Lucky, the Inscrutable (Lucky M. füllt alle Särge) - Pidax Film/Alive (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/Italy/West Germany, 1967
Director: Jesús Franco
Writers: Julio Buchs, Remigio Del Grosso, Jesús Franco, José Luis Martínez Mollá
Cast: Ray Danton, Barbara Bold, Dante Posani, Dieter Eppler, María Luisa Ponte, Rosalba Neri, Beba Loncar, Teresa Gimpera, Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui, Jesus Franco

Release Date: September 30th, 2016
Approximate Running Time: 81 Minutes 30 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: FSK 16 (Germany)
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono German
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region 2 PAL
Retail Price: EUR 10,95

"His name is Lucky. He works for the American secret service. And he is one of the best in his field. No wonder he is sent to Europe by the highest authorities when a dangerous gang of dollar counterfeiters is up to mischief. The trail of the blossoms first leads to Rome. After some investigation it is clear that Lucky has to travel further to Albania. There he is supported by an extremely pretty policewoman whose charms Lucky cannot resist..." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Lucky, the Inscrutable comes of a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 6.6 GB

No information is provided about the source used for this transfer. The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Details look crisp, black levels remain strong throughout, flesh tones look healthy, and colors look nicely saturated and appropriately vibrant. Also, compression is good, and there do not appear to be any egregious uses of edge enhancement.

Audio: 3.25/5 (Dolby Digital Mono English), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital Mono German)

This release comes with two audio options: a Dolby Digital mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in German. Though both audio mixes sound clean and are in very good shape, the English audio mix has some mild background hiss. Fortunately, this is a minor issue that never becomes intrusive. Another difference between these two audio mixes is that the German mix sounds more robust than the other. It should be noted that when watching with the English language track, there is some dialog that is not in English, and these moments do not come with English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art without a ratings logo, an image gallery with the film’s main theme playing in the background, six deleted scenes (7 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and trailers for X312 - Flight to Hell (1 minute 45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles) and The Vengeance of Doctor Mabuse (1 minute 54 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles).

Summary:

After the success of the James Bonds films an influx of Spy knockoffs would follow in its wake throughout the 1960’s. Visually Lucky, the Inscrutable borrows just as much from James Bond as it does from fumetti’s (Italian comic books). Lucky, the Inscrutable was directed by Jess Franco and stylistically the film doesn’t feature the elements one would expect while watching a Jess Franco film. Lucky, the Inscrutable looks and feels like a film that was made by a director for hire. That is not to say that it is totally devoid of Franco like touches. There is an ample amount of humor in this film that is undeniably Jess Franco.

Lucky, the Inscrutable features many colorful villains and a collection of beautiful ladies. Some of the things that happen throughout Lucky, the Inscrutable seem hokey, but this may be the filmmakers’ original intention. Even the anticlimactic ending fails perfectly in line with everything that precedes it. The action sequences are good but could have been more convincing. Lucky, the Inscrutable fails as a film if you view it just as a typical spy film. Part of its charm is its irreverent take on the spy genre.

Lucky, the Inscrutable is played by Ray Danton, an actor who had previously starred in these spy films: The Spy Who Went into Hell and Secret Agent Super Dragon. Two interesting things about the character Lucky the Inscrutable are his multilingual skills and how he is recognized by everyone he encounters, even when in disguise. Ray Danton is wooden, and at best, anything he contributes to Lucky, the Inscrutable that stands out is most likely due to Jess Franco’s direction. Wooden, uninspired performances are nothing new to many international co-productions made in the 1960s since most, if not all, performers’ were dubs since the cast is usually made up of different languages’ being spoken on the set.

In a minor but unforgettable role is actress Rosalba Neri (Amuck!), whose character is Yaka, an Albanian general. Rosalba Neri is only in a handful of scenes, including the most memorable scene, where she discovers that she forgot to put her pants on after assembling her soldiers to find Lucky, the Inscrutable, who escaped after seducing her the night before. Lucky, the Inscrutable would mark the first time that actress Rosalba Neri and composer Bruno Nicolai would be working with director Jess Franco. Bruno Nicolai composes yet another memorable score for Lucky, the Inscrutable, that ranks amongst his best work as a composer. Ultimately Lucky, the Inscrutable is an amusing satire on the spy films of the 1960s.

Lucky, the Inscrutable makes its long overdue DVD debut via a good audio/video presentation from Pidax Film.

Written by Michael Den Boer