The Ape Woman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Ape Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 5, 2021

Marco Ferreri's "The Ape Woman" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Films. The only bonus feature on it is Mario Canale's excellent documentary Marco Ferreri: The Director Who Came From the Future. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

You're special, and together we can make a lot of money.

I wonder whether David Lynch had seen Marco Ferreri’s film The Ape Woman before he began working on The Elephant Man because there are plenty of very obvious similarities between the two. Are they coincidental? Probably. But what if they are not? Or what if just a few of them are not coincidental? Regardless of what the correct answer is, The Elephant Man would remain the more popular of the two films, but it would be interesting to learn whether Lynch may have looked for inspiration in a very unusual and largely forgotten post-war Italian gem.

The shy and very, very hairy woman that Antonio Focaccia (Ugo Tognazzi) begins a relationship actually isn’t a fictional character. The real ‘ape woman’, Julia Pastrana, was born in Mexico in 1834 and had an extremely rare genetic condition that medical books describe as congenital hypertrichosis terminalis. Apparently, Pastrana made it to Broadway in 1854, where she immediately impressed and was promptly billed the Marvelous Hybrid. Pastrana then had a short ‘career’ as a performer and exotic escort girl for an unscrupulous businessman who eventually fell in love with her and they married.

Focaccia’s relationship with Maria Esposito (Annie Girardot) follows a different trajectory, but the drama that is at the center of it does replicate the one from Pastrana’s life. Initially, Focaccia approaches Esposito only because he recognizes that her condition has business potential and after she falls for his lies the two begin staging small acts. With the profits Focaccia then arranges trips across the country that introduce the ‘ape woman’ to much more sophisticated parties that are willing to pay big for intimate acts as well. Eventually the two marry and reach Paris, where the owner of a popular night club offers them a lucrative contract and they officially begin a new chapter in their lives. But shortly after Esposito becomes pregnant a local doctor confirms that she is going to give birth to a baby that will almost certainly have even greater genetic deformations, and that there is a very good chance that the mother and the baby won’t make it.

Ferreri was undoubtedly one of only a couple of prominent Italian directors that could have handled the film’s subject matter with the lightness that essentially makes it relatable and attractive. (This happens to be one of the most obvious similarities between The Ape Woman and The Elephant Man). However, there is still a lot of very ugly material in it that legitimizes its drama. For example, Ferreri does not attempt to downplay the fact that everyone perceives the ‘ape woman’ as an exotic object that is incompatible with the reality in which she exists in, which in an odd sort of way makes her abuse entirely justifiable. Then there is the constant overlapping of the polarizing business and romantic relationships, which produces virtually all of the awkward humor that the film uses as a litmus test to reveal the prejudices of various social groups.

Tognazzi is predictably excellent and the undisputed star of the film. He convincingly leads in every new situation his character and partner face and as a result the film relies exclusively on his nuanced performance to effectively shift its tone and atmosphere. Girardot’a performance is drastically different, but the film needs it to be this way. She looks stiff, intimidated, and frequently completely overwhelmed by the attention her appearance generates from the motley crews of spectators.

Ferreri shot his early films in much the same way the likes of Mario Monicelli, Alberto Lattuada, and Dino Risi did. They welcomed authenticity, but never overemphasized it. This is precisely how The Ape Woman is shot as well. The rhythm of everyday life is easily detectable in it, but it isn’t what shapes up the film’s identity. Ferreri worked with cinematographer Aldo Tonti, who had previously lensed Federico Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria and Roberto Rossellini’s Europe '51.

*This recent release features two versions of the film: the original and uncensored Director's Cut of the film with the darker finale that Ferreri shot, and a slightly longer Producer's Cut with a more optimistic finale, which was introduced at the Cannes Film Festival in 1964.

The Ape Woman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Ape Woman arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Films.

The release is sourced from a 4K master that was prepared after The Ape Woman was fully restored in 4K at L'immagine Ritrovata in 2017. Apparently, a first generation interpositive, supplied by TF1, was used for the restoration.

Predictably, the film looks very, very healthy. I did not spot any blemishes, marks, scratches, or other similar age-related imperfections. Stability is outstanding as well. However, the final result isn't as good as it should have been. Why? A couple of reasons. First, there is some light macroblocking that sneaks in during darker and brighter daylight footage. (You can see examples in screencaptures #7 and 11). On my system, I was able to eliminate it by darkening the image quite a bit, but a strong encode would have easily addressed the issue. Next, the gamma levels in some segments appear to be off, but I am unsure if the issue is inherited from the master or whether there is something else that is exacerbated by the encode. I see some light traces of grain management that could have introduced the fluctuations, but overall grain exposure is actually very, very good. So, without knowing the condition of the interpositive that was accessed, and precisely how the master was finalized, it is pretty difficult to tell where things might have gone wrong. This being said, I still think that the current presentation is acceptable and actually makes it rather easy to enjoy the film. In fact, I thought that select areas looked rather impressive. (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).

The Ape Woman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional yellow English subtitles are provided for the main feature. However, the subtitles cannot be turned on or off via the main menu. You will have to use your remote control.

The lossless track is outstanding. It is immediately obvious that it has been fully restored because clarity, sharpness, and balance are as good as you can expect them to be on a film from early 1960s. Dynamic balance is quite good too, especially when Teo Usuelli's soundtrack has an important role to play. The English translation is excellent.

The Ape Woman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cover - reversible with vintage poster art for the film.

• Marco Ferreri: The Director Who Came From the Future - Mario Canale produced this outstanding documentary about the life and rather controversial legacy of director Marco Ferreri in 2007. It features numerous clips from interviews with the late director as well as various people that worked with him over the years. It is unmissable. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (99 min).

The Ape Woman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In 2008, Kino Lorber released this massive, incredibly valuable box set with films directed by Marco Ferreri, but The Ape Woman was not included in it. I think that the film's reputation is well-deserved because it is inspired by a true yet quite incredible story, and because Ugo Tognazzi is predictably excellent in it. As you probably know by now, Ferrerri directed a lot of 'different' films and even in the old days most were quite controversial. The Ape Woman isn't one of them, but I assure you it is unlike what you would expect to see emerge from the 1960s. This release from British label Cult Films is sourced from a recent 4K master. I think that the technical presentation should have been better, but if you are interested in Ferreri's work you should pick it up for your library. It features the rare original Director's Cut of the film and the slightly longer Producer's Cut of the film, plus Mario Canale's excellent documentary Marco Ferreri: The Director Who Came From the Future. RECOMMENDED.