THE GREAT ALLIGATOR (1979)
2-Disc Collector's Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray
Region Code: Region-Free (UHD), A (Blu-ray)
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 89 Minutes 10 Seconds
Audio: English or Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR10 2160p UHD WIdescreen (2.35:1), 1080p HD WIdescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Sergio Martino
Cast: Claudio Cassinelli, Barbara Bach, Mel Ferrer, Romano Puppo, Richard Johnson, Silvia Collatina
Sergio Martino's (All the Colors of the Dark) eurocult-tastic animal-attack flick The Great Alligator (1997) is an Italian jungle adventure with a healthy does of Jaws knock-off slathered all over it. In it greedy land developer Joshua (Mel Ferrer, Eaten Alive) opens the Paradise House resort on a jungle island with plans to expand, clear cutting the forest with explosives to make way for more development, angering the indigenous people, the Kuma tribe, in the process, as they encroach on sacred tribal lands. The Kuma people fear it will anger their god Kruna. Joshua hires photographer Daniel (Claudio Cassinelli, Free Hand for a Tough Cop) and his star model, Sheena (the stunning Geneve Hutton) to shoot some promotional photos around the the resort to use in promotional materials. Sheena goes missing after a midnight sex-romp with one of the indigenous men, the only thing they find is the canoe she was last seen in washed-up on the river banks looking like it's been used as a toothpick by a toothy predator.
The indigenous people fear that they have awakened an angry Krune in the form on a giant-alligator, a species not native to the area,, but Joshua much the same Mayor Vaughn from Jaws just wants to keep the festivities going and the resort-cash flowing, refusing to delay any resort activities. Meanwhile his level-headed and very pretty assistant Ali (Bond girl Barbara Bach, Short Night of Glass Dolls) teams-up with Daniel to get to the bottom of the model's disappearance, and to thwart the vengeance of the gator god Kruna.
The creature-feature carnage is pretty disappointing in this one to be honest, the beast is rarely seen and when it s it's either quickly edited close-ups of frothing water, reptilian eyes, and the alligators toothy maw, or terribly clumsy insert shots of a goofy looking miniatures that are clearly shot in a pool, even the night attack scene on a party-raft used overly lit pool footage. Eventually the presence of the killer alligator is undeniable, and tourists are not even safe on dry land as the indigenous people feel they have to make sacrifices to the angered god Kruna, attacking the resort and launching spears into the wealthy tourists, then kidnapping Ali and tying her to a bamboo raft as a white/blonde sacrifice to their animal god ala King Kong, leading to a finale with both Ali and Daniel trapped in a submerged cargo van loaded with dynamite as they attempt to save themselves and kill the beast, the rushed finale is a bit anti-climatic and smacks of Jaws.
Despite the slow kick-off and shoddy looking Alligator, and the lack of bloody gator-carnage, Sergio Martino is a talented director and manages to throw enough jungle adventure fun into the mix to keep it entertaining, there's plenty of exotic tropical beauty on display and a killer eurocult, including the gorgeous Back who is always a treat. The lack of gator-carnage is disappointing , but as a jungle adventure flick it's not too shabby, plus we get a fun bongo-driven score from Stelvio Cipriani (Put Your Devil Into My Hell) and decent lensing from Giancarlo Ferrando (Your Vice Is A Locked Room and Only I Have the Key).
The film also features some familiar Lucio Fulci alum via a deranged priest turned cave-dwelling hermit who once battled the beast, living in a cave where he has built an effigy to Kruna, played by Richard Johnson (Zombie), and the spunky Silvia Collatina, who was the ghost-girl from Fulci's The House By The Cemetery, plus appearances from Italian regulars Romano Puppo (Ghoulies II) and Bobby Rhoades (Demons) as employees of the resort.
Again, not a great croc/gator-flick or even an above average Jaws knock-off, but a pretty tasty jungle adventure with an all-star eurocult cast that is well-shot, just don't expect this to have tons of animal-attack carnage and gruesome gore, it's no bloodbath by any stretch, but it is still an entertaining jungle romp.
Reversible Wrap
Webstore Exclusive Slipcover
Audio/Video: The Great Alligator was previously issued on Blu-ray from Code Red, and as such it was not always an easy release to find, but Severin step up to the plate with a new 2024 release, a 4K UHD/BD 2-disc set sourced from a new 4K scan of the OCN with HDR color-grading, framed in 2.35:1 widescreen. The source looks terrific, blemishes are are relegated two a few faint vertical lines and speckling, and colors are pleasing and well-saturated aside from a few soft-looking exteriors shots, as well as some underwater footage that have never looked good as they are source related. Black levels are also strong and depth and clarity are modest but much improved iver past releases.
Audio comes by way of English or Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. Both tracks are clean and well-balanced, the dubbed English and Italian dialogue sounds appropriately canned, the jungle sounds, animal attack-carnage and Stelvio Cipriani score all sound terrific.
Severin carry-over the extras from the previous Code Red release as well as commissioning some tasty new exclusive content. The only extras on the UHD is the 3-min Trailer, all other extras, alongside the HD version of the film, are present on the accompanying Blu-ray. New stuff starts off with the 11-min Down By The River – Interview With Director Sergio Martino who recollects shooting the film in his 30s in Sri Lanka, his memories of the people and culture, working with Barbara Bach, getting covered in leeches while location scouting. In the 17-min Minou – Interview With Actress Silvia Collatina, who played the red-haired little girl, she recalls her early career in commercials, the audition, remembering Martino as very kind and someone who is still a close-friend, what it was like shooting on location, and her memories of actors Bach, Ferrer and Cassinelli, learning to swim on location, how she was freaked out by Sri Lanka's native wildlife, including snakes and crabs. She ends with a memory of seeing the film recently with a crowd, and how they enjoyed it. One of my favorite interviews is the 16-min Beware Of The Gator – Interview With Camera Operator Claudio Morabito, an old dude who is quite candid, as he recalls shooting in Sri Lanka, thinking the croc could have looked better, his memories of his close friend Claudio Cassinelli, and how his death affected him, memories of Bach, Ferrer, and calling it Martinos least good film (I agree), shooting the party-raft attack, and some fond memories of pranks played on set, including an iguana in the bathtub. We also get the 17-min Later Alligator – Interview With Production Designer Antonello Geleng; the 7-min Underwater – Interview With Underwater Camera Operator Gianlorenzo Battaglia; the 17-min 3 Friends And An Alligator – Discussion With Cinematographer Giancarlo Ferrando, Production Designer Antonello Geleng And Special Effects Supervisor Paolo Ricci, plus the 19-min Paradise House: Christianity And The Natural World In The Great Alligator – Video Essay By Lee Gambin, Author Of Massacred By Mother Nature with nature run amuck/animal attack flick expert Gambin looking at Martinos interesting depiction of African people, eco-concerns, and colonialism, racial constructs, and themes of displacement. The disc is buttoned-up with the 6-min Alligator Land – Antonello Geleng Shares Original Production Drawings; and the 3-min Trailer.
The 2-disc set arrives in a dual-hub black keepcase with a Reversible Wrap, the b-side featuring a very Jaws-ian illustration, plus a Webstore Exclusive Slipcover with two artwork options, including an embossed row of gator teeth, and the discs inside feature artwork as well, including a fifth artwork option. There's plenty of vintage poster eyecandy on this release for the packaging enthusiasts.
Special Features:
- Webstore Exclusive Slipcover
- Reversible Wrap
Disc 1: UHD (Feature + Special Features)
- Trailer (2:58)
Disc 2: Blu-ray (Feature + Special Features)
- Down By The River – Interview With Director Sergio Martino (10:42)
- Minou – Interview With Actress Silvia Collatina (16:34)
- Beware Of The Gator – Interview With Camera Operator Claudio Morabito (16:28)
- Later Alligator – Interview With Production Designer Antonello Geleng (16:48)
- Underwater – Interview With Underwater Camera Operator Gianlorenzo Battaglia (7:16)
- 3 Friends And An Alligator – Discussion With Cinematographer Giancarlo Ferrando, Production Designer Antonello Geleng And Special Effects Supervisor Paolo Ricci (16:32)
- Paradise House: Christianity And The Natural World In THE GREAT ALLIGATOR – Video Essay By Lee Gambin, Author Of Massacred By Mother Nature (18:50)
- Alligator Land – Antonello Geleng Shares Original Production Drawings
- Trailer (2:58)
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Screenshots from the Severin Films Blu-ray:
