6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A series of sex murders shock a college campus, and four beautiful young girlfriends head for the safety of an isolated country villa. But as they succumb to their own erotic desires, their weekend of pleasure becomes a vacation of dismemberment at the hands – and blade – of a lecherous maniac.
Starring: Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda, John Richardson, Roberto BisaccoHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 43% |
Mystery | 19% |
Thriller | 10% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Italian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A lot of murder mysteries often have a kind of bumbling or clueless detective involved, and in at least somewhat the same way author Michael J. Koven admits to kind of haphazardly backing into starting to analyze gialli as a sidebar to some writing he was considering on American slasher films from the 1970s and 1980s. And in fact, as Koven agreeably points out in a fun supplement included on this Blu-ray, it’s easy to see Torso as a kind of “missing link” between then well established giallo tropes and what might be thought of as still nascent slasher tendencies. As Koven also gets into in his piece, Torso is interesting simply taken as a giallo on its own, since it both exploits giallo tropes (or “codes”, as Koven calls them), like a masked and gloved killer, while completely eschewing them at other times (as in rather discursive presentations of some murders, typically one of the more graphic calling cards of any number of gialli). Torso is kind of oddly structured, therefore, and it, like at least a few other of its murderous kin, trot out an almost absurd number of red herrings before finally getting to the “big reveal” in the closing moments. Suzy Kendall is on hand as a student named Jane whose college is suddenly beset with murders. In typical “what are they thinking?” fashion, Jane and a bunch of friends head of to an isolated clifftop villa where they assume they’ll be safer than on campus. Yeah, right — guess how that one works out.
Torso is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:
Torso / I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 with Italian and English mono audio. Scanning and restoration work was completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, picture instability and other instances of film wear were repaired or removed through a combination of digital restoration tools and techniques. The mono Italian and English language tracks were remastered from the optical sound negatives. The audio synch 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.While the palette was just a tad on the cool side to my personal liking here, otherwise this is a clear improvement over the Blue Underground release. Arrow has minimized if not outright eliminated signs of age related wear and tear, and grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation. Densities are generally excellent, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more of a suffused quality, especially in some of the outdoor material. Detail levels are excellent, especially in some of the close-ups, which later involve looks at sliced and diced bodies. There are still some variances, including some probably exacerbated by optical effects, and some of the climax looks a little rough in comparison to the bulk of the presentation. The brief flashback that appears as part of the "Moishe the Explainer" sequence is among the warmest and most vividly suffused moments in the film.
The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master at R3Store Studios, London.
All original materials used in this restoration were accessed from Surf Film.
Torso features LPCM Mono tracks in Italian and English, and while neither is probably going to set audiophiles' ears on fire, they each get the job done, albeit with a somewhat boxy and at times slightly reverberent atmosphere. While, as per Arrow's verbiage above, the film was obviously post looped, at least some of the leading players were just as obviously speaking English during the shoot, so some may prefer that soundtrack, since lip movements at least occasionally come close to matching the sounds emanating from them. The mix tends to prioritize either dialogue or score, with ambient environmental effects getting shunted off to the background, and with even "important" effects like the click of the shutter of a still camera in the opening sequence sounding just a bit anemic at times.
Marty gave Torso a 3.5, but I'm upping that slightly since I find Torso not just a fun mystery, but a kind of interesting deconstruction of vaunted gialli "norms". The naked women don't hurt, either (that's a joke, maybe). Arrow's release is the clear winner in technical merits, and as usual they've assembled a fantastic assortment of supplements. Recommended.
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale
1973
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale / Carnal Violence
1973
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale / Carnal Violence / Original Artwork
1973
Nude per l'assassino
1975
Profondo rosso
1975
Standard Edition
1982
L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo
1970
1980
Sei donne per l'assassino
1964
Non ho sonno | Standard Edition
2001
The Next Victim / Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh
1971
Special Edition | La morte cammina con i tacchi alti
1971
Le foto di Gioia
1987
Lo squartatore di New York
1982
Featuring The Girl Who Knew Too Much / La ragazza che sapeva troppo
1963
Il gatto a nove code | Special Edition
1971
Limited Edition | La sindrome di Stendhal
1996
La bestia uccide a sangue freddo / Asylum Erotica
1971
Chi l'ha vista morire?
1972
Non si sevizia un paperino
1972
Cosa avete fatto a Solange?
1972
Reazione a catena
1971
Mil gritos tiene la noche | Remastered | Limited Edition Puzzle to 3000
1982