6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
After the death of her mother under strange circumstances, a teenage girl quickly begins to suspect that her recently widowed stepfather may be involved.
Starring: Jenny Tamburi, Silvano Tranquilli, Rosalba Neri, Hiram Keller, Dana GhiaHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 100% |
Mystery | 35% |
Thriller | 12% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Italian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Giallo
Essentials (Black Edition).
Some curmudgeons may want to quibble with the term "essentials", but Arrow is continuing its relatively recent tradition of offering three gialli
collected together in a specially "colored" slipbox, so that this Black Edition joins the previously released Giallo Essentials (Red Edition), which included The Possessed, The Fifth Cord and The
Pyjama
Girl Case, and Giallo Essentials (Yellow Edition), which included What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, Torso and Strip Nude for Your Killer. While probably none of the six previously released or the three currently
released
(so far) films
that Arrow has been offering with this kind of branding would probably jump to the top of anyone's list of "must see" gialli, they all have
considerable style and often intriguing elements that make them interesting in their own ways. As usual, Arrow combines some nice packaging
along
with a copious supply of supplements to help sweeten the pot.
Smile Before Death is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:
Smile Before Death is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 [sic] with Italian and English mono audio.While all three of the films in this set enjoyed 2K scans of their original camera negatives, to my eyes Smile Before Death was the most consistently pleasing of the three, something that may be due in part to that eye popping production design mentioned above in the main body of the review. As can probably be gleaned from the screenshots accompanying this review, there are a glut of really bright, vivid colors offered throughout the presentation, and warmer tones in the purple, red and orange territory pop with considerable authority throughout. Fine detail is typically excellent, offering precise accountings of sometimes complex patterns on admittedly mundane things like wallpapers or outfits. Grain resolves naturally throughout, but does attain a somewhat mottled, gritty appearance in some red drenched darkroom sequences.
The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution at Cinema Communications Services, Rome. Restoration and grading were completed at R3Store Studios, London.The mono Italian and English language tracks were remastered from the optical sound negatives. Additional audio remastering was completed by Matt Jarman / Bad Princess Productions.
The audio synch will appear slightly loose against the picture, due to the fact taht the dialogue was recorded entirely in post production, as per the production standards of the period.
All original materials used for the restoration were made available from Minerva Pictures.
Smile Before Death features LPCM Mono tracks in either English and Italian, and this is one of those situations where you get different pluses and minuses on each track. As I do on these features with several audio options, I toggled between the two as I watched, and while these differences are probably relatively miniscule overall, I sensed the Italian track being slightly boxier sounding, though with a better, fuller sounding, low end, while the English track was generally brighter sounding with clearer highs. Again, these differences are pretty minimal, and both tracks offer secure fidelity within the sometimes limited dynamic range that seems to typify a lot of these Italian productions. Optional English subtitles are available.
The back cover of this release alludes to "familicide with a sprinkling of Oedipal love", though it might be more appropriately an Electra Complex which drives this story, though by the time all the interrelationships are dealt with, maybe Sappho is in there, too, so to speak, but one way or the other, Smile Before Death is definitely on the kinky side. Arrow's release features solid technical merits and an appealing commentary, though the lack of subtitles on the interview was a bit of an oversight. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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