Arrow Video: First Look at New 4K Restoration of Sergio Martino's Torso
Posted August 6, 2024 06:16 AM by Webmaster
Arrow Video has provided an exclusive video for its exclusive new 4K restoration of Sergio Martino's cult film Torso (1973), which will be available to purchase on 4K Blu-ray on September 17.
A talented and versatile journeyman, director Sergio Martino (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key) lent his talents to multiple genres across his long and varied career, but is undoubtedly best known for his giallo thrillers from the early 70s. Among the most highly acclaimed of these, 1973's Torso revels in the genre's time-honored traditions while simultaneously laying the groundwork for the modern slasher movie.
A sex maniac is prowling the streets of Perugia, targeting the picturesque university town's female students. Alarmed at the plummeting life expectancy of the student body, Jane (Suzy Kendall, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) and her three friends elope to a secluded country villa – only to discover that, far from having left the terror behind, they've brought it with them!
Also known as Carnal Violence, Torso was released in Italy towards the end of the giallo boom before enjoying a second life on the American grindhouse circuit. Co-starring Tina Aumont (Salon Kitty) and Luc Merenda (The Violent Professionals), the film finds its director at the top of his game, delivering copious levels of violence, sleaze, and one of the tensest cat-and-mouse games ever committed to celluloid!
Special Fetaures and Techncial Specs:
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original camera negative
Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) presentation of the 94-minute Italian and 90-minute English-language export versions of the film
Restored original lossless Italian and English mono soundtracks*
Original Italian and English front and end titles and insert shots
Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
Audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author of All the Colours of Sergio Martino
All the Colors of Terror – interview with co-writer/director Sergio Martino
The Discreet Charm of the Genre – interview with actor Luc Merenda
Dial S for Suspense – interview with co-writer Ernesto Gastaldi
Women in Blood – interview with filmmaker Federica Martino, daughter of Sergio Martino
Saturating the Screen – interview with Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film
2017 Abertoir International Horror Festival Q&A with Sergio Martino
Alternate opening and closing credits from the US release
Italian and English theatrical trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais
Illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by Adrian Smith and Howard Hughes
* The English audio track on the original, longer cut has some portions of English audio missing. English audio for these sections was either never recorded or has been lost. As such, these sequences are presented with Italian audio, subtitled in English.