Vinegar Syndrome Film Archive Presents: Reviver 3 (Blu-ray Review)
Director
VariousRelease Date(s)
1958-1990 (July 25, 2026)Studio(s)
Various (Reviver/Vinegar Syndrome)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A
Review
I’m really digging these Reviver sets. I reviewed No. Two here and again, a lot of the thrill comes out of the deep dive and the less said, the better. This time the focus is on short films, and that’s an area I’m very familiar with in my real life so this one was right up my alley and kept me transfixed the whole way through.
The titles on this set are:
Titles Available (1972), kicking things off with a man reading a litany of adult film titles that don’t spare the swear. Day in the Life (1971) is audio free, meant to be soundtracked by The Beatles song of the same name, with a countdown allowing you to make your own soundtrack if you have access to the song. Barrington Bunny (1973) is a video fable starring a stop motion bunny that’s creepy as hell and if it wasn’t lost before now, you’d swear it inspired Donnie Darko. Love Toad (1971) and Toad a Trois (1979) are two stop motion shorts featuring bean bag frogs getting it on to fun music. The Psychedelics (1966 with alternate commentary by archivist Austin Miller) is an awesome piece by artist Paul Hunt and Robert Beck that perfectly captures the 60s video aesthetic set to Ravi Shankar music that demands to be seen. The Story of Superman (1967) is a goofy fake news reel that is what it says. Sparrow (1970) is a story told in flashforward about small town America on the edge of switching out decades. Sequences (1971) is a pop art experiment. The Kapers of Kurt and K.G. (1971) is a too-long and endearingly badly puppeted warning to go to the dentist. Boot Cut Slacks (1990 with director Tom Megalis commentary) is a quirky 90’s MTV take on Eraserhead. Behind the Green Ring (1974) is basically Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman’s engagement “video” to his lovely wife Pat. The Rockhound (1960) is a pseudo Disney True-Life Adventures film about lapidary. Our Intermission is a slideshow about saving money entitled The Outgo Puzzle (1975). The Game (1965) is Tom DeSimone’s Twilight Zone-esque UCLA student film about a painter and her model role playing a nightmare that turns real. The Husband of the Rat’s Daughter (1986) is a wonderfully animated RISD student film by Karen McCoy Fremuth (winner of the 1987 Student Academy Award/Oscar). Scratch (1971) is an incredible experimental short by Joseph Kramer who painstakingly scratched and painted an entire piece timed to music. The Dog Funeral (1969) is what it says. A young boy buries his dead dog. Point of View (1958) and Twine Twain (1959) are two films about cats; one a live action Tom and Jerry short and the other a slo-mo ballet, both shot by research scientist Leon Harmon. The Notorious Man in Black (1974) is a cautionary tale about teenage runaways made by wannabe cult leader and convicted pedophile George Fiegley. Yeah. Secret of ’76 (1976) stars the Ritts Puppets in a short about the bicentennial. The USA (1976) is an epic group student exercise mixing animation and politics in various ways. Finally, there is Child’s Play (1985 with commentary by Carl Horner) a pre-Matrix, pre-Free Guy action short about two kids competing inside a video game populated by commandos shooting lasers at each other. It’s very cool and a great way to end this set. As an extra feature, all of the shorts feature commentary by Vinegar Syndrome regulars Oscar Becher (archivist and founder of Reviver), Joe Rubin (co-founder of VS) and Dino Proserpio (subtitle editor and QC tsar). It’s a great track in terms of info. I had to fight through some issues listening to it when they break out their BBQ lunch and pie dessert (I can’t stand listening to people ruffling through packaging and eating; it hurts my brain) but the info they present is worth the fight, I guess. There is also an “episode” of Winding Through focused on this Reviver No. 3 where Becher takes us through all the prints and the process of restoring each of the films and the varied issues each of them presented. Also very cool and worth the watch.
Video is great quality-wise, it’s a 2K 1080p in 1.37:1 showcasing the original films in the best possible quality they can currently be seen in. Sound is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and as it was with Reviver No. 2—it does its job. These Reviver titles really are special and if you’re a movie lover, and a physical media lover, chase these down and pick ’em up when you can—they are a limited edition of 3,000 for each volume.
- Todd Doogan