Climax of Blue Power, A (Blu-ray) (Vinegar Syndrome) Review

Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome Edition Details: Standard Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Action, Roughie Also known as: The Impersonator, Deviate in Blue, A Taste of Blue Power, The Passion of Blue Power Run Time: 82 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1974 Director: Lee Frost (as F.C. Perl) Written by: uncredited Cast: I. William Quinn (as Jason Carns), Starlyn Simone (as Linda Harris), Betty Childs, Cindy Taylor (as Mary Tomkins), Uschi Digard (as Sally Martin), Angela Carnon (as Gloria Jane Medford), Wes Bishop, George E. Carey, Bob Cresse, Phil Hoover, Marland Proctor, Gina Jones Release Specs: Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono (Blu-ray), English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono (DVD) Subtitles: English Video: Widescreen, 1.78:1 (anamorphic) Video Format: NTSC Format: Blu-ray/DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1 Blu-ray, 1 DVD

A Climax of Blue Power is a decent hardcore action roughie that has had an extensive history. The film was initially made by director Lee Frost as the softcore roughie The Impersonator. Reportedly The Impersonator was completed in 1974. It is unclear to this reviewer if the softcore version ever played theatrically.

Then The Impersonator had some footage removed (Including most of Uschi Digard's material and possibly Tricia Opal has been deleted entirely from the film.), hardcore inserts were added, and the name was changed to A Climax of Blue Power. It is not known to this reviewer if Lee Frost made the inserts as well or if another director did. As a result, most, if not all, of the hardcore scenes utilize body doubles for the actual hardcore sex footage.

The sex scenes honestly aren't the greatest. The use of body doubles limits what can be shot — well what should be shot is what needs to be said here due to a significant technical issue the film has — and the brutal nature of some of the sex scenes are a turn-off.

A Climax of Blue Power is a twisted and brutal film with a unique story that manages to entertain and keep the attention of the viewer throughout. The plot has Eddie (I. William Quinn), a security guard by day, who at night gets his kicks by dressing up his car to look like a police car and picking up hookers under the guise of being a policeman busting them. One day he witnesses a woman (Angela Carnan) kill her husband. After she gets away with the murder, he decides it is up to him to punish her for her crime.

A Climax of Blue Power was quickly made. The acting isn't horrible nor is it great but the film suffers from some sloppy editing — likely a result of being converted from softcore to hardcore — making the film look like it was rushed. There is also an unidentified 8mm loop edited into the film. The end result though honestly isn't that bad. The twist ending is one that the viewer doesn't see coming. In its cheap way, A Climax of Blue Power is an entertaining film.

There are some major technical issues with the film, though. The body double for Carnon looks nothing like her, and, for some reason, her face keeps being shown. This is sloppy considering how well the use of some of the other body doubles are hidden. There is also a scene, where the first sex scene occurs, where night changes to the day in the middle of the scene for an inexplicable reason.

The loop used in the film has been identified as Fanny Films loop 8 “Ass is the Price” from 1972. Neither of the cast members of the loop have been identified.

If you are a fan of cheap exploitation films and hardcore material isn't bothersome to you, A Climax of Blue Power may be worth watching. However, most audiences will find this a hard film to enjoy.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a nice job with their Blu-ray and DVD combo pack release of A Climax of Blue Power. The combo pack contains one Blu-ray and one DVD. The material, film, and extras, on both the Blu-ray and the DVD are the same.

A Climax of Blue Power was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome has used a 2K scan of a 35mm theatrical print for this release. A Climax of Blue Power is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p on the Blu-ray and 480p on the DVD. The image contains jumps, print damage, artifacts, and grain. The damage to the print is most substantial at the beginning and the end of the film. The colors in the film are beautiful and vibrant. Honestly, even with the heavier than usual print damage, the image on this release looks great and is well above other releases available.

A Climax of Blue Power is presented on the Blu-ray with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 monaural sound track and on the DVD with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural sound track. The sound presentation is generally good. There are jumps and pops in the audio along with dirt present. The audio damage, similar to the image damage, is heaviest at the beginning and the end of the film. The dialog in the film is clear and can be understood at all times. Optional English subtitles have been included on both the Blu-ray and the DVD for the feature film.

Vinegar Syndrome has included a few extras for this release. There is the original theatrical trailer (in rather poor shape) and a still gallery that contains an article on the film's original incarnation The Impersonator. Unfortunately, the original version of The Impersonator (which this reviewer recognizes may no longer exist), which in addition to having more of Uschi Digard is also rumored to have Robyn Hilton, who is said to have initially starred in the club with Uschi Digard, in it.

A Climax of Blue Power is an interesting roughie. A Climax of Blue Power was initially made as the softcore roughie The Impersonator by Lee Frost and then was converted, with inserts, into the hardcore roughie A Climax of Blue Power. Some of the inserts were well done and others, not so well done. As an exploitation film, despite being quickly made, A Climax of Blue Power works well. As a hardcore film, A Climax of Blue Power works poorly, and the inserts add nothing to the film at all. Vinegar Syndrome has done a nice job with their Blu-ray and DVD combo pack of A Climax of Blue Power with good sound and picture quality.

The screenshots are taken from the Vinegar Syndrome DVD release for A Climax of Blue Power.

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