Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.0

The Damned Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 4, 2021

Luchino Visconti's "The Damned" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include archival episodes from television programs with discussions on the production of the film; new interview with literature and film scholar Stefano Albertini; vintage trailer for the film; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

In the old days of the independent video stores, Luchino Visconti’s The Damned was frequently grouped with Tinto Brass’ Salon Kitty and Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter, and they were placed in a very particular area. You would not find these films in the general area where all the latest blockbusters were. To pick up any of them, you either had to know exactly what you were looking for, which means that you were already familiar with them, or were willing to explore the dark and extra-wild side of cinema. In my favorite independent video store, all of these films were placed in the ‘other’ section, which was constantly being expanded because the manager had figured out that a surprisingly big number of customers loved spending time there. In the ‘other’ section, The Damned, Salon Kitty and The Night Porter coexisted with the likes of Luis Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo, and even Albert Pyun’s Radioactive Dreams. But I did not discover The Damned in the ‘other’ section of my favorite independent video store. The Damned was the first Visconti film I saw in the theater, and it was this experience that then inspired me to begin exploring the director’s work. This was a long, long time ago.

The reason I share the above information is because I believe that out of all the difficult and exotic films that used to be placed in the ‘other’ section The Damned was one of the darkest and most subversive, and oddly enough, I realized that it was so only after I had started exploring many of its much more shocking counterparts. Indeed, The Damned is a very opulent film that can overwhelm your eyes and senses as easily as The Leopard does, and if your first experience with it happens to be in the theater, it is practically guaranteed that you will miss something crucial. I missed a lot, and it wasn’t until much later on when I started comparing The Damned to some other difficult films that had become controversial that I discovered its true nature. The notorious big shockers did not bother me because virtually all of them were quite transparent and usually too grotesque, but The Damned absolutely did because each time I revisited it, I kept uncovering a new layer of veiled sincerity in its excess. So, by the time I picked up the ‘snapper’ DVD release that Warner Bros. produced, I no longer thought of it as the film I saw in the theater.

The events that are chronicled in The Damned take place shortly after Adolf Hitler’s National Socialists have started taking over Germany. The burning of the Reichstag is referenced, but it is everything that happens after it that fuels the drama. At the center of it is the wealthy Essenbeck family, run by an aging and ill baron (Albrecht Schoenhals), whose steel factories are deemed crucial for the new Germany the National Socialists plan to build. To preserve the family business, the baron transfers executive powers to one of his relatives, Konstantin (Reinhard Kolldehoff), who has valuable connections to the leaders of the National Socialists. But the move alienates other members of the Essenbeck family that either sympathize with the Communists or are after its enormous wealth, and soon after a series of intense rivalries begin to erode its foundation. For a short period of time Frederick Bruckmann (Dirk Bogarde) overpowers Konstantin and takes control over the family, but as the business is being restructured his authority wanes and eventually it is openly challenged. His biggest rival becomes the young and decadent Martin (Helmut Berger), but his dark secrets make him an easy target for other ambitious players as well as the country’s new leaders.

The Damned is a long film but its drama isn’t expanded as you would expect, especially given Visconti’s involvement and the period it comes from. Indeed, it does not observe it from a favorite angle -- which by the way is precisely how The Leopard is conceived, with all key events in it felt and rationalized through Don Fabrizio Salina’s mixed reactions -- or while being guided by a clear moral compass. As a result, often times it is actually awfully difficult to tell whether the film condemns or secretly marvels some of the despicable behavior and acts that are captured in it.

The most disturbing material, however, isn’t the one where people are being punished or executed. For example, the carnage during the Night of the Long Knives is repulsive, but the complete event is essentially an extremely grotesque short play with a very predictable finale. It is the quiet moments where Visconti’s camera creates the impression that it becomes intimate with some of the main characters that make the film seriously unsettling. It is there that it becomes clear that their lust for power has irreversibly corrupted their souls and transformed them into evil monsters, and yet later on they are seen blending effortlessly in the ‘new’ society that is being built under Hitler’s direction.

The Damned 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 Damned arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This 2K restoration was undertaken by the Cineteca di Bologna and Institut Lumiere from the 35mm original camera negative. A 1969 print was used as a reference for the color correction, and Daniele Nannuzzi, son of cinemaotgrapher Armando Nannuzzi, supervised the color. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm optical soundtrack positive."

The new 2K restoration that was prepared for this classic film is a genuine disaster. It is so bad that in certain ways it makes the recent horrendous 4K restoration of Le Cercle Rouge look rather competent. I could not even finish viewing it. After approximately thirty minutes, I turned off my system.

The entire film has a very distracting digital appearance that produces all sorts of different anomalies. Obviously, it is very badly graded, but this is just one problem that was introduced in the restoration lab. Another problem is the elimination of various fine nuances in darker areas where you will see rather large blocks of digital grays and blacks. Predictably, depth is seriously compromised. Another problem is the flattening and/or elimination of native highlights, which is an effect that further strengthens the digital appearance of the visuals. On a large screen, and especially if you project, the effect is very, very distracting. Because of these anomalies, as well as some other related fluctuations, in some areas even fluidity becomes problematic (see screencapture #9). There are no stability issues. The entire film looks spotless as well. My score is 1.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

*I have included a few screencaptures from the the old North American DVD release of The Damned that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment produced back in 2004. While the standard definition master reveals all sorts of predictable limitations, it is actually graded quite well. Believe it or not, after I upscaled it to 4K, I thought that it offered an all-around more convincing presentation of the film. Sad but true.

The Damned Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English/German LPCM 1.0 and Italian LPCM 1.0. The following subtitle options are available: English for the English/German audio, English for the Italian audio, and English SDH.

I tested the English/German audio track and did some direct comparisons with the lossy track from my DVD release. While it is easy to tell that the audio has been restored, some minor dynamic unevenness remains. During some of the mass scenes -- like the execution of the brown shirts after the party -- clarity can fluctuate a bit as well. But this is how the original soundtrack was finalized.

The Damned Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer, with mostly proper color values, for The Damned. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Helmut Berger - presented here is an archival episode of the French television program Le monde du cinema in which Helmut Berger recalls how he prepared for the role of Martin von Essenbeck and working relationship with Luchino Visconti. Also addressed is one of the most difficult scenes in The Damned. The episode was broadcast in 1969. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Charlotte Rampling - presented here is an archival episode of the French television program Musiques au coeur in which Charlotte Rampling discusses her contribution to The Damned and interactions with Luchino Visconti. The episode was broadcast in 1990. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Ingrid Thulin - presented here is an archival episode of the French television program Pour le cinema in which Ingrid Thulin discusses her acting choices and recalls her work with Luchino Visconti during the shooting of The Damned. The episode was broadcast in 1969. In French, with optional English subtitles. (11 min).

• Stefano Albertini - in this new video interview, literature and film scholar Stefano Albertini discusses The Damned. The interview was conducted for Criterion in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Visconti on Set - this archival short focuses on Luchino Visconti's working methods during the production of The Damned. It was directed by John Abbott in 1969. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Luchino Visconti - in this archival interview, Luchino Visconti discusses the conception of The Damned, it style, and the historical accuracy of the events that are depicted in it. The interview was conducted for RAI television in 1970. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (40 min).

• Leaflet/Poster - an illustrated leaflet featuring author and critic D. A. Miller's essay "Damned if You Do It" as well as technical credits.

The Damned Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If the parties that wanted The Damned restored had handed out the project to Lee Kline and his team at the Criterion Collection, right now we would be looking at a very beautiful and likely definitive home video presentation of this classic film on Blu-ray. The small crew that does restoration work for German label Subkultur Entertainment would have done a terrific job as well. I can name at least five other boutique labels with knowledgeable people that would have done proper work. I am sorry, but at this point it is beyond obvious that the few big European labs where timeless classic films like The Damned keep getting 'restored' should not be allowed to continue their practice of digitally destroying them. This is exactly what is happening there -- important films are consistently being digitally destroyed. If this practice isn't terminated, a few decades from now people won't even know why these films became famous to begin with. If you alter a film's identity, which is precisely what happens when a clueless colorist in a lab 'reimagines' its native color-scheme, everything else that is done during a restoration becomes utterly pointless. Anyhow. If you want to have a copy of The Damned in your library, see if you can track down Warner's ancient 'snapper' DVD release. It won't be cheap, but at least there are still some copies floating around. AVOID.