El Mariachi appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Due to budgetary issues, El Mariachi demonstrated a lot of iffy visuals, but it looked reasonably good given those restrictions.
For the most part, the film showed the various issues often connected with 16mm movies. Sharpness usually looked pretty solid.
Some of the shots came across as a bit soft and tentative, but most of the movie was acceptably detailed and distinctive. I saw no issues related to jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent.
Given the 16mm source, the movie tended to look very grainy. I also noticed more than a few examples of specks and marks, though these decreased as the film progressed.
Colors favored a somewhat yellow/red tone to match the arid settings, and these fared fine. While the hues didn’t dazzle, they managed to offer reasonable range and punch.
Black levels were fine, as they showed good depth, and low light shots offered reasonably clarity. Outside of the print flaws, this turned into a good representation of a 16mm source.
Via an LPCM stereo soundtrack, the film came in its original Spanish, though it also included an English dub. The soundfield didn’t dazzle me, but it seemed appropriately engaging.
Music showed nice stereo imaging and the effects helped create a modest but useful sense of atmosphere. Much of the audio remained pretty centered, but a mix of elements popped up in the side speakers, and they meshed together reasonably well.
Audio quality seemed positive from start to finish. Speech sounded natural and lacked any issues connected to intelligibility or other flaws.
Music was warm and dynamic, as the score presented crisp highs and warm lows. Effects came across as accurate and tight.
They didn’t show any prominent distortion as they captured the original elements well. Overall, the soundtrack of El Mariachi satisfied given the restrictions of the source.
How did this 2024 Arrow Blu-ray compare to the prior release from 2011? Though it went from DTS-HD MA to LPCM, both offered very similar audio.
I also thought the two provided visuals without a lot to differentiate them. That said, I felt the Arrow Blu-ray showed mildly superior shadows and colors, so it got the nod.
The 2024 Arrow release mixes old and new extras, and we open with an audio commentary from director Robert Rodriguez, who offers a running, screen-specific piece. A chatty participant, he gives us a nice look at the creation of his film.
Rodriguez clearly remains proud of the fact he made El Mariachi on a nearly non-existent budget, and this track mostly lets us know how he did so. He covers all the ins and outs of no-budget movie-making and provides a concise and lively discussion of the processes.
The emphasis remains on the technical elements – and how to avoid paying much money for them – but he never gets bogged down in dull minutiae. At times Rodriguez repeats himself, and his tendency to refer to actors by their character names gets a little old at times, but overall the commentary seems informative and entertaining.
Someone alert the false advertising folks: the disc’s Ten-Minute Film School actually runs 14 minutes, 38 seconds! It packs scads of information into that span, as we get a great look at how Rodriguez shot Mariachi on the cheap.
He narrates the program as we watch raw film footage, a few behind the scenes shots, and finished clips. Rodriguez touches on many techniques he utilized during the production. He already chatted about more than a few of these in his commentary, but the fact we can watch them as well makes “School” valuable. It’s a briskly paced and very informative piece.
Made in 1990, we find a short film called Bedhead. It runs nine minutes, none seconds and tells a tale of a tormented girl who gets psychic revenge on her awkwardly-coiffed brother.
The movie seems rough and amateurish but shows enough style to become somewhat interesting. Even if it stunk, however, it’d make a nice historical addition to the set.
From here, we come to extras not on the 2011 Blu-ray. Big Vision, Low Budget spans 14 minutes, 41 seconds and provides a new interview with Rodriguez.
We hear what interested Rodriguez in filmmaking as well as aspects of the Mariachi shoot. A little repetition occurs after the commentary and “School” but Rodriguez nonetheless delivers a good collection of new notes.
The Original Mariachi goes for 15 minutes, 21. It delivers notes from actor/producer Carlos Gallardo.
We find info about Gallardo’s relationship with Rodriguez as well as his work on the film.
Mext we go to A Band of Misfits. This reel occupies 12 minutes, 41 seconds and provides remarks from Rodriguez and composers Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Alvaro Rodriguez and Marc Trujillo.
As expected, “Band” examines the movie’s music. We get an interesting examination of the film’s unconventional score.
Finally, the disc delivers two ads. We get a trailer as well as a TV spot.
Shot on the shoestringiest of shoestring budgets, El Mariachi rarely totally overcomes its financial restraints. However, the movie usually surpasses expectations and actually allows us to forget its amateurish roots. It seems lively and exciting and remains much more entertaining than most blockbusters. The Blu-ray presents decent picture plus positive audio and quality supplements highlighted by an excellent audio commentary. El Mariachi provides a memorable ride.
Note that this 2024 Arrow release of El Mariachi comes only as part of a three-movie “Mexican Trilogy” package. It also includes new Blu-rays of Desperado and Once Upon a Time In Mexico as well as a 4K UHD for Desperado.
To rate this film visit the prior review of EL MARIACHI
