Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Cat o' Nine Tails Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 18, 2021

In our recent The Swordsman Blu-ray review, I mentioned a little remembered, relatively short lived television series called Longstreet, which featured James Franciscus as a blind detective, in a show that was obviously modeled on other "handicapped sleuth" outings like Ironside, albeit without the success of the Raymond Burr vehicle. In my continuing adventures with a universe that seems to be have some kind of a sense of humor (despite manifest appearances to the contrary), James Franciscus has now shown up in my review queue in The Cat o' Nine Tales, in this case as an investigative journalist who partners with a blind detective-ish type played by Karl Malden. The Cat o' Nine Tails was the second in the so-called "animal trilogy" of gialli made by Dario Argento, following The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and presaging Four Flies on Grey Velvet. Argento is on record, including in an interview included on this disc as a supplemental feature, as not being especially fond of The Cat o' Nine Tails, suggesting that it was not entirely successful on a number of levels and that it may have aped "American cinema" too much for its own good. As commentators Alan Jones and Kim Newman mention in their engaging conversation about the film also included on this Blu- ray disc as a bonus feature, The Cat o' Nine Tails was arguably rushed into production after the overwhelming success of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, which may have played into both the final product and Argento's assessment of the results. Argento may have had at least some regrets about the production, but seeing it now from the vantage point of the passage of several decades since its original release, it's reasonably intriguing, if, as Argento himself seems to suggest, a bit too rote at times.

The Cat O' Nine Tails received a previous Blu-ray release from Blue Underground almost ten years ago, and for those interested in a plot summary, I refer you to my colleague Martin Liebman's The Cat o' Nine Tails of that version. Marty's review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons between the two releases, as well as looking at the supplemental features each release offers (in my estimation, Arrow's version is the clear winner in that regard).

The Cat o' Nine Tails Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Cat o' Nine Tails is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Owing to the absence of an insert booklet, the place Arrow typically provides the bulk of its information on transfers, the only technical data available is a brief blurb on the back cover which states "brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative". Marty gave very high marks to the Blue Underground release, and I'm matching the score for this release, though that said even a cursory comparison of screenshots between the two releases will show that Arrow's is darker and with noticeably different color timing. Having never seen this exhibited theatrically, I'm not going to state which look is more accurate or even preferable, but I will say that the darker appearance of the Arrow release gives at least the impression of better suffusion, while not really seriously masking fine detail, as can be seen, for example, by comparing the fabric patterns in the sweater Karl Malden is wearing in screenshot 1 of this review and screenshot 1 that Marty included with his review. Some viewers may in fact prefer the brighter, somewhat more yellow skewed, look of the Blue Underground release, while the Arrow seems tilted a bit more purplish tones, which nonetheless never looked "unnatural" to me. Grain has a somewhat similarly mottled look, as was the case with the Blue Underground release, but I noticed no compression anomalies.

The Cat o' Nine Tails Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Cat o' Nine Tails features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks in either English or Italian. This is another case where no matter which language you choose, you're going to get some dubbing, but with Malden and Franciscus in the leading roles, my hunch is most will opt for the English language track, which sounds fine. In fact there's a noticeably thinner sound and lower general amplitude on the Italian language track in any case, which may make the English track preferable for other reasons. The English track does show a bit of high end brashness just verging on distortion, as evidenced perhaps most noticeably in some of the flute and harpsichord cues in the nice score by Ennio Morricone. Dialogue and sound effects resonate with good clarity and no signs of damage. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Cat o' Nine Tails Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman


• Nine Lives (1080p; 15:57) is a 2017 interview with Dario Argento, who is completely forthcoming about his perceived failures with the film, as well as offering tidbits about the relative friendliness of Karl Malden and James Franciscus. In Italian with English subtitles.


• The Writer O' Many Tales (1080p; 34:46) is a 2017 interview with co-scenarist Dardano Sacchetti, whose first film this was. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Child Star (1080p; 11:02) is a 2017 interview with Cinzia De Carolis, who portrays Lori in the film. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Giallo in Turin (1080p; 15:11) is a 2017 interview with production manager Angelo Iacono. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Original Ending (1080p; 3:09) begins with some introductory text describing the original conception for the ending, which Argento then deemed "too American". The original footage is lost, but this supplements presents the printed script overlaying rather well edited stills from other parts of the film meant to "illustrate" what's going on.


• Trailers

  Italian Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:48)

  
  

  International Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:54)

  
  

  US Domestic Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:39)

Note: This is the rare release from Arrow Video that evidently does not include an insert booklet.

The Cat o' Nine Tails Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dario Argento may not have been especially fond of The Cat o' Nine Tails, but it's reasonably entertaining, even if it's undeniably weird at times. As tends to be the case with Arrow releases, technical merits are generally solid (though some may prefer the lighter, more yellow, quality of the Blue Underground release, so a screenshot comparison is advised), and the supplementary package very well done. Recommended.