Salon Kitty Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Salon Kitty Blu-ray Movie Review

Meow.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 21, 2010

Your duty is to refuse nothing.

Salon Kitty is some kind of sleazy and perverse amalgamation that's one-half The Lives of Others and one-half soft-core pornography. Director Tinto Brass' (Caligula) visually explicit 1976 film boasts good production values and a sleaze-as-art sensationalism that masks, but doesn't completely hide, the film's weak plot and overextended runtime. Quite frankly, this is an awkward picture to critique. It's going to offend or disgust many in the audience, and even those who aren't adversely affected by the film's explicit material may very well be turned off by its dull pacing and minimalist storyline, albeit one that's supposedly grounded in some World War II-era fact. No matter the plot or the production values, though: sex and nudity completely dominate -- yea overwhelm -- the picture; to ignore that fact is to not do justice to a description and examination of what the film has to offer, and everything ultimately comes down to the T&A and other assorted letters and terms that aren't fit for print on a family-friendly website nor appropriate for inclusion in the following 20 screen captures. Put the kids to bed, kick grandma out of the room, and lock the doors before giving Blue Underground's latest release a whirl in the Blu-ray player.

Aroused.

With Germany's 1939 invasion of Poland sending the world into a tailspin of death and destruction that would become World War II, the Nazi party undertook extreme measures to ensure victory, including establishing a secretly wiretapped brothel where Nazi officials could unwind with some of Germany's most beautiful young women and perhaps even let slip their true thoughts, beliefs, and intentions regarding the National Socialist movement and the war effort itself. Spearheaded by the lustful and determined party loyalist Helmut Wallenberg (Helmut Berger) and housed within the walls of Madame Kitty's (Ingrid Thulin) house of sin, Germany's most beautiful and dedicated young women -- trained in the art of sex and seduction -- bare all for their Führer as they indulge the men who make up Germany's war machine in their most perverse fantasies. It's not all fun and games, though; when the young whore Margherita (Teresa Ann Savoy) learns of the secrets behind the walls, she sets in motion a plan to expose all involved and bring an end to both the carnal pleasures and dastardly party secrets that are destined to collide within the perverted realm of one of Nazi Germany's most repugnant acts.

Salon Kitty doesn't simply shock through the regular inclusion of male full-frontal nudity (including men in a state of obvious sexual excitement), female full-frontal nudity, and various sex acts that are more than merely hinted at but not quite fully seen. The film also features explicit dialogue that's blatantly racist (though, in the picture's defense, such scenes represent Nazi-era thought and probably -- hopefully -- don't reflect the beliefs of the writers, filmmakers, and actors) and plenty of images that are bound to shock even the most stalwart of audience members, including a string of scenes that feature women seducing men of various shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and even one individual without legs who is still able to perform in the bedroom, or the observation room as the case here may be. Salon Kitty does shy away from explicit human violence (watch for a disturbing slaughterhouse scene that's probably not going to help the pork industry); a few dead bodies and some obviously fake blood are all that's here, so gore hounds looking for a 1970s-era predecessor to something like Inglourious Basterds will walk away disappointed. Those in search of pure and stimulating eroticism will likely find the material not to their liking, either; the film often plays as quite ugly even in spite of the plethora of well-toned and/or shapely naked bodies that populate it. Perhaps it's the picture's plot, place and time in history, or the perversion of the sexual acts themselves whereby they're used as a means of securing information rather than demonstrating love that's at fault, but whatever the case may be in any given sequence throughout the movie, there's an underlying uneasiness that's impossible to shake, whether during the musical numbers, the few instances of plot-driven drama, or the sex acts and naked bodies that appear almost ad nauseam and, in many scenes, add nothing of dramatic substance to the experience.

From a technical perspective, Salon Kitty is undeniably well made. The film makes good use of dramatic styling and occasional diffusion to give some scenes an almost ethereal appearance. Director Tinto Brass uses mirrors throughout the film, perhaps as little more than as a stylistic prop but arguably as a means of accentuating what meaning might be derived from the greater experience beyond the sex and nudity. Obviously, mirrors represent a reflection, and metaphorically, that reflection is usually meant as a means of looking beyond what's superficially reflected and instead serve as a glimpse into something deeper or more obscure that's beyond the capabilities of the mere external form to portray. Here, the mirrors seem to be equal parts metaphorical and physical; walls of mirrors allow for more nudity to spread across the screen, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that not everything is quite as it seems in the microcosm of Nazi Germany that is Madam Kitty's brothel, with the mirrors perhaps serving as a means of opening up the story and exposing the truth that lies beyond the desires of the flesh and into the deeper and more disturbing elements that examine and ultimately damn the notions of both extremism and blind faith in a cause championed by rhetoric and emotion rather than fact or common sense. No doubt that's a good and worthwhile premise for a story; it's just too bad that it's never quite as clear or even front-and-center as it should be. In fact, it seems more like an excuse for sex and nudity rather than the purpose of the film itself, making Salon Kitty a movie with mismanaged priorities and a backwards structure that emphasizes a supportive element rather than what should have been the main event.

Salon Kitty Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Salon Kitty features another stable, but not overwhelmingly beautiful, 1080p Blu-ray transfer from Blue Underground. As with the studio's other releases, this film looks quite good for its age, budget, and original elements, but some modern-day glossy and razzle-dazzle transfer this is not. The image captures a slight aura in places with blooming bright colors that seem to give off a soft, halo-like glow in places, but the transfer handles shades such as red quite well. Several shots, then, appear softer than others, but this appears inherent to the source rather than a result of a troublesome transfer. The palette appears nicely balanced and not at all faded or, on the other end of the spectrum, artificially boosted. Details are strong, too, with various Nazi uniforms, skin textures, and structural details all looking about as good as can be expected. Fortunately, there's no sign of excessive digital manipulation, which only helps details to remain a strength while preserving a good-looking cinematic texture through a bit of film grain. The image does exhibit a few stray scratches, hairs, and pops, but not to an alarming level. Blacks are generally solid with only a hint of debilitating crush evident in a few places, while flesh tones appear well-balanced throughout. Longtime fans and newcomers alike should be quite satisfied with Blue Underground's performance with Salon Kitty.

Salon Kitty Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Salon Kitty purrs on Blu-ray with a pair of mono lossless soundtracks, one each of the English and Italian varieties. In the uncut version, several scenes will play in Italian with forced English subtitles regardless of the soundtrack selected. As expected, these tracks are limited in range and offer up little more than a basic sonic performance. Crispness and realism are lacking throughout, and music plays with a fairly sharp edge in places. The Italian track seems to have a bit more body to it and a little more oomph under the hood, but neither track is particularly elegant or wholly satisfying, even considering the limited source. Dialogue is a mixed bag amongst the offerings as well; the Italian mix exhibits a bit more power and clarity, while the English options plays as crunchier and a bit less distinct. Other than some light background hissing in a few places, these tracks are suitably proficient and make for fair companions to the film, nothing more, nothing less.

Salon Kitty Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Salon Kitty regurgitates a hairball's worth of extra content. Inside 'Salon Kitty:' Interview with Director Tinto Brass (480p, 14:47, Italian with English subtitles) features the director discussing the history of the project, including the transition from novel to screenplay, the picture's plot and themes, the work of the lead actors, the purpose behind the picture's depravity, the necessary exaggerations in the film, his portrayal of Nazis, the picture's set design, his battle with censors, and the film's legacy. Designing 'Salon Kitty:' Interview with Production Designer Ken Adam (480p, 18:00) offers a detailed retrospective look at the film's set designs. Rounding out this brief collection of extras is the film's international trailer (1080p, 3:56), U.S. trailer (480p, 1:48), and three radio spots (1080p, 1:02, 0:32, and 0:32).

Salon Kitty Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Don't look for Salon Kitty on the shelves at the local Wal-Mart; the suggestive cover art all but guarantees that this is a title that probably won't be on prominent display at even more fully-stocked retailers, but fans of the movie should seek it out, regardless, and the best bet is to scroll back to the top of this page and click through to buy it from Amazon.com. That said, and given that the film lacks much of a raison d'être outside of its heavy sex and nudity, why watch a movie like Salon Kitty? Sheer curiosity may be the best answer to that question. There's certainly not much of substance here, but as a slice of cinematic history that's one of the defining pictures of the World-War II Nazi-centric Erotica sub-genre, Salon Kitty might be seen as a film with some value. Fans of the film should be quite pleased with Blue Underground's Blu-ray release; the mono audio tracks sound poor but seem to capture the picture's original elements well enough, and the bonus materials are few but worthwhile. The real star of the show is the relatively high quality 1080p transfer that's going to be the definitive look for Salon Kitty for quite some time. This one's not earning a recommendation to general audiences, but fans of the film or its genre will want to add it to their collections.