The Cremator Blu-ray - Vlasta Chramostová

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

(aka 'The Cremator')

Directed by Juraj Herz
Czechoslovakia 1968

Juraj Herz’s film The Cremator has been described in many ways - as surrealist-inspired horror, as expressionist fantasy, as a dark and disturbing tale of terror.

This brilliantly chilling film, a mix of Dr Strangelove and Repulsion, is set in Prague during the Nazi occupation. It tells the story of Karl Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrusínský), a professional cremator, for whom the political climate allows free rein to his increasingly deranged impulses for the ’salvation of the world’.

***

An enjoyably strange, undoubtedly original and occasionally terrifying film (9 1/2 out of 10)

On one level The Cremator can be enjoyed simply as something truly strange and different. Although it is live action, the film has much of the oddness and Gothic trappings of Czech animation. Director Juraj Herz actually studied puppetry rather than film, and is a friend of the Czech surrealist filmmaker Jan Svankmajer. This is a film full of strange angles and odd ways of looking at the world. At its heart is Karl Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrusínský) the cremator of the title. Though he loves his job dearly, his strangeness is emphasized in one of the film's key early passages, a trip to a fair during which he s perked up by a visit to an exhibition of gruesome waxworks.

But while you might expect a film this eccentric to be otherworldly, The Cremator is actually grounded in politics. In what isn't a terribly surprising twist given the late 30s setting, Kopfrkingl's interest in the purifying power of the oven chimes in with the rise of Nazism. But the clunky premise - that there is a fine line between rigid middle class conservatism and being a fascist - is less important than the extraordinary atmosphere the film creates, and Hrusínský's portrayal of the increasingly deranged Kopfrkingl.

Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: Czech Republic 16 January 2004 (re-release)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Second Run - Region 0 - PAL vs. Second Run - Region FREE Blu-ray vs. Criterion - Region 'A' Blu-ray

1) Second Run - Region 0 - PAL LEFT

2) Second Run - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Cover

Also available in the The Czechoslovak New Wave - A Collection (3 Film Box Set) Below:

Released in the US, on Blu-ray, by Criterion in April 2020:

Bonus Captures:

Distribution

Second Run DVD - Region 0 - PAL

Second Run

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Criterion - Spine #1023

Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Runtime

1:36:03 (4% PAL Speedup)

1:39:50.333

1:40:46.749

Video

1.68:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.93 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 33,224,458,628 bytes

Feature: 23,636,539,392 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 24.83 Mbps

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 48,078,707,594 bytes

Feature: 29,394,229,248 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 34.79 Mbps

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Bitrate: Blu-ray

Audio

Czech (Dolby Digital 2.0)

LPCM Audio Czech 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Commentary:

LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Podcast:

LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit

LPCM Audio Czech 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

Subtitles

English, None

Features

Release Information:
Studio: Second Run DVD

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.68:1

Edition Details:

• Introduction by the Quay Brothers (12:21)
• Booklet featuring a new essay on the film and Juraj Herz by writer/producer Daniel Bird

DVD Release Date: April 10th, 2006
Transparent Keep Case
Chapters: 12

Release Information:
Studio: Second Run Blu-ray

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 33,224,458,628 bytes

Feature: 23,636,539,392 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 24.83 Mbps

Edition Details:
• Introduction by the Quay Brothers (12:21)
• Audio Commentary by writer and film historian Kat Ellinger
• Juraj Herz s short film The Junk Shop (Sb rné surovosti, 1965 - 31:37)
• The Projection Booth podcast with Mike White and Samm Deighan
• Booklet with an essay on Herz and the film by writer/producer Daniel Bird

Blu-ray Release Date: December 11th, 2017
Transparent Blu-ray case

Chapters 36

Release Information:
Studio: Criterion

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 48,078,707,594 bytes

Feature: 29,394,229,248 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 34.79 Mbps

Edition Details:
• Short documentary from 2011 featuring Herz visiting filming locations and recalling the production of The Cremator (23:29)
• High-definition digital transfer of The Junk Shop, director Juraj Herz’s 1965 debut short film

• New interview with film programmer Irena Kovarova about the style of the film (17:30)
• Documentary from 2017 about composer Zdeněk Liška featuring Herz, filmmakers Jan Švankmajer and the Quay Brothers, and others (54:20)
• Interview with actor Rudolf Hrušínský from 1993 (15:21)
• Trailer (1:22)
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Jonathan Owen

Blu-ray Release Date: April 21st, 2020
Transparent Blu-ray case

Chapters 13

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (April 2020): Criterion have transferred Juraj Herz's The Cremator to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration" via a "Restored in 2019 from the original camera and dupe positive negative held at the National Film Archives". It looks magnificent and quite a bump over Second Run's 2017 1080P transfer. It is much brighter and sharper as well as shows more information in the frame (bottom and right edges) - there is appealing depth. Very impressive HD presentation that takes a significant leap beyond the previous editions. WOW!

NOTE: This restoration of The Cremator was made possible by a donation from Mrs. Milada Kučerová and Mr. Eduard Kučera and was realized by Karlovy Vary IFF at the studios of UPP and Soundsquare, in cooperation with the Národní filmový archiv in Prague and the Czech Film Fund.

NOTE: We have added 47 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit as opposed to Second Run's 16-bit) in the original English language. This improvement is notable in the playful score of Zdenek Liska (The Shop on High Street, The White Dove, Fruit of Paradise, The Fabulous Baron Munchausen) which sounds very effective via the uncompressed. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a new 18-minute interview, conducted by the Criterion Collection in 2019, with film programmer Irena Kovarova discussing The Cremator's unique visual style. Also included is the 1/2 hour The Junk Shop (also on the Second Run) - this 1965 short film about the peculiar patrons of a paper-recycling facility was director Juraj Herz's debut, and like Herz's The Cremator, it showcases the filmmaker's inventive style and irreverent tone. Originally filmed in 1993 and broadcast in 2011 on the Czech television program lnventura Febia, there is an interesting 1/4 hour profile of Rudolf Hrušínský featuring interviews with the actor and filmmaker-actor Jiff Menzel. There is a 54-minute documentary from 2017 about composer Zdenek Ligka featuring interviews with filmmakers Juraj Herz, the Quay Brothers, and Jan Švankmajerr, among others. Also included is a new 24-minute documentary originally produced in 2011 by Bildstorung and reedited for the Criterion Collection in 2019 by Daniel Bird, this short documentary by Bird, Alexander Beneke, and Carsten Baiersdorfer revisits some of the shooting locations of The Cremator with director Juraj Herz and chronicles the making of the film. The package contains a liner notes booklet with an essay by film scholar Jonathan Owen.

Well, the Criterion Blu-ray gets an extremely strong recommendation. It would be great to also have the Kat Ellinger commentary but there are plenty of great supplements (over 2.5 hour's worth) and a dramatically improved 4K-restored image. Don't hesitate.

***

ADDITION: Second Run - Region FREE Blu-ray - December 2017: This is a very nice release. The image, while still having speckle, is a giant leap over the SD transfer of over 11 year ago. It is significantly sharper, has beautifully layered contrast, exports depth and looks great in-motion.

Second Run use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (16-bit) which adeptly supports thefilm . It sounds very clean (also restored) with some depth and there are optional English subtitles (in a superior font to the DVD - see samples) on the Region FREE Blu-ray.

Second Run include the 12-minute introduction by the Quay Brothers as found on their 2006 DVD, as well as the liner notes essay on Herz and the film by writer/producer Daniel Bird. But we get some new supplements - a wonderful audio commentary by writer and film historian Kat Ellinger who proclaims The Cremator as one of her all-time favorite films and goes on to give a wonderful analysis with discussion of Juraj Herz, politics and so much more. I thought it had immense value and you can appreciate her enthusiasm for the film. Another option playing as the film runs is 'The Projection Booth' podcast with Mike White and Samm Deighan - taking a different look than Kat - and just as interesting - frankly talking of sex and many fascinating facets of The Cremator. We also get Juraj Herz's 1/2 hour, 1965, short film The Junk Shop (Sb rné surovosti) from Bohumil Hrabal's story about a man who works in a junk shop.

With the commentary and Podcast The Cremator gains a whole new appreciation and the 1080P visuals dynamically augment the viewing experience. What a deeply layered, entertaining and visually appealing film. Bravo to Second Run - one of the most impressive releases of the entire year... and it's Region FREE! Our highest recommendation!

***

ON THE DVD: I suspect that this Second Run, dual-layered, anamorphic DVD duplicates pretty much exactly what this film looked like theatrically. It was shot with occasional close-ups followed by frenetic movement giving a hazy appearance to some of the scenes. The DVD exposes them accurately. It has a certain thickness that we notice with other PAL DVDS and the 2.0 track audio and optional subtitles are at Second Run's usual consistent standard. Having the Quays do the intro and the included Bird essay liner notes are perfect accompaniments to this package.

I really enjoying the chilling motifs and black comedy that this appeared to subtly export. This film had my complete attention wondering what was on the horizon. Second Run should again be commended for surfacing another eastern-block masterpiece. We recommend! Fascinating cinema!

Gary W. Tooze

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