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Uncut US Blu-ray |
Compared are the US VHS of Something Weird Video with the US Blu-ray of American Arcana.
In Vietnam, soldier Joe Salkow was traumatized by a horrific event. He witnessed a young woman being abused and raped by two Vietnamese men. When the two men let go of her, they were blown up by a mine. After the war, Joe developed an abnormal fetish. He ambushes couples to watch them have sex before blowing them up with dynamite. The Ravager is a cheaply cranked down (s)exploitation tearjerker with the bizarre idea of an ex-soldier satisfying his urges with dynamite. In addition, there are plenty of nude scenes, a handful of explosions and more or less bad acting. Pierre Agostino as a traumatized soldier with a penchant for dynamite is delightfully weird. A small gem to be discovered, provided you have a soft spot for cheap trash cinema. Small differences between VHS and Blu-rayThe Ravager was first released by Something Weird Video in the USA on VHS. A heavily used theatrical print served as the image master, with smudges and jump cuts appearing throughout the film. As usual, "SWV" was burned into the image at the lower right edge of the frame. This was later followed by a DVD-R release that could be obtained directly from Something Weird Video. On June 14, 2022 (earlier in direct sales), a Blu-ray of The Ravager was finally released along with The Bushwhacker from American Arcana, a sub-label of Mondo Macabro. It was again based on the exact same theatrical print that was used for the VHS, as smudges and other damages of the images are identical. There are a few minor differences between the VHS and Blu-ray. In two places the VHS is a little longer, unfortunately losing an entire shot in the Blu-ray, while the Blu-ray in turn adds a second to each of two reel changes. Ultimately, however, these differences are inconsequential, as there are plenty of tears running through the film anyway. Due to the better picture quality, I advise buying the Blu-ray, which offers the best grindhouse experience. Running times: US VHS: 73:30 min. [00:03:02][00:03:03]
The VHS cuts to Joe one more time before the Viet Cong jumps on the naked woman.
VHS: 3 sec [00:17:18][00:17:21] The couple of lovers in the car can be seen for a longer time on the VHS.
VHS: 2 sec [00:35:04][00:35:10] This time on the Blu-ray Joe is seen earlier as he prepares the dynamite for the two lesbians.
BD: 1 sec [00:54:58][00:55:03] Before the burning car in the desert is seen, the Blu-ray shows Joe longer.
BD: 1 sec |
