Eaten Alive Blu-ray

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

(aka "Mangiati vivi!" or "Doomed to Die" or "Eaten Alive: Mangiati vivi!| or "The Emerald Jungle")

Directed by Umberto Lenzi
Italy 1980

A dry run for director Umberto Lenzi's more flamboyant Cannibal Ferox, this jungle-set gore-fest is part of a mini-trend in which wealthy Europeans travel to the Third World in search of more riches, only to meet with truly nasty ends. In this one, however, cannibals are subordinated to yet another exploitative treatment of the 1978 tragedy in Jonestown, Guyana, where over 900 people committed mass suicide in the name of People's Temple cult leader Rev. Jim Jones. Indeed, in Mangiati Vivi, it can be argued rather convincingly that the cannibals are the good guys. There are Stone Age cannibals, a Jim Jones-type cult, hired assassins, and gratuitous animal slaughters thrown onscreen every five minutes just to keep the viewer awake. Although lead actress Janet Agren's peculiar acting style seems right at home in the gothic bizarro-world of Lucio Fulci, it is extremely jarring in Lenzi's supposedly more naturalistic milieu.

Excerpt from AllMovie located HERE

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A woman named Sheila is searching for her sister, who has disappeared in the southeastern jungles of Asia (Sri Lanka). Sheila (Janet Agren) joins up with Mark (Robert Kerman), and they both encounter many perils while searching for Sheila's sister, Diana (Paola Senatore). Diana has joined a cult run by a man called Jonas (Ivan Rassimov). Jonas physically and abuses his followers and local people alike. In one graphic scene, he rapes Sheila with a dildo covered in snake blood, and decapitates a native. In another, a native widow named Mowara (Me Me Lai) is ritualistically raped after her late husband's body is burned on a pyre. A group, consisting of Mowara, Mark, Sheila and Diana escapes into the jungle, where Diana and Mowara are caught by a group of cannibals, with Diana raped and then both slowly cut up and eaten before being hacked to death, while Mark and Sheila helplessly watch from the cover of the bushes. They quickly escape back to New York when helicopters sent by the authorities come looking for them. Back in the village, the rest of the cult commits ritual suicide, leaving one young female survivor for the authorities to find.

Excerpt from Wikipedia located HERE

Theatrical Release: March 20th, 1980

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Comparison:

Shriek Show - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray

1) Shriek Show - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Covers
		Standard Blu-ray Edition (no CD, no Slipcase):
Distribution	Shriek Show - Region 1 - NTSC	Severin Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:32:21	1:32:28.209
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.41 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.66:1 Disc Size: 45,714,351,568 bytes Feature Size: 23,675,614,656 bytes Total Bitrate: 27.05 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC
	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 5.1), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1586 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1586 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1673 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1673 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) DUB: DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 1568 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1568 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles	None	English (SDH) for English, English for Italian, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Shriek Show Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Exclusive talent interviews DVD Release Date: November 26th, 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 12	Release Information: Studio: Severin Disc Size: 45,714,351,568 bytes Feature Size: 23,675,614,656 bytes Total Bitrate: 27.05 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC Edition Details: • Me Me Lai Bites Back: Feature Documentary On The Queen Of Cannibal Movies(01:19:58) • The Sect Of The Purification: Interview With Production Designer Antonello Geleng(13:04) • Archive Interviews With Actors Ivan Rassimov and Robert Kerman (12:21) • 2013 Q&A With Umberto Lenzi from the Festival of Fantastic Films, UK (23:44) • Welcome To The Jungle: Interview With Director Umberto Lenzi (16:37) • Reversible Cover Art Blu-ray Release Date: February 20th, 2018 Custom Blu-ray case Chapters 9

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray February 18': Available as a standard Blu-ray edition or the Eaten Alive dedicated set, The "CanniBundle" which features a special Eaten Alive Blu-ray release with Limited Edition Slipcover (Only 2500 units available), CD Soundtrack, an Eaten Alive T-shirt, and a special Umberto Lenzi Enamel Pin.

Severin's new 1080P transfer is, predictably, exporting a somewhat inconsistent image. Firstly, the DVD is over fifteen years old and has always been a bit of a mess - riddled with artifacts, unrealistic bolstered colors, lack of detail, blotchy and it is slightly out of ratio - these are some of the SD's weaknesses. The Blu-ray is a real breath of fresh air by comparison. It looks as though Severin did a decent job with what they had, even if the restoration was not as extensive as what Grindhouse Releasing did on Cannibal Ferox which was shot just after this. Keep in mind that a few 'gore' scenes were culled from other cannibal films that were shot in Techniscope, or 2-perf, and they had to be cropped and/or enlarged to fit in. Federico Zanni's cinematography can tend to look incongruous due to this. Skin tones warm, there are instances of grain texture - frame specific damage exists (see sample at bottom) - it's on a dual-layered disc with supportive bitrate but suffers in-motion with its inconsistencies. However, it probably won't look better for digital consumption.

Audio offers DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel tracks (16-bit) in English, Italian or Spanish. Effects are somewhat transparent and come through hollow with only a modicum of depth. This is probably in accurately keep with the original. The unremarkable score is credited to Roberto Donati (as Maglione) + Fiamma Maglione (as Budy) and fits in suitably with the production and only marginally benefit from the lossless rendering. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles for the English language track and standard English for the Italian track. The Blu-ray disc is Region FREE - playable worldwide.

"Me Me Lai Bites Back" Is a feature-length (one hour and twenty minutes!) documentary focusing on the 'Queen of Cannibal Movies,' Me Me Lai. The documentary details why she dissappeared from film after her last work, Lars Von Trier's 'Element of Crime' (1984). The doc features interviews with many exploitation film experts, including director Eli Roth, notable for making his own Cannibal film, 'The Green Inferno', and being friends with both Ruggero Deodato and Umberto Lenzi, the two directors most known for their output in this oeuvre. Of most value are the interviews with the star in question, Me Me Lai. She expresses her reservations and slight shame with being involved in these films, while also describing how she came to accept a certain level of peace with her fame. Running just over twenty minutes, Severin has given us a Q & A session with director Umberto Lenzi that was shot during Fantastic Fest in 2013. Lenzi is very funny here as he discusses his own movies, and his hatred / love of them. He is joined on stage by a moderator and translator. Next up we have a sixteen-minute interview with Lenzi entitled, "Welcome to the Jungle" this is also a valuable interview as Lenzi discusses his cannibal movie films, showing how they were able to shoot certain scenes and cast actors to play the native tribes. Following this is a thirteen-minute interview with Antonello Geleng entitled, " Sect Of The Purification." Geleng talks about the inspiration for the film (the Jonestown Massacre in Guyana) as well as the efforts made to create this jungle village despite a small budget, cast, and crew. He also discusses what it was like to work with Lenzi, and how they shot certain raunchy scenes. Severin has also included archive interviews with actors Ivan Rassimov and Robert Kerman. The two share their memories of shooting and all the trials and tribulations they had to endure. Severin has also included reversible cover art featuring the alternate title "Doomed to Die."

Eaten Alive is notorious for being one of the most gruesome of the already gore-soaked Italian cannibal films of the 70's and 80's. This was made 8-years after Lenzi's seminal Ital-cannibal film Man from the Deep River, and a year before his Cannibal Ferox. Though the animal violence is obviously not for everyone (myself included), this disc is a welcome upgrade over previous, non-HD versions. The 'Jonestown' angle is definitely a new one for the cannibal film. With the new restoration and extensive extras this is recommended for viewers with strong stomachs and cannibal collection completists.