Taboo (Blu-Ray) (Vinegar Syndrome) Review

Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome Edition Details: Standard Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Drama Run Time: 86 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1980 Director: Kirdy Stevens Written by: Helene Terrie Cast: Kay Parker, Mike Ranger, Dorothy LeMay (as Dorothy Le May), Miko Yani (as Miko Yama), Juliet Anderson, Tawny Pearl, Jesse Adams (as Jessie Adams), Don Fernando, Lee LeMay (as Lee Le May), Turk Lyon, Brooke West, Sarah Harris, Michael Morrison, T.J. Carson, Holly McCall, Valerie Paulson, Starr Wood (as Star Woods), Ken Scudder (as Grant Lombard), Jeff Scott, Gary Eberhardt, Jeremiah Jones, Lisa K. Loring Voices: Kirdy Stevens Release Specs: Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (Blu-ray), English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (DVD) Subtitles: none 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

Kirdy Stevens' 1980 blue screen hit Taboo wasn't the first adult film to tackle the theme of incest and it wasn't the last one either. However, Taboo is the best of the films that took on this theme. Barbara Scott's (Kay Parker) husband Chris (Turk Lyon) leaves her for his secretary. Barbara's son Paul (Mike Ranger), who is dating Sherry McBride (Dorothy LeMay), starts becoming sexually interested in Barbara, who finds herself fighting off reciprocal feelings.

What makes Taboo the hit that it was is that Kirdy Stevens made a real movie. Taboo doesn't feel like it was made just to be a series of sex scenes nor does Stevens utilize every moment that he can to cram one in. Instead, Taboo presents a solid story, written by Helene Terrie, that focuses on character development and the story as well as the sex scenes. Each sex scene feels organic to the story itself and not shoved in just to have a copulation scene.

The cast does a great job with their roles, all the way around. All of the cast manage to bring their characters to life on the screen, which enhances all aspects of Taboo. And when it comes to the sex scenes, the cast sizzles on the screen. Everyone remains in character during the sex scenes and brings incredible energy to the scenes.

Technically, Taboo looks good as well; the film is nicely shot and edited and presents itself nicely to the audience. For fans of feature films, the sordid tale told in Taboo is one not to be missed. This is one of the films to define the golden age of adult filmmaking.

Vinegar Syndrome has done an amazing job with their release of Taboo. Taboo was shot on film and this release was mastered from 35mm vault elements that were 2K scanned. This release contains both a Blu-ray and DVD, both of which contain the same content. Taboo 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 looks great. Colors are beautifully rendered and the film contains grain, artifacts, and print damage. The image doesn't look quite as good as other Blu-rays that have come from Vinegar Syndrome due to the fact they didn't have a negative to work with for this release. However, Taboo looks amazing in this presentation.

Taboo is presented with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 monaural audio track on the Blu-ray and an English Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural audio track on the DVD. The audio tracks, on both the Blu-ray and the DVD, sound great with nice range and nary an issue that I could notice. The dialog was clear and crisp throughout the film.

Vinegar Syndrome has loaded this release with extras. There are four commentary tracks included on the release, two produced for this release and two that have been recycled from the previous Standard Digital Special Collector's Edition DVD release of Taboo. The feature length Kirdy Stevens and Helene Terrie commentary from the Standard Digital release and the Kay Parker commentary from the Standard Digital release are both present here. Vinegar Syndrome has added the film audio to the large quantity of dead air that exists on the Kay Parker track, which was a good move on their part.

There is a new commentary track with Kay Parker and Joe Rubin, which due to Rubin's presence is far better than the original track with Parker. There is also a new commentary track with Helene Terrie for the release as well. The seven-minute “Taboo: Kay Parker” interview piece that originally appeared on the Standard Digital Signature Series DVD release for Taboo 2. There is also a promotional image gallery included on the release.

Taboo is one of the true adult classics from the golden age of adult films. Taboo combines a tawdry tale of family love with a great cast, good story, and an overall nice looking production to create a film that has stood the test of time in the annals of adult films. If you haven't seen it, Taboo is a must see and if you already own one of the previous releases that have come out, this release is an easy upgrade. Vinegar Syndrome has done a great job with their release with a wealth of extras and beautiful image and audio quality.

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