The Royal Tramp Collection - Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1992 (Royal Tramp, Royal Tramp II)
Director: Wong Jing (Both Films)
Cast: Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung, Ng Man-tat, Natalis Chan, Sandra Ng, Chingmy Yau, Damian Lau, Brigitte Lin, Deric Wan, Brigitte Lin, Michelle Reis, Elvis Tsui

Release Date: November 13th, 2023
Approximate running times: 110 Minutes 49 Seconds (Royal Tramp), 98 Minutes 17 Seconds (Royal Tramp II)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £26.99 (UK)

"An epic two-part wuxia-comedy based on the writings of acclaimed Chinese novelist Jin Yong, Royal Tramp 1 and Royal Tramp 2 star Stephen Chow as a cowardly bard who finds himself part of a real adventure when he is inducted into a sect of revolutionaries.

Wai Siu-bao (Chow) is known for his exciting tales of adventure and heroism, but his own life is quite dull. After rescuing the leader of a revolutionary movement from a police ambush, Wai is recruited into the Heaven and Earth Society and sent to steal secrets from the royal palace. However, in the palace things get complicated fast and Wai realizes he has to play all sides off against each other if he is going to survive.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Royal Tramp, Royal Tramp II)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Brand new 4K restorations of both films".

Royal Tramp comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.4 GB

Feature: 34.1 GB

Royal Tramp II comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.1 GB

Feature: 30.3 GB

The sources used for these two films' transfers are in excellent shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese), 4.25.5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

Each film comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. All of these audio tracks sound excellent. Dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and fight scenes sound robust. That said, though the English language tracks sound very good range-wise, I would give the edge to the Cantonese language tracks. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for Royal Tramp include a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 40 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Wong Jing titled Part 1 (9 minutes 17 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian film experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto, and an audio commentary with Asian film experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema.

Extras for Royal Tramp II include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Wong Jing titled Part 1 (10 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Helene Law Lan (14 minutes 24 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles),  an audio commentary with Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto, and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema.

Other extras include a O-Card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 20-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew credits, an essay titled The Court Jester: Royal Tramp Stephen Chow Gets Classical written by James Oliver, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Directed by Wong Jing, a prolific producer and director who is now into his fifth decade of making cinema in Hong Kong. Anyone who's familiar with Hong Kong's heyday of the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s is sure to have seen one of his films. And though he often takes on the role of producer, most films he is associated with have his distinctive bombastic style.

The narratives for these two films revolve around Wai Siu-bao, a man known for telling tall tales. When he accidentally saves the life of a revolutionary, he becomes entangled in the cause to overthrow the emperor. From there, he reluctantly becomes an eunuch who gains the trust of the emperor. Firmly entrenched on both sides, Wai Siu-bao must choose where his loyalty lies.

The main character of Royal Tramp and its sequel, Royal Tramp II, is Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) in the role of Wai Siu-bao. And though his style of comedy is an acquired taste that, for some reason, does not translate as well as Jackie Chan’s style of comedy does, for anyone who enjoys broad physical comedy, an actor like Stephen Chow and these two Royal Tramp films will be right up your alley. That said, Stephen Chow delivers a sensational performance that not only hits its mark when it comes to humor, but he also holds his own when it comes to marital arts sequences.

Besides Stephen Chow, these two films are filled with recognizable faces for anyone who's familiar with 1980s and 1990s Hong Kong cinema. Notable performances include Chingmy Yau (Naked Killer) in the role of Princess Kin-ning, the Emperor's tomboy sister, whom Wai Siu-bao initially mistakes for a boy; Elvis Tsui (A Chinese Torture Chanmber) in the role of Oboi, a megalomanic general; and Ng Man-tat (A Moment of Romance) in the role of Hoi Tai-fu, the reluctant mentor of Wai Siu-bao. In the case of the latter, he would often work with Stephen Chow, and their onscreen chemistry makes their moments together some of the most memorable.

The most enjoyable aspect of these Royal Tramp films is watching Wai Siu-bao overcome obstacles. In many ways, he is a reluctant hero who is just trying to find an easy way out, only to end up deeper in trouble. And when he does finally become a kung fu master after sleeping with the virgin leader of the Red Lotus Clan, he still needs a final push before he embraces all the powers he now has.

Released only a few months apart, Royal Tramp and Royal Tramp II feature a continuous narrative where the latter picks up where the former left off. Royal Tramp does a great job setting up who everyone is and their motivations, while Royal Tramp II is more focused on its action set pieces. That said, just because Royal Tramp focuses more on character backstory, that is not to say that it does not have its fair share of exemplary action sequences. Also, when it comes to the action sequences, they tend to be gory, with head decapitations and other body parts being ripped off. Another area where these two films excel is their offbeat humor, which at times is risque. Ultimately, Royal Tramp and Royal Tramp II are solid examples of Wuxia cinema that fans of this genre should thoroughly enjoy.

The Royal Tramp Collection is an excellent release from Eureka Video that comes with solid audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Count Dracula – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray/CD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/West Germany/Italy/Liechtenstein, 1970
Director: Jesús Franco
Writers: Erich Kröhnke, Augusto Finocchi
Cast: Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Klaus Kinski, Soledad Miranda, Maria Rohm, Fred Williams, Paul Muller, Jack Taylor, Jesús Franco

Release Date: November 28th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $69.95

"In 1970, cult director Jess Franco and screen legend Christopher Lee collaborated on what they promised would be the most faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel ever filmed. From its remarkable performances – including Lee as the Count, Herbert Lom (MARK OF THE DEVIL) as Van Helsing, Soledad Miranda (VAMPYROS LESBOS) as Lucy, Maria Rohm (VENUS IN FURS) as Mina, and authentic madman Klaus Kinski as Renfield – to its lush locations and atmosphere of sinister sensuality, it remains perhaps the most spellbinding version of Dracula in movie history." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "newly scanned in 4K".

Count Dracula comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.8 GB

Feature: 58.2 GB

The source used for this brand new 4K transfer is in excellent shape; all print debris has been cleaned up. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, this new transfer is a massive improvement over the transfer Severin Films used for their 2015 Blu-ray release.

Count Dracula comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.4 GB

Feature: 29.4 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish. Unfortunately, in the case of the latter, there are no subtitles. The English-language track is in very good shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and the score sounds robust. That said, there are a few minor sibilance-related issues. Though the Spanish-language track is comparable, it sounds fuller than its English-language counterpart. Included are removable English SDH for the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 19 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with horror historian David Del Valle and actress Maria Rohm.

Extras on Blu-ray disc 1 include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 19 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival extra titled Stake Holders, an appreciation by filmmaker Christophe Gans (7 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Jack Taylor (10 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Fred Williams titled Handsome Harker (26 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and German with removable English subtitles for German), an archival interview with director Jess Franco titled Beloved Count (26 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an archival extra titled Illustrated 1973 Christopher Lee Audio Interview With Filmmaker Donald Glut (19 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with David Del Valle and Maria Rohm.

Extras on Blu-ray disc 2 include alternate title sequences: Spanish (1 minute 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in Spanish, no subtitles), German (1 minute 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), French (1 minute 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), and Italian (1 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), In The Land of Franco bonus sequence with Alain Petit and Stephen Thrower (6 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author Stephen Thrower titled Jess Franco's Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula (45 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a 2017 documentary titled Dracula Barcelona (90 minutes 24 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include a CD with Bruno Nicolai’s 30-track score, an insert with a track listing for the CD, and a slipcover.

Summary:

From 1968 to 1970, this would mark one of Jess Franco’s most productive and fruitful eras as a filmmaker. During these years, he would work with British producer Harry Alan Towers, who would give Franco some of his biggest budgets of his career. The casts for most of these productions would feature some of the biggest names in European cinema at the time, like Klaus Kinski, Christopher Lee, and Herbert Lom. All three actors would also participate in Jess Franco’s retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Over the years, Dracula has been filmed many times. Despite the countless retellings, each version always had its own distinct take on the source material, and no matter what changes were made to the source, the end result is always like seeing an old friend you've seen hundreds of times.

By the time Jess Franco approached Christopher Lee about playing Dracula, his interest in playing this part, which had garnered him worldwide fame, had waned considerably. What changed Lee’s mind about playing Count Dracula one more time was how director Jess Franco wanted to approach the story and character the way Bram Stoker had written it.

Though Count Dracula lacks the abstract style that Jess Franco would later overuse in his subsequent films. Count Dracula still features some stellar photography and compositions, especially in the scenes where Dracula visits Lucy and drains her of her life and blood. The moments with Klaus Kinski rely heavily on his performance and not as much on the visual look of his surroundings.

Klaus Kinski does a remarkable job of playing Renfield that is on par with Dwight Frye’s memorable performance of the same character in Tod Browning’s 1931 version of Dracula. This cast is really good overall, with solid performances from Herbert Lom as Professor Van Helsing and Soledad Miranda in her first collaboration with Jess Franco as Lucy Westenra. Without a doubt, the performance that stands out is Christopher Lee's tour de force as Count Dracula. This time, Christopher Lee captures the essence of man, and the result is spellbinding.

Besides having a strong cast, Jess Franco also had at his disposal many of the sets and costumes that he had used or would use during his several collaborations with producer Harry Alan Towers. The score for this film was written by Bruno Nicolai, and his haunting arrangements perfectly complement Franco’s visual styles and moods. Ultimately, Jess Franco’s Count Dracula features one of Christopher Lee’s best performances of his career, which helps overcome the slower moments and familiarity that most will have with Bram Stoker’s original source material.

Jess Franco’s Count Dracula gets an exceptional release from Severin Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Blue Rita: Special Edition – Full Moon Features (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Switzerland/France, 1977
Director: Jesús Franco
Writer: Jesús Franco
Cast: Martine Fléty, Sarah Strasberg, Dagmar Bürger, Pamela Stanford, Eric Falk, Esther Moser, Angela Ritschard, Vicky Mesmin, Guy Delorme, Olivier Mathot, Henri Guégan, Néné Kaò, Betty Laure, Roman Huber

Release Date: December 12th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 78 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Mono French
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"This lurid, sexually daring shocker follows the exploits of the titular heroine, Blue Rita (Marianne Flety), an exotic dancer and gentleman's club owner who secretly works undercover as a Communist spy. In the basement of the nightclub, Rita and her band of strippers seduce and erotically torture wealthy, important VIP's using a number of effective but unspeakably bizarre methods at her disposal to acquire vital information. Now an avowed lesbian who despises all men, Rita seeks revenge against the brutes that violated her as a child. However, Interpol begins closely observing the ghastly goings on within the club and soon discover the ulterior motives that its proprietors and Blue Rita herself have in mind." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "fully remastered in HD."

Blue Rita comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 18.2 GB

Feature: 15.9 GB

The source for this transfer is in great shape; all print debris has been cleaned up. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Blue Rita comes on a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 3.8 GB

Audio: 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options: a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in French. For this review, I only listened to the English-language track since there are no subtitles for the French-language track. The English-language track is in great shape; there are no issues with distortion or background noise. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. Included are removable English SDH. It should be noted that the English SDH subtitles are only available on Blu-ray.

Extras:

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a photo gallery (stills/other promotional materials), a 2013 interview with filmmaker Peter Stickland conducted by Chris Alexander in which they discuss Jess Franco (24 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a vintage Jess Franco VHS trailer reel that contains these films: Oasis of the Zombies, Demoniac (Exorcism), A Virgin Among the Living Dead, Erotikil (Female Vampire), The Screaming Dead (Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein), and The Invisible Dead (Orloff and the Invisible Man).

Other extras on the Blu-ray are trailers for Barbed Wire Dolls, Naked Girl Murdered in the Park, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Sexy Sisters, Voodoo Passion, and Women in Cellblock 9.

Extras on the DVD include two unrelated Full Moon Feature promos, an interview with actor  Eric Falk titled Slave in the House of Women (7 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with burnt in English subtitles), and a vintage Jess Franco VHS trailer reel that contains these films: Oasis of the Zombies, Demoniac (Exorcism), A Virgin Among the Living Dead, Erotikil (Female Vampire), The Screaming Dead (Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein), and The Invisible Dead (Orloff and the Invisible Man).

Other extras include a slipcover.

Summary:

Blue Rita was one of eighteen films that Jess Franco made with producer Erwin Dietrich over a three-year period. Their collaboration began with Downtown and ended with Girls After Midnight.

The narrative revolves around Blue Rita, who runs a criminal organization that tortures wealthy men for their fortune.

When discussing the cinema of Jess Franco, one thing that you quickly notice are the locations that he uses. And when it comes to locations, no location played a larger role than the nightclub. The opening moments of Blue Rita take place in a nightclub, where the dancers strip down to their birthday suits. Besides being a place where men find pleasure, it also serves as the headquarters of Blue Rita’s criminal operation.

With Blue Rita, Jess Franco once again takes a bare narrative and somehow manages to keep things interesting for the duration. Once again, his unique visual eye is a key element that holds everything together. And though some of his camera angles are odd choices, they somehow suit the story at hand. Another strength of the visuals is how Jess Franco employs shots that are bathed in one color, blue, red, or yellow.

Though Jess Franco films are known for their cast of regulars who often work with him, like Lina Romay (she does not appear as Blue Rita), even Jess Franco, who often makes a cameo, does not make an appearance. That said, Blue Rita is mostly made up of actors and actresses who are more connected to Erwin Dietrich than Jess Franco. The most memorable performances are Olivier Mathot (Midnight Party) in the role of Sebascki, a sex-starved spy being held prisoner in Blue Rita’s dungeon, and Eric Falk (Mad Foxes) in the role of Janosch Lassard, a boxer who is well versed in karate.

Blue Rita, like the other films produced by Erwin Dietrich, gave Jess Franco more resources than he usually had to work with, especially when compared to films he made with his own money. Being that this is a Jess Franco film, it is not surprising that there is an ample amount of nudity and some soft-core erotica moments. That said, Jess Franco’s films, especially his 1970s output, have a freeform quality to them that anyone who is looking for conventional cinema will find his type of cinema difficult to digest. Ultimately, Blue Rita is a satisfying mix of erotica and psychedelia that could have only come from the mind of Jess Franco.

Blue Rita gets a first-rate release from Full Moon Features that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Jailhouse Wardress – MVD Classics (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1981
Directors: Alain Deruelle, Jesús Franco, Patrice Rhomm, Alain Payet
Writer: Alain Deruelle
Cast: Didier Aubriot, Eugénie Laborde, Michael Bates, Monica Swinn

Release Date: December 12th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 84 Minutes 1 Second
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono English, LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"One of the most notorious "women in prison" epics, this Jess Franco production stars Lina Romay (Female Vampire) as Maria da Guerra, who's sentenced to life after killing her father, who had attempted to assault her. While behind bars, Maria encounters a sadistic female warden and hatches an escape plan involving the seduction of a male nurse." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 2.5/5

Jailhouse Wardress comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 20.9 GB

Feature: 20.5 GB

No information is provided about the source used for this transfer. This transfer most definitely comes from a dated source; there is mild print debris that crops up throughout, colors fluctuate throughout, black levels are never convincing, and image clarity fares well. Also, this does not appear to be an open matte presentation; there are many times where the framing looks too tight.

Audio: 3/5 (LPCM Mono English, LPCM Mono French)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in English and an LPCM mono mix in French. Both audio tracks are in good shape; any imperfections are minor. Dialog comes through clearly, and range-wise, these tracks are satisfactory. Included are removable English subtitles for the French-language track. 

Extras:

Extras for this release are trailers for Jailhouse Wardress (51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Convoy of Women, Nathalie: Escape from Hell, Golden Temple Amazons, and Hudson River Massacre.

Summary:

Throughout his career, Jess Franco was known to repurpose footage from other films and make a new film with said repurposed footage. And though this is exactly what happened with Jailhouse Wardress, it repurposes footage from three films: Elsa Fraulein SS, Last Train for Hitler, and Barbed Wire Dolls. And in the case of the latter, most of the repurposed footage comes from Jailhouse Wardress, which is most likely why Jailhouse Wardress is the reason for the Jess Frsanco connection. Also, besides repurposing footage, dialog was newly created to fit the newly created narrative that ties these three films with the newly shot footage.

Trying not to negatively judge a film like Jailhouse Wardress is not an easy task. Its melting pot narrative is incoherent despite the changes made in the newly created dialog, and the edits between the various footage that is used are very noticeable and, at times, jarring. Also, trying to judge performances when most of the cast members who appear were performing in a different film would be futile. That said, everything about Jailhouse Wardress does not work; it is a crudely put-together film that was clearly made to capitalize on Nazi propaganda films.

Jailhouse Wardress gets a mediocre audio/video presentation from MVD Classics.

Written by Michael Den Boer