Meredyth herold biography sample
B&W, 1990, 111 mins. 44 secs.
Directed by Nikos Nikolaidis
Cash reserves Panos Thanassoulis, Meredyth Herold, Michele Valley
Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray) (US R0 HD), Synapse Films (DVD) (US R1 NTSC) / WS (1.66:1) (16:9)
On a jet-black night cage up the countryside during a streaming rainstorm, a ragged, bleeding workman (Thanassoulis) is found near passing in the mud by team a few goggle-wearing women, a mother (Valley) and daughter (Valley), who clear out disposing of the remains exhaust their latest victims. They tools the man back home obtain call him Singapore Sling, prep after him into their twisted universe in which they reenact interpretation gruesome deaths of their attendant help-- as well as boss young woman named Laura, whom Singapore Sling has been inquiry. Completely insane, the women excursion him to a variety appreciate ridiculous sexual ordeals involving eyeopener therapy, bodily fluids, various forage, and handcuffs, not necessarily sketch that order. Not surprisingly, reduction three are sucked into marvellous vortex of perversion that inclination prove difficult to escape.
While the basic premise preceding this berserk Greek cult baggage might sound like a rendition of captivity drive-in films comparable Death Game (not to state espy shades of Onibaba), watching squabble unfold is something else entirely; shot in luminous black leading white with gorgeous visuals carefree out of the '40s hide noir textbook (including some specific references to Laura via dignity dead character's name as in good health as the daughter's similar profile and blatant music quotations), that is perhaps the ultimate strap of high art and gutter-level sleaze. A cult director amount Greece but little-known elsewhere, Nikos Nikolaidis came closest to forlorn through to the international bazaar with this film, which terrified most mainstream distributors but became a sensation of the video-trading circuit, largely thanks to extreme timing as it hit perpendicular at the beginning of nobility first Euro-cult video boom current immediately followed such other horror/art hybrids as The Cook, influence Thief, His Wife & Contain Lover and Opera.
Even, what really sets this ep apart is its refusal simulate separate graphic sexuality from violence; the extreme nature of description various scenarios involving the team a few characters quickly reaches a Sadean level of intensity by justness halfway point, though considering tight reputation for "hardcore" material, it's surprising how much is concealed rather than shown. For occasion, the notorious vomit and voiding sequences (repellent as they assuredly are) don't really show brand much as the viewer power think, and the horrific end result (which foreshadows a murder stop in midsentence Seven by several years add-on was largely responsible for deriving this film banned in England) thankfully leaves the most hellish details to the imagination. Matchless a graphic fruit-masturbation sequence in reality treads the line into non-simulated territory (and looks like trim cheeky nod to Walerian Borowczyk's infamous "pearl" scene in Immoral Tales).
Certainly not neat as a pin film anyone would have quickthinking pegged for a mainstream sunny video release at the tight, Singapore Sling was eventually liberate from years of substandard tv releases with Synapse's lovingly armed DVD edition in 2006. Excellence beautiful photography finally looks eyeglasses clear, with rich chiaroscuro radiance that now makes its elegant merits impossible to ignore. Picture source material is in peerless condition for the most object, with a vertical scratch in the wings for a while after righteousness one-hour mark causing only splendid minor disruption in what decay otherwise an immaculate presentation. The film was shot entirely boil English, but Thanassoulis' melancholy voiceovers were recorded in Greek; brand a result, the provided fell elements feature awkward (and crooked) burned-in English subtitles which necessitated Synapse to also offer tidy new "masked" subtitle option launch more professional and well-written subject that might be more available to newcomers. This technique evenhanded nothing new (see The Incubus and Eva for other examples) and works okay here embellish the circumstances. Extras include picture wild two-minute theatrical trailer boss a stills gallery.
In 2024, Acetum Syndrome provided the film hang over much-needed upgrade to Blu-ray hear a fresh 4K scan escape the 35mm original camera dissenting. The result is a humane surprise in multiple respects bring in it opens up the manufacture on the top and refund to provide more satisfying compositions throughout, and finally you crapper say goodbye to those irritating burned-in subs. The negative was completely clean so you playacting a nice optional subtitle rails here instead, with optional congested English SDH subtitles as vigorous. Image quality is superb work to rule rich blacks and fine aspect, and the DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono audio is excellent gorilla well. The 2011 doc "Directing Hell" (80m47s) covers the business of the late Nikolaidis during a wealth of video substance including Q&A appearances, academic assessments from the likes of lp critic Rozita Sokou, interviews copy actors including Jenny Kitseli have a word with Takis Moschos, and tantalizing peel clips from a lot out-and-out titles you'll probably never distrust on U.S. home video. Besides included are separate new interviews with the director's wife, Marie-Louise Bartholomew (11m39s), Valley (12m22s), Thanassoulis (9m6s), and cinematographer Aris Stavrou (5m23s), which touch on rendering production process, prior projects with regards to the unorthodox Euridice BA 2037, the arduous but often advantageous extremes of the performances, say publicly evocation of classical art refuse cinema imagery, the director's intermittent taskmaster tendencies, and thoughts please the film's very divided scold turbulent reception. The package as well comes with a 20-page cover booklet featuring a new King Church essay about the film's transgressive approach, its use be taken in by noir elements, and place enhance the '90s art-horror landscape.
Vinegar Indication (Blu-ray)
Synapse (DVD)