Subtitles:

English (SDH), none

 

 

You are nothing but a white!” So shouts indigenous Amazonian shaman Karamakate (Nilbio Torres) to the seemingly on-the-level but still suspicious German scientist/explorer Theodor (Jan Bijvoet) in Ciro Guerra’s enthralling, politically tinged, psychedelic, historical adventure film Embrace of the Serpent. Reversing the perspective of more familiar movies such as Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo or Roland Joffé’s The Mission, Embrace of the Serpent’s snaky crawl up the river investigates imperialism’s cultural pollution from the inside out, with the mystical Karamakate as a reluctant tour guide in two time periods.

One of the film’s many exciting features is how it slowly cuts between parallel expeditions. Theodor, accompanied by a westernised local, arrives in a canoe, sick with fever. Begrudgingly, the loincloth-wearing Karamakate nurses him back to health by regularly blasting massive doses of white powder (“the sun’s semen”) up his nose.

Excerpt from the NY Times located HERE

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

Embrace of the Serpent looks excellent on Blu-ray from Oscilloscope Laboratories. It is situated on a dual-layered disc with a supportive bitrate. The 2-hour film was shot with Arricam LT, Zeiss Super Speed and Cooke Varotal Lenses and looks brilliant in black and white - the crispness accentuating the geography. It is 1080P in and around the 2.4 aspect ratio and the HD visuals export depth and marvelous detail in the naturally lit production. This is also coming to the UK on Blu-ray in September 2016 and we will try to get a copy to compare but this looked exceptional on my system.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For audio we are given the option of a linear PCM 2.0 channel track at 2304 kbps (24-bit) or a very robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at a whopping 4168 kbps (24-bit). There are some adroit separations and the Amazon geography and its inherent sounds come through subtly. It significantly adds to the atmosphere. There is a score by Nascuy Linares that sounds perfect - clean and tight - in supporting the narrative. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE.

Extras :

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Embrace of the Serpent is another exceptional package from Oscilloscope Laboratories. It's an amazing film - filled with culture, spirituality and a window on a rarely seen region. The experience of watching crosses many emotions from a fascination with the geography and culture to the background of story of the relationship and history behind Karamakate and the western characters. Brilliant may be an understatement. This Blu-ray package is an easy recommendation in fact we give it a very strong recommendation! See this film!

Gary Tooze

July 1st, 2016