Malastrana Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Malastrana Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 30, 2015

Aldo Lado's "Short Night of Glass Dolls" a.k.a. "La corta notte delle bambole di vetro" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Camera Obscura. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; audio commentary with Christian Kessler and Marcus Stiglegger; audio commentary singer/actor Jurgen Drews; new video interview with editor Mario Morra; new video interview with singer Edda Dell'Orso; promotional materials; and more. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film in English and German. In Italian or German, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"I am not dead yet"

The body of American reporter Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel, Belle de jour, Perversion Story) is discovered in a quiet corner of Mala Strana, one of Prague’s most beautiful neighborhoods, and transported to a local hospital. The doctors quickly examine the body and despite the fact that its temperature remains stable decide to prepare it for an autopsy. Meanwhile, Moore, who is still alive but is paralyzed and cannot move or speak, begins recalling the events that led to his ‘death’.

There are two ways to approach this very unusual film from Italian director Aldo Lado. The first is to treat it as a standard giallo picture that sells a colorful murder story with a number of twists. The story is told in flashbacks that initially focus on Moore’s beautiful girlfriend, Mira (Barbara Bach, The Black Belly of the Tarantula), who disappears without a trace shortly after she meets him in Prague. While Moore and a few of his close friends are looking for her, the film routinely switches back to the present where the doctors in the hospital are also discussing his case.

The flashbacks and the manner in which they are arranged transform the film into quite the puzzle. There are clues floating around, but as soon as Moore begins considering them the film quickly moves in a different direction and basically discards them. Moore then begins looking elsewhere and the same process is repeated. This is arguably the film’s biggest weakness as there are multiple shifts that have an obvious impact on its rhythm. (Keep in mind that the shifts occur in the flashbacks, so they are in addition to the overlapping of past and present events). The buildup, however, is still very good and the finale quite original.

The flip side of this film is very similar to Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession. In Zulawski’s film a young couple living in Berlin during the Cold War era is pushed in the middle of some truly bizarre events that are used as a pretext to condemn a very cruel political system. Lado’s film isn’t as far-reaching, but its atmosphere is comparable. The bulk of it was shot in Zagreb and Prague during the early ‘70s and even though some of the quick panoramic vistas look quite beautiful there is something genuinely unsettling in the air. Just like in Zulawski’s film, it comes from the communist paranoia that had paralyzed Eastern Europe.

Sorel looks very handsome in this film and understandably the camera can’t seem to get enough of his face. He is convincing as the frustrated reporter but it is easy to argue that this isn’t one of his best roles. Bach looks stunning as the young and curious girlfriend. Ingrid Thulin and Mario Adorf play two of the reporter’s closest assistants.

Lado collaborated with cinematographer Giuseppe Ruzzolini, whose credits include such films as Piere Paolo Pasolini’s Oedipus Rex and Theorem, Sergio Leone’s Duck, You Sucker, and Roman Polanski’s What?.

The hugely atmospheric soundtrack was created by the legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone. The theme song, The Short Night of the Butterflies, is sung by German actor, composer and performer Jürgen Drews.

Malastrana Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Aldo Lado's Short Night of Glass Dolls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Camera Obscura.

The film has been recently remastered and looks quite wonderful in high-definition. Typically, the daylight footage boasts excellent clarity and depth; fluidity is also very pleasing. There are a few short segments with minor density fluctuations, but they are inherited. The darker and nighttime footage boasts strong shadow definition and equally good depth. Contrast levels remain stable. Colors look healthy and fresh. Saturation is also very good, though there it could have been slightly better balanced (see screencapture #5). There are no traces of problematic degraining adjustments. Unsurprisingly, grain is present throughout the entire film and rather well resolved. There are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. Age-related imperfections have been removed as best as possible. Lastly, image stability is very good. All in all, this is a very strong presentation of Short Night of Glass Dolls which I suspect will remain the film's definitive presentation. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Malastrana Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When the English subtitles are turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the lossless Italian track. The audio is very good. It is easy to tell that some rebalancing work has been done and that crackle and noise have been eliminated. The range of nuanced dynamics is somewhat limited, but depth is very good. Ennio Morricone's score, in particular, sounds wonderful.

It would have been terrific if the release also included the English audio track -- which is the official international track and was the one Blue Underground used on their DVD release of the film in the United States -- but I assume that it was impossible to secure because of rights limitations.

Malastrana Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray

• English Trailer - official English-language trailer for Short Night of Glass Dolls. (3 min).

• Italian Trailer - official Italian-language trailer for Short Night of Glass Dolls. (4 min).

• Cutting Glass Dolls - in this new featurette, editor Mario Morra recalls how he entered the film business, and discusses the various films he worked on, his professional relationships with different directors, Aldo Lado's working methods, some of the work he did on Short Night of Glass Dolls, etc. In Italian, with optional English and German subtitles. (23 min).

• The Need to Sing - in this new featurette, singer Edda Dell'Orso talks about her love for music and singing, her initial encounter with Ennio Morricone, her contribution to the soundtrack for Short Night of Glass Dolls, etc. In Italian, with optional English and German subtitles. (21 min).

• Gallery - an excellent collection of posters, VHS covers, lobby cards, clippings from magazine articles (in Italian), clippings from other articles (in German), and more.

• Commentary - film historians Christian Kessler and Marcus Stiglegger spend a great deal of time discussing some of the key locations where Short Night of Glass Dolls was shot (Mala Strana, which is also the film's alternative title, was a prestigious area of Prague), the diverse cast and production history of the film, the heavy sense of paranoia permeating the film and the unusual structure of its narrative, the political overtones in the film, etc. In German, with optional English subtitles.

• Commentary - singer/actor Jurgen Drews, who sung The Short Night of the Butterflies, recalls his work during the shooting of Short Night of Glass Dolls, his interactions with director Aldo Lado and Ennio Morricone, the socio-cultural climate in Germany at the time when the film was made (Drews frequently traveled to Munich to see Hair), his tremendous admiration for Barbara Bach, the use of light and the film's great atmosphere, etc. In German, with optional English subtitles.

DVD

• Czech Mate - in this new documentary, director Aldo Lado discusses Short Night of Glass Dolls, which was his first feature film, the shooting of the film in Prague during the Cold War, the various films he directed during the years and how they were received, etc. Also included are clips from new interviews with Jean Sorel, who recalls his work with Aldo Lado and the rest of the cast. In Italian and French, with optional English and German subtitles. (98 min).

• Einmal Italien und Zuruck - presented here is a brand new video interview with coproducer Dieter Geissler, who discusses his career and recalls how he became involved with Short Night of Glass Dolls. In German, with optional English subtitles. (30 min).

• Selected Scene Commentary - presented here are excerpts from an audio commentary with director Aldo Lado moderated by Federico Ceddeo. The commentary was recorded in Paris in September 2006. In French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min).

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film in English and German.

Malastrana Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Short Night of Glass Dolls is Italian director Aldo Lado's most atmospheric film. It appears on many serious giallo lists, but I think that it is a much more complex film that does not play by the traditional rules of the genre. The film has been recently remastered and is now available on Blu-ray via the excellent German label Camera Obscura. I really like the label's output. Its catalog is fantastic and the people that remaster and create the releases are some of the best in the business. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.