Imagine if Troma Films had been hired to make a Sid & Marty Krofft Saturday morning kids’ show, and you have some idea of the unspeakable strangeness of VISITORS FROM THE ARKANA GALAXY, a truly gonzo Croatian sci-fi / fantasy / comedy about a struggling writer, Robert (Zarko Potocnjak), who dreams up a story of gold-skinned alien androids named Andra, Targo and Ulu from a distant planet. Incredibly, his fictional alien creations become reality, causing chaos in his relationship with his girlfriend Biba (Lucie Zulová) and threatening his small seaside village. The alluring lead robot Andra (Ksenia Prohaska) looks like H.R. Giger re-designed the Maschinenmensch from Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS; watch for the scene where she pours hot coffee and cream out of her fingertips. But for sheer jawdropping insanity, nothing rivals the Mumu Monster — created for the film by legendary Czech animator Jan Švankmajer –, a rubber-suited, multi-tentacled creation that destroys a wedding party, ripping off heads and spouting plumes of toxic green smoke while a blind accordion player blithely plays his squeezebox.

VISITORS was a rare live-action feature from animator Dusan Vukotic (1927-1998), best known for his stunning UPA-style cartoon shorts including “Cow On The Moon” (1959) and the Oscar-winning “The Substitute” (1961). This long-unavailable genre treat has been newly restored by Deaf Crocodile and Zagreb Film for its first-ever Blu-ray release. In Croatian with English subtitles.

For thoughts on Visitors From The Arkana Galaxy, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

Visitors From The Arkana Galaxy debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master derived from a scan of a 35mm interpositive in the collection of the Croatian Film Archive, which just so happens to be the best-surviving film elements. The digital restoration was completed by Craig Rogers of Deaf Crocodile. While there are some inherent limitations when it comes to the source, this presentation is quite lovely and stands as the best this film could possibly look, as it has obviously been handled with care by the label and topped off by a Fidelity In Motion encode.

The sumptuous photography which captures the surprisingly picturesque locations sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact and nicely resolved. There is a notable amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, landscapes, and the slimy appearance of the Mumu Monster. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail both in close-ups and wide shots. Certain elements of the makeup or production design look quite striking in their clarity. Black levels are deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is impeccably defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside a few fleeting moments. Outside of some softness that dates back to the source, Deaf Crocodile has delivered a virtually flawless transfer that looks better than anyone probably would have expected.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 mono track in the original Croatian with optional English SDH subtitles. There are no standard English subtitles provided, which means if you want to watch the film with subtitles you will be subjected to descriptive text such as “door creaks” or “sci-fi sounds” alongside the normal dialogue. We understand that the SDH subtitles are included to be more inclusive and there was not a budget for two sets of subtitles, but it remains a bit frustrating that there is not the standard option most companies choose for non-English language titles.

Outside of this minor inconvenience, the dialogue sounds clear without sound effects or the score overshadowing important information. The film employs some unique sound effects in the form of alien technology that are given the appropriate presence within the mix. Mostly the film is more of a kooky dialogue-driven journey without much in the way of action, but a few scenes bring the hustle and bustle. The score comes through nicely in relation to the competing sounds. This is not a particularly dynamic presentation, but it presents everything faithfully with pleasing fidelity and without damage or other unwanted issues.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film journalist Samm Deighan delivers a fantastic commentary track in which she discusses this live-action outing for director Dusan Vukotic, the difficult classification of this feature, the place of Yugoslavian and Croatian cinema in the larger culture, how the film tried to play with conventions of the genre, the incredible visual world crafted within this work, and so much more that goes toward deepening your appreciation of this film.

Animated Short Films: Five animated short films from Dusan Vukotic are provided here.

- Krava na mjesecu (Cow On The Moon): A 10-minute short film from 1959 in which a precocious young girl builds a rocket ship that leads to a grand adventure – much to the chagrin of an older boy.

- Piccolo: A nine-minute short film from 1959 in which two neighbors are at odds over noise complaints.

- 1001 crtez (1001 Drawings): A nearly 15-minute meta short film from 1960 that combines black-and-white animation and live-action footage to dig into how animation comes to life.

- Surogat (The Substitute): A 10-minute short film from 1961 in which inflation becomes a notable issue for a man during his day at the beach.

- Ars Gratia Artis: A nine-minute short film from 1969 that combines animation and live-action footage as a man eats some very harmful items.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included in this release which features the essay “Visitors From The Arkana Galaxy” by professor Jennifer Lynde Barker which gives a great amount of context to the career of Dusan Vukotic and how his work in animation influenced this feature.

Final Thoughts

Visitors From The Arkana Galaxy is a bizarre spin on the science fiction genre which shows the depths of the struggle to create in vivid, unhinged detail. There are layers of black comedy and unfiltered development which make this one an exciting viewing experience. The film shines when it comes to the care taken with the production design and monster creation. If it were not for some of the ribald developments, this almost feels like it would be interesting programming for a younger set. Deaf Crocodile has released a terrific Blu-Ray which sports a top-tier A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. If you enjoy finding special, quirky pockets of international cinema, this is the movie for you. Recommended

Visitors From The Arkana Galaxy is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

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

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile and Vinegar Syndrome 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.