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Vampirella DVD |
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At last the DVD of the Roger Corman production of Vampirella. And, despite it looking like it was produced on the cheap (no special edition, not even a booklet inside the case) it was well worth waiting for. | |
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The version shown is advertised as the original restored version, which means it is 9 minutes longer. There is also a commentary (in true DVD style) by the director, Jim Wynorski. And, if you haven't already read the description of the film then click on the link below for details of the film itself. |
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Of course the main difference between the video and the DVD is the quality of the picture and the sound. If you listen to the sound through a surround-sound set of speakers it makes a fantastic difference. The DVD case states it is in ultra stereo, which I assume is Dolby digital stereo, and when Adam walks into PURGE HQ for the first time you can hear the guys shooting on the left speaker first and then across the speakers as Adam crosses the room. The other impressive sound effect is the sound of bats fluttering - much better on the DVD. |
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The DVD flows much better with the addition of the extra scenes (detailed below) so that the story is greatly improved. At first glance you might not think that a few extra minutes here and there would alter things - but they really do. I especially like the sequence in the night club when you can clearly see Forry Ackerman grooving to the extended music track Roger Daltrey is singing, and I would guess he had a great time on set. If you can play DVDs in a surround sound set up then I'd say go and get the DVD for the extra dimension of sound alone. Footsteps, machinery, the bat fluttering and the explosions make it well worth it. If you don't have surround sound then the extra 9 minutes is still a bonus. It just depends how much of a Vampirella fan you are. |
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The commentary by the director, Jim Wynorski, is full of fascinating items, such as the fact that PURGE was based on The Man From Uncle, including access via the junk shop, Taliso Soto mistakenly broke the nose of the guy playing Traxx in their fight scene, the screen kiss (only in the DVD version) between the actor playing Forry Ackerman and Vampi was his first kiss, and so on. He gets some facts wrong (he claims Warren released 108 issues of Vampirella instead of 112, but what the heck). He claims that Buffy copied the idea of PURGE in the 4th season. Jim does tend to go on a bit about how many cuts he had to make because of budgetary restrictions and how he couldn't do the special effects he wanted to. Despite this, the commentary is interesting and chock full of fascinating insights into how the film was made. Well worth a listen. |
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Main differences between the video and the DVD versions 1. When Forry Ackerman (the character not the real person) identifies Professor Traxx for Vampirella (just after she saves Forry from the muggers) there is a small section on the DVD where Vampi tells him she scanned all the computer records on the shuttle which is how she learnt English. This is cut from the video. 2. In the video after Forry gives Vampi his coat she leaves, and we cut to the next scene. On the DVD there is some additional dialogue as Forry asks her to leave him out of it when she is caught by the police, then she kisses him before leaving. The bewildered Forry stands there, then says "Ella ... Vampire girl ... Vampirella .." and her name is created. This was never explained in the video as she is originally called Ella. 3. After Traxx is impaled on the pole after falling from the window of his laboratory after his fight with Vampirella, in the DVD we see Vampi turn into a bat to fly from the laboratory to arrive at Traxx's house and then enter. In the video we jump from the lab straight to the house without showing how she got there, implying the room Vampirella enters is in the lab not in Traxx's home. Of course when she enters the children's bedroom it becomes obvious she is in Traxx's home, but the DVD reveals how she got there and thus flows better. 4. In the Vegas nightclub scene when Vlad (Jaime Blood) is performing his song the DVD has a longer version with cutaway shots of the crowd, including one shot of the real Forry Ackerman dancing. 5. After both Vlad and Vampirella have been captured by Adam van Helsing and his men there is an extra scene on the DVD between Vampi and her captors inside the van. In this scene Vampirella tries to persuade her captors she is on their side, but they don't believe her and are about to interrogate her just before the crash and Vampi's escape. 6. After Vampirella saves Adam from Vlad there is a short extra scene in the motel room between Vampi and Adam, although he is mainly on the phone to Walsh and states that they (the vampire hunters) may have gained something significant that night, meaning their discovery of Vampi. 7. There is a tiny additional section when Vampirella is telling Adam she is a vampire (still in the motel) when she adds that vampirism on Earth is due to Vlad and that her stepfather's people would sooner die than taste innocent blood. This scene clarifies Vampirella's noble nature, something lacking in the video where Adam does not get such a clear explanation because of the cut. 8. The DVD contains some additional material when Vlad, after returning to his hideout, confides in Sallah that he intends raiding PURGE. 9. When Adam shows Vampirella around PURGE headquarters just after her first meeting with Walsh there is an additional scene on the DVD where Vampirella discusses the fact that Walsh is suspicious of her. 10. After her visit to PURGE Adam and Vampi go back to her motel room. On the video we cut to Adam looking at a sketch of Drakulon, whereas the DVD has an establishing shot of the motel and a couple of lines of Vampirella and Adam discussing the fact that Walsh doesn't trust her. 11. When Adam leaves Vampirella in her motel room the DVD contains a short section showing Adam in the corridor outside his room and we hear a bat flutter away. 12. After the attempted exchange of Adam for Deimos there is an extra scene on the DVD showing Vlad reassuring his band that Vampirella will come for him personally. 13. Almost immediately after as Vampirella breaks into Vlad's HQ there is a long extra section on the DVD, first as Vlad talks with Deimos about his capture, and then as he welcomes the twelve to hear his plan for Judgement Night. This section introduces and explains what is going on much better than on the video which cuts all this out. 14. After Vlad's speech to the twelve, there is an extra scene on the DVD where Walsh enters a church to pray to God for help in the coming crisis. The addition of this scene makes sense of Walsh's comment later "Thank you Lord, I owe you one". 15. Just after Bob has read Walsh Vampi's message and Walsh tells him he (Bob) is going into action this time there is a tiny extra shot of Bob's excitement as he states "Yes" knowing he is going into action at last. 16. The final difference is right at the end of the credits where it states Vampirella will return on the DVD, but not on the video. Sadly - she didn't. |
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All images on this site are copyright © 2007, Harris Publications, Inc. VAMPIRELLA ® and other characters are trademarks of Harris Publications, Inc. Text and concepts © 2007 Mike Grace. All rights reserved. |