A popular
video format in Hong Kong and various other territories, VCD (or Video-CD)
is comparable to VHS or, in some cases, laserdisc in terms of image and
sound quality. Most importantly, this cheaper format (which can go
as low as $4 a title!) allows companies to release obscure titles which
would otherwise never reach a digital format. VCDs can play on many
computer CD-ROM drives and certain brands of DVD players, such as Pioneer.
Listed below is a guide to some of the more notable VCD titles available
in specialty stores or from various online dealers. All titles have
Chinese subtitles burned on the print. (See the "Links" section for
online sources.)
The Dead Mother- Beautiful scope print of this perverse, obscure Spanish thriller about a robber who abducts a girl whose mother he had shot years earlier. A better than average compression job with some rich color design, though the grainy English subtitles are sometimes hard on the eyes. Panorama, stereo.
Evil Senses- A very disappointing giallo, directed by actor Gabriele Lavia, the curly-haired guy from Deep Red, Inferno, and Zeder. More concerned with dreary T&A scenes and endless stretches of dialogue than any semblance of thrills or a decent storyline, the film will be of interest only to die hard Eurofanatics. The full frame transfer of this English language print is okay considering the unattractive cinematography, mostly drenched in various shades of gray and brown.
Faceless- One of Jess Franco's oddest films, yet another twist on Eyes without a Face, finds Helmut Berger, Caroline Munro, Telly Savalas, Brigitte Lahaie, Stephanie Audran, Howard Vernon, and Chris Mitchum doing the mad doctor/face removal thing in Paris. Featuring a priceless theme song and the most ludicrous gay comic relief ever filmed, this is Eurotrash at its most jaw-dropping. This uncut, letterboxed English language print easily outclasses all those bootleg video copies. Laser Vision, mono.
Friday the 13th- While the notorious Warner laserdisc from Japan may be out of reach for most collectors, this identical VCD presentation is a very nice alternative and virtually the same in terms of picture quality. Three death scenes feature trims made to earn an R rating, particularly Kevin Bacon's legendary throat spearing. The full frame presentation reveals additional visual information compared to Paramount's more attractive, better composed DVD release in the U.S. Warner, mono.
Galaxy of Terror- One of the goriest Alien imitations (and perhaps the most memorable), this low budget slimefest features Happy Days' Erin Moran (a.k.a. Joanie) exploding on camera, not to mention appearances by Ray Walston, Grace Zabriskie, Zalman King, Robert Englund, and Sid Haig. Wow! Produced by Roger Corman, with sets designed by, believe it or not, James Cameron and Bill Paxton. A very nice open matte VCD of a film that had to be hell to transfer (lots of fog and darkness to cover those cheap sets), this should do just fine until MGM gets its act in gear and starts doing exploitation DVDs in the U.S. MGM, mono.
Haunted School 4- The only entry in this bizarre ghost-kid series with English subtitles is the fourth one, for some reason. While the story may be a little muddled by this point (it's hard to compare to the others), the film itself offers some stylish thrills, atmopsheric scope photography (accurately preserved at 2.35:1), and a couple of genuine Bava-esque thrills. Not a great film, but a nice way to kill some time. However, the sub-par compression job results in some very distracting image flaws, especially on the second CD. Worldtrade, stereo.
High Heels- Often overlooked in the Pedro Almodovar filmography, this appealing melodrama features possibly murderous news reporter Victoria Abril and the world's greatest female prison dance number. An interesting precursor to All About My Mother, this has never fared too well on video thanks to Miramax's dumping of it to Paramount, who only issued a claustrophobic pan-and-scan version on VHS. The VCD features a somewhat more generous 1.80:1 transfer, which still trims a little off the sides but at least approximates the theatrical presentation. Colors are vivid (not surprising), though many scenes are overly dark and tend to drown out the English subtitles. Shu Kei, stereo.
Nightwatch- Ole Bornedal's overrated but stylish Nattevagten has remained legally unavailable in the U.S. thanks to Miramax's pointless need to recruit a shot-for-shot remake from the same director. However, apart from British video, curious viewers can also check out Ocean Shore's letterboxed VCD, which also contains English subtitles and a nice stereo mix. The compression job is only adequate, causing the subs to jitter and crawl throughout, but in any case, it sure beats a bootleg tape. Ocean Shores, stereo.
The Red Squirrel- This fantastic Spanish thriller plays like the Goldie Hawn comedy Overboard as written by Luis Bunuel. Though director Julio Medem garnered more international attention with Lovers of the Arctic Circle, this will be a tough one to top. The VCD transfer is attractive and well balanced, though some distracting pixellation appears throughout a dark opening sequence on the beach. The white English subtitles are occasionally obscured light background objects but don't pose much of a problem. Shu Kei, stereo.
The Ring 2- One of the scariest Japanese horror films ever made, The Ring remains unofficially available on video in an English-subtitled edition (look for underground tapes!). However, its worthy sequel does feature English subs and admirably continues the tale of Sadako, the murderous ghost, though the elaborate storyline will be lost on anyone who hasn't seen the first film. Universe, stereo.
OTHER NOTEWORTHY RELEASES:
