Eloy De La Iglesia's Quinqui Collection – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Spain, 1980 (Navajeros), Spain, 1983 (El pico), Spain, 1984 (El pico 2)
Director: Eloy De La Iglesia (All Films)
Cast: José Luis Manzano, Isela Vega, Verónica Castro, Jaime Garza, Enrique San Francisco, María Martín, José Sacristán, José Manuel Cervino (Navajeros), José Luis Manzano, José Manuel Cervino, Luis Iriondo, Enrique San Francisco, Andrea Albani (El pico), José Luis Manzano, Fernando Guillén, Andrea Albani, Jaume Valls, José Luis Fernández 'Pirri', Valentín Paredes, Gracita Morales (El pico 2),

Release Date: August 24th, 2021
Approximate Running Times: 95 Minutes 48 Seconds (Navajeros), 109 Minutes 29 Seconds (El pico), 121 Minutes 42 Seconds (El pico 2)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (All Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.95

"Short for quincallero (delinquent) and pronounced 'kinky', it was a brutal sub-genre of juvenile gang dramas produced in '70s/'80s Spain. But for Basque writer/director Eloy de la Iglesia (CANNIBAL MAN, NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM), these three Cine Quinqui classics would become the most successful, controversial and tragically defining films of his entire career. José Luis Manzano - the charismatic street kid discovered by de la Iglesia - stars in this graphic neorealist trilogy that depicts the crime, violence and drug abuse that ravaged the post-Franco nation, and led to the filmmaker and actor's real-life addictions to heroin - and each other - that would ultimately destroy them both." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "scanned in HD from the original negatives."

Navajeros comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.5 GB

Feature: 22.3 GB

El pico and El pico 2 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 21.4 GB (El pico), 22.2 GB (El pico 2)

The sources used for the transfers are in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels are solid throughout. Also, all the transfers look organic.

Audio: 4/5

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and each film comes with removable English subtitles. All three audio mixes are in great shape, dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release are spread over two discs.

Extras on disc one include an interview with actor José Sacristán titled José Sacristán on Eloy de la Iglesia (8 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with Quinqui historians Mery Cuesta and Tom Whittaker titled Blood In The Streets: The Quinqui Film Phenomenon (44 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish and English with removable English subtitles) and a panel with scholars Alejandro Melero and Paul Julian Smith, moderated by Evan Purchell of Ask Any Buddy titled Queerness, Crime, And The Basque Conflict In The Quinqui Films Of Eloy de la Iglesia (Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras on disc two include a trailer for El pico (3 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles) and El pico 2 (2 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Navajeros: Navajeros is a tale about youth’s gone wild that explores the root-cause from two angles. One side believes that the troubled youth are a product of their environment, that can-be saved through rehabilitation and the other side takes the stance that the only way to solve this problem is incarceration.

Though on the surface Navajeros appears too far removed from the genre films Eloy De La Iglesia (The Cannibal Man, No One Heard the Scream) he directed in the 1970’s. Contextually, Navajeros has many elements that can-be found in his earlier films. Most notably his explicit use of social commentary.

From its opening moments, Navajeros establishes a relentless bleak tone that does not allow viewers a moment to catch their break. The narrative does not have peaks and valleys, there's a series of bleak moments that top the previous moment. With the finale providing a perfect culmination to the events that have unfolded.

Content wise, Navajeros has many elements that are synonymous with Italian Neorealist cinema. Navajeros is part of Quinqui, a Spanish film cycle that is best described as a Spanish cinema’s Neorealist cinema.

From a production standpoint, there’s not an area where Navajeros does not excel. The premise is superbly realized and the well-executed narrative will have you on the edge of your seat. Visually takes full advantage of its locations, which reinforce the story at hands authenticity. Another strength of the visuals is how they let the performances take center stage. And though many of the cast is untrained actors, the performances often exceeded expectations, especially José Luis Manzano in the role of Navajeros protagonist Jaro. Ultimately, Navajeros is a riveting cinematic experience that’s thought provoking in an engaging way that’s not abrasive.

El pico/El pico 2: Eloy De La Iglesia takes many of the elements that he earlier explored in Navajeros and he expands upon them in El pico and its sequel El pico 2. Most notably the casting of José Luis Manzano in the role of the protagonist. With José Luis Manzano, Eloy De La Iglesia had found a muse who he would collaborate on five films.

Though the troubled youth premise are explored in El Pico and El Pico 2. The result is two films that couldn’t be more different from Navajeros. Where adult characters took a backseat in Navajeros, they take on a larger role in El Pico and El Pico 2.

At the heart of El Pico and El Pico 2 are stories that revolve around a son and his father, and their complicated relationship. The father who works in law enforcement is part of the establishment and the rebellious son attached himself to anyone who’s the polar opposite of his father. With things reaching a boiling point when the son’s addiction leads to murder.

Content wise, El Pico and El Pico 2 are best described as a melodrama. And social commentary once again plays a large role. Addiction and fascism are two themes explored in El Pico and El Pico 2.

From a production standpoint, there are not any areas where El Pico and El Pico 2 are lacking. The premise is well-executed and the narrative does a great job balancing moments of exposition with traumatic events. The visuals do a fantastic job letting the performance take center stage and the cast are all very good in their respective roles, especially José Luis Manzano’s utterly convincing portrayal of Paco, the protagonist who’s addiction breaks him. Ultimately, El Pico and El Pico 2 are extraordinary films that remain as relevant today as when they're made.

With Eloy De La Iglesia's Quinqui Collection, The Cannibal Man and No One Heard the Scream, Severin Films have brought attention to the cinema of Eloy De La Iglesia. Hopefully there are plans to release more of Eloy De La Iglesia’s films on Blu-ray.

Eloy De La Iglesia's Quinqui Collection is an exceptional release from Severin Films that comes with solid audio/video presentations and a trio of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer