Death Carries a Cane (X-rated) - is it worth it?

[Jesper Maintz]

Just saw, that one of my old favorite giallos are getting a deluxe limited release on DVD by X-rated in Germany - and "limited" means only 666 copies.

Before ordering the kindda expensive disc, I wanted to double-check with you guys, if this release are worth it. Ive attached the product description, and it mentions the transfer ratio to be 1.66:1 - and I cant for the death of me remember what ratio my old VHS was in...

So - anybody know anything?

[Eric A]

I have the old TORMENTOR VHS of it and the X-Rated DVD. The X-Rated disc is a nice improvement over the rather muddy and dull VHS. Its not the greatest transfer in the world, but its MUCH better than the VHS. The only negative thing is that the most graphic scenes appear to be sourced in from video. Its only a few seconds of footage total though so its not really a big deal. If you're a fan of the film, I'd say its worth it.

By the way, this was actually released a few months ago.

[stephen grimes]

Apparently this new deluxe release is a 2 disc SE with a new Italian print of the movie which is supposed to blow away the last one they put out which, as was mentioned,had video inserts of the gore scenes.Bit late now to say it as the label is closing down but i wish they'd house these double discs a bit better.Putting 1 disc on top of the other is not an ideal way of housing dvds,i know the boxes by X-Rated are great and that but these discs FLOAT!I now find myself scanning the covers and housing the extra disc in a new case when the 2 should be togeather.Oh the life of a collector eh?!

[Eric A]

Hmm, interesting. I'll probably end up double dippnig on it as I'm a sucker for gialli.

[Martin N]

I watched the restored version of it last night and it's a huge improvement over the first release. Personally, I quite like this giallo even though some tend to see it as low a lower tier entry. But then again I'm bias, I just can't resist Nieves Navarro's charms.

Here's a few grabs:







Cheers

Martin

[Joe S]

Can anyone really confirm the quality of the 2 disc edition. I had the first release and did not enjoy the vhs gore inserts, so I got rid of it. Is the print on the 2 disc a marked improvement? Or will I be pissing my money away again?

[Michael Mackenzie]

Originally Posted by Joe S

Can anyone really confirm the quality of the 2 disc edition. I had the first release and did not enjoy the vhs gore inserts, so I got rid of it. Is the print on the 2 disc a marked improvement? Or will I be pissing my money away again?

The screengrabs Martin posted above give some idea of how big an improvement the new edition is over the previous one (which was absolutely rotten, whether or not you count the VHS-sourced gore inserts). This thread at Latarnia also includes a shot comparison between the two releases, which again shows a vast improvement. This is not my favourite giallo by a long shot, but I ordered a copy of the new release and am hoping I'll warm to it a bit more when watching a good quality version.

[Eric A]

/\ I will second that. The new release is a MASSIVE improvement over the original release. If you're a fan of the film, its a must buy.

[C.L. James]

Wow, looks like I'm going to have to get the limited edition. The difference is definitely noticeable. And I just bought the old one a few months ago. Damn those crafty beavers at X-Rated Kult.

[Benjamin C]

Actually this new limited 2 disc edition (666 copies) isn´t from X-NK (german company) but from Copernicus Film Distribution an Austrian based company. Just though i´d clear that up.

They simply licensed the old X-NK release and added their own remastered version to it and released it as a 2 disc limited edition.

But yes the second disc easily blows away the old X-NK release in terms of quality ! What does irk me that X-NK said at the time that there wasn´t any better material available anymore and that was the best they could do.

And behold 4 months later an austrian company brings us an fully uncut gorgeously remastered anamorphic widescreen print with the italian dub.

[Johan Melle]

I really don't understand why they had to make it a double disc release, though. If they have this new good-looking transfer then why include X-NK's old ugly looking transfer as well?

In any case, this is one of the absolute worst gialli I've ever had to endure. There's really nothing I love more than gialli, and Susan Scott is one of my top 3 Euro cult actresses of all time but not even she made this one worth it so I don't imagine I'll be upgrading this title any time soon. Besides, doesn't this new release have forced subs during the English track?

[Martin N]

Originally Posted by Johan Melle

Besides, doesn't this new release have forced subs during the English track?

That's right Johan, but lucky enough for me I was able to get round them.

[C.L. James]

Originally Posted by Martin N

That's right Johan, but lucky enough for me I was able to get round them.

How do you manage to do this? I hate forced subs, and would love to know the secret on how to get rid of them (aside from re-authoring the disc and watching the copy).

[Eric A]

Originally Posted by Benjamin C

What does irk me that X-NK said at the time that there wasn´t any better material available anymore and that was the best they could do.

This is EXACTLY how I feel about Media Blasters and their release of LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that NoShame or another quality Euro company finds and releases the definitive version on DVD. I know a US release is likely out of the question due to rights, but a nice import is still possible.

[Michael Mackenzie]

I watched the film today on the new DVD. It's not a perfect transfer - it does look pretty "harsh" at times and the level of detail and grain vary considerably from scene to scene, but all in all it's a huge improvement on the previous release.

I actually enjoyed the film a little better this time round. There are some nice scenes, including the ballerina sequence and the climax in which the heroine is menaced in a greenhouse by the killer. I don't think I liked it enough to increase my original rating (5/10), though.