Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Black Angel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 7, 2014

Tinto Brass' "Black Angel" a.k.a. "Senso '45" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include an original Italian theatrical trailer for the film; standard making of featurette, with clips from interviews with the Italian director, composer Ennio Morricone, and actors Anna Galiena and Gabriel Garko; promo piece for the film; collection of stills, posters, and lobby cards; and the complete soundtrack for the film. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"How do you like my party?"

The final days of the Fascist regime, Venice, 1945. Anna Galiena (The Hairdresser's Husband, Jamón Jamón) is Livia Mazzoni, the sexually frustrated wife of a powerful local politician, who cannot wait to meet Helmut Schultz (Gabriel Garko, Callas Forever), a very handsome SS lieutenant. The two have been secretly seeing each other and Livia is now convinced that Helmut is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

A series of different flashbacks reveal how the two met. During a theater performance Livia witnesses how Helmut humiliates a prostitute and instantly becomes attracted to him. The feeling scares her, but a few days later Helmut surprises her and she ends up in his arms. The two begin a passionate affair.

The more time Livia spends with Helmut, the more powerful her carnal desires become. While attending a lavish party, she even allows herself to be seduced by another woman. Then she begins supporting Helmut’s gambling addiction.

Livia also discovers that Helmut is involved with drug trafficking. But instead of distancing herself, she confronts one of her husband’s trusted associates when he reveals to her that they are targeting her lover.

Tinto Brass’ Senso '45 a.k.a. Black Angel is based on the same novella by Camillo Boito that inspired the great Luchino Visconti to shoot Senso. However, Brass moves the story from the Risorgimento to the final days of the Fascist regime.

At the core of Black Angel once again there is a passionate affair -- in Visconti’s film Massimo Girotti plays Marquis Roberto Ussoni, an outspoken Italian patriot, who falls madly in love with Alida Valli’s stunningly beautiful Countess Livia Serpieri -- but a good portion of the film is also dedicated to the chaos that is transforming Venice. There are ambitious political players, dangerous opportunists, drug smugglers, gamblers, pimps and prostitutes that are doing everything they can to get what they want before the Fascist regime collapses and in the process entertain themselves as best as they can.

There is no one else that can film this type of decadent atmosphere as well as Brass can. Though Black Angel does not have the lavish decors and large numbers of supporting actors seen in Salon Kitty, the period costumes and uniforms are every bit as impressive. Of course, there are plenty of naked bodies as well -- there is only one big party sequence in Black Angel in which naked men and women are seen entertaining each other in a variety of different ways, but everything is filmed with the typical for Brass emphasis on style. As a result, the explicit footage never feels cheap or offensive.

During the shooting of Black Angel, Galiena, one of the most beautiful contemporary Italian actresses, apparently wasn’t very comfortable with the lovemaking sequences, but she looks wonderful in front of the camera. Garko is also impossibly handsome in his period uniform.

Brass shot the Black Angel with Massimo Di Venanzo, who worked as a camera assistant on Vittorio De Sica’s Sunflower and Federico Fellini’s Amarcord, and Daniele Nannuzzi, who lensed Alejandro Jodorowsky's hugely atmospheric Santa Sangre.

The film’s wonderful melancholic soundtrack was created by legendary Italian maestro Ennio Morricone.

Black Angel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tinto Brass' Black Angel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.

The high-definition transfer appears to have been struck from the same master British distributors Arrow Films used in 2003 when they prepared their R2 DVD release of Black Angel. I've done some direct comparisons and the framing and color balance are virtually identical on the two Blu-ray and the DVD (the upscaled screencaptures #21 and 22 are from the DVD release).

While the framing is not as problematic as it is on Arrow Video's release of All Ladies Do It, it is clear that the top of the frame should be opened up a bit more. Because the exact same issue is also present on the DVD release, my feeling is that the Italian master available for licensing already has the film framed in 1.78:1. In other words, Cult Epics are not responsible for the current framing. Furthermore, there is a fair amount of noise throughout the entire film (see screencaptures #1 and 10). It is not overly distracting, but its presence is easily felt. Detail and clarity are superior, but it must be said that the DVD release really looks quite poor. Color reproduction leaves a lot to be desired, but the high-definition transfer offers some obvious improvements, especially during the daylight sequences. Overall image stability is good. Finally, there are some light compression artifacts, but because of the noise mentioned above their presence is rather difficult to spot. All in all, this is an average presentation of Black Angel, but considering the fact that virtually all Brass films that have transitioned to Blu-ray use high-definition transfers that have been struck from dated masters, it is hardly surprising. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Black Angel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 and Italian Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Cult Epics have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

I would have preferred to see only one lossless track rather than two lossy tracks as Ennio Morricone's soundtrack has a very important role in the film, but both clarity and depth are quite good. The dialog is also crisp and clear. However, I felt that if there was a lossless track select sequences would have been far more effective (see the big party where Livia is seduced). There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Black Angel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Black Angel - in this featurette, director Tinto Brass discusses the novel that inspired him to shoot Black Angel and Luchino Visconti's Senso (also based on the same novel), the socio-political climate in Venice during the final days of the Fascist regime, how many of the erotic scenes were filmed, etc. Also included are clips from short interviews with composer Ennio Morricone, and actors Anna Galiena and Gabriel Garko. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (26 min, 1080p).

• Black Angel Promo - a long promo piece for Black Angel with footage from some of the film's most memorable sequences. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, 1080p).

• Theatrical Trailer - original Eagle Pictures theatrical trailer for Black Angel. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Photo Video Gallery - a collection of stills, posters, and lobby cards for Black Angel. With music from the film. (3 min, 1080i).

• Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - the complete soundtrack for Black Angel, composed by Ennio Morricone. (44 min, 1080p).

Black Angel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is no one better at producing period erotic films than Tinto Brass. Unfortunately, on this side of the Atlantic for years Brass has been labeled a voyeur and pornographer and his work has been largely ignored. Independent distributors Cult Epics have just released one of the Italian director's better recent films, Black Angel, which is complimented by a fantastic score composed by the great Ennio Morricone. The film does not look as good as it should, but my feeling is that this will be the best technical presentation to emerge on Blu-ray. Add the Blu-ray to your collections if you can find it on sale. (Black Angel is also available in Cult Epics' Tinto Brass: Maestro of Erotica Cinema box set).