Movie Reviews

‘Filibus’ Blu-Ray Review – The Best Steampunk Silent Film About Cross-Dressing Sky Pirates You Will See All Year

By Dillon Gonzales
February 19, 2022
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Directed by Mario Roncoroni and scripted by sci-fi author Giovanni Bertinetti, FILIBUS is the most exciting, witty, feminist, steampunk, cross-dressing aviatrix thriller you will ever see! Flying high above the clouds in her dirigible, the titular sky pirate steals from the rich before mysteriously vanishing into the clouds. With the famed Detective Hendy on her trail, Filibus must up her game by posing as the Baroness Troixmond, volunteering to help with her own case! A cat-and-mouse adventure unlike any other, newly remastered by the Eye Filmmuseum, restoring the film’s marvelous range of Desmet tinting and toning to new visual delights.

For thoughts on Filibus, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.

Video Quality

Filibus makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics and The Milestone Cinematheque with a lovely transfer from a 2K scan from a restored negative, tints exactly matched to the original 1915 Desmet tinted-and-toned 35mm nitrate print, all conducted by the Eye Filmmuseum for a release that is quite impressive. For a film that is over 100 years of age, this is a truly wonderful presentation. The transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels present with some decent depth with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The gorgeous color-tinted photography shines in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a fair amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the setting. The contrast is mostly well defined, but the transfer experiences a noticeable amount of flicker and specks of damage to the print. There are also stray, faint vertical lines that make a quick appearance without ruining the overall aesthetic of the film. Kino Classics and The Milestone Cinematheque have done as well as could be expected given the age of this feature.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with three DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio tracks that sounds pretty wonderful. The film is graced with a score from the Mont Alto Orchestra, which is the default track, and two original scores composed and performed by Donald Sosin, one of which is accompanied by Joanna Seaton vocals, each of which are quite beautiful and whimsical in their own way. As this is a silent film, the music is the only element to contend with in this track, and it sounds bright and lovely with no clipping or age related wear and tear. Classic film fans should be beyond pleased with the sound quality of these tracks, as the new pieces seem to complement the visuals perfectly.

Special Features

A Night At The Dutch Premiere – 1918

- World Newsreel 1918: An eight-minute historical oddity which shows men preparing for war, a steamer ship capsizing on the Chicago River and killing many people, a high-society woman interacting with her dog and soliders, more propaganda for the war and more.

- Onésime and the Boudoir of Mademoiselle Badinois: A nine-minute early French comedy from 1912 which shows a woman borrowing a dress from her employer only to have it ruined in a spectacular fashion when she visits her boyfriends. There is some great physical humor here.

- Rapallo: A five-minute short from 1914 which functions as an Italian travelogue.

- Love and Science: A nearly 15-minute short film from 1912 which basically has a scientist obsessed with inventing FaceTime to the detriment of his relationship. This has some really intriguing ideas that are very forward-thinking.

Signori Giurati (Gentlemen of the Jury): A 73-minute film from 1916 starring Fabienne Fabrèges, and Filibus herself, Valeria Creti. This has also been restored and concerns the crime that bubbles up surrounding a femme fatale. This honestly should be listed as a co-feature along with Filibus, but I guess we should just feel lucky that they included such a substantial supplement to the package without raising the price.

Behind The Scenes – The Jean Desmet Collection: A brief piece which dives into the work of the Eye Filmmuseum and the incredible pieces they have at their disposal.

Trailers: This disc includes Trailer One, Trailer Two and Trailer Three.

Final Thoughts

Filibus is much more daring and cutting-edge than you might expect a film from 1915 to be. The narrative brings to mind ambitious projects you might find from someone like George Miller. The idea of cross-dressing sky pirates feels fresh today, so audiences of the early 20th century must have been really thrown for a loop. The film is a great mixture of funny and thrilling while showing early representation in a way that feels natural and considerate. Kino Classics and The Milestone Cinematheque have released a Blu-Ray featuring a pretty wonderful A/V presentation and a lovely assortment of special features. It is not often that you get to discover such a unique piece of film history, so those who are even the slightest bit interested should make time for this one. Highly Recommended

Filibus is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics and The Milestone Cinematheque have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzqkYSPDo-s]