Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Laughing Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 22, 2024

Piero Schivazappa's "The Frightened Woman" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Piero Schivazappa; new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger; new video essay by critic Rachel Nisbet; original trailers; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Viewing Piero Schivazzapa’s film The Frightened Woman is a unique experience. As soon as its opening credits disappear, it does something that forces the mind to unplug itself from reality and plug itself into a very weird place where seemingly normal people do various strikingly abnormal things. But the mind does not register them as such, and the more abnormal these things get, the more intrigued it becomes.

The Frightened Woman was completed in 1969 and is not an oddity, but part of a big trend that produced quite a few mind-benders like it. For example, at approximately the same time, Pasquale Festa Campanile directed The Libertine and The Slave, which are lighter but equally twisty films. A few years earlier, Alain Robbe-Grillet directed Trans-Europ Express, which is a bit more arty but just as twisty. On this side of the Atlantic, Radley Metzger also attempted to emulate what Italian and French directors were doing at the time with projects like The Image and Camille 2000.

But what was this trend exactly? And what precisely were these films trying to accomplish?

The trend was initiated by the sexual revolution that began sometime during the early 1960s and legitimized the exploration of taboo subjects in various mainstream films. Initially, virtually all of the taboo subjects had something to do with sex and kink, but later drugs expanded the trend even more. For example, everything that Schivazzapa and Campanile’s films tried to accomplish with sex and kink, Barbet Schroeder’s More and Roger Corman’s The Trip did with drugs. Schroeder even switched to sex and kink with Maitresse to make this very point. The main goal of these films was to take their audience to The Forbidden Zone where previously mainstream films did not dare to go. Of course, some of these films transitioned to The Forbidden Zone better than others, so they rightfully acquired different reputations. (Schroeder’s film, for instance, very quickly acquired a cult status because of its association with Pink Floyd’s album More, which it uses as its soundtrack).

The Frightened Woman is broken into three acts, each depicting different types of transgressive behavior between a middle-aged man (Philippe Leroy) and a young woman (Dagmar Lassander). He is a wealthy psychiatrist, she is a curious journalist. They meet, he welcomes her to his lavish home, and shortly after the two engage in a series of experimental S&M games. Initially, he dominates and humiliates her, supposedly to study a wide range of behavioral patterns that interest him. However, while the S&M games are underway, the man reveals weaknesses that the woman exploits and, while both undergo quite dramatic transformations, the balance of power is disrupted.

Even though the opening fifteen or so minutes promise plenty of intense sexual fireworks, The Frightened Woman is virtually impossible to describe as an erotic film. It does have some nudity, but the tricks that it uses to excite are psychological. For example, after the S&M games begin, it produces several twists that reset the mind’s interpretation of the relationship between the dominator and the dominated, and at the same time, it does some pretty bold things to suggest that the two sexes wear protective masks to hide identical immoral desires. It is irrelevant whether the twists are scientifically credible. In the context of the S&M games, they are effective, which is why the mind becomes intrigued by them.

The visual style of The Frightened Woman is very effective as well. Many of the set designs and color lighting, for instance, create an ultramodern environment that would have been perfect to highlight the work of Yves Saint Laurent and Halston. There is an appropriately chic score by the prolific Italian maestro Stelvio Cipriani (Highway Racer, The Great Kidnapping).

*Mondo Macabro's release introduces a 4K restoration of the fully uncut version of The Frightened Woman, which can be viewed with original English or Italian audio tracks.

The Laughing 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 Laughing Woman arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro.

The release introduces the recent 4K makeover of the film, which in America is distributed with an alternative title. The international title is The Frightened Woman, which is the one British label Shameless Entertainment used for its release of the film earlier this year.

I could not see any meaningful discrepancies in the appearance of the film on this release. There might be a few areas where saturation levels on select primaries are just a tad different, but the discrepancies in color temperature and balance are meaningless. Also, the entire film looks just as healthy here as it does on the British release. However, this release uses a single-layer disc and on a large screen a few darker areas of the film now do not have the same tight grain field that is present on the British release does. The difference is very small, but it is noticeable. (A good area where it becomes obvious is the 'red room' where the girl is tamed, which comes around the 0:14.01 mark). The rest looks the same. Image stability is great. The entire film is spotless as well. (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 Laughing Woman 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 Italian track.

I mentioned in our review of the British release of The Laughing Woman that my initial viewing of the film was with the Italian track because it was the only one available. (This was long before Shameless Entertainment produced its uncut DVD release of the film). However, the English track is the one that should be considered the original track for the film because most actors, including the leads, utter their lines in English. Its quality is very good, but keep in mind that it features overdubbing.

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

• Marquis de Sade vs. Praying Mantis - in this recent program, Piero Schivazappa discusses his background and explains in great detail how The Frightened Woman was conceived and shot. There are several very interesting comments about the casting choices that were made, the Santa Severa castle where the footage with the dwarf was shot, and the floating car. In Italian, with English subtitles. (33 min).

• Rachel Nisbet on Production Design - this new video essay was created by critic Rachel Nisbet. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Animated Fotonovel - a collection of stills and promotional images for The Laughing Woman. With music. (3 min).

• Trailers - two original trailers for The Laughing Woman.
  
  1. English trailer (2 min).
  2. Italian trailer (4 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

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

Had Piero Schivazappa's The Frightened Woman emerged in the late 1970s, it most likely would have become a cult film. In the 1960s, in Italy mainstream audiences still flocked to see lavish pictures like The Leopard and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and traditional comedies like Seduced and Abandoned and Marriage Italian Style, so its arrival was rushed. I think that it is an incredible first film that matches the quality of similar, very ambitious projects like French director Henri-Georges Clouzot's final film, Woman in Chains, which has quite a reputation. This release introduces the recent, very good 4K restoration of the fully uncut version of The Frightened Woman. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.