Super-8 DIY filmmaking at its most audacious, Flaming Ears is a pop sci-fi lesbian extravaganza set in the year 2700 in the fictional burned-out city of Asche. In this cardboard-and-plastic dystopia, Spy (Susana Helmayr) is a comic book artist whose printing presses are burned down by Volley (Ursula Puerrer), a sexed-up pyromaniac. Wounded in her quest for revenge, Spy is sheltered by Nun (A. Hans Scheirl), an amoral alien in a red plastic suit with a predilection for reptiles…who also happens to be Volley’s lover. This story of obsession and revenge is also an anti-romantic plea for love in all its many forms. A truly fearless underground film newly restored in 4K, Flaming Ears playfully disrupts narrative conventions with its witty approach to film genre, and its punk visual splendor.

For thoughts on Flaming Ears, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/29CHE2dwxcA?t=3765]

Video Quality

Flaming Ears makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master derived from a 2020 4K restoration. This film was shot on Super 8 in 1991 and distributed as a 16mm blow-up, but the original image and sound materials have been lost. This restoration uses the 16mm internegative which had been edited in an A/B process using two 16mm distributor prints as a reference. This is a film that has been very hard to track down over the years, so to see it looking so strong and stable is a gift for adventurous cinephiles. The gritty photography surprises in high definition with natural grain intact, but expectations should be in check for just how good this material can look.

There is a nice amount of detail present with nice textures on the costumes and within the DIY production design. Some minor nicks and faint lines remain, but it is apparent that it has been cleaned up immensely. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a slight amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. The new restoration shows off a great amount of depth within the frame. Black levels are fairly deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. Kino Classics has given this one an amazing second life on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original German that serves this movie well enough. The music is not pulsating, but it maintains a decent fidelity and it never overpowers the sparse dialogue or other important information. Dialogue and environmental noises are balanced with all competing elements. This track shows some instances of age related wear and tear, but considering the elements the restoration team was working with, it proves to be an agreeable soundscape. Kino Classics has delivered a fine presentation given what they had to work with. There are optional English subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Short Films: Three short films are provided from these creatives which share the same daring creative spirit found within the feature presentation. Some of the content is even more extreme than the feature, so viewer discretion is advised.

- Super-8-Girl Games (1985) (2:59)

- Jagged Trickle Sneaks Shamelessly Thigh-Wetting (1985) (4:35)

- The Black Heart Drips (1985) (13:45)

Original Theatrical Trailer: A nearly minute-and-a-half long trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Flaming Ears is an at-times very abrasive piece of experimental filmmaking, but it has some very striking imagery that is hard to shake. This is not a film to go into unprepared, but if you are looking for something weird and lo-fi, you might just appreciate the adventurous spirit of this narrative. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a favorable A/V presentation and a decent assortment of special features. If you are a fan of queer filmmaking, you should give this a shot.

Flaming Ears is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

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

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