Sirius: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 1942
Director: Dezsõ Ákos Hamza
Writers: Imre Földes, Ferenc Herczeg, Péter Rákóczi
Cast: Elemér Baló, Ilona Bánhidy, Géza Berczy, Jenö Bodnár, Endre C. Turáni, Jenö Danis,Sári Déry, Dóra Fáy Kiss

Release Date: November 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"In the 1940s, a brash Hungarian playboy (László Szilassy) travels back two hundred years with a mad scientist to the mid-18th century world of wigs and pompadours, where he falls in love with a penniless opera singer (Katalin Karády) and makes enemies of all the aristocratic fools he encounters (including his own great-grandfather). But can he make it back to the present before dawn with his new love—or will he lose her forever?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "beautifully restored from the original 35mm B&W nitrate negative by the NFI, and released for the first time on Blu-ray in the U.S. by Deaf Crocodile."

Sirius comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33 GB

Feature: 27.7 GB

The source looks excellent, free of debris or other imperfections. Flesh tones look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. Fidelity In Motion delivers another exemplary encode.

Audio: 4.5/5

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

Extras:

Extras for this release include a newly created trailer (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles), Sirius Werkfilm—ultra-rare behind-the-scenes footage of Sirius during production that was shot by a 19-year-old studio trainee and shows the director and lead actors setting up for filming (2 minutes 27 seconds, silent footage), a video essay by journalist and physical media expert Ryan Verrill and film professor Dr. Will Dodson of Someone’s Favorite Productions titled Vissza a Jovobe: Hungary at a Tipping Point (20 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Hungarian film clips), an interview with György Ráduly, director of the National Film Institute (NFI) – Film Archive on the making and preservation of Sirius, moderated by Dennis Bartok (18 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with hall of fame comics artist, film historian, and author Stephen R. Bissette.

Summary:

A professor offers his wealth and his daughter's hand in marriage to any man willing to travel with him in his time machine.

Time travel is a device used countless times in cinemas, and while each film has offered its own interpretation, the main constant is how one's actions in the past alter the future. The protagonist, navigating the past using time travel, always wants to alter history. Despite its use of time travel, Sirius best fits the description of a melodrama with limited sci-fi elements.

The opening up does a superb job drawing you in, and from there the narrative creates an engaging story that always holds your attention. Although there is a predictability to the events that unfold, everything builds effectively to a very satisfying finale. Another strength of the narrative is its ability to create dramatic moments that build upon each other.

The protagonist, a count named Tibor Ákos, is a brash character whose refusal to conform to rituals and etiquette puts him at odds with those from the past that he encounters. Rosina Beppo, a singer, is the only person who's not averse to his demeanor. She has become fond of him despite only knowing him briefly. Rosina is also a doppelganger of the professor's daughter. That said, the performances all suit the story that unfolds.

Sirius is a film that delights and exceeds the sum of its parts, notably when it comes to its exemplary production design. Although the visuals let the performances take center stage, that is not to say that they don’t greatly contribute to reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Sirius is a well-crafted romantic costume drama that effectively employs time travel.

Sirius gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras; highly recommended. 

Note: There is a deluxe release of Sirius that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film historian Rolf Giesen and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

Written by Michael Den Boer