Schramm
(Jorg Buttgereit; 1993)
(Barrel Entertainment)
-Overview-
Schramm is Jorg Buttgereit’s classic about the last days of notorious Lipstick Killer Lotharr Schramm. The film is surreal, shocking, and thought provoking, with enough nudity and gore to satisfy even the most jaded of horror fans. The story takes place as Schramm lay dying, in a series of flashbacks that are seemingly flashing before him. The film can appear a tad disjointed at times, but it doesn’t take away from the film’s overall effect. I highly recommend this one to both horror and film fans alike. A masterpiece.
-Sound-
Barrel has provided us with excellent sound quality on this disc. It’s in German language with both stereo and Mono available with removable English Subtitles, and Buttgereit’s haunting score has never sounded better.
-Picture-
The film is presented in an anamorphic ratio of 1.33:1 from the original 16mm negative, and there is no digital breakup or pixellization to be found. Colors remain crisp and the overall picture is excellent.
-Special Features-
Barrel have really outdone themselves on this one. Buttgereit fans will be delighted to find 2 of his Super 8 shorts included on the disc, Mein Papi, and Captain Berlin. Barrel has provided us with tons of other goodies including full running audio commentary by director Jorg Buttgereit and co-writer Manfred Jelinski, a second audio commentary by actors Florian Keorner von Gustorf and Monika M, a Making of Schramm featurette including 35 minutes of behind the scenes footage, Die Neue Zeit; a music clip from Mutter, a stills gallery featuring over 100 stills from the collection of Buttgereit and Jelinksi, promotional footage, trailers for Nekromantik, Der Todesking, Nekromantik 2, and Schramm, plus much more. This disc is truly a collector’s dream come true.
-Box Art-
The artwork for Schramm is effective and intriguing, and Barrel’s DVD packaging is well laid out and downright gorgeous.
Sound: 4
Picture: 5
Box Art: 5
(Rating scale is out of 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 the best)