Libido Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Libido Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 10, 2023

Ernesto Gastaldi and Vittorio Salerno's "Libido" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Ernesto Gastaldi; new audio commentary recorded by critic Kat Ellinger; and newly restored original international trailer for the film. In Italian or English, with optional English or English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

What a room. We must use it.

Some of the most transgressive but stylish European genre films emerged during a period of approximately 7–8 years that started around 1965 and ended around 1973. In the years that followed, a select group of European directors, which were primarily Italian, continued to shoot ‘different’ genre films, but they were becoming looser and more explicit, and the more these films showed, the less effective they turned out.

The very best transgressive films from this period routinely entered the S&M field. For example, in Pasquale Festa Campanile's The Libertine (1968) a young widow inherits a posh apartment that her late husband used for kinky S&M games with his secret lovers. After she visits the apartment and becomes fascinated with the S&M equipment, the widow befriends a single doctor willing to experiment with her, and the two begin a most unusual relationship. A year after The Libertine, Campanile directed The Slave (1969), a much wilder film about two equally curious women whose S&M experiments alter their perception of reality. In Alain Robbe-Grillet’s Trans-Europ Express (1967), a fetishist is forced out of his shell after he boards a train in Paris. In Giulio Questi’s Death Laid an Egg (1968), a brilliant chameleon is exposed as a seasoned fetishist as well. Lucio Fulci’s Perversion Story (1969), one of the decade’s great cult films, is a kinky mind-bender featuring another brilliant chameleon-fetishist who makes ends meet as a professional striptease dancer. In Ottavio Allessi’s Top Sensation (1969), a professional seductress is hired to do a supposedly simple job that produces all sorts of wild surprises. In Luis Bunuel’s classic Belle de jour (1967), the wife of a prominent doctor has intense S&M dreams and becomes a courtesan in an upscale brothel.

While the transgressive films from this period have unique strengths, they are effective and memorable for the same two reasons. First, they were conceived and made by very talented people. For example, Campanile worked closely with Luchino Visconti on The Leopard (1963) and Rocco and His Brothers (1960), while Questi secured the services of Gina Lollobrigida and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Second, virtually all of these transgressive films very comfortably blended a range of different genres, so as odd as it may sound their transgressiveness was not their greatest strength. Some were outstanding thrillers, some were excellent wicked comedies, and some produced very interesting social commentaries. The films that came later and used only their transgressiveness to impress were almost always underwhelming one-dimensional projects.

Directed in 1965, Ernesto Gastaldi’s Libido is a transgressive thriller that borrows from a couple of different genres. The two most prominent ones are Gothic horror and giallo, but the presence of commedia all'italiana is extremely easy to detect as well. In fact, a cynical mind could rather easily make a case that Libido is a very dark, unusually twisted piece of commedia all'italiana meant only for adults. (Some of the bonus material that is included on this release reveals that this is not how Libido was conceived, but this is largely irrelevant because the intentions of its creators and its behavior are very clearly incompatible).

The story that is told in Libido has two contrasting parts. In the first, the young Christian (Giancarlo Giannini) visits the lavish estate of his deceased father together with his wife, Helene (Dominique Boschero), his guardian, Paul (Luciano Pigozzi), and his sexy wife, Brigitte (Mara Maryl). Before Christian officially inherits the estate, Paul will conduct an inspection to assess its value and properly describe it in the documents that he has been tasked to finalize. Once the inspection is completed, Christian would be free to do with the estate whatever he wants.

However, upon arrival at the estate, Christian’s mind unleashes an avalanche of disturbing memories, one of which reveals that his father was a kinky old man who had a secret S&M bedroom where he killed an innocent woman. Christian’s struggles to control the memories complicate Paul’s job, but he vows to do what is required of him and with Helene’s support gradually begins to overcome them. Meanwhile, the visibly bored Brigitte finds the S&M bedroom irresistibly attractive and uses her charm to convince Paul that it is the room they must use while he works with Christian. Shortly after, Christian’s mind once again begins to misbehave, and Helene, Paul, and Brigitte discover that some of his repetitive disturbing memories are oddly intertwined with reality.

Next to The Libertine, The Slave, and even Top Sensation Libido feels like a very safe film because it only suggests what they boldly show. But this should not be surprising because Libido quickly enters a territory the other films do not, which is the one where conventional gialli tend to produce their best twists and tricks. How good are these twists and tricks in Libido? They are effective, but seasoned giallo connoisseurs will easily predict their emergence. Ultimately, in Libido the transgressiveness is directly linked to an intent to prove that conventional genres can be modified to produce an unconventional genre film, not to the personalities and deeds of unconventional characters.

*Gastaldi worked closely with Vittorio Salerno during the production of Libido, which is why the latter received directing credits as well. However, Libido was a personal project for Gastaldi, and he had the final say on everything that was done. At the time, Gastaldi had just married Maryl and Libido was supposed to strengthen her acting career.

Libido Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Libido arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

Despite the short warning that appears before the opening credits, the new 2K master that was prepared for Libido is wonderful. I did notice a few minor surface imperfections as well as fluctuations in density, but the visuals look very, very strong. (The softening that is present in screencapture #23, for instance, is not a byproduct of improper digital work). Delineation and clarity, in particular, are routinely either very good or excellent, so on a larger screen there is plenty to appreciate. Also, the darker footage is very carefully graded to avoid black crush, and while there are a few areas that look a tad thicker, the backgrounds look very good. Image stability is good. All in all, I think that Libido looks wonderful on Blu-ray and the current presentation will likely remain its definitive presentation on the home video market. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Libido Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The original audio track for Libido is the Italian track. Why? Because the actors utter their lines in Italian. The English track is a standard international dub track that alters the tone of the drama quite well. I do not like it at all and do not recommend that you waste your time with it, but you can experiment with it and decide whether to use it. The quality of the Italian track is very good. The dialog is clear, sharp, and very easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is not impressive, but the original sound design does not create any excitement, so the lossless track replicates the native qualities of the Italian track. The English translation is very good.

Libido Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a fully restored original international trailer for Libido. In English, with Italian text and English subtitles where necessary. (3 min).

• I've Got You Under My Skin - in this new program, director/screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi discusses in great detail how his directorial debut, Libido, was conceived and shot primarily at Titanus Studios. Also, there is plenty of interesting information about Mr. Gastaldi's relationship with Mara Maryl, who became his wife, and his fondness for the giallo genre, as well as some general trends in Italian cinema during the 1960s and 1970s. For what it's worth, Mr. Gastaldi mentions that the sequence from the S&M room that is seen in the current version of Libido is not the one he had initially shot. The original sequence was replaced because Mrs. Maryl was unhappy with how the large bed blocked crucial parts of her figure. In the second half of the program, Mr. Gastaldi shares a lot of personal details about his relationship with Mrs. Maryl, her deteriorating health during the Covid pandemic, and the void in his life after she was admitted to a local clinic. In Italian, with English subtitles. (58 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

Libido Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It does not seem right to profile Libido as a conventional giallo because it is a multi-layered film that does some very interesting genre overlapping to impress. Had Ernesto Gastaldi received a proper budget to do it, it would have been a terrific directorial debut. Why? Because Gastaldi was a fantastic writer who knew how to tell an exciting story, and the story that is told in Libido already has some first-class twists. I had previously seen Libido on an old and average Italian DVD release, liked it quite a lot, and could not wait to revisit it on Blu-ray. I am happy to report that after it was restored in 2K Libido looks marvelous. Severin's Blu-ray release also features a terrific exclusive new program with Gastaldi that was produced by Federico Caddeo on behalf of the excellent Italian company Freak-O-Rama. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.