I Married A Strange Person!: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1997
Director: Bill Plympton
Writers: Bill Plympton, P.C. Vey
Cast: Charis Michelsen, Tom Larson, Richard Spore, Chris Cooke, Ruth Ray, J.B. Adams, John Russo Jr., Jen Senko, John Holderried, Etta Valeska, Bill Martone, Tony Rossi

Release Date: June 10th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 72 Minutes 21 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"two birds mating in midflight ("Ah, good taste, what a dreadful thing!" as the film cheekily quotes Picasso). The birdy love accidentally leads to a beam of misdirected TV satellite energy erupting a telekinetic boil on the neck of newlywed Grant (voiced by Tom Larson), which causes havoc in his marriage to his darling wife Keri (voiced by Charis Michelsen)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

I Married A Strange Person! comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.9 GB

Feature: 18.7 GB

Fidelity In Motion delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include two short films animated and directed by Bill Plympton; Guide Dog (5 minutes 46 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and The Loneliest Stoplight (6 minutes 18 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Bill Plympton about the making of I Married A Strange Person!, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (43 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary track with animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock and longtime Plympton collaborator John Holderried of Plymptoons Studio, and an insert with a URL that has PDF's for Bill Plympton interview and the audio commentary.

Summary:

Bill Plympton directed I Married A Strange Person! He’s known for The Tune, Mutant Aliens, and Idiots and Angels.

A man who is hit by a mysterious energy that gives him the power to alter objects and reality.

In the opening moments, two birds collide while mating, then nosedive into an antenna that shoots a beam at the protagonist. Shortly after, it becomes apparent that something is amiss when he attempts to make love to his wife. That said, this opening setup does a phenomenal job setting the tone for what follows.

I Married A Strange Person! is a film where anything can happen, and there are no limits when it comes to imagination. Characters shapeshift as the protagonist thinks of something, and then it happens. The humor is rooted in the absurd; in one moment a man is attacked by a leaf riding a lawnmower, and in another balloon animals have sex. The humor, characterized by sight gags and clever jokes, consistently delivers laughs.

The voice acting is pitch-perfect; you can feel the actors' enthusiasm. Interestingly, aside from the end credits, the voice actors' faces are shown, and their characters are all facsimiles of what they look like.

I Married A Strange Person! is an adult-themed cartoon where sex is at the forefront; it is on every character's mind. The sex scenes often defy reality, and in many instances characters morph into each other while having sex. There is an abundance of carnage that is presented in outlandish ways that rival the sex scenes.

I Married A Strange Person! is a narrative of two halves; in the first half, the protagonist gets his new powers and explores them in a family setting, while in the latter half, the protagonist battles an army hired by an evil TV executive who wants his powers. Although the first half is more enjoyable, the latter half features several standout moments. The narrative as a whole is well-crafted, and it does a phenomenal job maintaining momentum. Ultimately, I Married A Strange Person! is a highly entertaining comedy that is overflowing with creativity and subversive humor.

I Married A Strange Person! gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, two bonus short films, and insightful extras; highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of I Married A Strange Person! that comes in a slipcase, and a 60-page booklet with introductions by: Patton Oswalt, producer/writer Chris Miller (THE LEGO MOVIE), and animation historian Jerry Beck, an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central), and an essay by animation historian David B. Levy.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Cathedral of New Emotions: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Germany, 2006
Director: Helmut Herbst
Writers: Helmut Herbst, Klaus Wyborny

Release Date: June 10th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 60 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 German
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"a commune of Berlin stoners and intellectuals who get set adrift in space in 1972 in a packing container clutched in a giant flying hand." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

The Cathedral of New Emotions comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.6 GB

Feature: 16.9 GB

Fidelity In Motion delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in German with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include director Helmut Herbst’s animated sci-fi short with characters that would be more fully explored in The Cathedral of New Emotions titled Container Interstellar (7 minutes 20 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, LPCM stereo German with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary titled Werkinterview Filmkunst: Helmut Herbst, featuring interviews with Herbst and clips from his acclaimed experimental films (26 minutes 7 seconds, LPCM stereo German with removable English subtitles), a video essay by experimental filmmaker and film scholar Stephen Broomer (18 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Rolf Giesen, and an insert with a URL that has a PDF for the video essay.

Summary:

The Cathedral of New Emotions was directed by Helmut Herbst, a filmmaker whose films were influenced by the Dada avant-garde art movement in the early 20th century. The Cathedral of New Emotions is an adaptation of Helmut Herbst’s 1974 live-action film The Fantastic World of Matthew Madson.

An amnesiac navigates a spaceship shaped like a packing container, clutching a giant flying hand.

The Cathedral of New Emotions narrative is best described as a series of bizarre events. The spaceship is filled with stoners and intellectuals who all speak in robot-sounding, indistinguishable voices. The events that unfold lack a linear structure, as they disregard the concepts of time and space. At 60 minutes in length, the narrative feels longer than it is.

The Cathedral of New Emotions is overflowing with symbolism and subversive content; it is a collage of surrealism that resembles an acid trip. Though there is an abundance of dialog, it is the images that drive the narrative. Ultimately, The Cathedral of New Emotions is a truly one-of-a-kind cinema experience.

The Cathedral of New Emotions gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, a bonus short films, and insightful extras.

Note: There is a deluxe release of The Cathedral of New Emotions that comes in a slipcase, and a 60-page booklet with an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central), and an essay by film programmer Alexander McDonald.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Railroad Man: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1956
Director: Pietro Germi
Writers: Pietro Germi, Alfredo Giannetti, Luciano Vincenzoni
Cast: Pietro Germi, Luisa Della Noce, Sylva Koscina, Saro Urzì, Carlo Giuffrè, Renato Speziali, Edoardo Nevola, Antonio Acqua

Release Date: May 26th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 115 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"Living modestly with his wife Sara (Luisa Della Noce), Andrea Marcocci’s life is thrown into turmoil when he witnesses a suicide on the tracks ahead of him. Tenderly narrated from the perspective of his young son Sandro (Edoardo Nevola), the incident has repercussions on Andrea and his extended family - including his unemployed son Marcello (Renato Speziali) and pregnant daughter Giulia (Sylva Koscina) - who he is expected to support." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The Railroad Man was scanned in 4K and restored at Cineteca di Bologna in Italy. The film was supplied to Radiance Films in a 4K file and is presented in the original aspect ratio."

The Railroad Man comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 33.8 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; there are no issues with hiss or distortion. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds and the score are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with actor Edoardo Nevola (23 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti (29 minutes 7 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 28-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled Pater Familias written by John Bleasdale, archival writing on Alfredo Giannetti by Simone Starace, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Pietro Germi directed The Railroad Man. He’s known for Man of Straw, The Facts of Murder, Divorce Italian Style, and Seduced and Abandoned. Besides directing, he also acts and co-authors many of his films' screenplays.

A man’s life is turned upside down after witnessing a man throw himself in front of his train. Although it is not his fault, he feels responsible for not being able to stop the train in time. At home, his family faces several crises: his irresponsible son has accrued a significant debt to some men, and he is pressuring his daughter to marry the man who got her pregnant. Knowing nothing but the railroad and desperately wanting to regain his old job, he crosses the line when his former co-workers go on strike. His friends turn their backs on him for working as a scab, and this shame only drives him deeper into an alcoholic abyss.

The Railroad Man is a melodrama that has a lot of moving parts. Although the father character, Andrea Marcocci, serves as the focal point of much of the story, the true protagonist is his young son Sandro. Sandro provides voice-over narration that adds depth to the visuals on screen. Andrea is a family man who wants what's best for his family, and he works hard to provide for them. Besides the aforementioned traumatic event at work, most of the conflict in Andrea’s life comes from his two oldest children, Marcello and Giulia. Even in the midst of the turmoil, Andrea’s youngest son, Sandro, never wavers in his admiration for his father.

An underlying theme is fate and how life can change in just a moment, such as when Andrea stays too long at a bar drinking on Christmas. The next day, when he is sober, he blames himself for his daughter's miscarriage. The screenplay is so well written, and each character is given equal time. Marcello Marcocci is the lazy son who never works and who owes some shady people on the side some money. Marcello is an excellent character whose real demon is not his unwillingness to work but his fear of becoming his father. Sara is the faithful wife who never wavers in her love for Andrea. Giulia is the daughter who is in a loveless marriage and is having an affair with another man. The least developed character is the youngest son, Sandro, who in many ways is the person telling the story since most of the film is seen through his eyes or told through his narration.

All around, the cast are outstanding, especially Pietro Germi’s portrayal of Andrea. He delivers a subtle performance that is never overdramatic, further helping make the character sympathetic despite his plight. Other performances of note are Luisa Della Noce (Juliet of the Spirits), who portrays Andrea’s wife Sara; you can feel her pain as she tries to keep her family together, and Edoardo Nevola (The Teacher and the Miracle), who delivers a phenomenal performance beyond his years in the role of Sandro. Notable cast members include Sylva Koscina (Hercules) in the role of Giulia and Saro Urzì, a frequent collaborator of Pietro Germi who portrays Gigi, Andrea’s co-worker and best friend.

The Railroad Man is a beautifully photographed film that cleverly balances tragedy and social commentary. Its well-executed narrative does a superb job holding your attention and building momentum to a bittersweet finale that accentuates the events that preceded it. Another area where The Railroad Man excels is Carlo Rustichelli’s score, which does an exceptional job reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, The Railroad Man is an extraordinary melodrama in which everything perfectly falls into place, making it Pietro Germi’s masterpiece.

The Railroad Man gets an excellent release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

A Better Place: Director's Cut – Smodcastle Cinema (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1997
Director: Vincent Pereira
Writer: Vincent Pereira
Cast: Eion Bailey, Robert DiPatri, Joseph Cassese, Carmen Llywelyn, Brian Lynch, Bryan Sproat, Molly Castelloe, Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee

Release Date: May 27th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.50:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Barret Michaelson (Robert DiPatri) is having a bad first day at his new high school - he is badgered, ridiculed, and nearly beaten up. He finds an unlikely ally in local loner Ryan Walker (Eion Bailey, Almost Famous, Fight Club), an intelligent but misanthropic youth with a dark family past. A friendship quickly develops, but Barret begins to worry as Ryan's philosophical ranting turns increasingly violent. When Barret does the unthinkable and makes peace with the local teenagers Ryan so despises, Ryan loses all control and attempts to drag Barret down into his world of hatred and destruction and Barret must find a way to escape." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand-new 2K Restoration of a 3K scan of the OCN & first generation print elements, presented in 1080p in its director intended 1.50:1 aspect ratio."

A Better Place comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.4 GB

Feature: 21.6 GB

The source looks excellent; it's been cleaned up and is free of any debris or source imperfections. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, there are no issues with compression, and the image looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in excellent shape; it sounds clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a newly created trailer (1 minute 26 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), outtakes & bloopers (1 minute 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), 8 deleted scenes (1 minute 14 seconds, 3 minutes 13 seconds, 2 minutes 7 seconds, 1 minute 20 seconds, 2 minutes 27 seconds, 3 minutes 21 seconds, 1 minute 42 seconds, 1 minute 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), audio commentary for the deleted scenes with screenwriter and director Vincent Pereira, an introduction by Vincent Pereira (2 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), 3 archival introductions by executive producers Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier (6 minutes 3 seconds, 4 minutes 36 seconds, 4 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a 2001 version of A Better Place (85 minutes 19 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, in standard definition, Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary labeled Vintage 'Goof' Commentary with Vincent Pereira and the cast for the 2001 version of A Better Place, an archival audio commentary with Vincent Pereira, cast and crew members for the director’s cut, reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

A Better Place was written and directed by Vincent Pereira; it was his directorial debut and, to date, his only film.

Two outcasts, scarred by personal tragedy, bond; one of them continues down their path of self-destruction, while the other has healed their wounds.

Though a lot has come to the surface in the 28 years since A Better Place’s initial release, it is a film that perfectly encapsulates unchecked anger in youths. In the latter half of the 1990s, there was an explosion of violent events connected to disturbed teenagers; the Columbine shootings are widely regarded as a turning point. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of finger-pointing since then and a general lack of consensus on why so many youths have uncontrolled rage. That said, A Better Place not only gives a glimpse of what can happen when such rage is left unchecked, it offers the other side of what happens to those who find someone who listens and really hears them.

The narrative revolves around Barrett, a new kid in town whose father's death left him with some unresolved anger issues, and Ryan, an even more disturbed young man who, as a little boy, found his parents' bodies after a murder-suicide. Where Barrett tries to connect with others despite most of them initially being hostile to him, Ryan is a lost soul who has lost his faith in humanity. Despite Barrett’s friendship initially helping Ryan to refocus his rage, another traumatic event finally breaks him.

A criticism that I read online about A Better Place was about the performances, which I feel is unfair since there is a rawness to them that suits the story that unfolds. Another reason why the performances work so well is the dialog, which never feels stagey; it feels like conversations real people would have. That said, as great as all of the performances are, it is the two leads, Eion Bailey and Robert DiPatri, who stand out in the roles of Ryan and Barrett, respectively.

Though A Better Place is a dialogue-heavy film, that is not to say that it does not have visually arresting moments. Besides the aforementioned deaths of Barrett’s dad and Ryan’s parents, there is a scene where a confrontation with an old man leads to his death, and a boy who Ryan earlier humiliated returns the favor by beating him to a pulp. That said, A Better Place saves its most shocking moment for its finale, where Ryan’s rage is unleashed as he embraces what he views as his destiny.

Upon its initial release, A Better Place received a lot of positive praise, notably being nominated for the Golden Starfish Award for Best American Independent Film at the 1997 Hamptons International Film Festival. And yet, unlike other indie films from that era that launched their directors’ careers, it did not ignite Vincent Pereira’s. When one considers its budget, A Better Place is a well-crafted film that excels in every way, and it is a shame Vincent Pereira never directed another film. Ultimately, A Better Place is a gripping melodrama that explores alienation, fatalism, and existentialism.

A Better Place makes its way to Blu-ray via an exceptional release, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Shoot First, Die Later: Limited Edition – Raro Video UK (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1975
Director: Fernando Di Leo
Writers: Fernando Di Leo, Ernesto Gastaldi, Galliano Juso, Nicola Manzari
Cast: Luc Merenda, Richard Conte, Delia Boccardo, Raymond Pellegrin, Gianni Santuccio, Vittorio Caprioli, Salvo Randone

Release Date: May 26th, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 94 Minutes 12 Seconds (Italian Language Version), 94 Minutes 10 Seconds (English Language Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (Italian Language Version), LPCM Mono English (English Language Version)
Subtitles: English (Italian Language Version), English SDH (English Language Version)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"In Shoot First, Die Later, Luc Merenda (Torso) stars as Police Commissioner Domenico Malacarne, a young rising star in the force who is also taking bribes from the mob. A routine complaint comes through to a local station in which a lowly officer, Malacarne's father, takes the statement. Unbeknownst to Malacarne, the complaint implicates someone who the mob wishes to remain hidden, putting Malacarne in a difficult position with his father, who begins to suspect his son isn’t the law-abiding official he was previously so proud of…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "High-Definition digital transfer from the original camera negative."

Shoot First, Die Later comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 32.5 GB

Feature: 26.2 GB

Though this release and Raro’s 2013 release come from the same source, the result is transfers that are like night and day. This release’s transfer is a noticeable improvement over Raro’s 2014 release, which was a VC-1 video transfer. In every area—image clarity, black levels, and compression—this transfer looks better than Raro’s 2013 release.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Italian language track sounds slightly fuller than the English language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a Italian language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 21 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 21 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Fernando Di Leo titled Master of the Game (24 minutes 58 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Luc Merenda titled The Second Round of the Game (21 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film critic Travis Woods, reversible cover art, and a 12-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) with cast & crew information, and an essay titled Life’s a Bitch: The Nihilistic Despair and Moral Clarity of Dl Leo’s Shoot First, Die Later written by Sam Moore.

Summary:

Fernando Di Leo directed Shoot First, Die Later. He’s a filmmaker who is most known for his work in the Poliziotteschi genre. His notable films include To Be Twenty, Slaughter Hotel, and Caliber 9.

A highly respected police commissioner tries to conceal his corruption.

Though Fernando Di Leo worked in various genres, he is most known for his work in the Poliziotteschi, and he is widely regarded as this genre's best director. In Fernando Di Leo’s first three Poliziotteschi films, referred to as the Milieu Trilogy, the focus was on the criminal underworld. However, in Shoot First, Die Later, the police are portrayed as equally corrupt as the criminals. When discussing the cinema of Fernando Di Leo, particularly his work in the Poliziotteschi genre, it is important to highlight composer Luis Bacalov's significant contributions to the overall atmosphere. His score for Shoot First, Die Later stands out as another exemplary example of a mood-enhancing soundtrack.  

With Shoot First, Die Later, Fernando Di Leo creates a compelling morality tale. On one side you have a son who respects his father, and yet he works outside of the lines because he wants more than the meager salary his job provides. Then you have the father who is morally centered, and there is nothing that will make him cross that line. Things come to a head when the son needs his father's help to make some evidence disappear, which leads to a rift between them.

When it comes to the performances, they are outstanding, especially Luc Merenda (The Violent Professionals) in the role of police commissioner Domenico Malacarne. This is one of his strongest performances, as he does a superb job portraying a man living on the edge. Another performance of note is Vittorio Caprioli (To Be Twenty), who portrays Esposito, an old man who unknowingly reports evidence linked to a murder. Other notable cast members include Richard Conte (Tony Arzenta) in a familiar role of a crime boss, Delia Boccardo (Detective Belli), who portrays Domenico’s girlfriend, and Salvo Randone (The Working Class Goes to Heaven), who portrays Domenico’s father.

When it comes to creating gritty action sequences and conveying raw intensity, Fernando di Leo is unparalleled. Shoot First, Die Later, like so many of his Poliziotteschi, opens big with a bloodbath where characters are beaten and excessively shot for encroaching on someone’s territory. The most surprising aspect is how much time is spent on establishing characters and their motivations. While there are numerous carnage-driven set pieces, Shoot First, Die Later features two particularly well-executed car chases. Ultimately, Shoot First, Die Later is an exceptional Poliziotteschi that achieves a perfect balance between the more violent moments and an underlying subtext about abuse of power.

Raro Video UK gives Shoot First, Die Later its best home video release to date, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

For a Few Dollars More: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Spain/West Germany, 1965
Director: Sergio Leone
Writers: Fulvio Morsella, Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone, Sergio Donati, Enzo Dell'Aquila, Fernando Di Leo
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Mara Krupp, Luigi Pistilli, Klaus Kinski, Mario Brega, Rosemary Dexter

Release Date: May 26th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 132 Minutes 15 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono English (Alternate), DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £34.99 (UK)

"In the Old West, two rival bounty killers (Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef) hunt the same target: the psychopathic bandit known as "El Indio" (Gian Maria Volonté). The price on his head is high - but one of the hunters harbors a secret personal vendetta. Forming an uneasy alliance, the pair succeed in infiltrating El Indio's gang... but as greed begets violence, the hunters become the hunted, leading to a final showdown in a circle of death." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's presentation, “For a Few Dollars More (Per qualche dollaro in più) has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The soundtrack is presented in restored original mono Italian and English mono, as well as remixed Italian and English 5.1 audio.

The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope camera negative was scanned and restored in 4K/16-bit resolution at L'immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The film was further restored and color graded in SDR, HDR10 and Dolby Vision at Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The original Italian film and audio materials sourced for this new restoration were made available from Produzioni Europee Associati (P.E.A.). Materials were delivered by the Cineteca di Bologna and L'immagine Ritrovata, Bologna.

Additional English picture and audio materials were made available from Amazon / MGM Studios.

Other reference materials were kindly provided by Jordan Krug.

Principal audio restoration on the original mono tracks was completed by Bad Princess Productions. Additional 5.1 audio restoration work was completed by Þorsteinn Gislason."

For a Few Dollars More comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.7 GB

Feature: 85.2 GB

Like their A Fistful of Dollars release, this is another exemplary transfer from Arrow Video, making it this film’s best release to date. The source looks immaculate; flesh tones look perfect, colors have the right temperature and never look amped up, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. Once again, Fidelity in Motion delivers an exceptional encode.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono English - Alternate), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, an alternate DTS-HD mono mix in English, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Included are removable English SDH.

Here’s information about the two mono audio tracks; “Due to inherent issues with the original sound element we have included two versions of the original mono mix. The first preserves high-frequency detail but features some peaking in louder portions of the soundtrack, which was also presented in the original elements. The second uses ‘Academy Curve roll-off’ to minimize the distortion, but at the expense of some of the high frequencies. Both mono mixes are otherwise identical.”

All the audio tracks are in excellent shape, but the mono track stands out due to its preservation of high-frequency detail. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and Ennio Morricone’s score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras: 

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include A Fistful of Dollars/For a Few Dollars More - Burning at Both Ends double feature - four radio spots (2 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), A Fistful of Dollars/For a Few Dollars More - Burning at Both Ends double feature - two TV spots (1 minute 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), A Fistful of Dollars/For a Few Dollars More - Burning at Both Ends double feature trailer (2 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), 8 radio spots (5 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), International theatrical trailer #1 (3 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), International theatrical trailer #2 (2 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), U.S. theatrical trailer (2 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), UK theatrical teaser (1 minute 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), German theatrical trailer (3 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), German re-release theatrical trailer (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono text in German and English with removable subtitles), an archival audio commentary with film historian and Sergio Leone biographer Sir Christopher Frayling, and an archival audio commentary with film historian and critic Tim Lucas.

Included with this release is a second disc (a Blu-ray), which contains most of the extras. Extras on the Blu-ray disc include four archival image galleries: For a Few Pictures More, Color Stills, On the Set, and Promoting For a Few Dollars More, three alternate credit sequences; German credits (3 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in German, no subtitles), English opening credits (1 minute 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English, no subtitles), and Spanish Credits (3 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in Spanish, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Locations Comparisons: Then and Now (12 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo, music from the film playing in the background), an archival featurette titled The Original American Release Version (5 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette with screenwriter Sergio Donati, producer Alberto Grimaldi, and voice dubber Mickey Knox titled Tre Voci: Three Voices (11 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Clint Eastwood titled Back for More (7 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Sir Christopher Frayling titled A New Standard (20 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Sir Christopher Frayling titled The Frayling Archives: For a Few Dollars More (19 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette on the film's remastering for DVD titled Restoration Italian Style (5 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with filmmaker Alex Cox titled On Location in Almería and Granada (14 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a career-spanning hour-long interview with Sergio Leone, never released in full before, filmed by Large Door Productions in 1983 (65 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a video essay by Lovely Jon titled For Ennio's Dollar Score (27 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Ennio Morricone biographer Alessandro de Rosa titled For a Few Notes More (14 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with singer Edda Dell'Orso titled Timeless Voice (14 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with guitarist Bruno Battisti D'Amario titled Western Strings (6 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with editor Eugenio Alabiso titled Cuts and Rhythm (18 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Giuditta Simi, daughter of set/costume designer Carlo Simi titled Crafting the West (16 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with film historian and critic Fabio Melelli titled A Violent Tale of Vengeance (15 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an interview with filmmaker and Lee Van Cleef biographer Mike Malloy titled No One Shoots at the Colonel (12 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), a chipboard slipcase (limited to the first pressing), a double sided fold out poster (limited to the first pressing), and a 60-page perfect bound book (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Magnificent Stranger written by Priscilla Page, an essay titled Time is on Nobody’s Side written by Glenn Kenny, an essay titled Games Without Frontiers written by Ariel Schudson, an essay titled A Fabric of Substance written by Amy Taylor, and information about the presentation.

The extras for this release are comprehensive; they collect an abundance of archival content and add some new extras.

Summary:

After the success of A Fistful of Dollars, the film's producers would convince Sergio Leone to direct a sequel. For a few dollars more, you would also see Clint Eastwood return as the man with no name. We were a Fistful of Dollars was about an outsider stirring up trouble between two rival clans. A few dollars more would shift its focus to the world of bounty hunters. This time around, Sergio Leone would put together a solid cast of veteran character actors like Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonté, and Klaus Kinski, and with more time and money than he had before, he would craft For a Few Dollars More, what is arguably the best film in The Man With No Name Trilogy.

Clint Eastwood and Gian Maria Volonté are both carried over from A Fistful of Dollars and are essentially playing the same parts, only they are more comfortable in their roles this time. Lee Van Cleef is the new man on the scene, and as Colonel Mortimer, he embodies cool. One scene stands out, where Colonel Mortimer uses Klaus Kinski’s character's hunchback to light a match. Sergio Leone shows substantial growth as a filmmaker. He plays with every Western cliché, even inventing a few new ones as he further develops his style.

For a Few Dollars More's narrative moves at a leisurely pace, even by Sergio Leone’s own standards, with long drawn out scenes and the deliberate movement of characters, with their stylized posturing, adding an aura to the characters. Ennio Morricone also returns, and he not only expands on musical ideas from A Fistful of Dollars, but his score is more avant-garde as he uses twangs and similar punctuation marks at every opportunity. The flashback sequence in which Ennio Morricone uses an organ score, pocket watch, and string effects to accentuate Indio’s madness as he murders Colonel Mortimer’s sister takes the scene to another level, and in the hands of a lesser composer, the impact of the scene might have been lessened.

There is a lot of killing as bullets fly and bodies hit the floor. And yet, through all this carnage, Sergio Leone manages to show very little blood. My favorite scene has to be Indio’s final flashback. Ennio Morricone’s music and Gian Maria Volonté's tragic performance get me every time. Sergio Leone found success with A Fistful of Dollars. This time around, he was more confident he would hit the mother load with For a Few Dollars More, crafting one of the truly great westerns ever made.

For a Few Dollars More gets a phenomenal release from Arrow Video. This film has never looked or sounded better, and there is a wealth of insightful extras. 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 MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer