Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

All the Colors of the Dark Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 30, 2019

Sergio Martino's "All the Colors of the Dark" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers for the film; video interviews with actor George Hilton, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi and director Sergio Martino; Bruno Nicolai's original soundtrack for the film, placed on a separate CD; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Jane Harrison

What makes Sergio Martino’s All the Colors of the Dark attractive is the fact that it basically flips a number of conventional genre rules while at the same time it carefully expands the playing field where its characters are dispatched. The film has appeared on a number of reputable giallo lists, but it is really an experimental project that reminds of the work of Jean Rollin. (In the early ‘70s, in France Rollin was already doing the exact same type of experimental work, but with Gothic horror as his starting point. Martino’s starting point was the crime genre).

The elegant Edwige Fenech plays a young woman named Jane Harrison who lives in a decent area in London and is trying to recover from an awful miscarriage. But it has been awfully difficult. Her partner (George Hilton) has been eager to restore balance in her life and help her heal, but his insistence that she can quickly cure herself with very large doses of vitamins has actually made her feel even worse. Meanwhile, Jane’s sister Barbara (Nieves Navarro) has also been trying to build a case that the answer to her misery is a long and expensive therapy course that will be managed by her boss, a prominent psychiatrist. So instead of being close to the people that love her, Jane has been spending more time with alone, wandering the streets and hoping that the fresh air will calm her nerves.

In the building where she lives Jane eventually bumps into a sexy neighbor (Marina Malfatti) who invites her to have tea at her apartment and suggests that perhaps she ought to try a Sabbath – which turns out to be some Black Magic ritual organized by a secret sect. The desperate girl foolishly agrees and soon after her life spins out of control.

The fact that All the Colors of the Dark will end up being a twisted mind-bender becomes painfully obvious as soon as Jane’s nightmares begin overlapping with reality. After that the film rejects the conventional rules that define crime thrillers and heads in a completely different direction. So whether you end up liking it will almost certainly be determined here, where Martino opens up his bag of tricks to create an entirely new type of atmosphere that will ultimately change the identity of the entire film. (This is probably the right time to mention that Adrian Lyne’s great psychological thriller Jacob’s Ladder does a whole range of the same things that this film does in the first act, but eventually re-embraces conventional logic to deliver a powerful message).

The leads are quite good, or at least for this type of film, but it has to be pointed out that there are quite a few segments where some try too hard to hype up the sense of paranoia that emerges after that mysterious man with the spooky eyes connects with Jane with awkward statements or bizarre looks. The most effective material is actually the one where silence or some random sounds and noises are allowed to enhance the atmosphere.

The music score from maestro Bruno Nicolai is an essential element of the film’s narrative. Over the years many articles have been written to praise its brilliance, and the only thing that I can add is that it is indeed rightfully considered to be one of the best ever created for a genre film of this caliber.

*If you are planning to see All the Colors of the Dark for the first time, it is a very good idea to avoid the various vintage trailers that are floating around as they spoil all of the crucial segments.

All the Colors of the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sergio Martino's All the Colors of the Dark arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K remaster of the film, which is not the same remaster that British label Shameless Screen Entertainment worked with when it prepared this Region-B release in 2017.

I found the new remaster a bit frustrating. It is graded differently and has different density levels. It is framed differently as well. My main concern pertains to the framing, which appears to be marred by minor but rather noticeable shift of the visual information. The effect isn't quite as obvious as the one that is present on Arrow Video's presentation of Blood and Black Lace where there is improper zooming within the 1.66:1 frame, but while viewing the film I spotted a couple of examples where I could immediately tell that the balance was off. Here's one such example: Screencapture #14 is from a static panoramic shot where the top of the frame is missing information. I checked the previous release and on it the exact same shot appears properly composed. For some reason the newer remaster is also softer, so when the film is projected it does feel like some of its native sharpness is missing. I don't consider this to be a serious issue at all, but clearly there is some room for improvement. The good news here is that the color grading job is so much better that it instantly helps the dynamic range, which is precisely why plenty of the darker areas reveal nuances that are not present on the previous release. Additionally, even though the film looks a tad softer, overall fluidity is better as well. There are no stability issues or distracting age-related imperfections. So, I like the overall appearance of the new remaster better, but I also think that the framing issue that is highlighted above should have been avoided. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

All the Colors of the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the original English track. I found it to be better than the one that is present on the Region-B release of the film. Obviously, it retains some of the flatness and sporadic unevenness that are part of the studio dub, but I think that that the light background hiss is practically eliminated. (Some extremely light noise remains in a couple of sequences, which leads me to believe that it is on the original magnetic tracks/other audio elements that might have been used). Some additional digital work could be beneficial, but overall the quality of the audio here is better.

All the Colors of the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC

• They're Coming to Get You - presented here is the alternate U.S. cut of the film. Sourced from a standard definition master. In English, not subtitled. (88 min, 480/60i).

• Color My Nightmare - in this video interview, director Sergio Martino explains when and how All the Colors of the Dark was conceived and discusses its visual style and themes. Also, there are interesting observations about the evolution of Italian genre cinema and some of the leading directors whose work was most impactful. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (41 min, 1080p).

• Last of the Mohiocans - in this video interview, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi discusses in great detail his relationship with the Martino brothers (Sergio and Luciano) and comments on the type of directing opportunities that Sergio had over the years. Also, there are hilarious comments about All the Colors of the Dark and the fact that it is often completely misunderstood by many of its biggest fans, as well as the manner in which the screenwriter approached 'sex scenes' in the old days. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (19 min, 1080p).

• Giallo is the Color - in this video interview, George Hilton discusses the early stages of his acting career, which started in Montevideo, Uruguay, and his move to Italy in 1962 where he eventually appeared in a number of classic genre films. The actor addresses his contribution to All the Colors of the Dark as well. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (32 min, 1080p).

• Trailers - three vintage trailers for All the Colors of Sergio Martino. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author of All the Colors of Sergio Martino.

CD DISC/SOUNDTRACK

• Soundtrack - included with this release is a bonus CD with Bruno Nicolai's original soundtrack for the film. A total of 29 tracks.

All the Colors of the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Severin's recent release of Sergio Martino's All the Colors of the Dark presents a difficult dilemma. It is sourced from a healthy and more pleasing 4K remaster than the one that British label Shameless Screen Entertainment worked with, but its framing is unconvincing. I could immediately spot examples where the visual composition should have been better -- but other viewers might not be able to see what I did. If I had to pick a release, I would go for Severin's release because the superior color grading actually helps the film's dynamic range quite a lot, and this makes a positive difference throughout the entire film. There are good supplemental features and Bruno Nicolai's original soundtrack is offered on a separate CD, which I consider a big deal. RECOMMENDED.