Hitch-Hike Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Hitch-Hike Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 3, 2018

Pasquale Festa Campanile's "Hitch-Hike" a.k.a. "Autostop rosso sangue" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video U.S. The only bonus feature on the disc is Federico Caddeo's documentary film "Road to Ruin". The release also arrives with an 8-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Bret Wood. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-Free.

On the road

Walter (Franco Nero, A Quiet Place in the Country) and his beautiful wife Eve (Corinne Clery, The Story of O) frequently make love, but both can tell that the other isn’t happy with their marriage. When they can no longer suppress their frustration, they have long and exhausting arguments. They verbally abuse and even hurt each other, but later on regret their actions.

On their way to California, Walter and Eve pick up Adam (David Hess, House on the Edge of the Park), a handsome hitchhiker whose car has broken down. Walter quickly makes it obvious that he does not like Adam’s personality, while Eve instantly warms up to the stranger and even gives him a few inviting looks. Much to their surprise, Adam pulls out a gun and threatens to use it if they do not follow his orders. The three then embark on a wild and dangerous journey through the desert.

The film’s relentless energy is what gives it its identity. There is only one segment in the very beginning where for a very short period of time the tempo is fairly relaxed, but after the inebriated Walter confronts an old couple the film switches in overdrive mode and stays that way until the final credits roll.

The characters are very wild and unpredictable. One’s initial impression is that the only loose cannon is the stranger, but after the three travelers get to know each other a little better one begins to wonder whether Walter and Eve might have split personalities that could change the balance of powers. Their frustration then gradually becomes a key factor in their relationship with the stranger and further complicates the situation. As a result, instead of going down a familiar path, the film produces a number of very effective twists.

The dialog is rough and some of the sex scenes quite revealing, but this is hardly surprising. Similar to the many ultra-violent cop thrillers (also known as poliziotteschi) that became popular in Italy during the 1970s, the film has a very distinctive macho attitude which basically gives it the authentic period look these types of projects needed in order to sell. The film also has two official audio tracks: English, which was offered to international distributors, and Italian, which was used for the Italian market.

Nero is very convincing as the feisty Italian reporter who feels that he has made a number of unnecessary sacrifices throughout his life to prove that he did not marry his wife for her money. Clery, a truly beautiful French actress who shortly after this film would appear in Moonraker, is excellent as the young seductress. Hess also does not disappoint as the maniac who is convinced that it is only a matter of time before he reaches Mexico and begins a new life.

The film was directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, who was even more prolific as a writer. Campanile’s directing credits include such gems as Adultery Italian Style, The Libertine, and Where Are You Going All Naked?. As a writer he contributed to such classics of Italian cinema as The Assassin, The Leopard, Rocco and His Brothers, and The Lovemakers.

The playful, at times borderline psychedelic soundtrack was created by the legendary Ennio Morricone.

Hitch-Hike Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pasquale Festa Campanile's Hitch-Hike arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video U.S.

The release is sourced from the same Italian master that British label 88 Films worked when they prepared their local release. So this means that the technical presentation is again quite uneven, and the exact same traces of light scanner noise are retained. Predictably, the same areas of the film that were far from impressive on the previous release again have a pretty harsh appearance, with the same black crushing and unconvincing grain exposure. On a smaller screen some of these anomalies could be rather easy to ignore, but on a larger screen they become prominent. The color palette is good, but ideally nuances should be expanded even more. The same wavy/wobbly patterns that were noticeable on the other release are present here. My score if 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Hitch-Hike Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

The film should be viewed with the English track, but keep in mind that it was overdubbed so there are some areas of the film where minor unevenness is present. (A proper new remix would have addressed some of these minor issues). The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow.

Hitch-Hike Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Road to Ruin - this archival documentary film takes a closer look at the production history of Hitch-Hike as well as the legacy of Pasquale Festa Campanile. (There is also some very good information in it about the type of popular genre films that were made in Italy during the 1970s). Included in it are excellent interviews with assistant director Neri Parenti, Franco Nero (Walter), Corinne Cléry (Eve), and David Hess (Adam). The documentary was directed and edited by Federico Caddeo. In Italian and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (27 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 8-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Bret Wood.

Hitch-Hike Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wanted to do a quick review of the North American release of Pasquale Festa Campanile's Hitch-Hike because it has a lovely documentary with some absolutely terrific information about the production history of the film and the Italian film industry during the 1970s. The documentary is not included on the Region-B release which we reviewed earlier, so if you like the film definitely consider a purchase. Also, if you do not yet own a copy of it, I encourage you to add to your libraries Campanile's beautiful psychedelic gem The Slave with Rosanna Schiaffino, which was released on Blu-ray by Mondo Macabro. RECOMMENDED.