Viva la muerte: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France/Tunisia, 1971
Director: Fernando Arrabal
Writers: Fernando Arrabal, Fernando Arrabal, Claudine Lagrive
Cast: Anouk Ferjac, Núria Espert, Mahdi Chaouch, Ivan Henriques, Jazia Klibi, Suzanne Comte, Jean-Louis Chassigneux, Mohamed Bellasoued, Victor Garcia, Fernando Arrabal

Release Date: August 26th, 2024 (UK), September 10th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"As the Spanish Civil War draws to a close, Fando, a young boy, is tormented by violently conflicting feelings towards his mother, who he suspects may have had a role in his father’s capture by fascists; feelings that manifest themselves as a nightmare onslaught of terrifying and bizarre imagery." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Viva la Muerte! was scanned and restored in 4K by the Cinémathèque de Toulouse from the original 35mm camera negative, the 35mm French sound negative and a 35mm interpositive which includes the end credits, which were missing from the negative. The digitization and restoration of the image were carried out by the Cinémathèque de Toulouse laboratory in collaboration with Fernando Arrabal. The digitisation and restoration of the sound were carried out by the L.E. Diapason Studio. The restoration was made possible thanks to the unfailing support of Fernando Arrabal, the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Mohamed Challouf (Association Ciné-Sud Patrimoine) and Mr Samir Zgaya (Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs).

The film was delivered to Radiance Films as a High-Definition video file, and is presented in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio with the original mono audio mix."

Viva la muerte comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 26 GB

Though the source looks excellent most of the time, when it comes to the surreal moments, there is a dip in quality. That said, even with these source limitations, this is easily the best this film has ever looked on home media. Colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. Though most of the dialog is in French, these languages are also spoken: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Filipino, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Berber. The audio is in great shape; its sounds are clean, clear, and balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (17 images - stills), a trailer (1 minute 15 seconds, LPCM mono French with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with scholar and Spanish cinema expect David Archibald (20 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a short documentary titled In the Footsteps of Baal, directed by Abdellatif Ben Ammar in which the filmmaker followed Arrabal’s film and captured him at work on Viva la Muerte! (19 minutes 25 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), Vidarrabal - an archival feature-length documentary on Arrabal by Xavier Pasturel Barron capturing the life and work of this singular filmmaker, playwright, painter and essayist, featuring interviews with admirers, friends and family, including members of the Panic Movement he founded (99 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an audio discussion from the Project Booth podcast featuring Mike White, Heather Drain and Jess Byard (66 minutes 6 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 36-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, ”The Future of the Cinema Belongs to Poets”: An Interview with Fernando Arrabal conducted by Peter Brunette and Gerald Peary, an essay titled The Surreal and the Violent: The Unique Construction of Fernando Arrabal’s “Panic Theatre” written by Sabina Stent, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Fernando Arrabal, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Roland Topor founded "Panic Movement" as a live theater group in 1962.The "Panic Movement" theater group and the Spanish Civil War are the two things that are key to Fernando Arrabal’s cinematic output.The Spanish army executed Fernando Arrabal's father for his insubordination, an event that has inspired many of his films. Throughout his films, Fernando Arrabal takes the medium of cinema to its extreme with his use of experimentation, juxtaposition of conflicting images, and imagery overflowing with religious symbolism.

During Spain's civil war, a Spanish army arrested Fando's father for treason, and his classmates taunted and bullied him because of it. A letter reveals that Fando's mother was involved in his father's arrest, causing further chaos in his world. Fando refuses to believe that his father is dead, and he ultimately goes on a trip in search of the truth.

The fascist government won the war and is a central element in the story, but the protagonist's mother symbolizes oppression. Francisco Franco's fascist regime ruled Spain for 49 years and is implicitly referenced in Viva la muerte by Fernando Arrabal. And when it comes to Fernando Arrabal’s deception of the government, which rules by force, it's always rooted in brutality.

Besides the protagonist's oedipal relationship with his mother, he also has an unhealthy fascination with his aunt. He fantasizes about his aunt while he watches her through a keyhole, and in another moment, he whips her naked back. That said, other themes explored in Viva la muerte are voyeurism, desire, and loss of innocence.

Viva la muerte is not a film that one watches because of its performances; it’s a visual experience in which Fernando Arrabal assaults the senses with grotesque imagery overflowing with sadism. Besides numerous moments where animals are slaughtered onscreen, there are many moments where humans suffer unfounding brutality, like a buried man whose head is trampled by horses and a priest whose balls are cut off and fed to him. That said, anyone looking for a straightforward narrative with an easily digestible story should look elsewhere. Ultimately, Viva la muerte is arguably cinema’s most ambitious directorial debut; it is a challenging cinematic experience that’s devoid of commercialism and sure to confound most viewers.

Viva la Muerte gets a definitive release from Radiance Films, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer