From Vinegar Syndrome comes a limited-edition Blu-ray of SANTO VS. DR. DEATH (original title SANTO CONTRA EL DOCTOR MUERTE).
Most of the films starring the silver-masked professional wrestler-action hero El Santo were made in Mexico, and despite their far-fetched plots, had a basic style and look to them. SANTO VS. DR. DEATH was a 1973 production, filmed in Spain. This movie is far more stylish than the average Santo outing, with a smoother flow, much better editing and camerawork, and finer visual sense from director and co-writer Rafael Romero Marchent.
One knows right away that this isn't the same old Santo flick due to an impressive pre-credits sequence that shows a man breaking into a museum at night. The man has used a chemical to damage a famous painting that is being sent to Madrid. Interpol decides to assign El Santo to investigate the case (he's already contracted to be in Madrid to wrestle). In Spain Santo contacts Agent 9004 (Carlos Romero Marchent) and the duo question artist and art expert Dr. Mann (Jorge Rigaud). It turns out that the mysterious doctor is causing tumors in the beautiful women he hires as models, in order to create a substance that allows him to make perfect copies of renowned works of art. Santo uses all of his wits and brawn to stop this doctor of death.
SANTO VS. DR. DEATH is as crazy as just about any other entry featuring the sliver-masked man, but it's done so effectively and impressively it comes off rather well. There's plenty of well-staged fist-fights and stunts involving cars, speedboats, and a helicopter. Even the obligatory wrestling matches have more verve than usual. There's no comic relief, either...all the bizarre happenings are played totally straight, which in my opinion is the best way to do this sort of story.
This movie also has a far better supporting cast than the usual Santo feature, with the delectable Helga Line as Dr. Death's assistant, and Mirta Miller as an agent who goes undercover as a model to infiltrate Dr. Mann's Spanish castle. (The fact that Helga Line and Jorge Rigaud are here makes this something of a HORROR EXPRESS reunion.) With the Spanish locations, and the plot element of a number of Euro babes being used for experiments, SANTO VS. DR. DEATH has a very Jess Franco-esque feel.
Vinegar Syndrome has restored SANTO VS. DR. DEATH in 2K from an original 35mm negative, and it is presented uncut in its 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The visual aspect of the movie is impressive, as is the sound, which showcases the funky music score by Gregorio Garcia Segura.
The Blu-ray comes in a special slipcase, with a reversible poster of the slipcase artwork. The disc has the original Spanish audio track, with English subtitles, and a English dubbed track. The English dub isn't all that bad, but for me the original Spanish version is preferable. Spanish and English trailers are included on the disc.
The extras include a 15 minute video essay by Orlando Jiminez, who, in Spanish, makes general observations about the film while various scenes from it are shown (English subtitles are included). Unfortunately there isn't an audio commentary. There's a alternate English main title sequence, and a very short image gallery. The disc case states that this Blu-ray is playable for Region A,B, and C, and this is a limited edition release of 5,000.
Out of all of the Santo movies I have seen so far, SANTO VS. DR. DEATH is by far the best of them. It will appeal to fans of wild action-adventure and also those who love Eurocult cinema. It's a fun time for those who are able to use their imaginations, and Vinegar Syndrome gives it a first-class presentation with this Blu-ray.
Some of the Mexican horror flicks, the Americanized versions, used to show up on TV once in a while back in the 60's and 70's, and once in a while there was a Santo movie. Only he was known as Samson in the dubbed versions. I haven't seen any of them in all these years. Helga Line appears to have had an interesting acting career!
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