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

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (September 2020): Arrow Video has brought Erotic filmmaker Jean-Marie Pallardy's uniquely bizarre 1984 action film, "White Fire" (aka "Vivre pour survivre") to Blu-ray. The film is presented with a maxed out bitrate on a dual-layered Blu-ray disc. The 1.78:1 HD image quality is lacking any obvious touch-up work, made all the more clear by the large amount of white scratch lines visible throughout the picture. While only some frames suffer from this degradation, it is not constant enough to be a headache. If anything, the moderately rough shape of the source print only emphasizes the sleazier qualities that "White Fire'' possesses in multitudes. The opening reel (featuring the film's original French title) might worry viewers with its heavily blue-tinted visuals (not to mention questionable contrast and poor exposure). Rest assured that the following bulk of the picture is in much better shape, albeit with said print damage. The level of detail discernible in any shot is average, surely better than what a SD transfer would offer, yet nowhere near the quality from some other transfers we have seen from Arrow. The color palette also seems to fluctuate from cold blues to warm reds, and sometimes everything in between. This spectrum of quality could be due to the film's production, though the film's wildly inconsistent looks are actually quite fitting, given "White Fire'''s almost manic tonal inconsistencies. The press materials mention nothing about the sources used for this transfer, nor if it is a 4k or 2k scan.

"White Fire" is available in either English 2.0 or French Mono (1.0) with both tracks boasting a 24-bit linear PCM audio. The English track features some rather obvious overdubbing, though it really only adds to the charm of the film. Rock band Limelight's song "White Fire" is featured throughout the picture, and really helps add to the cheesiness factor at play throughout. There are optional English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) or 'standard' on this Region 'Free' Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

Arrow Video's Blu-ray disc of "White Fire" benefits from yet another fun audio commentary from author, editor and critic, Kat Ellinger. Even Ellinger seems a little surprised at how this release came to be, stating that the film was "one that I never thought I'd see reach the exalted heights of a Arrow Blu-ray edition" though the critic is more than game, discussing the film's unique place in cinema history, even within the 'so-bad-its-good', 'guilty pleasure' classification. Ellinger also mentions that the film has rarely been written or spoken of, making this release from Arrow possibly one of the most vast sources of knowledge re. the film. "Surviving The Fire" is a brand new 23-minute subtitled interview with writer-director Jean-Marie Pallardy. "Enter The Hammer" is a brand new 12-minute interview with actor Fred Williamson. Fred is in fine form here, starting out the interview by saying, "If I look like I can kick your ass, then I can kick your ass..." I recommend watching the whole interview to see the rest. The director discusses the difficulties of putting together this film, and his history working in erotic cinema. "Diamond Cutter" is a brand new 21-minute subtitled interview with editor Bruno Zincone. Zincone discusses his start in the business, after being an accountant (that hated numbers lol) he got to become a film editor and was helped by his interest in drawing and music. Arrow Video's 2020 Re-issue trailer is also included here. The first pressing of this Blu-ray release also features an illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by film historian and author Julian Grainger.

"White Fire" is an absolutely bonkers action film from erotic film director Jean-Marie Pallardy, with a soundtrack from the band Limelight, if you're not already sold, did I mention that Fred Williamson also makes an appearance? While this is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, this will be a must-buy for any fans of the work of Andy Sidaris ("Hard Ticket to Hawaii") and his ilk. 80's excesses are fully on display here and while the transfer isn't anywhere near reference quality, does anyone really care? Sit back and enjoy the convoluted plot, chainsaw dock battle (which surely must have influenced Anchorman's brawl), explosions, car chases, the nudity, and if you feel like delving into the Blu-ray bonus features, I would recommend Ellinger's track as well as the interviews.

Colin Zavitz