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

ADDITION: Fun City Editions Blu-ray (December 2020): The brand new label Fun City Editions has released Amos Poe's stylish "Alphabet City" on an all new Blu-ray, which is dual layered with a maxed out bitrate. The 1.85:1 1080p image looks very impressive. This new label (an offshoot of Vinegar Syndrome) is self described as; "Fun City Editions is a new boutique label focused on creating deluxe home video editions of maverick repertory cinema that can best be described as works that exist "outside of their time." Spanning an array of genres and countries, but with a unifying focus on forgotten and overlooked treasures, the initial wave of titles will come from the New American Cinema. Each Fun City release will present stunning new restorations produced and overseen by Vinegar Syndrome and comprehensive extras which contextualize and illuminate the film's artistic and historic value. Vinegar Syndrome’s sister company, OCN Distribution, is thrilled to be representing this diverse and unique home video line!"

The moody lights and colors of Oliver Wood ("The Honeymoon Killers", "The Bourne Identity", "The Bourne Supremacy", "The Bourne Ultimatum" and a handful of Will Ferrell comedies) really shine now, thanks to this new 2K restoration (from a 35mm interpositive) on Blu-ray. It is no wonder that Wood went on to lens many "Miami Vice" episodes after this picture (as mentioned in the commentary), which is equally dripping in 80's excess. While some night-time shots could have possibly benefited from an original 35mm negative scan, there is still a healthy amount of variations in the blacks. Due to the diffused lights and lens tricks, some shots can appear less detailed, though certain moments reveal an abundance of discernible information in the frame. Bravo to Fun City Editions for rescuing this curiosity from obscurity.

NOTE: We have added 16 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

One of the real stars of this production is the music from master guitarist /composer /producer Nile Rodgers (Chic's "Le Freak", Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, INXS, Duran Duran, Daft Punk etc.). As director Poe mentions in the commentary, Rodgers was also working on a Madonna album at the time of filming, and was one of the first people on board for the film, even before production. The included 24-bit 2.0 mono DTS-HD track luckily is in pretty great shape, showcasing the fantastic soundtrack, as well as foregrounding dialogue when appropriate. There are optional English SDH subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Fun City Editions.

There is an option to play the film with a 33 second intro from star Vincent Spano. A brand new audio commentary by director Amos Poe and writer Luc Sante is absolutely worth diving into, especially for all the juicy tidbits involved with the production of the film. The two have long been pals and they talk of everything from the cast and crew to the production limitations (an early scene shows Spano entering a building then coming out and jumping back in his car, to which Poe explains that there was supposed to be a scene in there, but they didn't have the budget to shoot it, resulting in some tricky editing decisions. Also interesting to hear that as they were shooting on 13th street in 1983, the art galleries were popping up everywhere, with Sante describing the oncoming gentrification as if they were shooting during the ‘last days of pompeii.' Next up is a video essay by filmmaker Chris O’Neill, a rather basic 5-minute piece set to footage from the film. The essay covers the explicit and implicit plot details of the film while also showing the film's nods to German Expressionism and Film Noir, through the lens of the 1980's esthetic, while this is not a very deep reading of the film, it is worth a watch for those interested in the film's style. Alongside the must-listen commentary is a 22-minute interview with star Vincent Spano. The actor spends the first few minutes discussing his beginnings in theatre and film, becoming a star, and then spends the bulk of the remaining time sharing humorous stories from the set. I was taken aback by the actor's vivid memories (I can barely remember what I ate yesterday) and great storytelling. The film's trailer and an image gallery round out the Blu-ray disc from Fun City.

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this film from Amos Poe (at this point probably most famous for his 1976 punk documentary, "The Blank Generation"). Fun City Editions have a winner on their hands with this new Blu-ray release. The 2K restoration lets the rain-soaked NYC lights really shine. The music from Nile Rodgers is impressive, and Spano is a likeable, handsome leading man. There are some other interesting cast members that pop up, from Michael Winslow ("The Police Academy") to Jami Gertz ("Less Than Zero" and "The Lost Boys"). Highly recommended!.

Colin Zavitz