6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
March 1945 Asolo, Italy. Livia Mazzion, the attractive wife of a top ministry official, slips into the car of lawyer Ugo Oggiano, Livia's admirer and her husband's informer. Livia must reach Venice and her lover Helmut Schultz, a Wermacht lieutenant, as beautiful and accursed as a pagan god, with whom she is having a burning love affair. During the trip she relives the high points of her devastating sexual abandonment gone adrift, one that has shattered her life and her destiny, swallowing her up in the ruinous vortex of a sybaritic and bituminous Venice. The city, in the throes of the final months of the war, is rife with traffickers, officials, nabobs, military brass, sharks and adventurers of every kind. Yet a surprise awaits Livia upon her arrival in Venice, a surprise in which the heroes' own personal defeats interweave with those public, as historical and political events now seek to settle accounts.
Starring: Anna Galiena, Gabriel Garko, Franco Branciaroli, Loredana Cannata, Antonio SalinesErotic | 100% |
Foreign | 90% |
Drama | 40% |
Romance | 19% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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?"
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).
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.
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).
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