Black Sabbath Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Black Sabbath Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 16, 2013

Mario Bava's "I tre volti della paura" a.k.a. "Black Sabbath" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the release include the re-edited and re-dubbed version AIP version with Les Baxter's score; audio commentary with Mario Bava expert Tim Lucas; new featurette highlighting the difference between the two version of the film; short video introduction by journalist and Italian horror expert Alan Jones; video interview with actor Mark Damon; original trailers; and more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic David Cairns, a comparison of the versions of the film by Tim Lucas, and a substantial interview with AIP Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff on his experiences of working with Mario Bava, illustrated with original stills and posters, as well as a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles. Region-B "locked".

Who are you?

Note: The English and Italian versions of Mario Bava's Black Sabbath are available individually. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release of the Italian version of the film can be ordered here.

The legendary Boris Karloff introduces what is arguably Italian master Mario Bava’s most atmospheric film. It is composed of three very different tales: The Telephone, based on a story by F.G. Snyder, The Drop of Water, based on a story by Anton Chekov, and The Wurdalak, based on a 19th century Russian story by Ivan Tolstoy. There are two different introductions by Karloff – one for Black Sabbath, the English-language version of the film which was distributed by American International Pictures, and one for I tre volti della paura, the Italian-language version of the film. Also worth pointing out is that the three tales appear in different order in each version, as well as the fact that the Italian version of the film is slightly longer and more graphic.

In The Telephone, Rosy (Michele Mercier), a stunningly beautiful call girl, is harassed by a supposedly dead man who can see every move she makes. After the man repeatedly calls her at home and demands that she takes her clothes off, Rosy invites another beauty to come over to spend the night with her. Soon after, the second woman, who may or may not be Rosy’s lesbian lover, arrives, but it turns out that like the man she is also upset at Rosy for something.

In the second tale, The Drop of Water, a nurse (Jacqueline Perreiex) is hired by a housekeeper to prepare the corpse of her dead employer for her funeral. The nurse arrives in a lavish mansion, where she discovers that the deceased woman was a famous clairvoyant. While dressing the body, the nurse steals a big ring. Almost immediately after that, a large and very angry fly attacks her. After the woman returns to her home, a very persistent drop of water nearly forces her to lose her mind. Before the end of the night, the clairvoyant’s ghost appears looking for the ring.

The third and final tale takes place somewhere in Eastern Europe. While riding through the unfriendly mountains, a nobleman (Mark Damon) discovers a dead man with a Turkish dagger in his back. He takes the dagger and soon after that stops at a remote farmhouse. While resting, the nobleman learns that the dagger belongs to Gorca (Boris Karloff), the head of the family living n the farmhouse, who has gone searching for a famous bandit who may or may not be a wurdalak (a vampire that can only drink the blood of his loved ones). Eventually, Gorca returns and all hell breaks loose.

The Telephone is the least transparent and most elegant of the three tales. It is widely believed to have inspired countless giallo films because of its subversive undertones and terrific use of color. It is also Bava’s most erotic work. There are a couple of sequences where Mercier looks dangerously seductive, and far better than Brigitte Bardot has ever looked in front of the camera.

The Drop of Water is even more colorful than The Telephone. At times, it reminds of the many psychedelic films Italian companies produced during the ‘70s. There is still a whiff of the Gothic atmosphere that permeates Bava’s Black Sunday, but the lush neon-esque colors push the film in an entirely new territory.

The Wurdalak is the most predictable of the three tales. But it is the creepiest one. Some of the close-ups here are undoubtedly the best in the entire film. Cinematographer Ubaldo Terzano’s use of light and shadow is also striking. There is one specific shot where Bava shows the severed head of a vurdulak that is absolutely brilliant.

The two versions are complimented by very different scores. I tre volti della paura uses a score composed by Roberto Nicolosi. It blends very effective Gothic and jazzy themes. Black Sabbath uses a more traditional orchestral score composed by Les Baxter.

Black Sabbath Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfers, Mario Bava's Black Sabbath and I tre volti della paura arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

Please note that the screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:

1. Screencaptures #1-19 are from Black Sabbath.
2. Screencaptures #21-30 are from I tre volti della paura.

As it is the case with the rest of the Mario Bava films that have transitioned to Blu-ray via Arrow Video, there is some minor wear, color fluttering, and contrast fluctuations that have been inherited. Image depth, however, is pleasing. Especially during close-ups with plenty of light detail ranges from good to very good (see screencaptures #1 and 4). The best and most important news, however, is that no attempts have been made to degrain and repolish the high-definition transfer with the help of powerful digital tools. Additionally, there are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. Needless to say, while various source limitations have been inherited, the film has a very pleasing organic look. Generally speaking, there are also major improvements in the area of color reproduction. The Telephone, in particular, looks a lot healthier. Lastly, there are a few minor frame transitions that look a bit shaky, but the overall image stability is indeed very good.

The quality of the Italian version is quite similar. Once again, there are no traces of problematic degraining and sharpening corrections. Color reproduction is equally pleasing. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. All in all, I think that Arrow Video's presentation of Black Sabbath and I tre volti della paura is very much on par with the presentations of the rest of Mario Bava's films that have already transitioned to Blu-ray. Naturally, I have every reason to believe that fans of the Italian master's work will be pleased with this European Blu-ray release. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Black Sabbath Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Italian LPCM 2.0 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional optional English subtitles for I tre volti della paura and optional English SDH subtitles for Black Sabbath.

The two versions of the film have very different music scores. I prefer Roberto Nicolosi's score for I tre volti della paura because the solid brass section infuses the film with a certain Gothic/jazzy flavor that compliments the visuals very well. The lossless Italian track has good depth and decent fluidity. Some extremely light background hiss is occasionally present but it is never distracting. The Italian dubbing is good.
The music score in Black Sabbath is by Les Baxter. It has a very different energy and adds different type of intensity to the three segments. Depth and fluidity, however, are similar to those of the Italian track. The dialog is crisp and easy to follow.

Black Sabbath Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray

• Twice the Fear - a very informative featurette highlighting the differences between Black Sabbath and I tre volti della paura. Extracts from the two films are simultaneously compared with text explanations. With imposed English subtitles where necessary. (33 min).

• Commentary - Mario Bava expert Tim Lucas offers an outstanding analysis of the two versions of the film and addresses some of the key differences between them. This audio commentary has appeared on different DVD releases of the film.

DVD

• Introduction by Alan Jones - a short video introduction to Black Sabbath by journalist and Italian horror expert Alan Jones. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• A LIfe in Film: An Interview with Mark Damon - actor Mark Damon, who plays the nobleman in The Wurdalak, recalls his time in Hollywood, work with European production companies on a number of films, and contribution to Mario Bava's film. In English, not subtitled. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• International Trailer - international trailer for Black Sabbath. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• U.S. Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Black Sabbath. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Italian Trailer - original Italian trailer for I tre volti della paura. In Italian, not subtitled. (4 min).

• TV Spot - original TV Spot for Black Sabbath. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Radio Spot - original radio spot for Black Sabbath. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet featuring: "Three Steps to Hell" by David Cairns; "The Two Faces of Black Sabbath" by Tim Lucas; "My Time with Mario Bava" by Samuel Z. Arkoff, interviewed by Tim Lucas; and technical information about the high-definition transfer.

• Cover art - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.

Black Sabbath Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is yet another impressive release of a classic Mario Bava film from the folks at Arrow Video. I would like to recommend Black Sabbath not only to fans of European horror, but also to those who enjoy stylish giallo and psychedelic films. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. On a slightly different note, seeing how beautiful the young Michele Mercier looks in high-definition, I really hope that someone will bring to Blu-ray Bernard Borderie's Angélique films. Buy with confidence, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.