Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

What? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 21, 2016

Roman Polanski's "What?" a.k.a. "Che?" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interviews with actress Sydne Rome, composer Claudio Gizzi, and cinematographer Marcello Gatti; and alternative Italian soundtrack for the main feature. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Where am I?

I like to think of this film as a big and very bold exotic cocktail. It is so strong that the moment you taste it your brain gives up and you instantly lose your sense of reality. The easiest way to recover from it is to take a very, very long nap.

The film begins on a dusty country road somewhere in Southern Italy where the American hippie Nancy (Sydney Rome, Just a Gigolo) is nearly raped by some horny strangers. She escapes and enters a mysterious villa built on a giant rock -- the only way to enter the villa from the side of the road is via a custom lift -- where some really colorful characters are relaxing in style. Amongst them is a retired pimp (Marcello Mastroianni, City of Women), a kooky priest (Guido Alberti, Hands Over the City), two lesbians (Renee Langer and Birgitta Nilsson), two ping pong enthusiasts, a seriously ill millionaire (Hugh Griffith, The Titfield Thunderbolt), and some nutter (director Roman Polanski himself) who is convinced that his giant ‘stinger’ is a gift from God.

While looking for her stolen shirt, Nancy meets and befriends the pimp. They spend some time together and he eventually confesses to her that he likes to wear a beautiful tiger skin and get flogged with a whip. The confused girl then has some random experiences with the ping pong players, the priest and the millionaire. By the time the millionaire invites her in his lavish bedroom and begs her to entertain him, however, Nancy’s brain is already on autopilot mode.

I do not agree with the popular idea that What? is some sort of a stylish satire piece that targets the decaying aristocratic world of the 1970s. To me it has always been a stylish yet perverse play for adults with open minds. I don’t see any signs suggesting that Polanski was trying to push buttons and provoke reactions in ways many of Luis Bunuel’s best films do. What you have here is a period film that is genuinely naughty and very comfortable in its chosen skin.

There isn’t any truly controversial or shocking material. Obviously, expectations and norms are different now, but even during the VHS era when I first saw the film I did not think that it was in any way offensive. After it there were other films that rightfully caused some controversy -- Marco Ferreri’s La Grande Bouffe came out a year after it and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom three years later -- but they were actually on a mission to create drama that would ultimately draw attention to the issues their creators were passionate about. Polanski’s film does not have such aspirations. It has some good old-fashioned dirty fun and while doing so it does its best is to put a smile on your face.

Polanski completed the film with two different cinematographers. Marcello Gatti shot the bulk of the footage from the beautiful villa which producer Carlo Ponti decorated with some real masterpieces from legendary sculptors and painters. (Another quite extraordinary Italian villa with some striking open floor designs and tremendous art pieces can be seen in Radley Metzger‘s film Camille 2000). Giuseppe Ruzzolini, who worked with Piere Paolo Pasolini on some of his best films, lensed a lot of the wonderful panoramic footage.

This recent release from Severin Films features the fully uncut version of the film. According to notes provided by the label, it was sourced from a master that was created from a print which was apparently stolen from the wine cellar of producer Ponti.

What? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roman Polanski's What? arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

There is definitely room for improvement, but I actually quite like the high-definition transfer that was used for this release. Indeed, there are areas where some small density fluctuations emerge; a few slightly uneven transitions can be spotted as well. It is also easy to see that some specific encoding optimizations could have been made so that grain is better resolved and fluidity even more impressive. Still, depth is consistently pleasing and the color scheme is very convincing. Also, there are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments, so despite the sporadic unevenness the film does have a good organic appearance. When blown through a digital projector it also remains stable, never exhibiting distracting signs of aging (fading, edge flicker, etc). Ultimately, despite some inconsistencies the current presentation certainly makes it quite easy to appreciate Roman Polanski's artistry and vision. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu. Please note that the same release is also available on Blu-ray in the United States via Severin's local branch. You can see our listing of this release here).

What? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are not provided (even for the Italian track).

I viewed the film with the original English track. While clarity is quite good it would have been great if Severin had included optional English subtitles because some of the accents can be quite thick. Depth is pleasing, but there are some small fluctuations that emerge in different areas of the film. However, some of the actors are overdubbed so these fluctuations are almost certainly part of the film's original sound design. There are no audio dropouts, pops, background hiss, or digital distortions to report in our review.

What? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Sydne in Wonderland - in this featurette, actress Sydne Rome (Nancy) recalls how she became involved with What? and discusses her interactions with Roman Polanski and Marcello Mastroianni, the unique qualities of the film (the comic expressiveness and rather bizarre sense of humor), the dual nature of the dialog, how some of the more risky sequences were shot, etc. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Memories of a Young Pianist - in this featurette, composer Claudio Gizzi discusses his love for classical music, his work with Roman Polanski on What?, the soundtrack he created, how music is used throughout the film and the type of contrasts and nuances it creates, etc. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (22 min).

• A Surreal Pop Movie - in this featurette, the great cinematographer Marcello Gatti (The Battle of Algiers, The Black Belly of the Tarantula) recalls how producer Carlo Ponti invited him to work on What?, and sicusses the panoramic footage that cinematographer Giuseppe Ruzzolini (Theorem, Porcile) shot and their interactions during the production process, his relationship with Marcello Mastroianni, Roman Polanski's directing methods, etc. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (17 min).

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for What?. Music only, with some text in Italian. (2 min).

• Feature/Italian Soundtrack - What? presented with an Italian LPCM 2.0 track. Not subtitled. (1080p).

What? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What? is Roman Polanski's naughtiest film. It is not for everyone, but folks who appreciate the director's unorthodox sense of humor and have a soft spot for period films that do not like to play by the conventional rules should not miss it. This recent release from Severin Films is sourced from a pretty good master and comes with a nice selection of bonus features. It is Region-Free, but the label also issued a North American release which can be purchased here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.