The Awful Dr. Orloff/DVD
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DVD Review
The Awful Dr. Orlof has been overlooked over the years, but Image Entertainment has done the film world (and Franco fans) a great service by releasing this underrated classic on DVD. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and, despite a few scratches and shimmer inherent on the source print, looks remarkable. For a film that has been all but forgotten for the last thirty years, the presentation on this DVD is stellar and the minor flaws can certainly be overlooked. The sound, dubbed in English with only a French track as an alternate audio choice, is still crisp and there no drop out present.
There are no extra features on the disc except for some thorough liner notes by Video Watchdog editor Tim Lucas and they are extremely interesting and in-depth. Not only do we learn that Franco liked to use the characters in his first horror film in many of his other 150+ films, but we also learn the reason why he got into the genre that eventually led him to cult popularity. Lucas also mentions some of Franco's influences and one that is not mentioned is readily apparent for fans of Ingmar Bergman films (more specifically The Seventh Seal). It's only a simple shot of the two villains walking across an open field in silhouette, but it evokes the same feel as Bergman's much lauded film.
Review by Pockets of Sanity
