Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 22, 2026

Mario Gariazzo's "Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story" a.k.a. "White Slave" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by Italian critics Eugenio Ercolani and Nanni Cobretti; new program with Italian composer Italian composer Franco Campanino; recent program with camera operator Federico Del Zoppo; vintage trailer; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

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 4K restoration, sourced from the original camera negative.

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

Presented in is original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

In the United Kingdom, Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story made its high-definition debut with this release, also produced by 88 Films, in 2018. It presented a then-new 2K restoration of the film. This upcoming release presents and exclusive new 4K restoration, which will also be available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack.

There are notable differences between the 4K and 2K restorations, and I much prefer the overall look of the latter. The main differences are in the color temperature of the visuals. On the 4K restorations, several primaries and supporting nuances are tweaked, making large sections of the film significantly cooler. Also, in multiple areas blue nuances shift toward light cyan. You can see examples here and here. Elsewhere, the cooling also impacts the dynamic range of the visuals, as seen here and here. So, while there are some good improvement in the saturation levels, there are unfortunate changes as well. Grain exposure is fine. I did not encounter any troubling digital adjustments. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

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

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the English track) and English (for the Italian) track are provided.

I viewed the new 4K restoration of Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story on 4K Blu-ray and later spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

I prefer the English track because most actor speak English. However, the English and Italian tracks use overdubbing, which causes noticeable unevenness on both. Fans of Italian genre films from the 1970s and 1980s know that the overdubbing was a common practice in Italy at the time, so original English and Italian tracks usually have some limitations. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

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

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Italian critics Eugenio Ercolani and Nanni Cobretti. The more interesting comments address the multiple titles used to distribute Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story, the rise and fall of the Italian cannibal film and how Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story compares to it, some of its provocative material, and reception. Covretti also confesses that he is a huge fan of the cannibal film.

• Nothing to be Ashamed Of - in this new program, Italian composer Franco Campanino reveals how he fell in love with music and comments on some of the ways it profoundly affected his life, and discusses his contribution to Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story. The program was produced by Eugenio Ercolani. In Italian, with English subtitles. (29 min).

• The Man From High Crane - in this program, camera operator Federico Del Zoppo reveals that he entered the film industry at the age of sixteen and was one of the first professionals in Italy to shoot on digital, and comments on his decision to exit the film industry because of the expansion of digital and its rapid transformation. Del Zoppo explains what it was like to work on Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story, which was shot in Florida. The program was produced by Eugenio Ercolani. In Italian, with English subtitles. (14 min).

• Capitalizing on Cannibals - in this new program, critic Eugenio Ercolani discusses the flexible genre identity of Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story, the evolution of the classic Italian cannibal film, and its popularity in select European markets and America. Also, there is some interesting information about the distribution history of Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story and relationship with the censors. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Body Trade in Amazonia - this new video essay was created by critic Rachael Nisbet. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• No Meat on These Bones - this new video essay was created by critic Mike Foster. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Ecological with the Truth - this new video essay was created by critic The Nasty Pasty. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

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

Eugenio Ercolani correctly describes Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story as a hybrid project that attempted to capitalize on the cannibal craze without breaking the bank. I think it is a rather decent film, offering the type of thrills and chills jungle exploitation junkies usually find attractive. In 2018, 88 Films presented a lovely 2K restoration of Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story, and now, the distributors are bringing a brand new 4K restoration on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray. I prefer the look of the 2K restoration, but some good new bonus features are included with the 4K restoration.