‘Yeti: Giant Of The 20th Century’ Blu-Ray Review – Campy King Kong Rip-Off Should Be Experienced With Friends

This 1977 Italian King Kong rip-off is non-stop fun and camp action. Starring the gorgeous Antonella Interlenghi (The Gates of Hell) as “Jane” who discovers her “Tarzan” in the form of a giant Yeti (Mimmo Crao) that is taken into captivity and put on public display. When the Yeti breaks loose, it’s Godzilla-style special effects galore as he smashes through the city, crushing the bad guys and searching for his new love, Jane. From Gianfranco Parolini (Frank Kramer), the acclaimed director of Sabata, Adiós, Sabata, Return of Sabata, We Are No Angels and God’s Gun! Co-starring Tony Kendall (Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill). Remastered in HD from the original Italian 35mm camera negative.

For thoughts on Yeti: Giant Of The 20th Century, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/NPSkblYBPOE?t=3611]

Video Quality

Yeti: Giant Of The 20th Century comes to Blu-Ray from Kino Classics and Code Red with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 that is derived from the original Italian 35mm camera negative which is in pretty good shape. The presentation is mostly pleasing throughout the runtime with image stability and delineation being strong outside of the optical effects with the Yeti. Instances of print damage occasionally pop up very briefly, but overall clarity and detail is excellent. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation with only minor instances of it seeming a bit clumpy. The picture has a general softness, but colors are well saturated in a visually pleasing way. Skin tones are natural with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels are pretty solid with very little in the way of crush. If you can get over the inherent flaws with the source material, especially in regards to the special effects, most will find this gets the job done.

Audio Quality

This new Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix in English that captures the intention of the film well enough. The most pleasing part of this track is the music, which maintains a pleasing fidelity as it comes through the room. The dialogue is strong and commanding, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely from the propellers of the helicopter to the scream of terrified citizens in the final stretch. The track avoids most instances of age related wear and tear or distortion. This is a track that represents the film in a practically perfect manner. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

There are no subtitles provided on this release. 

Final Thoughts

Yeti: Giant Of The 20th Century is a patently silly movie that attempts to tell the classic King Kong story with a much smaller budget but much more camp. The sheer audacity that this film has is somewhat admirable, as they make very feeble attempts to turn a basically normal dude look somewhat like a monster with dumb wig and patchy body hair. The performances are nothing to write home about, but that is far from the most egregious flaws within this film. Kino Classics and Code Red have released a new Blu-Ray featuring a pretty solid A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. If you are looking for something to roast with a group of friends, you might gain a fair amount of enjoyment from this. 

Yeti: Giant Of The 20th Century will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on May 31, 2022. 

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

Disclaimer: Kino Classics and Code Red 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.