4K UHD/Blu-ray Review: CEMETERY MAN

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May 22 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

The 1994 cult classic Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) arrives on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in the US for the first time thanks to Severin Films. In November, the company had previously released a deluxe 4-disc edition available direct through their website, but now the film arrives in a generally-available, less expensive Standard 4K edition.

Francesco Dellamorte (Rupert Everett, My Best Friend’s Wedding) is the watchman at the Buffalora Cemetery, where within seven nights of their death, the dead come back to life. The only way to permanently kill these Returners is to split their heads open. So Francesco usually has his gun at hand to dispatch the undead who come knocking at his door, before burying them for the second time—this time for good. Helping Francesco in this effort is his assistant, Gnaghi (François Hadji-Lazaro, The City of Lost Children), who’s a bit simple minded, and only says one word, “Gna”—though Francesco seems to have no problems understanding him. Besides Gnaghi, Francesco doesn’t have much other human contact—the only living person who ever calls him is local public servant Franco (Anton Alexander), who gives him his paycheck. It is a bit of a mundane and boring life, and killing off the undead has just become commonplace for Francesco. He doubts that anyone would even believe him if he told them what was really happening at the cemetery, and if he did, Mayor Scanarotti (Stefano Masciarelli) might shut it down, and he’d lose his home.

One day a beautiful young widow (Anna Falchi) shows up at the cemetery to bury her recently-deceased elderly husband. It’s love at first sight for Francesco, and he looks forward to the mourning woman’s return each day. This gives him a new lust and passion for life. Meanwhile, Gnaghi also finds his own love—for Valentina Scanarotti (Fabiana Formica), the mayor’s daughter, who oddly seems to share his feelings. But when things take a dark turn, Francesco starts to question his own thoughts on life and death. He sees Death telling him to stop killing the dead, and just preemptively kill the living. He starts to wonder if he should follow this advice, and if it would give him new purpose and meaning.

I had never seen Cemetery Man before receiving this 4K release for review, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a very unique take on the zombie film. It doesn’t go for the gruesome and gory kills, and it isn’t a scary horror film. Instead, it is a romance-filled dark comedy that is played very straightforward—the humor comes from the absurdity of situations and how the characters react like what they are experiencing is all quite normal and expected. Right from the start, the viewer is given an idea as to the tone of the movie, as Francesco opens the door to his cabin to find a zombie, and without any reaction or emotion, just nonchalantly shoots him in the head. This is just something he deals with every day, and not an odd or scary occurrence… it’s just part of the job.

The special effects are generally quite good, primarily making use of practical effects. Some wires can be seen during one sequence, but that kind of adds to the charm and fantasy of the moment.

Rupert Everett is excellent in this role, not only providing narration for the viewer, but also portraying this guardian of the cemetery who is pretty much dead inside—the zombies are more alive than he is. That is, until he meets the gorgeous widow. Anna Falchi, who plays three different characters in the film, has amazing chemistry with Everett—the two share some really passionate scenes together. However, the person who often steals the scenes is François Hadji-Lazaro as the nearly-mute Gnaghi, whose physical comedy and antics often had me laughing out loud.

Cemetery Man sets up this delightfully odd and quirky world and characters. The film has a very beautiful and signature look, with an aesthetic that is the epitome of Italian cinema. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first two acts of the movie, the final act didn’t quite work for me. It takes an odd (even for this film) turn, amping up the level of absurdity, and leaving viewers on a bit of am ambiguous note. That said, I still found the film quite worth watching—it is a very fun and unique experience.

Severin Films has released Cemetery Man on 4K UHD and Blu-ray disc for the first time featuring a director-approved 4K scan from the Cinecittà negative. It is available in both the Standard Edition (which we received for review) as well as a deluxe 4-disc edition available direct from Severin Films. The transfer looks amazing. The picture is crisp and clean, especially in the brighter daytime scenes, while darker scenes have a natural level of film grain. The colors look bright and beautiful in the sunny daytime sequences. There is an excellent level of detail in faces and textures, even in those darker moments. If there is one downside to this 4K picture, it’s that the wires making the ignis fatuus float around the screen as Francesco and the widow share their passionate embrace a bit more visible. The Dolby Atmos audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and showcases the film’s wonderful orchestral score. While much of the sound seems to come primarily from the front channel, the audio does have some more-immersive moments, such as the sound of rain pouring overhead.

The Standard 4K release comes with both a 4K and a Blu-ray, packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase. It does not include a digital copy or a slipcover. Across the two discs, there is an audio commentary, 3 brand new interviews with director Michele Soavi and stars Rupert Everett & Anna Falchi, an archival Making-Of featurette, and two trailers. The previously-mentioned 4-disc deluxe edition offers an additional Blu-ray disc containing even more brand new interviews with the filmmakers as well as a CD soundtrack.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:43:10)

2160p / Widescreen 1.66:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1, English Stereo, Italian Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH, English (for Commentary and Italian Audio)

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 1.66:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1, English Stereo, Italian Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH, English (for Commentary and Italian Audio)

Extras:
This review is for the Standard Edition release. The deluxe 4-disc edition available direct from Severin Films includes a slipcover, a second Blu-ray disc with even more brand new interviews, and a CD soundtrack.

Audio Commentary by Director Michele Soavi and Screenwriter Gianni Romoli (1:43:10)
Director Michele Soavi and screenwriter Gianni Romoli provide an entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film. They share lots of interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the production, discuss adapting the original book, the look and style of the film, and more. The commentary tends to be a bit more shot-specific. Presented in Italian with English subtitles. (Also available on the Blu-ray disc.)
Italian Trailer (2:22)
English Trailer (1:43)

Blu-ray Disc:

Audio Commentary by Director Michele Soavi and Screenwriter Gianni Romoli (1:43:10)
At The Graves – Interview With Michele Soavi (35:49)
Director Michele Soavi talks about how his desire to make a Dylan Dog movie led to a meeting with Tiziano Sclavi and a pre-release copy of “Dellamorte Dellamore”, working with Rupert Everett, filming in two different cemeteries, casting Gnaghi, building the ossuary, the decision to keep the zombies from being gory, Francesco’s gun, the village square and the world outside of the cemetery, casting comedians in the supporting roles, the challenges of filming the motorcycle resurrection scene, the emasculation scene, the use of light, the episode structure of the film, the ending, and more. Presented in Italian with English subtitles.
Of Love And Death – Interview With Actor Rupert Everett (20:37)
Star Rupert Everett (“Francesco Dellamorte”) talks about how the Dylan Dog comic book character was based on him, his love of Italian cinema, the evolution of the script, his character, the dry humor and comedic side of the film, working with François Hadji-Lazaro and Anna Falchi, the practical special effects, filming in the cemeteries, reactions to the film, and more.
She – Interview With Actress Anna Falchi (24:15)
Star Anna Falchi (“She”) talks about how she got involved with the film, playing three different characters, the special effects, filming her hair toss scene, the filming locations, supernatural occurrences on set, the kissing scenes, working with Rupert Everett, filming the love scene, the makeup process to become a returner, the resurrection and headshot scenes, working with François Hadji-Lazaro, working with the various crew members, the reactions to the film, and more. Presented in Italian with English subtitles.
Archival Making-Of (18:32)
Narrated Making-Of featurette that includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Michele Soavi, special effects makeup artist Sergio Stivaletti, cinematographer Mauro Marchetti, screenwriter Gianni Romoli, editor Sergio Bonelli, and stars Rupert Everett (“Francesco Dellamorte”) Anna Falchi (“She”) & François Hadji-Lazaro (“Gnaghi”). Presented in 4:3 full frame format and in Italian with English subtitles—even the non Italian-speaking actors are dubbed over in Italian.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended /
4-Disc Deluxe Edition a
Must Own for Fans

We received generally-available Standard 4K Collector’s Edition release of Cemetery Man for review. Severin Films has done an excellent job with this release—it looks and sounds wonderful, and the film has definitely never looked better. The release also includes some entertaining new bonus material. This is certainly worth picking up for any casual fan of the film, or someone looking for a different, fun take on the zombie movie. However, this Standard version release is just a teaser when it comes to the bonus material that is available—die-hard fans of the film will likely want to pick up the deluxe 4-disc edition available direct from Severin Films, which includes special packaging, several additional hours of new bonus material, and a CD soundtrack. That said, you can’t go really go wrong with either edition of this beautiful-looking, newly-restored 4K release of Cemetery Man.