7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A historian goes to a castle library to translate some ancient erotic literature. While there he discovers what he believes to be supernatural forces at work.
Starring: Richard Johnson (I), Rosanna Schiaffino, Gian Maria Volontč, Sarah Ferrati, Margherita GuzzinatiForeign | 100% |
Horror | 94% |
Mystery | 22% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror.
This is the time of year when spookiness is almost literally in the air, but it may also be an appropriate time to consult any number of experts prone
to
helping identify genres, at least for those who may be interested in battening down exactly what this or that generic term might refer to. The
recently
reviewed
megaset from Severin All
the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror spent a good deal of time in both an accompanying documentary as well as several
commentary tracks trying to define exactly what "folk horror" might or might not be, with some fairly divergent opinions emerging, but
perhaps thankfully, there seems to be at least a bit more consensus about what constitutes so-called "gothic horror". In that regard, Mark
Thompson Ashworth provides introductions for the four films Arrow has aggregated for the Gothic Fantastico set, and in one of them he
cites Touchstones
of Gothic Horror, a book by David Huckvale which lists tropes like staircases, storms, ruins, heaving cleavage and ornate coffins, most of which
at least
are on display in this quartet at various times.
Arrow has lumped all four films together in terms of its verbiage on the transfers included in the insert booklet which accompanies this set:
The Blancheville Monster (Horror), The Third Eye (Il terzo occhio) and The Witch (La strega in amore) are presented in their original aspect ratios of 1.85:1 with Italian and English mono audio. Lady Morgan's Vengeance (La vendetta di Lady Morgan) is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with Italian mono audio.The Witch has a somewhat dreamlike quality at times which is preserved quite winningly in this transfer, which features some excellent contrast and nicely shadowy blacks. Fine detail is typically excellent on everything from Sergio's herringbone patterned suit jacket to some of the weird looking set decoration in Lorente's home. It looked to my eyes like diffusion filters may have been used to accentuate the hallucinatory quality of Aura in particular, and as a result even some close-ups of Schiaffino may not have the same level of clarity as the bulk of the presentation as a result. Grain resolves naturally throughout.
The original 35mm camera negatives for The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch were scanned and restored in 2K resolution at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The films were graded at R3Store Studios, London. The mono Italian and English language tracks were remastered from the optical sound negatives by L'Immagine Ritrovata and Bad Princess Productions, London.
The original 35mm camera negative for Lady Morgan's Vengeance was scanned in 2K resolution at Cinema Communications Services, Rome. Grading and restoration were completed at R3Store Studios, London. The mono Italian language track was remastered from the optical sound negative by Bad Princess Productions, London. The audio synch for all three films will appear slightly loose against the picture, due to the fact that the dialogue was recorded entirely in post production, as per the production standards of the period.
All original materials used for the restorations of The Blancheville Monster, The Third and Eye and The Witch were made available from Movietime.
All original materials used for the restoration of Lady Morgan's Vengeance were made available from Variety.
The Witch features LPCM Mono tracks in Italian and English. This presentation, somewhat like that of The Third Eye, has a noticeably brighter sound, especially with regard to the higher frequencies, on the English language track, something that again (as with that other film) can be discerned from the get go by toggling between the English and Italian tracks during the very enjoyable vocalese theme music, which sounds kind of peculiarly French for an Italian film featuring a British star. Both tracks offer good support for effects, score and dialogue, though as with all four films in this set, there's a slightly boxy sound at times. Optional English subtitles are available.
The Witch is frankly not very scary in any real way, but it's still rather spooky, and while Johnson is the putative star, the great Italian stage actress Sarah Ferrati is really the most commanding performance in the film. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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1974