Friday 3 May 2019

In the Aftermath (1988)


"Curious New World Pictures Mash-Up Job"

Some time back on here I reviewed Arrow Films' release of one time New World Pictures boss Roger Corman's 1966's production BLOOD BATH, a film made by taking bits of another film, shooting some new footage, and cobbling the whole thing together to make a (sort of) sense.


Well here's another example of that practice, albeit one that manages it far less successfully. Carl Colpaert's IN THE AFTERMATH starts off with scenes from Mamoru Oshii's 1985 anime ANGEL'S EGG, a film about a young girl carrying an egg she has been tasked with protecting through a desolate and mysterious city. 


We have a bit of this and then we switch to live action footage of two men in gas masks crossing a post-apocalyptic landscape. One of them, Frank, keeps having visions of the girl holding the egg. Sometimes these are footage from Oshii's movie, sometimes it's more live action stuff. Is it possible that the egg could hold the key to saving both worlds?


IN THE AFTERMATH is a curious 72 minutes. It's nowhere near as successful in melding its plundered elements with the 'new' footage as BLOOD BATH is, and anyone familiar with Oshii's work (GHOST IN THE SHELL is probably the best known) will find it rather peculiar to see bits of another film of his chopped about in this way. 


Extras on Arrow's disc include new interviews with producer Tom Dugan and star Tony Markes, and an appreciation of Mamoru Oshii's work by anime expert Andrew Osmond. Purchasers of the first pressing also get a booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jon Towison.



IN THE AFTERMATH is out on Blu-ray from Arrow on Monday 6th May 2019

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