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

ADDITION: Anti-Worlds Releasing Blu-ray (February 2020):

Anti-Worlds Releasing in the UK have come out with a limited edition, region FREE Blu-ray edition of Aaron Schimberg's Chained for Life that includes a second dual-layered Blu-ray of the director's debut film "Go Down Death".

Short story is that this company looks like the real deal.! They've blown the, already strong, Kino (reviewed below) out of the water with the same max'ed out bitrate video transfer, a linear PCM (24-bit) mono for the audio and more extras. They duplicate the Aaron Schimberg commentary and interviews with actors Jess Weixler, Adam Pearson, and Sari Lennick. They add 8 deleted/extended scenes running almost a dozen minutes, some silent Super 8 On-set Footage shot by film archivist John Klacsmann, Late Spring/Regrets for Our Youth a 5-minute 2009 diary film by Aaron Schimberg, trailers and an image gallery.

Plus we get an entire second Blu-ray presentation of Aaron Schimberg’s 2013 debut feature Go Down Death - a black and white film that looks gorgeous in 1080P (see captures below). It likewise has a max'ed out bitrate and is housed on a dual-layered disc. There are supplements for Go Down Death as well; the 2013 "It would be sad to see this end up in a dump" which showcase rare behind-the-scenes footage shot by producer-editor Vanessa McDonnell. There is a 1/2 hour's worth of eight deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer and image gallery. Included is a limited edition exclusive booklet (3,000 copies) containing new writing on Chained for Life by David Jenkins, Jeff Billington on the 1950 exploitation film Chained for Life, Alejandro Bachmann and Michelle Koch on Go Down Death, and film credits.

I concur with Colin's comments below on Chained For Life. We can strongly endorse Anti-Worlds Releasing's Region FREE Blu-ray package with a perfect transfer, more supplements including a second disc of a viable 1.5 hour feature, it's extras and the limited edition booklet. We remain very excited about Anti-Worlds Releasing and look forward to more from them in the near future. Don't miss Chained for Life!

Gary Tooze

***

The film begins with the following quotation, "Actors and actresses are usually more beautiful than ordinary people. And why not? Why should we be deprived of the pleasure of beauty? It is a supreme asset for actors and actresses to be beautiful; it gives them greater range and greater possibilities for expressiveness. The handsomer they are, the more roles they can play. Actors and actresses who are beautiful start with an enormous advantage, because we love to look at them."
—PAULINE KAEL

"Chained for Life" arrives via Kino Lorber on a dual-layered Blu-ray disc with a maxed-out bitrate. The film was shot with an Aaton XTR Prod camera, using super 16mm film stock. As is commonly the case with super 16mm film, there can be some rather large grain, though definition is still quite clear with a myriad of identifiable details. The benefits of shooting on film as opposed to digital are also on display, with darker sections of the frame never looking blotchy or indistinct. Director Schimberg and their cinematographer (Adam J. Minnick) utilize some rather impressive mise en scène throughout the picture, with multiple characters wandering throughout the frame and beyond. This still camerawork allows for greater detail, without the blurring of a camera in motion.

Viewers of "Chained for Life" have the option of listening to the film in either 2.0 Mono or 5.1 Mono (center channel only). Both options are in DTS-HD Master audio at 24-bit. Since the film was filmed in mono, dialogue is clearly front and center and usually discernible (unless intentionally muffled). The music in "Chained for Life" is credited to C. Spencer Yeh, while the soundtrack features some great numbers from Link Wray and Irma Thomas, just to name two. There are optional English SDH subtitles for this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

The first extra on the Blu-ray disc from Kino is a commentary from director Aaron Schimberg. Right from the start the director had me cracking up, even pointing out during the opening credits that "I could've invited all these people, at least some of them to do this with me. It would've been more fun for you and me, but this is due tomorrow so I'm just gonna power through." The director goes on to discuss many aspects of the production, all while maintaining his dry wit. Note at the 31-minute mark he even says "don't get me wrong, I would rather you be watching the film than listening to my audio commentary." There is one deleted scene included, along with three interviews with actors from the film. Stars Jess Weixler and Sari Lennick talk for around 17-minutes each, while Adam Pearson speaks for just under 10-minutes. The film's theatrical and teaser trailers are also included on this Blu-ray disc from Kino.

Director Aaron Schimberg has proven himself to be one to watch. "Chained for Life" is a fascinating exploration into the many aspects of art and representation. Kino Lorber's robust transfer and revealing bonus features should be commended. This gets a strong recommendation from me.

Colin Zavitz