Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio and A Clock Work Blue Double Feature, The Review

Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome Edition Details: Limited Edition Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack Release Specs: Video Format: NTSC Format: Blu-ray/DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1 Blu-ray, 1 DVD

Vinegar Syndrome's double feature of The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio and A Clock Work Blue combine two films from director Eric Jeffrey Haims. The limited edition Blu-ray and DVD combination pack is limited to 1,000 copies. The same combination has been released on DVD in a standard unlimited release. There is a major difference between the two releases. Both contain the same version of the softcore film The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio but they contain different versions of A Clock Work Blue. The limited edition release has the hardcore version of A Clock Work Blue on both the DVD and Blu-ray. The standard DVD release contains the softcore version of A Clock Work Blue. Only the hardcore version is reviewed here, as that is the only version contained in this release. While The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio is okay, it may not be a title that you would want to view more than once. A Clock Work Blue is a fun release, but if you can't get your hands on the limited edition version, there isn't much for hardcore material in it so you aren't missing much if you pick up the DVD instead. If you choose not to read both reviews, you can jump to the review of The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio or you can jump to the review of A Clock Work Blue.

The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio is an odd softcore film to have come out of the early 70s. The film tries to be a softcore nudie film and a horror film all at one time but doesn't fully succeed at either. The idea behind the film is solid and with better writing and more consideration for how the film was shot, the film could have been good. The story has Detective Lieutenant John Kinkaid (Donn Greer) is investigating the murder of Janet Pender (Cathie Demille) — who may have also been called Eve Standish at one point — that happened at the Florence Nightingale Institute (of nursing) run by the mysterious Dr. Dorian Cabala (Sebastian Brook).

As far as being a horror film, The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio falls flat. Honestly, the film isn't scary at all. The gore is cheaply done and the special effects are, well, cringe worthy. Especially when you get to the decapitation scene and the head rolling around is an obvious fake. Long walks through corridors or up stairs are present and set to music, which I suspect was supposed to put one at edge, but fails. There are also two scenes of the graphic dissection of a frog, which are obviously present for their shock factor, which don't help the film.

As for the softcore portions, the cast looks good and there are some nice scenes. Especially a lesbian scene when two nursing students share a bed. Unfortunately many of the softcore scenes are cut short for horror elements. Given how bad those turned out, the softcore scenes could have been extended for more enjoyment. The sets look nice albeit cheaply done. The production team did well at this given the obvious limited budget. There are also some nausea inducing hand held camera shots which for the sake of all watching should have been cut.

Given that this film has been hard to get a hold of since its initial release, often costing a small fortune to see, I am sure there is curiosity factor in it. However, I suspect most viewers will ultimately be disappointed in what is offered.

This release is a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack so the film is presented in both formats. I give props to Vinegar Syndrome on the combo pack. I am a huge fan of them. This film is in the worst shape I have yet to see on on a release from Vinegar Syndrome. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen in the 1.78:1 ratio. The Blu-ray offers a 1080p presentation of the film, the DVD is obviously not in high definition. The colors are beautiful and so is the fine detail. The print contains heavy grain throughout, shows signs of print damage, and also has dirt and artifacts present. The release is perfectly watchable and I suspect that this was the best Vinegar Syndrome could do with the source material. The DVD has a Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track and the Blu-ray has a DTS-HD MA 1.0 monaural track. There is hiss on both audio tracks and some crackles present. Vinegar Syndrome hasn't included any extras for this film.

A Clock Work Blue is a film that one should truly hate. Looking at it, there is very little that it has going for it. The sets are horrible. They honestly look like those of a high school play. In some places the details of rooms are drawn on what looks like hung sheets. The exterior scene is shot indoors as well on fake grass. The film is a combination of pot jokes, sex jokes, and non-pc jokes that many may find racially insensitive. The film looks like it was shot on an almost non-existent budget.

All this being said, I could not help being amused by this film. Somehow all of this manages to work in the favor of the film and manages to provide a decent amount of laughs. The film does have some slow points, though. It probably would have benefited from having a scene or two removed to prevent the drag. The sex scenes don't ultimately work as well. Why Eric Jeffrey Haims decided to film a hardcore version I am not entirely sure, since it doesn't look like he wanted to make a hardcore film. Throughout the entire movie there may only be two minutes of actual hardcore footage, if that. It is spread throughout several of the scenes, so just as it starts, it is over. Some of the scenes don't even include any hardcore footage. The cast looks good and the softcore footage was enjoyable, but even that seemed to be skimped on.

This is one to watch for the comedy and the breasts on display. Just don't expect much, including historical accuracy, and you may find yourself pleasantly amused. If you go in wanting something more, you are apt to be disappointed. The film is basically a series of vignettes, held together with a loose plot. Homer (Joe E. Tata), a researcher for Professor Darwin (George Berkeley), accidentally sends himself back in time while preparing Professor Darwin's time experiment — a watch — for its initial use. During his journeys through time, Homer takes the identity of notable historical figures and witnesses numerous sexual trysts.

Vinegar Syndrome has done an amazing job with this film. This release is a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack so the film is presented in both formats. I give props to Vinegar Syndrome on the combo pack. I am a huge fan of them. Both the Blu-ray and the DVD in this pack contain the hardcore version of A Clock Work Blue. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen in the 1.78:1 ratio. The Blu-ray offers a gorgeous 1080p presentation of the film, the DVD also offers a gorgeous presentation, just not in high definition. The colors are beautiful and so is the fine detail. There are mild artifacts. The DVD has a Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track and the Blu-ray has a DTS-HD MA 1.0 monaural track. There is hiss on both and some occasional crackles. I doubt that you will see this film in better shape than it is presented in this release. Vinegar Syndrome hasn't included any extras for this film. Unfortunately the softcore version of the film isn't present. I wish Vinegar Syndrome had raised the price slightly and had included the softcore DVD as well, as it would have been nice to have it included.

Vinegar Syndrome's double feature of The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio and A Clock Work Blue combine two films from director Eric Jeffrey Haims. The limited edition Blu-ray and DVD combination pack is limited to 1,000 copies. While The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio is okay, it may not be a title that you would want to view more than once. A Clock Work Blue is a fun release.

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