Piotr Szulkin's Apocalypse Tetralogy: Standard Edition – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Poland, 1980 (Golem), Poland, 1981 (The War of the Worlds: Next Century), Poland, 1985 (O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization), Poland, 1986 (Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes)
Director: Piotr Szulkin (All Films)
Cast: Marek Walczewski, Krystyna Janda, Joanna Zólkowska, Anna Jaraczówna, Wieslaw Drzewicz, Jan Nowicki, Wojciech Pszoniak (Golem), Roman Wilhelmi, Krystyna Janda, Mariusz Dmochowski, Jerzy Stuhr, Marek Walczewski (The War of the Worlds: Next Century), Jerzy Stuhr, Krystyna Janda, Kalina Jedrusik, Mariusz Dmochowski, Marek Walczewski, Jan Nowicki, Henryk Bista, Leon Niemczyk, Krzysztof Majchrzak (O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization), Daniel Olbrychski, Jerzy Stuhr, Katarzyna Figura, Mariusz Benoit, Henryk Bista, Marek Walczewski (Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes)

Release Date: August 29th, 2023
Approximate Running Times: 93 Minutes 54 Seconds (Golem), 97 Minutes 53 Seconds (The War of the Worlds: Next Century), 90 Minutes 25 Seconds (O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization), 84 Minutes 41 Seconds (Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (The War of the Worlds: Next Century, O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Golem, Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Polish (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $42.98

Golem: "Pernat finds himself in a police interrogation, accused of a murder, and unable to recall any details of the crime, or even his own life. He's released back into a world of raving lunatics and deranged dentists, murderous doctors and scientists who believe the secret of human creation is inside the walls of a cast-iron oven. Pernat's odyssey to find out who he is, and what it is to be human, will force his path to cross with all of them." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The War of the Worlds: Next Century: "The Martians have landed and they're not to be feared! Or at least that's what TV personality Iron Idem has been telling people. Soon after their arrival though, his apartment is ransacked and his wife kidnapped. He's tagged like a wild animal and his nightly scripts are being changed. What Idem's eyes are seeing no longer matches what he tells audiences night after night. Are the Martians as good-natured as he believed, or is he being used in a more sinister plot that endangers the entire planet?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization: "The world has been ravaged by nuclear war. The planet is frozen and radiation kills anyone or anything that ventures outside of 'The Dome'. Soft is a shepherd for the last remnants of humanity who have gathered together as they await rescue from a mysterious craft known only as 'The Ark.'  He wanders among the masses, performing his regular daily tasks; keeping morale from plummeting, wooing prostitutes, squashing rebellions, and sometimes feeding the hungry. But as the true and sinister nature of 'The Dome' comes to light, Soft must ask himself if humanity is worth saving?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes: "Scope is a prisoner on a behemoth space station and is chosen, like all his fellow prisoners, to 'volunteer' for the exploration of far-away planets. Landing on planet Australia 458, he is given a hero's welcome with all the sex, booze, and violence that any one man can stomach. But as his new caretakers push him towards even more heinous and deplorable acts, Scope finds that his freedom comes with a high price; his own violent demise, broadcast live for the viewing pleasure of Australia 458's inhabitants. Is there a way out? Or is Scope's fate sealed?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Golem, War of the Worlds: Next Century, O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization, Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "Newly restored by Vinegar Syndrome from existing studio masters."

Golem and The War of the Worlds: Next Century come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.3 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB (Golem), 23.8 GB (The War of the Worlds: Next Century)

O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization and Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.3 GB

Feature: 23.1 GB (O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization), 20.4 GB (Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes)

Piotr Szulkin, the director, supervised the existing masters used for these transfers, and in most areas, the sources overlap. The transfers for all four films look excellent. Flesh tones look healthy, color saturation is very good, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there do not appear to be any issues related to digital noise reduction. That said, grain is more noticeable in Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes than in the other three films.

There are a few areas where this release differs from Radiance Films release: there are color differences, and Vinegar Syndrome’s release frames The War of the Worlds: Next Century and O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, while Radiance Films frames these two films in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Polish - Golem, DTS-HD Mono Polish - The War of the Worlds: Next Century, DTS-HD Mono Polish - O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization, DTS-HD Mono Polish - Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCm mono mix in Polish with removable English subtitles. All of the audio tracks are in excellent shape, free of any distortion or background noise. Dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Also, all of these audio tracks are great range-wise.

Extras:

Extras on the disc with Golem and The War of the Worlds: Next Century include an audio commentary with film historian and author Samm Deighan for Golem, and an audio commentary with author and film critic Michael Brooke for The War of the Worlds: Next Century.

Extras on the disc with O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization and Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes include a video essay by Jonathan Owen tilted Actually Existing Dystopia: Politics, Delusion and Language in O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (16 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for film clips), and a video essay by Andrew Nette tilted Hard to be a Hero: Piotr Szulkin’s Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes (16 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for film clips).

Other extras include reversible cover art.

Summary:

Golem: In the near future, scientists will create men from clay, hoping to improve the human race.

Adapted from Gustav Meyrink’s novel The Golem, Piotr Szulkin's Golem is a nightmare vision of a dystopian future inhabited by genetic clones. Despite being set in the near future, Piotr Szulkin's Golem lacks the futuristic elements found in the other three films in his Apocalypse Tetralogy. That said, Piotr Szulkin's Golem is best as a horror film with a Kafka-esque vibe.

The narrative revolves around Pernat, a man, who is accused of a crime he doesn't know anything about. When he encounters people who claim to know him, they say that he has changed. Is it a case of mistaken identity, or is he suffering from a lapse of memory?

Piotr Szulkin's Golem is a film that is constantly blurring the fine line between artifice and reality. Every inch of every frame is filled with surreal imagery, which does a phenomenal job reinforcing the unsettling mood. Also, the image and sound create a fusion that greatly enhances the story that unfolds.

Though the entire cast is great in their roles, the standout performance is Marek Walczewski’s portrayal of Pernat. He delivers a pitch-perfect portrayal of a character trying to navigate through a world inhabited by unhinged characters.

From a production standpoint, Piotr Szulkin's Golem is a film that delivers and then some. Several layers of subtext and many moving parts make up this film, requiring multiple viewings. The production design is exquisite; Piotr Szulkin creates a world that is tangible and, at the same time, nightmarish. Ultimately, Golem is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking, Piotr Szulkin’s masterpiece.

The War of the Worlds: Next Century: Three days before the dawn of a new millennium, Martians land on Earth.

The War of the Worlds: Next Century is an imaginative reimagining of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. The narrative revolves around a protagonist named Iron Idem, a news reporter who tries to expose the truth behind the Martians. He holds principles firmly, but as the narrative unfolds, they gradually take away the things he values for defying the status quo.

Just like Orson Welles did with his radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds, Piotr Szulkin uses the modern medium of television to showcase how misinformation can spread like wildfire. From its opening setup, The War of the Worlds: Next Century is a biting social commentary on the role that propaganda plays in the news industry. Though the protagonist projects himself as someone free of restraints, it quickly becomes clear that those behind the scenes pull the strings. The people he works for manipulate him in a way that reflects how they treat the public they are supposed to inform. That said, the exportation of propaganda from the news is more relevant than ever.

Though there is really only one character, Iron Idem, with substantial screen time, when it comes to the performances, no matter how small the role, the entire cast is excellent. That said, Roman Wilhelmi’s nuanced portrayal of Iron Idem shines the brightest. It is through the eyes of his character that the story unfolds, and from the moment we meet his character until his moment of truth, he delivers a pitch-perfect performance.

From a production standpoint, it is mind-blowing what Piotr Szulkin is able to deliver considering the resources he had to work with. Nowhere is it clearer than when it comes to the Retrofuturism set and costume design. Another area where The War of the Worlds: Next Century excels is its stylish cinematography, which heightens the mood. That said, one of the most visually stunning moments is a home invasion sequence where the police cut through the protagonist's door with chainsaws. Ultimately, The War of the Worlds: Next Century is an extraordinary critic of the dangers of authoritarianism.

O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization: The survivors of a nuclear war live in an underground bunker, waiting for a fabled Ark to come and rescue them from their misery.

O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization is a claustrophobic post-apocalyptic film that pushes minimalism to the extreme. The basic narrative revolves around a protagonist named Soft, who keeps other survivors' hopes alive by talking about a mythical Ark. Most of the characters that he interacts with have accepted their fate; they aimlessly wander throughout the underground bunker. Characters embrace their enslavement and the decaying bunker, symbolizing the crumbling Soviet Union.

Though it has the core elements that are synonyms with post-apocalyptic cinema, O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization is a film that is in a class all of its own. Also, it is a film overflowing with social commentary and symbolism. At its core, O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization is an allegory about the human condition.

When it comes to the performances, the entire cast is great in their roles, especially Jerzy Stuhr’s portrayal of Soft. He delivers a phenomenal performance of a man given the task of creating hope for a society on the brink of extinction. Another strength of the performances is how well-defined the characters are.

From a production standpoint, O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization is a film that exceeds the sum of its parts. The narrative does a great job building momentum, and a driving score reinforces the immediacy of the events that unfold. Again, the set design is impeccable; it is a mix of modern and future aesthetics. Also, the visuals do an amazing job of heightening the mood. The most striking moment visually is a scene where a character reveals to Soft two women he has frozen to preserve them for the fabled Ark. Ultimately, O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization is a thought-provoking post-apocalyptic film whose haunting finale images will linger in your mind.

Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes: In the 21st century, prisoners are sent to explore unfamiliar worlds.

Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes is a science fiction film laced with dark humor and an abundance of absurd moments. The narrative revolves around a reluctant hero named Scope, a prisoner sent on a mission to explore undiscovered planets. Though he is expecting the planet to be unlike anything he has ever seen, it actually resembles Earth. Upon his arrival, the inhabitants of this planet greet him as a hero. Has he discovered a utopia, or is something sinister awaiting him?

Though the look and feel of Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes mirrors that of Piotr Szulkin’s other films, it is hard not to see how much his style resembles Terry Gilliam’s, notably Brazil. Piotr Szulkin, like Terry Gilliam, works wonders with limited resources. Nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the set and costume design, which are a mixture of modern and futuristic elements.

The cast is all outstanding in their roles, and their performances verge into over-the-top territory. That said, Daniel Olbrychski, in the role of scope, is the only grounded character in a world of outlandish characters. He delivers a performance that perfectly complements the operatic performances of the rest of the cast.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes does not deliver, and then some. Its briskly paced narrative is a steady mix of subversive humor and the bizarre. Once again, Piotr Szulkin creates visually arresting moments that heighten the mood. Ultimately, Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes is a highly entertaining sci-fi/comedy hybrid that fans of dystopian black comedies should thoroughly enjoy.

Piotr Szulkin's Apocalypse Tetralogy is an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome; each film gets a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer