The Killing Gene [DVD] [2006]

A breakthrough in barrel-bashing technology

Carlos Saura's powerful and poetic 1976 drama of a young Spanish girl growing up in a damaged household amidst the slow collapse of Franco's regime has been given a superior presentation in this DVD edition from the Criterion Collection. Cria Cuervos has been given an excellent new high-definition transfer for this release, presented in its original European widescreen aspect ratio of 1.66:1 (letterboxed on conventional televisions and enhanced for anamorphic play on 16x9 monitors); the rich color scheme of Teodoro Escamilla's cinematography has been reproduced with impressive accuracy (especially the dark tones on the interiors), and this looks as good (perhaps even better) than the picture did on its initial release. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono, retaining the original single-channel audio mix, and this DVD sounds as good as it looks. The dialogue is in the original Spanish, with optional English titles but no multiple language options. A bonus disc is included which features A Portrait of Carlos Saura, an hour-long documentary on the filmmaker originally produced for Spanish television, the film's original trailer, and new interviews with actresses Geraldine Chaplin and Anna Torrent. Finally, the packaging includes a booklet dominated by an essay from Paul Julian Smith, which discusses the film and the unique moment in Spanish history that it reflects. Cria Cuervos is a bold but graceful landmark in the Spanish cinema, and Criterion are to be congratulated for making it available on DVD in North America at long last, especially in such a thoughtful and well-crafted release.