Devils of Darkness - R0 vs R1 - ADDED AND UPDATED

[Nigel_Badnell]

Title: Devils of Darkness (1965) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059100/
Director: Lance Comfort


Country: UK
Region: R0
Releasor: Odeon Entertainment
Case Type: Amaray (Keep) Case
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 open matte
Anamorphic?: No
PAL or NTSC?: PAL
Soundtracks: Dolby Digital English 2.0 mono
Subtitles (optional): None
Run time: 84:11
Cuts: Not known. BBFC state original 1964 submission was cut,
but give no details or submitted runtime. Furthermore, there is no
comment about previous cuts being waived for subsequent submissions.
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classifie ... enDocument
Also, don't know where the (84:30) they quote for Odeon Ent. comes from.
Commentary (Audio): -
Extras:
- Trailers for Best of Britsh" box sets:
1. Comedy (3:14)
2. Mystery (3:11)
3. Thriller (3:12)
4. Northern Comedy (2:59)
- Four pages of liner notes.
- DVD-ROM content: DVDAccess for Windows and Apple computers.
Notes: OAR is 1.85:1 according to IMDB. R0 is definitely
open matte - same info at sides as R1 1.85:1, but more at top/bottom.
If you zoom-in you can pretty much frame R0 as per R1.
But, it is non-anamorphic. Having watched R0, R1 does seem
a bit "cropped" afterwards - very tight framing sometimes.
Easter Eggs: -
Source: I own it


Country: America
Region: R1
Releasor: Fox Home Entertainment
Case Type: Amaray (Keep) Case
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Anamorphic?: Yes
PAL or NTSC?: NTSC
Soundtracks: Dolby Digital English 2.0 mono
Subtitles (optional): English HoH, French Spanish
Run time: 87:35
Cuts: Not known - see R0, equivalent runtime to.
Commentary (Audio): -
Extras:
-Original b/w US trailer (0:41)
-Slide-show Photo-Gallery (2:18)
Notes: Only available in the "Midnite Movies" double disc
double feature, with "Witchcraft (1964)".
Packaging claims AR 2.35:1 and a runtime of 124 mins (typo for
the PAL time of 1 hr 24 mins, presumably.)
Easter Eggs: -
Source: I own it


Country: Germany
Region: R2
Releasor: E-M-S
Case Type: Amaray (Keep) Case
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Anamorphic?: Yes
PAL or NTSC?: PAL
Soundtracks: Dolby Digital English 1.0 mono, German 1.0 mono
Subtitles (optional): German
Run time: 84:06
Cuts: Not known - see R0, same runtime +/-.
Commentary (Audio): -
Extras:
- Alternative scene (01:43 min)
- Original trailer (0:41) - b/w US going by the runtime?
- Gallery
- 8 page booklet with background information and advertising
Notes: Another AR, but the screenshots look more like 1.85:1 ...
Easter Eggs: -
Source: http://www.dvd-forum.at/24041/dvd_review_detail.htm
Don't know how reliable these guys are regards 1.0 vs 2.0 mono.


Not an easy choice IMHO.

[Vincent_Bouche]

Concerning the German edition of 'Devils of Darkness', based on this review: http://www.cinefacts.de/dvd/review/ansi ... ?reid=3494 and on the screen caps, I'm assuming aspect ratio is actually 1.85:1.

[Tim_Rogerson]

The US R1 Fox DVD of this is cut missing the second half of the snake dance which occurs during the party about 15m-20m from the end of the film. This is intact on the R2 UK DVD. The missing footage is about 45s and appears to be the BBFC cuts. I'm sorry but I can't give exact timings on this but those with both prints should be able to do this.

BBFC confirm below that the cinema cuts are now restored.

DEVILS OF DARKNESS was classified 'X' in 1964 with the following cut -

Reel 8 - Episode in which the snake-dancer dances was reduced to a bare minimum.

The video version of DEVILS OF DARKNESS was classified '15' in 1995 with the snake-dancer cut waived.

(this was originally posted on the Cult Movies Forum and I think comes from Brad Stevens)

[Nigel_Badnell]

Here are the details of the different cuts of R0 (Odeon) vs R1 (Fox). (Given the equivalent runtime to R1, and the AR of the screenshots, it is highly likely that R2 (EMS) is the same transfer as R1.)

I quote disc timings as R0(PAL)/R1(NTSC):
00:00/00:09 R1 starts with Planet Films Distributor credits, an extra 00:09.

04:27/04:47 As the dead gypsy girl is carried away by her father, the R0 scene ends as they disappear off screen and the next scene starts with mourners at her graveside. R1 continues the end of the scene for a few seconds then starts the next scene with the shot of a bat in a tree (Count Sinistre, no doubt) then switches to a funeral cortege. The gypsy girl's coffin arrives on a cart. It is unloaded and lowered into the grave. The mourners gather at the graveside and R1 rejoins R0. An extra 00:21/00:22 on R1.

19:31/20:50 A minor difference. The end of the scene of the Count and Anne in the hotel conservatory terrace ends slightly sooner on R0, we don't see them turn away, and starts slightly later on R0, Paul is already at the doorway of the hotel reception, we don't see his approaching shadow through the door's stained glass. Only an extra 00:02 on R1.

38:40/40:50 Another minor difference. The end of the scene in the laboratory after Paul has left, the Scientist is shuffling some papers and then the scene switches to a close-up of a snake in a tank. R0 ends one scene slightly early and starts the next a tad late. Another extra 00:02 on R1.

57:55/60:54 As Paul leaves the antiques dealer (Madeline) in her shop, we switch to an establishing shot of her assistant and then back to Madeline. On R1 we see the assistant pick-up and start to fold a red cloak and we hear Madeline off-camera call-out "Paul" as we hear the bell on the door signalling his exit, before
switching back to Madeline. This is missing on R0, where we switch straight back to Madeline after the establishing shot of the assistant. Only an extra 00:02 on R1, but the poignancy of the moment is lost from R0.

72:55/76:34 After the initial shot of the snake-dancer at the start of the party scene, we never see her again on R1. R0 returns to her a couple of times as she (and her snake) cavort amongst the guests. An extra 00:44/00:46 on R0.

75:22/78:19 The Count stabs the old man in the throat with a swordstick. There is a close-up of the bloodied throat. This lasts for 12/60 frames R0/R1, so an extra 00:02 on R1.

84:11/87:35 R1 takes an extra second to fade-out.

So, an extra 00:46 (at 24fps) on R0 vs R1 and an extra 00:40 on R1 vs R0. The 24fps R0 runtime of 87:41 compared to R1 of 87:35 is then accounted-for, a common runtime of 86:55, give or take a second.

Verdict? R0 is less cut, I'd take the extra 00:46 of a scantily clad snake-dancer over an extra 00:22 at a graveside any day.

As for the OAR, although IMDB quote 1.85:1, this may well have been just for North America. The European release may well have been 1.66:1, common at the time for such films. The R0 open-matte demonstrates that R1 appears too closely cropped at times.

[Vincent_Bouche]

87:41 NTSC is if you apply the 25/24 ratio to PAL running time.
But from what I (recently) understood the correct ratio is 25/23.976... and if you do it this way you get 87:46 instead.

[Nigel_Badnell]

If it were an NTSC TV transfer, but this is NTSC DVD-film. See http://www.paradiso-design.net/ntsc_pal ... n_faq.html for the minutiae of conversions.

Don't confuse the NTSC DVD-film MPEG-2 encoded bitstream of 24 fps and the (progressive) NTSC videostream display rate of 23.976 Hz. Real time is still 24 fps here. (It gives me a headache too.)

[Vincent_Bouche]

OK thanks, that's what I thought at first but I got confused after Buzzsaw's post on Quantum Of Solace: http://www.forums.dvdcompare.net/phpbb3 ... =7&t=24382

Comparison has now been updated, many thanks agains!

[Nigel_Badnell]

On the verdict, I suggest at least changing the R0 reference of "1.33:1" to "1.33:1 (open matte)". I know it is buried in the details above but attention needs to be drawn here else people will assume 1.33:1 is heavily cropped (at the sides) when in fact it is R1/2 1.85:1 which is heavily cropped top and bottom. I dispute 1.85:1 as the OAR - the framing is horrible. It may have been like that for America, but it is a UK made film and would most likely have been 1.66:1 in Europe back then.

[Tim_Rogerson]

Excellent work badnell.

The EMS disk seems to have a deleted scene of 1m43s - what on earth is this ? (is this the complete snake dance missing from the R1 disk as these guys tend to stick bits from different releases together?)

[Nigel_Badnell]

Yes, almost surely, as this is the length of the snake dancer scene on R0 (to within a second).
So, R2 looks to be the most complete single disc, despite the AR.

[Tim_Rogerson]

Hi

I've now got the EMS German disk and I can confirm that the "Alternative scene" is in fact the full version of the snake dance scene which can be found on the UK Odeon DVD. The EMS DVD is therefore the same cut as the MGM DVD albeit in Pal and has this extra "alternative scene".

Regarding the gore shot of the man with the throat wound - this appears at a reel change and the shot seems abbreviated on the Odeon print due to footage missing at the end of the reel (or a poor reel change in the conversion process) rather than this being a deliberate edit.

regards