Malcolm Shanks (Marcel Marceau, Barbarella) is a deaf, mute, reclusive puppeteer who lives with his overbearing sister (Tsilla Chelton, Peppermint Soda) and her lush of a husband, Mr. Barton (Philippe Clay, French Cancan). The only source of joy in his harsh world is his puppets, which is noticed by a beguiling inventor named Dr. Baker (also played by Marceau), who promptly offers him a job as his assistant. Upon Dr. Baker’s sudden death, Shanks discovers that he can, with the aid of electrodes, reanimate the dead, bringing a new reality to their experiments.
The final film from gimmick-prone, American genre film icon William Castle (The Tingler, The House on Haunted Hill), SHANKS is a decidedly surrealist amalgamation of quirky fantasy and mid-70s character-driven horror. Anchored by a delectable dual performance from celebrated French actor Marcel Marceau, with potently eerie camera work by 13 Ghosts cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc and an atmospheric score by legendary composer Alex North (Spartacus, The Bad Seed), Cinématographe is proud to present William Castle’s often overlooked slice of mid- 70s alienation in its 4K UHD debut from a brand new restoration from its original negative.
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Video Quality
Cinématographe presents Shanks with a terrific 2160p/HDR transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original 35mm Camera Negative. This film was previously released on Blu-Ray courtesy of Olive Films in 2013, but we do not have that release to compare. This new 4K UHD Blu-Ray renders as organically as you hope for a film of this era. We did not spot any signs of egregious DNR and the encoding appears to be devoid of any digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such nuisances. The film grain is thick yet consistently natural without any signs of unwanted manipulation as everything resolves perfectly. Even bright skies avoid excessive spiking, swarming, or other stray encoding issues.
The utilization of HDR10 for refined color output ratchets up the sheer splendor of the picture. The rural landscapes where some of the puppet demonstrations take place are represented with impeccable precision. The hues within some of the creative production design elements likewise are dialed into the perfect shade. Black levels are solid with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are resolute with no blooming in play. The transfer never lacks subtle textures in the costumes, production design, and various landscapes. Even after the restoration process, a few fleeting instances of minor print damage remain such as stray specks, but nothing to ruin the viewing experience. Cinématographe continues to put forth excellent work.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track which brings this to life quite well. The main character may be mute, but dialogue from the other characters comes through without serious signs of sibilance. It also emanates without being overshadowed by the music. The score from Alex North sets a distinct tone that flows out of the speakers with consistent fidelity. All of the various sounds in this twisted tale seem faithfully executed so that nothing ever feels unnatural. A few moments liven up the speakers, but this is not the most kinetic outing. This presentation keeps any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear to a minimum. Cinématographe has done a swell job of making it sound as strong as possible. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.
Special Features
The Limited Edition version of Shanks comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer slipcase that opens up to a MediaBook that includes a bound booklet featuring new essays by culture writer Heather Drain, film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and film professor Murray Leeder, editor of ReFocus: The Films of William Castle, plus select archival photo reproductions. These essays delve into the film from multiple angles and provide a great analysis in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:
Disc One (4K UHD)
- Audio Commentary: Film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw provide an entertaining commentary track in which they discuss the creation of the film, where this fits into the career of William Castle, the conflicting creative vision between the main players, the tonal dexterity of the film, details about the shooting locations, the background of the performers, the use of music, and much more that puts things into context.
Disc Two (Blu-Ray)
- Audio Commentary: Film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
- An Interview with Star Marcel Marceau: A 26-minute archival interview with the star who talks about his foray into Hollywood, working on Shanks, the growth of the reception of the years, playing dual roles, and more.
- No Words For The Dead – Video Essay by Daniel Kremer: A great 16-minute visual essay is provided in which the insightful film historian discusses high-concept and experimental studio filmmaking over the years, the output of William Castle, why it has been so overlooked, unique moments of composition, and much more.
- Original Radio Spots: A two-minute collection of radio spots is provided.
- Original TV Spot: A 32-second TV Spot is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Shanks is a bizarre yet fun final film from the legendary William Castle that dances across several genres to land on something singularly memorable. The plot is absurd but not dismissed out of hand by the movie at large, allowing for a good mixture of comical and creepy puppeteering. Marcel Marceau is a strong leading man using almost exclusively moment and facial expressions. Hardcore horror fans may find this to be too light to satisfy their genre needs, but those with an appreciation for old-school sensibilities should have fun with this one. Cinématographe has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation and a solid assortment of special features. Recommended
Shanks is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Cinématographe has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
