The Bride of Frank [DVD] [1996]

Get ready to throw those well-worn bootlegs out the window -- because Escalpo Don Balde's trash masterpiece has finally arrived on DVD thanks to Sub Rosa Studios. Presented in 1.33:1 full-frame, the image quality of the shot-on-video feature ranges from fair to poor. Of course, this has more to do with the films' haphazardly shot video origin than with Sub Rosa's mastering, but anyone seeking out this demented gag tester is likely well aware of the feature's ultra low-budget origins. Audio, presented in innovative "Buttersound" ("melts in your ears!"), likewise ranges from fair to merely acceptable with the at-times intelligible dialogue of the protagonist (accompanied by subtitles) giving way to hiss, pops, and other various other auditory distortions. Overall, Sub Rosa's presentation preserves the film as well as could be expected given the somewhat rough source materials. In what may come as a pleasant surprise to some, Sub Rosa has opted to pack its release of The Bride of Frank with an abundance of bonus materials. An audio commentary track featuring director Balde, star Frank O'Brien, and technical director Brent Butterworth finds the freewheeling trio joking playfully while taking numerous hits from the bong, and though those looking for technical insight will find little of that formality here, it's still a fun listen; offering some pointed insight into the demented origins of the feature. After experiencing the joys of Buttersound with a demonstration by Butterworth himself, viewers have the opportunity to check out some bloopers and deleted scenes, with a trip to the Clair-Obscur Film Festival in Basel, Switzerland, offering a humorous account of Frank's European vacation as seen through the lens of a broken camcorder. Press materials including a pitch letter to Premier Magazine and a handful of trailers for other Sub Rosa titles round out this impressive albeit somewhat nauseating release.