Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

So Sweet... So Perverse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 15, 2020

Umberto Lenzi's "So Sweet... So Perverse" a.k.a. "Così dolce... così perversa" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; new video interview with Ernesto Gastaldi; archival program with Umberto Lenzi; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Severin Films’ release of So Sweet… So Perverse features a short but very interesting archival interview with Umberto Lenzi in which he admits that the film isn’t one of his best because the screenplay Ernesto Gastaldi wrote for it was problematic. This is only partially true, though, and I wish to explain why because it will help you understand where the film excels and where it fails, and why it is still very entertaining.

So Sweet… So Perverse is the smallest of the four films in the The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection box set, and the only one that is in fact quite difficult to profile as giallo. It does have some of the stylistic characteristics the genre is known for, but Gastaldi’s script forces it to do a lot that effectively negates the overwhelming majority of them, which is the ‘problem’ Lenzi identifies in the interview. However, this happens to be only one part of the real reason why the film is, well, unique.

Gastaldi’s script pays tribute to Henri-Georges Clouzot’s classic thriller Diabolique, which is an important factor that is actually severely downplayed by Lenzi. Was it intentional? Most likely not, but for decades the two men were not on good terms and found all sorts of different excuses to critique each other’s work, so there is at least a possibility that the disconnect was in fact unavoidable. Additionally, Lenzi had a contractual obligation to shoot a significant portion of the film in France, not in Italy or Spain where he typically shot his gialli, which is another factor that impacted its stylistic identity.

The film’s weakest area is the climax, where Lenzi and Gastaldi’s visions openly clash and for a short period of time begin to pull it in different directions. Here, the progression of the drama not only unapologetically imitates that of Clouzot’s thriller, but in the process actually makes Lenzi’s genre tricks appear irrelevant. Then the climax successfully places previous events in a new context that emphasizes a psychological element in the narrative that is underdeveloped by Lenzi, which in return makes the completion of the character arcs look somewhat superficial. Moments before the final credits appear, Lenzi manages to regain control of the film, but it very much feels like the director gets a minor win that should have been a triumph.

So, the truth about the film is that it has a flexible stylistic identity that is essentially a compromise between two contrasting visions of what it could have been -- a straightforward giallo or psychological Clouzot-esque thriller. But this does not make it problematic. In fact, it is quite easy to argue that precisely the opposite is true because once the script transforms Jean-Louis Trintignant’s businessman into a target and leaves him to figure out how to deal with the three women in his life (Caroll Baker, Erica Blanc, Helga Line) it very much feels like Lenzi enters Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni’s favorite social playground, and this is always an exciting place to explore. The only difference really is the presence of a hired killer (Horst Frank) that is obviously going to pull the film out of it when the time is right. This is the ‘problem’ Lenzi should have avoided. The focus of attentions should have been on the decadence, with the killer’s actions serving as a litmus test and exposing the conflicted personalities of the main characters.

The action is complemented by a predictably groovy soundtrack courtesy of Riz Ortolani. The cool original song that is heard throughout the film is sung by J. Vincent Edwards.

So Sweet... So Perverse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, So Sweet... So Perverse arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release is sourced from a very nice new 2K master. However, the technical presentation is not as impressive as it could and should have been. It is not a disaster either, but the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to start noticing that the master had the ability to produce stronger visuals. Currently, some darker visuals exhibit compression artifacts (examples can be seen around the 27.00/35.00 minute marks). Also, throughout the entire film grain often becomes noisy, causing minor definition problems that were easily avoidable. The good news is that clarity and depth are still quite pleasing. Fluidity is mostly good as well. Early into the film I noticed two minor frame skips, but I am going to assume that they are on the master. The color grading job is good. I think that there are a few areas where blues can be better saturated and balanced, and some white nuances can be expanded and rebalanced as well, but the overall color temperature and balance are convincing. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. However, a few tiny blemishes and spots can be seen. In summary, the new master that was used to produced the release has very nice organic qualities, but the encode could have been more convincing. (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).

So Sweet... So Perverse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

I viewed the film with the English track, which should be considered the 'original' track because all of the main characters utter their lines in English. However, there is a lot of overdubbing on it and some of the accents are so heavy that it is quite difficult to understand what is being said. Clarity and depth a good. Mild unevenness pops up a few times J. Vincent Edwards sings You, but I think that it is perfectly fine.

So Sweet... So Perverse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lenzi's Lenses - presented here is a very interesting interview with Umberto Lenzi in which he discusses the conception of So Sweet... So Perverse and its style, some of the great directors that inspired him, the awful critical reception of some of his more violent films (and how they were targeted by Italian critics), a few of the actors he loved to work with, etc. The interview was conducted at Nocturno Film Festival in 1999. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (10 min, 1080p).

• Equilateral Triangle: Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi on Lenzi - in this new video interview, Ernesto Gastaldi discusses his complex relationship with Umberto Lenzi and his working methods as well as his contribution to So Sweet... So Perverse. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080p).

• Trailer One - a remastered English trailer for So Sweet... So Perverse. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Trailer Two - a remastered Italian trailer for So Sweet... So Perverse. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• Italian Credits - opening Italian credits for So Sweet... So Perverse. Music only. (3 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary by critic and author Kat Ellinger (All the Colors of Sergio Martino).

• CD DISC - separate CD disc with soundtracks for So Sweet… So Perverse and A Quiet Place To Kill, both fully remastered, plus a bonus track for Knife of Ice (main title theme)

• Art Card - art card with original poster art for So Sweet... So Perverse and soundtrack information.

So Sweet... So Perverse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Umberto Lenzi's So Sweet... So Perverse has a conflicted personality that some viewers will find problematic. I don't. I actually like it because it does not rehash the giallo cliches and for a short period of time enters the social playground that Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni's best films visit. I have always wanted to get a quality release of it in my library and this is the first time I was able to see it with the original English audio track. (Before the Italian DVD release arrived on the market, this film was practically impossible to see). Severin Films' release, which is part of this four-disc box set, is sourced from a very nice new 2K master, but the technical presentation should have been even more convincing. Regardless, I think that it is unmissable. RECOMMENDED.