Corruption Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Corruption Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 4, 2026

Corruption offers a kind of flip side version of some of the plot dynamics in The Jazz Singer, where a cantor father wanted his son to follow in his ostensibly more spiritual career footsteps when the scion wanted to pursue a life in decadent showbiz instead. Corruption instead offers a magnate father whose life and/or career could hardly be called spiritual trying to keep his son from a religious life. This 1963 Italian film is an incisive if at times melodramatic exploration of corrosive influences seeking to undermine a quest for meaning.

In this case, maybe not exactly "dear old" Dad is Leonardo Mattioli (Alain Cuny), a successful business entrepreneur who is less than thrilled when his son Stefano (Jacques Perrin) wants to enter the priesthood instead of continuing the family business. Leonardo suggests a get away cruise to discuss it all, which already sounds like a Faustian bargain of sorts given the kind of overheated Sirkian ambience of the plot, and that only become more obvious when it turns out Leonardo has also invited his incredibly attractive mistress, Adriana (Rosanna Schiaffino), along for the ride (pun probably intended). Suffice it to say a ménage à trois ensues, which, given its setting on a boat, may recall at least some elements of Knife in the Water, which came out the year before this film.

There's a seemingly intentional smarminess to Leonardo that makes the entire underpinning of the plot (especially given a later reveal) feel unsettling and undeniably manipulative, but the film offers a number of bracing interactions between the three focal characters. Also suffice it to say that, again somewhat like The Jazz Singer, sonny boy may not follow in the old man's footsteps as the story closes, at least not yet.

Corruption Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Corruption is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Radiance's insert booklet contains the following brief information about the transfer:

Corruption was restored in 2K by Movietime. The restoration was delivered to Radiance as a high definitiono digital file. The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with original mono audio.

If Corruption is a little rote in the narrative department, it's long on style, and Leonida Barboni's evocative black and white cinematography is offered here in an often striking presentation. Just a couple of passing shots in the outdoor material on the boat struck me as being a bit too bright and milky looking, which may simply be due to the vagaries of the location shoot, but otherwise contrast looks great and a number of interior scenes offer some well modulated gradations from light to dark. Some scenes are a bit on the soft side, including a vignette with Stefano's hospital bound mother and even some of the boat material, but detail levels are typically excellent throughout.

Corruption Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Corruption features an LPCM Mono track in the original Italian. There's some noticeable background hiss evident from the get go underneath the (otherwise silent) introductory epigram from Charles Baudelaire (Even if God did not exist, religion would still be Saintly and Divine), and it can be heard throughout when things quiet down a bit. As should be expected from an Italian film of this period, sync is often pretty loose. A kind of now quaint sounding "rock 'n' roll" brass, bass and guitar inflected score erupts occasionally without any real distortion. The boat material frankly doesn't offer a ton of ambient environmental sounds, though a bit of water can be heard. Dialogue is rendered without any problems. Optional English subtitles are available.

Corruption Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Adrian Wootton (HD; 24:34) looks at the film within the context of postwar Italian cinema, while also offering some biographical information about Mauro Bolognini.


• Alfredo Bini and Manolo Bolognini (HD; 16:48) is an archival piece featuring producer Bini and the brother of the film's director. Subtitled in English.

Radiance's insert booklet contains an interesting essay by Marco Natoli which looks at the socioeconomic context of the film's 1963 production. Radiance's usual assortment of packaging accoutrements is included.

Corruption Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Adrian Wootton mentions how virtually impossible it's been to see Corruption through the years, and if as the saying goes "the anticipation may be greater than the realization" for those who have been seeking it out, the film still has a lot of style, if also a certain (intentional) cringe worthiness. Technical merits are solid and the two supplements enjoyable. Recommended.