Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Fango Bollente Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 2, 2017

Vittorio Salerno's "Fango Bollente" a.k.a. "The Savage Three" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Camera Obscura. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new program with director Vittorio Salerno and actress Martine Brochard; exclusive new video interview with Joe Dallesandro; and new audio commentary by film experts Christian Kessler and Pelle Felsch. The release also arrives with a 14-page illustrated booklet featuring Robert Zion's essay "With Sticky Fingers in Hot Mud" and promotional materials. In Italian, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Dangerous men

If one tries really, really hard then one could perhaps see this film as an unorthodox condemnation of a supposedly inhumane society that has lost touch with reality. The problem with that kind of a take on the film is that its creator, Vittorio Salerno, very clearly did not envision it as such. He was going for an outrageous ‘button-pusher’ that would create so much noise that one would have no other choice but to purchase a ticket and see just how scandalous the damn thing truly is.

Two-thirds of the film basically promotes the type of nihilistic violence that news networks would flock to cover -- there are various graphic murders that almost look like the work of a mysterious maniac who is on a mission to prove something. However, instead of one maniac there are three -- well, sort of. During the day these guys actually work in a large research facility where some very smart people are performing important computer tests and collect data that is later on analyzed. So they are not exactly crazy, but as soon as they exit the facility they remove their professional masks and become wild animals looking for blood. Why? It is hard to really tell, and this is the main reason why what takes place at the end of the film looks more than a bit suspicious.

One intelligent explanation could be that the three maniacs are actually ‘victims’ and that their violent acts are an odd attempt to escape their maddening reality and regain their identity. Their leader, Ovidio (Joe Dallesandro), certainly behaves like one and basically detests everything about his accomplishments, which are a proper but dull job and a relationship with a beautiful but overly ambitious girl (Alba Mainardi). In other words, because Ovidio feels that his current role is to essentially be a piece in the plans and lives of other people who do not actually care about him he is filled with anger that suffocates him, and when he wants to breathe, he becomes violent and kills. Ovidio’s best friends (Gianfranco De Grassi and Guido De Carli) are locked in similar maddening lives and when he goes berserk they simply follow him.

Another simpler but frankly a lot more logical explanation is that Ovidio and his two friends are exactly what the title of the film suggests they are -- modern-day savages, mad dogs that are on the streets to do some really nasty things for no apparent reason. It is also what an aging detective (played by the great Enrico Maria Salerno) that begins studying their outrageous acts concludes shortly before they are dealt with.

The finale attempts to give some sort of a structure to the violence and chaos, but Ovidio’s character transformation looks and feels completely out of synch with the rest of the film. The social and political overtones are also very awkward and only make it that much more obvious that Salerno was trying to come up with some sort of a legit excuse for the mayhem.

Sensitive viewers should keep in mind that there is some pretty graphic footage in the film. There is one sequence, in particular, where two women are raped and tortured in a secluded storage facility that must have been censored in the past.

Salerno shot the film with cinematographer Giulio Albonico, who is probably best known for his contribution to Duccio Tessari’s cult classic Zorro with Alain Delon.

Fango Bollente Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.86:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Vittorio Salerno's The Savage Three arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Camera Obscura.

It is immediately obvious that the release is sourced from a fresh master because density levels and depth range from very good to excellent. In fact, early into the film daylight close-ups and larger panoramic shots look equally impressive (see screencaptures #8, 9, and 12). The darker indoor and nighttime footage also boasts very good depth with very pleasing fluidity (see screencaptures #18 and 19). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening corrections. Grain is nicely exposed and resolved, though you will likely spot some minor fluctuations that are introduced by specific stylistic choices. So as far as the basics of the new transfer are concerned, I think that everything is handled with the proper care. What I don't find particularly convincing is the color grading which occasionally tends to destabilize the dynamic range (screencaptures #2 and 26 are good examples). Early into the film there are segments that have decent balance, or at least without any distracting anomalies, but during the second and third acts it feels like there are a number of shifts where primary color values and nuances are off. In fact, a few are the type of very awkward shifts that I have seen on recent transfers of Italian genre films graded in Italian labs where yellow, green and pink hues become too strong or too loose. Also, a few look so unnatural to me that it feels like someone might have done some work to rebalance them at least a little better (see examples in screencaptures #5, 24 and 27). It is very possible that there are also some source limitations that contribute to the issue, but in these areas the end result simply does not look organic to me. Image stability is excellent. Also, I spotted a few tiny stains, but there are no large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Fango Bollente Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film was clearly redubbed but this was a regular practice for these types of genre films. In fact, I thought that Joe Dallesandro sounded quite nice and the overall balance was surprisingly consistent. Of course there are a few sequences where minor sudden spikes or drop in dynamic activity occur -- a goo example is the stabbing of the truck driver -- but they are are clearly part of the final sound design. The dialog is stable and clean, and the English translation is very good.

Fango Bollente Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Rat Eat Rat - in this new featurette, writer/director Vittorio Salerno discusses some important developments that began to change the business climate in the Italian film industry during the mid/late 1970s, the founding of the production company Comma 9, the original script that inspired him to shoot The Savage Three, the socio-political overtones in the film (with some great comments about the rat cage sequence), the casting of Joe Dallesandro and Enrico Maria Salerno, etc. Also included are multiple clips from a brand new interview with actress Martine Brochard (Alba Mainardi). The featurette was produced exclusively for Camera Obscura. In Italian, with optional English and German subtitles. (40 min).

• The Savage One - in this new video program, Joe Dallesandro recalls how he landed his first acting role in The Loves of Ondine, and discusses his work with Andy Warhol, his contribution to Paul Morrissey's famous trilogy (Flesh/Trash/Heat), his work in Italy and France, his initial encounter with Vittorio Salerno and work with him on The Savage Three, the over-the-top violence and the shooting of the graphic rape/torture sequences, his relationship with alcohol and decision to return to America, etc. The program was produced exclusively for Camera Obscura. In English, with optional German subtitles. (41 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, film experts Christian Kessler and Pelle Felsch discuss in great detail the production history of The Savage Three, the socio-cultural environment in which the film emerged, some of the unique contrasts in the film as well as some popular stereotypes, the graphic violence, Joe Dallesandro's Italian films, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Camera Obscura. In German, with optional English and German subtitles.

• Booklet - 14-page illustrated booklet featuring Robert Zion's essay "With Sticky Fingers in Hot Mud". Printed in English and German.

Fango Bollente Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The main idea behind The Savage Three is that under the right circumstances a civilized society can quickly evolve into a big grinder that would ultimately start producing criminal sociopaths like its three main characters. It is certainly a realistic possibility, but the film attempts to deliver its message in such an extreme fashion that basically ends up hurting its credibility and comes dangerously close to becoming a nihilistic parody. To be honest, I really did not care much about it. On the other hand, I found the two exclusive programs that feature new interviews with writer/director Vittorio Salerno and Joe Dallesandro to be outstanding. They offer a tremendous amount of excellent information about the Italian film industry during the 1970s and Joe Dallesandro's colorful career and legacy. RECOMMENDED (but primarily for the excellent bonus content).