being. He chooses as his first subject his caretaker's simple-minded but kindly son Danny (John Bloom), onto whose massive shoulders he adds the head of a demented killer (Albert Cole) who was recently gunned down while trying to invade Girard's home. The result is less frightening than pitiful as the morose Danny's personality is subjugated to the evil will of his unwelcome new head, whose psychotic rage continues unabated in his hulking new physique. Shoddy effects, a cheesy (and horribly miscued) psychedelic score and laughably bad dialogue have ingratiated this film to many bad-movie buffs' top-ten lists. Excerpt from MRQE located HERE
On the other hand, Bruce Dern, as the dour scalpelwielder responsible
for "The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant," really doesn't rate
much sympathy. As a dedicated researcher who has clicked with two-headed
snakes, rabbits and monkeys, if not with his photogenic, blonde wife,
Pat Priest, he might have demurred in using a sex-crazed, homicidal
maniac and a giant, mentally retarded farm hand for his human
experiment. Movie plots notwithstanding, it soon becomes obvious that
the best results he could expect would constitute an economy size menace
to the community.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The single-layered Kino Lorber Blu-ray of The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant has some softness but it generally surrounds how the production attempts to disguise the two-headed effects. I wouldn't say the 1080P is remarkable but, most likely, superior to SD. No gloss and without damage. No depth. Colors shows some brightness and depth - detail and contrast are... blasé. This Blu-ray is standard for KL - decent, unmanipulated, single-layered transfer.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Kino Lorber use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 1569 kbps in the original English language. There are plenty of effects in the film - cars, farm equipment, meat manufacturing etc. and they come through flat but with a pinch of depth. The score is by John Barber - also credited as music supervisor on Teenage Seductress (?!?).It all sounds fine with clear consistent dialogue. There are no subtitles offered and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : More value than the film is the audio commentary track by the RiffTrax trio and ex Mystery Science Theater 3000 types, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett and it's as sarcastic and humorous as you might imagine. I don't usually go in for these but this tickled my funny bone a few times. There is also a 9-minute interview with screenwriter James Gordon White, a radio spot and an original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze October 27th, 2015
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. 60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD
Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD
Player APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
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Gary Tooze
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