Curse of the Devil (1973)
-
Blu-ray:
https://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/ ... ?fid=45713
1. Blu-ray ALL Germany - Subkultur Entertainment
This release does indeed contain 3 versions, with runtimes as currently listed, and the so-called "Spanish Version" is from an older scan, with the so-called "International Version" being from a newer 2015 scan, as correctly mentioned in the Notes section for this release.
However, the so-called "Spanish Version" contains all the nudity, whereas the so-called "International Version" only has some of the nudity, with 2 alternate clothed scenes (hence the slight difference in overall runtime too). Currently, they are essentially listed the other way round in the CUTS section.
I must admit this doesn't make much sense to me, as at the time of original release (1973) there was stricter censorship in Spain than in most other European countries, suggesting that any Spanish versions would be clothed. One possibility is that these 2 versions have mistakenly had their names swapped in the menu. However, since the so-called "Spanish Version" definitely has a softer look to the image, implying that this is indeed the older scan, such accidental name swapping could only be true if the same name swapping had also occurred in the text paragraph in the menu (quoted in the Notes section).
Whatever the truth about this, the fact remains that the current wording in the CUTS section is incorrect. I don't know how best to tackle this, but perhaps using the term "so-called", as I have done above, would be a way to resolve it. So the line could be rewritten thus:
Blu-ray ALL Germany- Subkultur Entertainment - No cuts - Includes the so-called "Spanish Version" (84:17) with all nudity, the so-called "International Version" (84:23) with some nudity but with 2 alternate clothed scenes, and the German version (77:49)
2. OVERALL section
Should be slightly reworded to tidy up the Subkultur bit, e.g.:
Vinegar Syndrome has a 4K-mastered transfer with English and Spanish audio options, English subtitles, and new extras. Subkultur has multiple versions and its own exclusive extras.
-
DVD:
https://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/ ... p?fid=5151
Changed should be made on the DVD page too, in the CUTS section, to reflect whatever changes are made on the Blu-ray page regarding the Subkultur versions, e.g.:
R0 Germany- Subkultur Entertainment - No cuts - Includes the so-called "Spanish Version" (80:48 PAL) with all nudity, and the German version (74:38 PAL)
-
source: I own: Germany - Subkultur Entertainment - Blu-ray + DVD
Curse of the Devil (1973) Blu-ray / DVD
Moderator: Forum Team
Forum rules
- Please keep the maximum number of correction threads you have open to three at a time.
- Do not put UPDATE or UPDATED in the title of your submissions.
-
Eric_Cotenas
- Rewind Moderator
- Posts: 1761
- Joined: 21 Oct 2006 10:08
- Location: california
- Contact:
Re: Curse of the Devil (1973) Blu-ray / DVD
The Spanish version is probably the integral negative rather than the actual Spanish version. CURSE OF THE DEVIL's negative was held by German company Atlas International who supplied the Spanish owners with the integral versions (which is why not only were the Spanish DVDs the nude versions, even the eighties Spanish VHS of RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD featured all of the nudity including bits that were left out of the export versions of WEREWOLF SHADOW, CURSE OF THE DEVIL, TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD, and a few others which were prepared by Atlas not the Spanish producers who supplied all of the material as an integral negative (hence the inclusion of both takes of the sacrifice scene on the negative-sourced transfers of WEREWOLF SHADOW).
-
Darrel_Griffin
- Posts: 716
- Joined: 08 Jun 2014 10:45
Re: Curse of the Devil (1973) Blu-ray / DVD
I did spend quite a bit of time back in 2020 comparing the versions on the Subkultur set. I did post the details at the time, but it seems the pages weren't updated in this regard (although other corrections e.g. soundtrack details were made). Luckily I kept a copy of the details, so I will post them again. Below is what I wrote in July 2020:
-------
Notes on the Versions.
On the Subkultur Entertainment set:
After you described the Spanish version as "covered", I went back to compare them, and did a quick scan through the versions to check for scenes with nudity. I think I found them all, although I can't guarantee it.
In terms of nudity, the so-called "Spanish Version" actually has the most, although all three versions have some nudity, with the other versions utilising alternate clothed/covered scenes. The German version also omits some scenes that don't contain nudity. As far as I can tell, the only other differences are the opening credits.
Note that the opening credits are superimposed over an action scene, so the longer runtime of the Spanish credits does not affect the overall runtime - the Spanish credits simply go further into the scene.
The details of the nude and alternate clothed/covered scenes, plus the differences between the versions, are as follows (timings as per 24fps Blu-ray):
-
so-called "Spanish Version" (84:23) (older restoration with slightly lower picture quality):
00:00 - 03:12 Spanish opening credits, onscreen title "El retorno de Walpurgis"
04:03 - 05:03 (topless and rear female nudity)
14:08 - 14:53 (including some full frontal female nudity)
47:49 - 48:28 (including some full frontal female nudity)
62:07 - 62:56 (topless female nudity)
-
so-called "International Version" (84:17) (newer 2015 restoration):
00:00 - 02:47 English opening credits, onscreen title "Curse of the Devil"
04:03 - 05:12 (alternate clothed scene)
14:18 - 15:02 (including some full frontal female nudity)
47:58 - 48:38 (including some full frontal female nudity)
62:16 - 63:03 (alternate covered scene - woman covered by bedclothes)
The alternate clothed/covered scenes are respectively 0:09 longer and 0:02 shorter, hence, allowing for rounding errors, the runtime of the "International Version" is 0:06 longer than the "Spanish Version".
-
"German Version" (77:49):
00:00 - 02:47 English opening credits, apart from the onscreen title of "Die Todeskralle des grausamen Wolfes" over a blank red background (which nevertheless appears to be original, not a newly recreated shot, as it has a lot of grain and scratches)
04:03 - 05:12 (alternate clothed scene)
14:18 - 15:02 (including some full frontal female nudity)
43:58 - 44:37 (including some full frontal female nudity)
58:15 - 59:02 (alternate covered scene - woman covered by bedclothes)
It also omits some scenes that don't contain nudity, as follows (timings as per "International Version" at 24fps):
25:05 - 25:20 (0:15)
35:14 - 37:16 (2:02)
43:19 - 45:04 (1:45)
63:03 - 64:32 (1:29)
71:54 - 72:57 (1:03)
These omitted scenes total 6:34, hence the runtime of the "German Version" is 6:34 shorter than the "International Version".
-
Note the DVD in this Subkultur Entertainment set includes the so-called "Spanish Version" and "German Version" as described above (apart from having PAL 25fps timings).
The two alternate clothed/covered scenes are probably what are being referred to in the menu text, which translates as: "two very short alternate takes", and therefore these are probably the only differences apart from the opening credits.
The extra feature "Alternate Clothed Scene" (2:07) consists of the clothed/covered versions of these same two scenes.
I don't understand why for the 2015 restoration they didn't use the other nude scenes. Even if the source used for the new restoration didn't include them, they could have taken these scenes from the older restoration instead, without too much drop in picture quality.
I also own a BCI / Deimos Entertainment DVD (I bought it 2nd hand, and it seems to be a bit of a hybrid item, as bizarrely it came in an Anchor Bay case, but the disc is BCI / Deimos). I guess mine is an older version, as it has some motion issues. It seems that they did a 25fps to 24fps conversion by omitting 1 frame in 25. This means that 24p is available, but there is a jump once a second, especially noticeable on panning shots. Anyway, the relevant point to this topic is that the version on this release has the English opening credits with the onscreen title "Curse of the Devil", but it includes all of the nudity.
So this is all pretty confusing... I don't really know what to suggest in terms of how this is written up in the database, but certainly the so-called "Spanish Version" on the Subkultur Entertainment Blu-ray and DVD is NOT a "covered" version, and apart from the different opening credits it seems to be the same as the version on the BCI / Deimos Entertainment DVD, while the so-called "International Version" on the Subkultur Entertainment Blu-ray seems to be some kind of hybrid of clothed and unclothed.
-------
Notes on the Versions.
On the Subkultur Entertainment set:
After you described the Spanish version as "covered", I went back to compare them, and did a quick scan through the versions to check for scenes with nudity. I think I found them all, although I can't guarantee it.
In terms of nudity, the so-called "Spanish Version" actually has the most, although all three versions have some nudity, with the other versions utilising alternate clothed/covered scenes. The German version also omits some scenes that don't contain nudity. As far as I can tell, the only other differences are the opening credits.
Note that the opening credits are superimposed over an action scene, so the longer runtime of the Spanish credits does not affect the overall runtime - the Spanish credits simply go further into the scene.
The details of the nude and alternate clothed/covered scenes, plus the differences between the versions, are as follows (timings as per 24fps Blu-ray):
-
so-called "Spanish Version" (84:23) (older restoration with slightly lower picture quality):
00:00 - 03:12 Spanish opening credits, onscreen title "El retorno de Walpurgis"
04:03 - 05:03 (topless and rear female nudity)
14:08 - 14:53 (including some full frontal female nudity)
47:49 - 48:28 (including some full frontal female nudity)
62:07 - 62:56 (topless female nudity)
-
so-called "International Version" (84:17) (newer 2015 restoration):
00:00 - 02:47 English opening credits, onscreen title "Curse of the Devil"
04:03 - 05:12 (alternate clothed scene)
14:18 - 15:02 (including some full frontal female nudity)
47:58 - 48:38 (including some full frontal female nudity)
62:16 - 63:03 (alternate covered scene - woman covered by bedclothes)
The alternate clothed/covered scenes are respectively 0:09 longer and 0:02 shorter, hence, allowing for rounding errors, the runtime of the "International Version" is 0:06 longer than the "Spanish Version".
-
"German Version" (77:49):
00:00 - 02:47 English opening credits, apart from the onscreen title of "Die Todeskralle des grausamen Wolfes" over a blank red background (which nevertheless appears to be original, not a newly recreated shot, as it has a lot of grain and scratches)
04:03 - 05:12 (alternate clothed scene)
14:18 - 15:02 (including some full frontal female nudity)
43:58 - 44:37 (including some full frontal female nudity)
58:15 - 59:02 (alternate covered scene - woman covered by bedclothes)
It also omits some scenes that don't contain nudity, as follows (timings as per "International Version" at 24fps):
25:05 - 25:20 (0:15)
35:14 - 37:16 (2:02)
43:19 - 45:04 (1:45)
63:03 - 64:32 (1:29)
71:54 - 72:57 (1:03)
These omitted scenes total 6:34, hence the runtime of the "German Version" is 6:34 shorter than the "International Version".
-
Note the DVD in this Subkultur Entertainment set includes the so-called "Spanish Version" and "German Version" as described above (apart from having PAL 25fps timings).
The two alternate clothed/covered scenes are probably what are being referred to in the menu text, which translates as: "two very short alternate takes", and therefore these are probably the only differences apart from the opening credits.
The extra feature "Alternate Clothed Scene" (2:07) consists of the clothed/covered versions of these same two scenes.
I don't understand why for the 2015 restoration they didn't use the other nude scenes. Even if the source used for the new restoration didn't include them, they could have taken these scenes from the older restoration instead, without too much drop in picture quality.
I also own a BCI / Deimos Entertainment DVD (I bought it 2nd hand, and it seems to be a bit of a hybrid item, as bizarrely it came in an Anchor Bay case, but the disc is BCI / Deimos). I guess mine is an older version, as it has some motion issues. It seems that they did a 25fps to 24fps conversion by omitting 1 frame in 25. This means that 24p is available, but there is a jump once a second, especially noticeable on panning shots. Anyway, the relevant point to this topic is that the version on this release has the English opening credits with the onscreen title "Curse of the Devil", but it includes all of the nudity.
So this is all pretty confusing... I don't really know what to suggest in terms of how this is written up in the database, but certainly the so-called "Spanish Version" on the Subkultur Entertainment Blu-ray and DVD is NOT a "covered" version, and apart from the different opening credits it seems to be the same as the version on the BCI / Deimos Entertainment DVD, while the so-called "International Version" on the Subkultur Entertainment Blu-ray seems to be some kind of hybrid of clothed and unclothed.