So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious... Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious... Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 25, 2026

Silvio Amadio's "So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious…." (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video. The only supplemental feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by Adrian Smith and Rod Barnett, hosts of Wild, Wild Podcast. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Some similarities between Silvio Amadio’s So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious…. and Amuck! are easy to identify. However, the latter, arguably Amadio’s most popular film outside Italy, impresses in an entirely different manner. So, anyone approaching the former expecting it to produce similar thrills and impress in the same way as the latter is guaranteed to have a disappointing viewing experience.

In a beautiful, seemingly perpetually drenched in sunlight corner of Italy, Angela (Gloria Guida) greets her widowed father, Dr. Batrucchi (Silvano Tranquilli), who is taking a break from working for the government in Rome. Angela is happy to see him, but not the woman next to him. Irene (Dagmar Lassander), who is soon to be married to Dr. Batrucchi, is gorgeous, elegant, and classy. She is only a few years older than Angela, too.

In the days ahead, Angela and her boyfriend, Sandro (Fred Robsahm), a scoundrel, hatch a nasty plan to remove Irene from Dr. Batrucchi’s orbit. Permanently, not temporarily. When a top government official phones with an urgent request to meet with Dr. Batrucchi in Rome, Angela and Sandro quickly conclude that their plan will be even easier to pull off. Shortly after, unable to turn down the request, Dr. Batrucchi asks Irene to enjoy herself until he takes care of business in Rome, while Angela and Sandro go to work to take out their target.

Initially, it certainly seems like So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious… is getting ready to enter the same territory all classic gialli visit. However, after Dr. Batrucchi leaves and Angela begins spending as much time as possible with Irene, a crucial reset occurs. After the reset, So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious… quickly evolves into a melodrama, focused almost entirely on the relationship between the two women, which is not a catalyst for the typical atmosphere the gialli produce.

Because bits of So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious… offer some sexual innuendo and skin, some critics have used the demeaning label Eurotrash to profile it. They are off by a lot. In fact, the exact opposite is true. While not a masterpiece, So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious… is a gorgeous multi-layered melodrama, possessing several of the key qualities Italian directors gave these films during the 1970s.

One of these qualities is the infusion of heightened eroticism, complementing the melodrama with class, rather than confronting it with crudeness. The specific locations, wardrobe choices, and even lighting are directly related to it. Another of these qualities is a typically European grasp of the power dynamics between the two sexes, coupled with the always refreshing acknowledgement that both sexes are equally manipulative. (This particular quality is present in the vast majority of Italian and French melodramas from the 1970s and 1980s, and is the very reason they produce strikingly more accurate depictions of the addictions and vices of the two sexes than contemporary melodramas and conventional dramas).

In the second and third acts, the two women engage in a distinctly Italian theater of emotions as well. As they learn more about each other, however, their masks drop, and both make most unusual discoveries. This material is very effective and pays homage to masterpieces like I Knew Her Well and Sandra.

While both female leads are right for their parts, the heightened eroticism would not have materialized without Lassander, who routinely looks breathtakingly gorgeous.

So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious... Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious…. arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video.

I do not know when the master used to produce this release was created. It is not brand new. Also, it produces visuals whose quality makes it rather easy to speculate that it may have been struck from a 35mm print. Obviously, this is not an ideal situation. However, without knowing what other elements are available for this film, I'd rather have something than nothing. If I have to guess when the master was created, I would say that it was during the DVD era, when Raro Video released the film on R2 DVD in Italy.

Most visuals, and especially those featuring outdoor panoramic footage, look a bit too soft. However, many close-ups can look pretty decent, even good. Grain exposure should be better, but on a large screen, the visuals have a dated filmic appearance, not a smeary digital appearance. Color reproduction and balance can be improved. However, color reproduction is one of several areas of the current presentation that makes it easy to speculate that the current master may have been sourced from a 35mm print. Primaries and supporting nuances are where they need to be, but are not as healthy, saturated, and perfectly balanced as they should be. Still, they do not destroy the film's native appearance, but protect it as best as they can. Image stability is fine, but there are a few shaky transitions. All in all, in an ideal world, So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious…. should look significantly healthier and more attractive. However, on this release, it has a dated yet rather decent filmic appearance. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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 Young, So Lovely, So Vicious... 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 subtitles are provided for the latter.

My only previous experience with So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious…. has been with the old R2 DVD release Raro Video prepared in Italy sometime during the early 2000s. This DVD release had English and Italian audio tracks, and I assume that the Blu-ray release uses both.

I revisited the film with the English track, which is, unsurprisingly, a pretty average overdubbed track. All exchanges are clear and easy to follow. However, the dubbing is done by folks whose main concern is to deliver proper lines. They do, and that's it. The Italian track is overdubbed as well. Frankly, I am unsure which of the two is easier to recommend, because they both sort of missjudge the delicate nature of the melodrama. As you can guess, they are not fully restored, either. For these reasons, it is probably best that you test both and see which you prefer.

So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious... Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Adrian Smith and Rod Barnett, hosts of Wild, Wild Podcast.

So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious... Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If fully restored in 2K or 4K, So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious…. would be a feast for the eyes that surprises a lot of people. Whether intentionally or not, it pays homage to masterpieces like I Knew Her Well and Sandra, so anyone who approaches it expecting it to thrill like Amuck!, its creator's most popular film outside Italy, will be disappointed. I am glad to have this Blu-ray release of So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious…. in my library because the old R2 DVD release of it, produced by Raro Video in Italy in the early 2000s, is unwatchable now. RECOMMENDED.