Comparison between the German DVD by Retrofilm (Unrated) and the American Blu-ray by Gorgon Video (Unrated).

9 differences, including
* 1x additional material for the German DVD with a duration of 217.9 sec (= 3:38 min)
* 8x additional material for the American Blu-ray with a duration of 151.2 sec (= 2:31 min)

A few additional master errors with a duration of less than 0.5 sec each were not listed in the report.

 

The 1978 mockumentary Faces of Death may not have quite the impact in a few of its intense shocking scenes nowadays, but of course it still counts among the most notorious scandalous films of all. Bans in several countries and even word-of-mouth propaganda during VHS times made the title an absolute bestseller with countless copycats and official and unofficial sequels.

In Germany, an "uncut long version" by Retrofilm was released on DVD in 2007. In comparison, the US DVD is somewhat shorter than the German DVD after PAL conversion. In the course of the German Blu-ray premiere on March 31, 2020 (in a 14-minute censored FSK version), we therefore compared this in more detail and conversely can state that another scene is completely missing in America. The gas chamber scene, right in front of the notorious cover motif segment with the electric chair, is withheld there. But at least you can find this scene in the bonus material of the American DVDs and Blu-rays, too.

Allegedly the gas chamber scene was missing in the original theatrical version and was therefore not available when scanning the film elements for the US Blu-ray. But at least in the censored German FSK Blu-ray it was re-inserted into the movie, although probably from a VHS source. Anyway, there is obviously no uncut version here. It remains to be seen how an uncut and unrated Blu-ray in Germany or Austria, which will probably follow later, will be equipped.

Runtimes are ordered as follows: German Retrofilm DVD in PAL / American Blu-ray

The US Blu-ray has a little more black screen at the beginning compared to the Retrofilm-DVD.

+ 4.2 sec

15:04 / 15:47-15:49

On the German DVD you can see here only a few frames of the native sharpening his knife in close-up. The US Blu-ray shows this longer, but in between a white dot appears on the right for two frames. This points to a reel change and probably explains why it fell under the table in the German DVD.

2.6 sec

19:43 / 20:40-20:49

In the segment about the monkey's brain, there are actually two outdoor shots of the area in the Orient where this is supposed to take place, immediately before the first indoor shot of the dancer. The dancer is also seen half a second earlier.

Accordingly, you can hear the intro of the speaker with the location of the dancer. On the German DVD, this existing synchro was superimposed on the dancer's follow-up shot inside.

9,1 sec

31:09 / 32:45-32:52

At the end of the crocodile segment, the Blu-ray shows the man on the boat in an additional shot, then the crocodile much earlier. The Retrofilm-DVD starts with this second shot only shortly before the dive.

6.6 sec

43:39 / 45:54-45:55

Reel change: The Blu-ray at the end of the mortuary scene insignificantly longer.

1.1 sec

43:39-47:17 / 45:55

Instead, the US Blu-ray misses the execution in the gas chamber that actually follows directly afterwards.

Francis talks about the death penalty and which methods of execution have been used over the centuries. After this small historical outline you see pictures of a prison. Francis explains that Gary Gilmore's execution in 1977 was the first execution in 10 years and since then several states have reintroduced the death penalty. Some background on how gas chambers work follows and you can see a dark-skinned prisoner being tied up there. Francis ponders a bit about how this is really the right punishment, but he would have had no chance to get direct comments from the prisoner. Then the gas pours out and Francis thinks that the typical almond smell of cyanide has been noticeable in the anteroom. The prisoner tries to hold his breath for a while, but of course it's no use.

+ 217,9 sec (= 3:39 min)

61:25 / 60:41-60:60:43

Reel change, see white dot on the right side of the picture: Again, the Blu-ray is insignificantly longer at the end of a scene.

2 sec

76:09 / 76:06-76:07

Again a few insignificant frames due to a reel change, in which the US-Blu-ray also uses black fading.

0.7 sec

90:57 / 91:34-91:35

Between the pick-up from the crashed aircraft and the one from the cockpit there is the last missing moment due to the reel change.

1.1 sec

97:06 / 98:00-100:13

In the HD master, you see the ghost search a little longer and with a soft crossfade an additional scene follows. Already with the seconds shortly before (with the observation of the flour tracks of the alleged ghost) Francis comments that it was time to use a medium. Thereupon Joseph Binder sits at a table with a woman and they hold hands. After a little wiggling around, a ghost apparently takes possession of the woman according to the cheap effect, and a little conversation follows between Joseph and his alleged wife. Afterwards the medium lets his child talk to him as well.

The last shot of the woman freezes and here is a fading over to the earlier beginning shot of Francis.

127.9 sec (= 2:08 min)

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Finally, a small image comparison. The 1.85:1 frame on the Blu-rays loses some image information at the top and bottom.

Unrated DVD by Retrofilm	US Blu-ray by Gorgon Video