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Pieces
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Grindhouse Releasing Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (14th March 2016). |
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The Film
 One of the greatest theatrical experiences I have had was catching a revival screening of “Pieces” (1982, a.k.a. “Mil Gritos Tiene La Noche”) - on a double bill with “Torso” (1973) - at Los Angeles’ New Beverly Cinema several years ago. Few films play as well to a bloodthirsty, cheese-hungry, nudity-loving crowd. Right from the opening frames, the audience was lapping up every bit of oozing excess, the unbridled violence and sexuality positively dripping off the screen. What makes “Pieces” such an irresistibly entertaining film is the complete lack of subtext or pretense; there is zero subtlety. The infamous tagline “It’s exactly what you think it is!” - along with the image of an oversized chainsaw looming above a woman lying prone on the floor - implies viewers are in for 80-ish minutes of dismemberment and nudity – and that is exactly what they get. Whether director Juan Piquer Simón’s film was done as a pastiche of the still-hot trend of slasher fare or he truly was playing it straight (I suspect the latter), there is no doubt this is exploitative cinema done right. Boston, 1942. A mother catches her young son, Timmy (Alejandro Hernández), putting together a puzzle of a nude woman and completely loses her sh*t, verbally taking his head off before the kid, now armed with an axe, literally takes off mom’s head. The cops arrive and find the youngster bloodied, hiding in the closet, and assume he managed to evade the killer. Cut to 40 years later, little Timmy is all grown up and continuing his murderous ways on a New England college campus. His first victim – who survived a totally random head-on collision with a giant mirror hours earlier – is decapitated while studying in a secluded, grassy area. The cops, led by Lt. Bracken (Christopher George), come to investigate the killing. The Dean (Edmund Purdom) informs them there were no witnesses to the crime… and that the girl’s head is missing. Nearby, Willard (Paul Smith), a brick sh*thouse of a man who looks about as guilty as they come, is tending to the school grounds with – you guessed it – a chainsaw. Herrings don’t get any redder. Later that night, another girl is killed, this time in the gym swimming pool. And again, she’s hacked up with a chainsaw. When her would-be lover, Kendall (Ian Sera), arrives on the scene he finds her chopped up body, minus one torso. He also sees Willard, who is standing awfully close to that big, bloody chainsaw. The cops show up very quickly and Willard calmly explains he did nothing wrong. Just kidding. Instead, like any rational innocent man, Willard goes on a minor rampage, punching cops left and right before surrendering once a gun is held to his head. But he swears he had nothing to do with the crime. Turns out he wasn’t lying because the murders continue, with one girl losing her arms in an elevator, another getting exceptionally wet when the killer slices her up on a waterbed, while yet another nubile co-ed gets bisected in the showers. Mary (Lynda Day George), a former tennis player turned cop, is sent to the campus to go undercover and investigate. She works with Kendall and together their detective work leads them to believe the killer may be a member of the school’s faculty due to a clear knowledge of police whereabouts and activity. Furthermore, they manage to figure out the purpose of the missing body parts: the killer is making his own personal human jigsaw puzzle. “Pieces”, in all its uncut glory, is a wonder to behold. Piquer Simón managed to get some dependable character actors in his cast, allowing them to balance out the weaker thesps in the production. Christopher George is a leathery-tough, old-school workhorse who looks like he has a steak & scotch for every meal. He brings the gravitas. Lynda Day George, his real-life wife, isn’t just a pretty face (and more) but she’s got some chops, too. For my money, though, I can’t get enough of Paul Smith, who made a career out of playing some of the most bastard-y bastards to ever grace the screen. Speaking of bastards… Truthfully, no review can prepare first-time viewers for the insanity that is “Pieces”. It’s a film that lives up to all the hype and then some, filling every moment with some form of depravity that will stick with you long after the credits have rolled. And while the film does work best when you’re in an aging revival theater, surrounded by throngs of deviants high on any number of substances who are chewing up every scrap of inhumanity Piquer Simón’s film puts on the screen, it is no less a satisfactory experience sitting in the comfort of your own home. Grindhouse Releasing’s new Blu-ray edition includes two cuts of the film: “Pieces”, the American release that runs for 83 minutes, and “Mil Gritos Tiene La Noche”, the director’s uncensored cut that runs for 86 minutes. Now, you’d think longer = better but that isn’t quite the case here. The differences are significant: “Pieces” is English dubbed (a big part of its campy charm) and features a soundtrack culled from notable Italian composers works for other films, while Piquer Simón’s cut is in Spanish (which makes the film seem a bit too serious) and has a proper score done by Librado Pastor. Longtime fans may want to watch Piquer Simón’s cut as a curiosity, but first timers should absolutely see the U.S. release first.
Video
There are a small handful of companies that can always be counted on to deliver the goods when a Blu-ray is forthcoming: Synapse, Blue Underground (usually), Criterion and Grindhouse. To say the 4K restoration of the film’s 1.66:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image is a revelation would be a big understatement. Major catalog titles from big studios don’t get this kind of love, which is frankly pretty sad. Clarity is astonishing with film grain appearing as a fine sheen over the pristine image, which is devoid of damage, dirt and debris. Colors are bold and accurate, with reds – surprise, surprise – being a dominant standout hue. Black levels are pitch and perfect, with nary a sign of fading or looking anemic. There are some shots that appear a bit soft or lacking focus, but these are issues inherent to the source, i.e. not Grindhouse’s doing. Visually, this is a revelation that should please even the most hardened videophile.
Audio
There are many options from which to choose here, though half of them are technically bonus features. The real choices here are English and Spanish 2.0 mono, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio, and the selection you make will be entirely dependent on which cut you’re watching. The English dub sounds fantastic. Dialogue has impeccable clarity and is well balanced in the mix. The film’s score, a mélange of work from composers such as Stelvio Cipriani and Carlo Maria Cordio, enjoys top-notch fidelity while adding heaps of atmosphere to the picture. Cipriani’s score for “Un’Ombra Nell’Ombra (1979, a.k.a. “Ring of Darkness”), one that I consider to be among his best works, is re-appropriated for use here and it’s an audible treat for film score nerds who champion Italian composers. Subtitles are available in English.
Extras
If Grindhouse is putting out a special edition – something they do sporadically – you had better believe it is going to be damn special. “Pieces” is packed, sporting an audio commentary, alternate audio tracks, theatrical trailers, still galleries, biographies, interviews, a documentary and more. So much more. DISC ONE: BLU-RAY Star Jack Taylor (who played Prof. Brown) is on hand for an audio commentary that goes wildly off course to its own benefit. Taylor doesn’t have a ton to say about his role in the film, though he does provide many anecdotes from his time on set, leaving him to fill in the gaps with life stories, film memories and so forth. “Music Re-Score by Umberto” music only track plays the film with synth recording artist Umberto’s album “Night Has a Thousand Screams” taking over the audio track. I’m a big fan of Umberto, and this is one of his better albums, but this feature is the sort of thing I’d put on during a party and leave playing; can’t say sitting down and watching the film with it engaged is ideal. Similarly, the “Vine Theater Experience” plays the film with the audience audio track as heard during a screening of the film that took place at the Vine Theater on August 23rd, 2002. The track is echo-y and poorly mixed, making this a curiosity more than a necessity. Want to hear “Pieces” with a raucous crowd? Make it out to a screening near you, if you can find one. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 32 seconds. Several still galleries (1080p) are included: - “Production Stills” features 20 images. - “Publicity Materials” features 22 images. - “Video Releases” features 39 images. - “Bits and Pieces” features 60 images. - “Juan Piquer Simón’s Still Show” (1080i) runs for 7 minutes and 58 seconds. DISC TWO: BLU-RAY A section innocently labeled Interviews contains some lengthy, worthwhile pieces: - “Steve Minasian (Producer)” runs for 2 minutes and 59 seconds, this is an audio-only clip with the producer discussing how the filmmakers got screwed out of some big money on the picture. - “Paul Smith – The Reddest Herring” (SD) runs for 57 minutes and 46 seconds, the legendary antagonist was interviewed in Israel circa 2007, recounting his career that includes his work on “Pieces”. - “Juan Piquer – Pieces of Juan” (SD) runs for 55 minutes and 25 seconds. Similarly, this covers the director’s career and legacy, with much talk devoted to “Pieces”. Bios and filmographies features text-only information on: - Director Juan Piquer Simón. - Screenwriter Dick Randall. - Producer Steve Minasian. - Actor Christopher George. - Actress Lynda Day George. - Actor Edmund Purdom. - Actor Paul Smith. “42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Block” (1080p) is a documentary that runs for 81 minutes and 47 seconds. Would you like to know everything – and I mean every-damn-thing – about the infamous New York City bastion of cinema? Watch this. I cannot stress enough how awesome of a bonus feature this is and how badly everyone who cherishes horror/exploitation/sleaze cinema needs to watch it. This doc is so good it could have received its own release; to have it here as a bonus feature is blissful. A couple dozen “Grindhouse Releasing” promotional bonus trailers are included, covering every title they have released thus far: - "Corruption" which runs for 2 minutes 6 seconds. - "I Drink Your Blood/I Eat Your Skin" which runs for 2 minutes 49 seconds. - "The Beyond" which runs for 3 minutes 26 seconds. - "Cat in the Brain" which runs for 1 minute 58 seconds. - "Cannibal Holocaust" which runs for 1 minute 25 seconds. - "Cannibal Ferox" which runs for 2 minutes 45 seconds. - "Massacre Mafia Style" which runs for 2 minutes 18 seconds. - "Gone with the Pope" which runs for 2 minutes. - "The Tough Ones" which runs for 3 minutes 30 seconds. - "The Swimmer" which runs for 2 minutes 43 seconds. - "The Big Gundown" which runs for 2 minutes 14 seconds. - "Ice House" which runs for 1 minutes 39 seconds. - "Scum of the Earth" which runs for 2 minutes 13 seconds. - "An American Hippie in Israel" which runs for 3 minutes 2 seconds. - "Pieces" (Re-release) which runs for 37 seconds. There is also a text page with production credits for this release. DISC THREE: CD But wait! There’s more… Every copy also includes a CD of the film’s soundtrack, featuring 16 tracks, housed inside a perfectly tasteless cardboard sleeve. Music by Stelvio Cipriani, Carlo Maria Cordio, & Fabio Frizzi), the track listing is: 1. 'A Strange Symbol' 2. 'Un'Ombra Nell'Ombra' 3. 'Death Watch' 4. 'Up Country' 5. 'Death Watch' (Alternate 1) 6. 'Cocktail Molotov' 7. 'Rosso Sangue' (M29) 8. 'I Love Blondes' 9. 'Rosso Sangue' (M21) 10. 'Carlotta and "The Professor' 11. 'Rosso Sangue' (M31) 12. 'Rosso Sangue' (M15) 13. 'Rosso Sangue' (M20) 14. 'Death Watch' (Alternate 2) 15. 'Un'Ombra Nell'Ombra' (Alternate Versions) And, if you act now, the first 3000 copies also contain a replica of the puzzle seen during the opening, complete with fake bloodstains!
Packaging
The three-disc set comes housed in a clear Blu-ray keep case, with the two blu-ray discs housed in hubs overlapping each other, the CD is packed in a cardboard sleeve. Inside the case are the puzzle and a booklet, featuring essays by Rick Sullivan and Chas Balun. The keep case slides into a side loading slip-cover, which has some awesome new artwork and glossy, embossed lettering. Very sexy.
Overall
Grindhouse does it again, delivering one of the best horror releases of 2016. Fans of the film will be immensely satisfied, while newbies will get to experience one of horror’s most notorious cult classics in glorious hi-def.
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