Hallelujah the Hills Blu-ray

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

Directed by Adolfas Mekas
USA 1963

An irreverent burst of anarchic energy that wowed attendees of the 1963 New York Film Festival, Hallelujah the Hills is a landmark film of the New American Cinema, presented here in a new 2K restoration. Directed with improvisatorial flair by Adolfas Mekas, a co-founder of FilmbrCulture magazine with his brother Jonas (Walden), Hallelujah the Hills follows two wildly impulsive young men who are in love with the same woman (played by two different actresses). A slapstick love letter to cinema, this fiercely independent wonder laid the groundwork for all the free-spirited filmmakers to follow.

***

When two young men fall in love with the same woman, they each pursue her at different times of the year and in different settings. Written and directed by Adolfas Mekas, this is an interesting film technique in that it is right out of the 60s in poking fun at its own attempts at seriousness. Even the young woman pursued is portrayed by two different actresses according to the season in which she is being pursued. An interesting and ultimately likeable film.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

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Theatrical Release: September 16th, 1966

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:22:09.341
Video	1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 36,708,408,477 bytes Feature: 23,916,085,248 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.98 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	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1859 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1859 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 36,708,408,477 bytes Feature: 23,916,085,248 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.98 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Vide Edition Details: • Hallelujah the Villa (2006), an interview with Adolfas Mekas (27:31) minutes) \| • The First New York Film Festival (1963), a roundtable discussion with Adolfas Mekas, Joseph Losey, Richard Roud, and Amos Vogel (09:24) • "An Interview with Ambassador from Lapland" - a short film by Adolfas Mekas (04:38) • Booklet essay by film historian John Pruitt Blu-ray Release Date: October 30th, 2018 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

Comments:

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

Kino Lorber present the 1963 comedy, "Hallelujah the Hills" on a dual-layered Blu-ray with a maxed out bitrate. The 1.33:1 HD 1080p image looks fantastic in motion, thanks to said bitrate. The level of detail in this brand new 2k restoration is really something to behold, with only brief examples of damage. The contrast levels are strong despite the picture seeming to be a tad light overall.

The film is presented in its original 2.0 stereo, with a 24-bit DTS-HD Master Audio track. The film features a wacky score that is at times reminiscent of yakety sax (I found this rather exhausting but your mileage may vary). This score is thanks to Meyer Kupferman, who is perhaps best known for his work on the Noir classic "Blast of Silence". The audio quality is decent if not a little flat, though dialogue is clear and audible. There are optional English subtitles on this (tested) Region Free Blu-ray.

Kino provides a handful of extras here, starting with "Hallelujah the Villa", a 27-minute interview shot in the goofy style of the film. Also here is "The First New York Film Festival" which is a 9-minute roundtable discussion with Adolfas Mekas, Joseph Losey, Richard Roud, and Amos Vogel. "An Interview with Ambassador from Lapland" is a 5-minute short film by director Mekas.

This 1963 silly comedy is quite an acquired taste. It is something akin to a marriage of Benny Hill and Jean-Luc Godard, though perhaps not as interesting as that sounds. The Blu-ray transfer is really nice, so fans of this hard-to-find film should be pleased.