Big Picture Big Sound

The Movie

1978's "EuroCult" answer to The Dirty Dozen, The Inglorious Bastards (Quel maledetto treno blindato) is a grindhouse-ready flick with plenty of wartime action and even a few nudie cuties thrown in, just to cover all the bases. In France, 1944, a bunch of deserters and worse are on their way to court martial when a German attack gives them the opportunity to escape. All they want to do is cross the border into neutral Switzerland, but with WWII in full swing, it won't be nearly that simple. Turns out they're pretty good soldiers, killing quite a few Nazis along the way, and when they are mistaken for a team of undercover commandos, their last bit of courage is put to the test. The dialogue is bit clunky, perhaps rewritten on the spot for American audiences, but the adventure is pure popcorn fun.

The Picture

The 1.85:1 AVC video is a little soft, with a faint haze across the image at almost all times. Tricky blacks and smoke are mostly natural, with stable backgrounds. The Italian "Telecolor" process does not always yield the most credible hues, as greens in particular are a bit overblown, from the olive-not-so-drab uniforms to the improbable foliage. At any given moment, if you'd told me I was watching standard definition I'd likely believe you.

The Sound

Sadly, this Blu-ray does not embrace current HD audio standards, opting instead to proffer DVD-caliber Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks. They're fine, really: stuff blows up, there are a lot of old-school cinematic gunshots and some modest directionality, but it's just Dolby Digital. The three-decade-old original mono recording is limited as you can imagine, much of it noticeably dubbed. It's also rather quiet, requiring me to crank up my receiver higher than normal to achieve proper levels.

The Extras

The video bonuses from last year's special edition DVD are preserved here, with everything presented in standard definition. "Train Kept A-Rollin'" is a juicy, feature-length retrospective documentary comprised of interviews with many of the key players.

"Back to the War Zone" (13 minutes) joins director Enzo Castellari as he returns to tour the movie locations. In "A Conversation with Quentin Tarantino & Enzo G. Castellari" (38 minutes), not surprisingly the enthusiastic Mr.T. does most of the talking, and he's not stingy with the f-bombs. New for the Blu-ray are "Enzo's 70th Birthday in Los Angeles" (seven minutes), quite a night by the looks of it, with many familiar well-wishers; and the "Inglorious Reunion at The New Beverly" (eleven minutes), capturing the excitement surrounding a 2008 screening and the subsequent Q&A session.

Final Thoughts

I certainly wouldn't call Severin Films' first-ever Blu-ray bastardly, but neither is it glorious. The real star is the movie itself, a guilty pleasure for fans of war films or exploitation fare, and the recent interviews provide a fun new perspective.

Where to Buy:

• The Inglorious Bastards on Blu-ray Disc on Amazon.com

Product Details

• Actors: Bo Svenson, Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson, Michael Pergolani, Jackie Basehart, Michel Constantin, Debra Berger, Raimund Harmstorf, Ian Bannen
• Director: Enzo G. Castellari
• Audio Format/Languages: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (English)
• Subtitles: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: Severin Films
• Release Date: July 28, 2009
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• List Price: $34.95
• Extras:
• "A Conversation with Quentin Tarantino & Enzo G. Castellari"
• "Enzo's 70th Birthday in Los Angeles"
• "Inglorious Reunion at The New Beverly"
• "Back to the War Zone"
• "Train Kept A-Rollin'"