Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Amuck! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 19, 2017

Silvio Amadio's "Amuck" a.k.a. "Alla ricerca del piacere" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new and archival interviews with stars Rosalba Neri and Barbara Bouchet. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Dr. Calum Waddell's essay "A Class Act Gone Amuck!". In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The wife

The main attraction in Italian director Silvio Amadio’s Amuck! is the presence of Rosalba Neri and Barbara Bouchet. During the ‘70s and ‘80s these two very beautiful European actresses appeared in a number of genre films, with many of the gialli now ranking quite high on various fan lists.

The film’s plot revolves around the young secretary Greta Franklin (Bouchet) who is hired to assist an eccentric writer (Farley Granger) living with his wife (Neri) in a secluded villa next to a big lagoon not too far away from the beautiful city of Venice. The girl is inexperienced but determined to learn quickly and her enthusiasm for the job instantly earns the admiration of her new employer. In fact, the writer and his wife begin to like her so much that they quickly encourage her to join the wild parties they frequently host in the villa. Soon after, however, Greta’s enthusiasm for the job is replaced by a determination to uncover everything that she can about the puzzling disappearance of the previous secretary (Patrizia Viotti). While secretly gathering information and trying to solve the mystery, Greta nearly dies in a very awkward accident.

It is quite a stretch to group Amuck! with the classic gialli because the film is certainly a lot more interested in channeling erotic energy than building genuinely tense atmosphere. And this is understandable because Amadio’s script does not provide enough material that allows for the type of surprising twists and unexpected climaxes that the gialli favor. Also, the film was obviously shot with a fairly small budget which means that the incentives to experiment with bigger and more diverse on-location shooting and expand the narrative were clearly not there.

Interestingly enough, the modest script and budget limitations are probably the two biggest reasons why Amuck! ended up being as attractive as it is. (Notice that I am not implying that it is a good film, rather that it is quite a sizzler). Indeed, Amadio spent a lot more time shooting Bouchet and Neri than he otherwise would have because he was perfectly aware that the longer they stayed in front of his camera, the easier it became to hide the flaws of his script. The end result is a film that comes dangerously close to replicating the appeal of another very popular giallo hybrid that was directed by Ottavio Alessi a couple of years earlier, Top Sensation a.k.a. The Seducers. Alessi’s film again features the elegant Neri and sex symbol Edwige Fenech, but goes as far as these types of films could go at the time without getting in trouble with the big distributors. (Like Amuck!, Top Sensation was recently reconstructed and restored by German label Camera Obscura and is now available on DVD in Germany and the United Kingdom).

Amadio shot Amuck! with cinematographer Aldo Giordani whose credits include many classic post-war Italian comedies, such as Mario Camerini’s Wife for a Night and Alessandro Blasetti’s Too Bad She's Bad, as well as a few of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill’s popular westerns.

*The beautiful villa that is seen in Amuck! belonged to the legendary Italian fashion designer Roberta Di Camerino. Also, as it was often the case during the '60s and '70s, Neri wore stylish outfits from her personal clothing collection.

Amuck! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Silvio Amadio's Amuck! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from a brand new 2K master which was prepared by Camera Obscura. (The German label will have its release on the market on April 10). The film looks exceptionally healthy now, boasting the type of great density that new and proper masters should deliver. Detail and clarity are also excellent, though it has to be said that there are a few segments where some minor fluctuations exist because of location ambience and light being captured by the camera in unique ways (compare the basement footage and the flashbacks). Grain is nicely exposed and very well resolved. There are no problematic sharpening adjustments or other compromising digital anomalies to report. Colors are stable. However, I sense that there is a slight shift towards warmer hues that produces some notably creamy whites while weakening reds and in some cases also impacting the balance between blue primaries and nuances. The overall balance of the color scheme, however, is still good. (In some ways it is similar to that of the recent 4K restoration of Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. Both are Italian productions from the early '70s). Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no distracting large damage marks, cuts, debris, warped frames or other age-related imperfections to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player or PS3 regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

UPDATE: We have been informed by 88 Films that a certain number of discs were incorrectly pressed without a region restriction and are therefore Region-Free. However, there are repressed discs already in the distribution system that are indeed Region-B "locked". Therefore, this release should now be considered Region-B "locked".

Amuck! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Italian: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). English subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

I viewed the film with the original English track and thought that the type of work that was done to clean up and stabilize it could not have been any better. This being said, you should keep in mind that as it is the case with many Italian productions from the '70 post-production overdubbing was done and as a result the natural flow of the dialog occasionally can appear a tad uneven. Dynamic movement is far from impressive, but there are plenty of segments where Teo Usuelli's score certainly finds ways to shine and further enhance the desired atmosphere.

Amuck! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Death in Venice: An Interview with Rosalba Neri - in this brand new video interview, actress Rosalba Neri remembers the time she spent in Venice with fellow actress Barbara Bouchet during the shooting of Amuck!. Rosalba Neri also has some very interesting comments about dierctor Silvio Amadio's character and working methods. The interview was conducted by Feredico Caddeo for Camera Obsucra. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (16 min).

• An Icon Amuck: Barbara Bouchet's Life and Crimes - in this brand new video interview, actress Barbara Bouchet recalls how she was cast to play Greta Franklin in Amuck! and her first impressions of Italy and the working conditions at Cinecittà Studios, and discusses some of the big films she appeared in during the years, such as Casino Royale, Sweet Charity, and Milano Calibro 9. The interview was produced by Dr. Calum Waddell and Naomi Holwill. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Q&A session with Barbara Bouchet - presented here is a filmed Q&A session with Barbara Bouchet which was held at the Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester UK on September 19, 2013. The actress discusses her childhood years in Europe and prolific career in Europe and America. The session is moderated by Dr. Calum Waddell. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Dr. Calum Waddell's essay "A Class Act Gone Amuck!".

• Reversible Sleeve - reversible sleeve with original poster art for Amuck!.

Amuck! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are plenty of genre films like Silvio Amadio's Amuck! that were shot with fairly small budgets but many of them have more style and authentic atmosphere than the overwhelming majority of the expensive similarly themed thrillers the big studios produce today. Amuck! has some obvious flaws but it teams up Rosalba Neri and Barbara Bouchet, two of the most beautiful actresses to appear in European genre films from the '70s and '80s, and as far as I am concerned this is a very good reason to encourage you to see it. This new Blu-ray release from 88 Films is sourced from a nice 2K restoration which was completed by German label Camera Obscura. Also included with the release are some very good new and archival interviews and programs with the two beauties. RECOMMENDED.