7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An ambassador's wife discovers that one of the men in her life - either her husband, an ex-lover or her current lover - may be a vicious serial killer.
Starring: George Hilton (I), Edwige Fenech, Conchita Airoldi, Manuel Gil, Carlo AlighieroHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 79% |
Mystery | 22% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 CD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In her typically appealing commentary included on this disc as a supplement, Kat Ellinger makes a cogent case that Sergio Martino has probably never been given his due as a giallo creator of considerable merit on his own terms, and not only as a kinda sorta Dario Argento wannabe. Those wanting evidence in support of that thesis may well want to begin with either a prior release from Severin Films of a Martino giallo, All the Colors of the Dark, or with The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Martino’s first foray into a genre he would continue to exploit into the 1990s, as Ellinger also discusses. The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh might have slightly changed its title to make the perceived peccadillo plural, since Julie Wardh (Edwige Fenech) might actually be prone to more than just a single “sin”. The film begins with a more or less traditional giallo trope, as a black gloved assassin slices and dices his way through a “working girl” he’s picked up. Kind of interestingly, while the attacker is supposedly typically hidden in the time honored giallo way, eagle eyed viewers will make out a face in the sequence, though interestingly (and minor spoiler alert) it really doesn’t make any difference since the whole “razor killer” plot element turns out to be a rather startling red herring.
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The back cover of this release states this was "newly scanned in 4K from the internegative", which frankly may raise expectations to unsustainable heights. There are quite a few issues here, some I'm assuming which were inherent to the element and others which seem to be due to a somewhat wobbly encode. There's quite noticeable fading or blanching on the right side of the frame in particular at various moments, something that's especially noticeable in the many dark scenes where blacks look gray and there's an almost milky haze flickering on that section of the image. There are a number of pretty rough looking patches where grain is almost pixellated and purplish, some of which at least might have arguably been ameliorated with more secure compression. There is occasional damage to be seen, including some white flecks and other blemishes. Some minor but noticeable macroblocking and banding also show up. All of this said, the transfer offers generally good densities and the palette pops rather well, especially with regard to primaries. Close-ups deliver good to very good fine detail, but a lot of this presentation is fairly soft looking.
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either Italian or English, with both obviously having been post looped, as was the custom for Italian films for so long. Both tracks feature problem free fidelity, but the Italian track struck me as being a little hotter, something that may help establish the strengths of Nora Orlandi's score in particular. Optional English subtitles are available for both languages.
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh is maybe a bit on the smarmy side, and its hints of sadomasochism may be "triggering" for some viewers, but the film is kind of slyly subversive on any number of levels, not the least of which how it deals with some "staples" of gialli. Video has some issues, but audio is fine, and the supplementary package very worthwhile, for those who are considering a purchase.
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