Maladonna and Malombra Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Maladonna and Malombra Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 29, 2026

Bruno Gaburro's "Maladonna" (1984) and "Malombra" (1984) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video. The only supplemental feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by critics Adrian Smith and Rod Barnett, hosts of the Wild, Wild Podcast. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-Free.

The last good Italian erotic films disappeared as the 1990s ended. This was an unavoidable development for two reasons. First, between the 1970s and 1990s, the Italian adult film industry grew enormously and attracted many mainstream stars who had made successful erotic films. Investors put a lot of money into it, creating unexpectedly attractive job opportunities for mainstream Italian actresses like Lilli Carati and Moana Pozzi, as well as international stars like Ilona Staller, better known as Cicciolina, and Karin Schubert, who had transitioned to it. However, in the 1990s, these stars were gradually replaced with younger, notably cheaper performers who also appeared in dramatically cheaper but suddenly very popular semi-professional adult films, known as gonzo films. After the replacement process was initiated, the funding for proper erotic and adult films became extremely limited, and the former began disappearing. Second, between the 1980s and 1990s, the home video market grew even faster, and adult film sales were one of the biggest drivers of the expansion. To meet demand for new content, adult film producers then began hiring mainstream directors, like Joe D’Amato and Andrea Bianchi. However, by the 1990s, they too had started shooting the cheaper straight-to-video content that led to the disappearance of the proper erotic (and eventually adult) films.

Interestingly, the cheaper and straight-to-video content created plenty of opportunities for established and younger stars to take roles in quality erotic films still made by great directors before the 1990s ended. For example, Tinto Brass cast iconic Italian beauties Stefania Sandrelli and Serena Grandi in The Key and Miranda, respectively. Mauro Bolognini directed Laura Antonelli and Monica Guerritore in The Venetian Woman. Marco Ferreri directed Francesca Dellera in The Flesh. Ugo Chiti directed Maria Grazia Cucinotta in The Second Wife. During this irreversible transitional period, some really good Italian erotic films were made, a few of which are unquestionably among the very best of their kind.

In this double-feature Blu-ray release, Raro Video presents two such very good erotic films, starring Paola Senatore, a gorgeous Italian actress who, despite not having an equally impressive filmography, was a legitimate rival of Sandrelli and Antonelli. Maladonna and Malombra, both directed by Bruno Gaburro, were released theatrically in 1984. Both films work with original material, though the latter credits a popular Gothic horror novel by Antonio Fogazzaro.

In Maladonna, Senatore plays Maria Raininger, a middle-aged beauty born and raised in the big city, unhappily married to the aging aristocrat Osvaldo Raininger (Maurice Poli), who has forced her to share his lavish, secluded countryside mansion. While the unhappy wife treats herself to various carnal pleasures with random partners, a compulsive gambler (Daniel Stephen) and a greedy banker (Jacques Steny) hatch a plan to steal her husband’s fortune. At the center of the plan is another beauty (Paola Corazzi), who must seduce, compromise, and force the ‘unfaithful’ husband to give away his fortune. The plan works as intended until the seduced and the seducer start falling in love, and the unhappy wife begins regretting her decision to let her marriage crack.

In Malombra, Raininger (Poli again), now a widower, has forced his late wife’s sister (Senatore) to be a regular star in a secret, somewhat perverted erotic game. When his young nephew (Stefano Allessandrini) and his tutor (Gino Milli) arrive at the mansion, the game is exposed, unexpected romantic relationships are formed, and, eventually, several wrongs are righted.

Maladonna and Malombra are wonderfully lensed by Pasquale Fanetti, whose name also appears on one of the most popular Italian disco copycats, Jocks. Contrary to claims featured in old reviews, both tell nice stories. However, they are very classy, near perfect promo pieces for Senatore, who looks jaw-droppingly beautiful while playing two completely different characters.

Maladonna and Malombra Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted 1080p transfers, Maladonna and Malombra arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video.

Both films are remastered. However, the remastering work is not recent. I would describe the overall quality of their visuals as good, but there are various areas where meaningful improvements can be introduced. For example, Malombra produces visuals where finer details are not as convincing as they need to be. Maladonna looks a notch or two better, especially in areas with plenty of natural light. However, both films can produce visuals with superior shadow definition and better grain exposure. Arguably the biggest reason these films look mostly good in high-definition is the rather subdued original cinematography. Because plenty of material emphasizes natural light -- candle light, restricted light, thick colored light -- most of the fluctuations affecting delineation, clarity, and depth are easy to brush aside. Color reproduction ranges from acceptable to rather good. Maladonna looks better. It has healthier and better-balanced primaries and supporting nuances. However, Malombra does not have any major anomalies. There is just more primaries and supporting nuances that can be strengthened and rebalanced. Image stability is excellent. Both films look healthy. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Maladonna and Malombra Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 for Maladonna, and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 for Malombra. Optional English subtitles are provided for both films.

In the past, I have only seen these films with Italian tracks. I was very surprised to see an English track for Malombra. However, this English track is unusable. It sounds very heavily compressed, very thin, almost as if it is coming from a tunnel. The Italian tracks are not perfect, but the dialogue and especially the wonderful music sound significantly better on them. The English translation is excellent. However, the English subtitles are very small and often difficult to read.

Maladonna and Malombra Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Adrian Smith and Rod Barnett, hosts of the Wild, Wild Podcast. The commentators correctly point out that Malombra is not a faithful cinematic adaptation of Antonio Fogazzaro's popular Gothic horror novel. However, Malombra was not conceived to be one. It is a period erotic film that simply borrows a few ideas from the novel.

Maladonna and Malombra Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In Italy, digital video irreversibly changed the film industry in almost the exact same way it did in America. The last good Italian erotic films disappeared as the 1990s ended, just like the many great action and comedy films that used to dominate the Italian market. Between the 1980s and 1990s, the transformation created plenty of opportunities for established and younger stars to take roles in quality erotic films made by great directors. Two such quality erotic films starring the beautiful Paola Senatore are presented on this Blu-ray release, produced by Raro Video. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.