Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 20, 2018

Mario Gariazzo's "Amazonia" a.k.a. "White Slave" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film, video interview with cameraman Federico Del Zoppo, and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Catherine

This film is the perfect fix for jungle exploitation junkies. It is directed by Mario Gariazzo, the man behind Play Motel, which is another genre fix, and apparently at one point it was even officially promoted as Cannibal Holocaust 2. In other words, it was meant to be a ‘bad’ film that delivers a very specific range of thrills and chills.

Gariazzo follows the classic formula that these types of genre films used to justify their graphic visuals. One part of it imitates what a ‘serious’ mondo documentary would do: it unearths some vintage graphic footage, spends some time emphasizing its significance, and then uses it to prepare the audience for all of the excess that will emerge later on. The other part is where the creative fun occurs. So the formula is pretty simple.

The legitimization begins immediately after the opening credits disappear. A narrator announces that the audience is about to learn the true story of Catherine Miles Armstrong (Elvire Audray), who has apparently been through something quite extraordinary. Then from London the action moves to the Amazon, where the young Catherine is having a terrific time with her parents, and in the present some other characters are already questioning the girl in an odd court room. Fast-forward. The family boat is attacked by savages, Catherine’s parents are beheaded, and she is taken hostage deep inside the jungle. Shortly after, a fearless giant named Umukai (Will Gonzales) claims Catherine and she is ‘prepared’ by other local girls to serve him. Eventually, the two sides learn to communicate and Catherine realizes that Umukai is truly in love with her, though the ways in which he tries to show it frequently send chills down her spine. Throughout the entire ordeal the Catherine remains focused on a plan to avenge the death of her parents, but an unexpected discovery forces her entire perception of Umukai and his people.

The bulk of Gariazzo’s film is indeed pretty bad, but discarding it for this is basically missing the very reason for its existence. Indeed, the film was actually conceived to deliver a very particular brand of ‘bad’ jungle entertainment, which during the ‘80s typically meant graphic cannibal mayhem. So when it comes to quality in this film just about everything is turned upside down, and the more Gariazzo doubles-down on the bad, the more effective his film becomes.

The production values, however, are not overly convincing. There are various sequences where the action clearly looks rushed and as a result the crucial sense of authenticity that is needed begins to suffer. Also, the special effects during the most disturbing footage are not always as special as they should be and a few of the ‘shocking’ close-ups have the exact opposite effect. The film could have been cut and edited better as well because many times the panoramic inserts feel completely random.

Gariazzo teamed up with the prolific cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti, who worked closely with Tinto Brass on many of his best films. However, the quality of the visuals here cannot be compared to that of big-budget extravaganzas like Salon Kitty, Caligula, and Paprika.

*This recent release is sourced from a brand new 2K remaster of the film that was struck from the original camera negative.

Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mario Gariazzo's Amazonia arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from a brand new 2K remaster that is quite impressive. There are a few small blemishes and a couple of specks but the entire film has a very strong organic appearance and looks lovely in high-definition. During the panoramic inserts some density fluctuations are present, but they are not introduced by questionable digital work. On the contrary, the remaster was basically left in raw form and it is painfully obvious now that all visible fluctuations are part of the original cinematography. The color grading is equally convincing. There are nice and healthy primaries and properly balanced nuances that never create odd anomalies like the ones seen in remasters that emerge from L'Immagine Ritrovata. Image stability is very good. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story 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 subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

I viewed the film with the English track, which should be considered the 'original' track as it is clear that the dialog was shot in English. However, it appears that some overdubbing was done as well, so don't be surprised if you notice some unevenness while viewing the film as this is a very typical limitation that these types of Italian genre films have. There are no audio dropouts, pops, hiss, or digital distortions to report.

Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Amazonia. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The Last Supper: The Final Days of the Italian Cannibal Film - this new documentary focuses on the lasting appeal of the Italian cannibal films and some of the qualities that made them unique. Included in it are clips from interviews with Calum Waddell, writer John Martin, director Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project), academic Mikel Koven, and actor Michael Sopkiw (Massacre in Dinosaur Valley), and director Ruggero Deodato (Cut and Run). In English and Italian, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (52 min).

• An Italian in Amazonia - in this featurette, cameraman Federico Del Zoppo remembers how he entered the film business, the shooting of Amazonia in Florida, his contribution to Leviathan, his interactions with Lucio Fulci, etc. He also recalls a hilarious experience with Burt Lancaster, who later on claimed that he was the best operator he had worked with throughout his career. The featurette was produced by Eugenio Ercolani and Giuliano Emanuele. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (15 min).

• Cover - reversible sleeve with vintage art.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Calum Waddell's essay "From Disco to Cannibal Dinners: Elvire Audray in Focus".

Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wanted to see Amazonia because it was lensed by cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti, who did some pretty incredible work with Tinto Brass. It is a small film that offers a very specific range of thrills and chills that jungle exploitation junkies usually find attractive. 88 Films' release is sourced from a very solid organic 2K remaster, which gives me hope that going forward a lot of other smaller genre films will see equally strong presentations. RECOMMENDED.