BY DARREN ALLISON
Incubo
sulla città contaminate / Nightmare City 1980 Directed by Umberto Lenzi,
Starring Hugo Stiglitz, Maria Rosaria Omaggio and Mel Ferrer. Arrow Blu-Ray /
DVD dual format.
TV
Reporter Dean Miller (Hugo Stiglitz) is assigned to the airport to interview an
arriving scientist. The airport personnel are left confused when an
unidentified Hercules lands without communicating with flight control. The emergency
services are deployed to meet the incoming plane but as the doors open, all
carnage breaks loose as an array of varying mutant maniacs spill out onto the
runway. Among them is the scientist that Miller was sent to meet. There is an
immediate onslaught. With the mutants seemingly impervious to bullets, they
proceed to attack and devour anyone who stands in their way.
Of
course, it’s a wonderful opening idea and Umberto Lenzi wastes little time in
getting to the action. Forget the phrase ‘slow burner’, Lenzi doesn’t believe
in it. However, examining his film too intently will reveal certain narrative
flaws. Who was flying the plane? How did Miller know the scientist was going to
be on that unidentified plane? These are the sort of questions that simply need
avoiding.
So,
in the true style of Lenzi, let’s cut straight to the chase. These mutants are
most certainly zombies. It is also not a film to be taken seriously; it’s a
‘romp’ as filmmaker and Fangoria editor Chris Alexander so fondly describes it
in his superb commentary. Lenzi’s zombies have often been described as ‘Pizza
faced’, but think of a ‘burnt meat feast’ Pizza and you’ll be pretty close to
the genuine article. You can even (to a certain extent) forget the story in general,
it’s a pretty poor one and very little of it. We soon come to realise that
these zombies are in fact, plague infested zombies and their bite contaminates
their victims. Gore fans can also revel in the fact that these zombies can only
be destroyed by a shot to the head…
The
bottom line is to just enjoy Nightmare City; it’s a perfect beer and pizza
festivity. I suggest simply soaking up the action, (and it is non-stop action).
Forget the stupid script, the lousy acting and the terrible post production
dubbing. Instead, smile at the pure carnage, the fun of those typical Italian
set ups, the eye gouging, the head splattering and of course, the completely
outdated approach of exposing women’s breasts at every given opportunity.
Accept the film on that basis, and I’m sure you will enjoy this seminal cult
classic. The film also contains a wonderful, minimalistic score from Stelvio
Cipriani, and in a style that would later be adapted by the likes of John
Carpenter and his contemporaries. The film has however, often been criticised
for its ending, but it is an interesting concept to say the least. Depending on
your perspective, some might even suggest it is an imaginative and fascinating
ending. For first time viewers and without revealing any more information, I
will let you decide for yourself.
Arrow’s superb package offers two high definition transfers of two different prints. Arrow provides a 2K restoration from the original camera negative alongside a reverse dupe negative. The reason behind this decision is almost a necessity. Sadly, the original Techniscope negative has suffered from some severe photo chemical decay. Misty yellows and varying forms of density and colour appear pretty much throughout the opening airport sequence and towards the film’s climax. I have to admire Arrow for the inclusion of the second dupe version, it is a far cleaner version of the movie, but the payoff is a softer image. Whilst there is a drop in resolution, Arrow nevertheless seems to have a conscience, and I like that… Their actions seem to suggest that they cannot sleep soundly, until safe in the knowledge that they have provided everything they possibly could, and in order to compensate. Actually, the dupe version isn’t too bad at all, I would perhaps suggest simply notching up your TV’s sharpness control by a few stops and the result should be more than satisfactory. The original negative version contains the Italian title sequence whilst the dupe version contains the English title of Nightmare City; they are exactly the same film thereafter. Arrow has also provided audio tracks and subs for both versions. Overall, I think it’s a package that has been lovingly produced and Arrow should quite rightly be very proud of their achievements.
Technical spec includes:
Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
Alternative High Definition transfer from the 35mm reversal dupe negative
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
Newly translated subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
Arrow’s bonus material is very impressive and features:
Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker, Fangoria editor and Nightmare City fan Chris Alexander
Radiation Sickness – a brand new interview with director Umberto Lenzi
Sheila of the Dead – a brand new interview with star Maria Rosaria Omaggio
Zombies Gone Wild! – Director, producer and actor Eli Roth on Nightmare City and the wild cinema of Umberto Lenzi
Nightmare City and The Limits of Restoration – featurette looking at the differences between the two transfers included on this release
Alternate Opening Titles
Original Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Martin, author of Seduction of the Gullible: The Truth behind the Video Nasty Scandal, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
Region: ABC, Rating: 18, Cat No: FCD1112, Duration: 93 minutes, Language: Italian/English, Subtitles: English/English SDH, Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1, Discs: 2, Colour.
http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/