Blood and Black Lace is easily one of the better in the giallo sub-genre and the place to start for those new to it. The suspense is generally intense and the plot is well developed with true intrigue throughout.
Blood and Black Lace
(1965)
Genre(s): Horror, Suspense/Thriller
MVD Visual | NR – 89 min. – $19.99 | October 16, 2018
Date Published: 10/29/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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MVD Visual provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 4.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: The Christian Haute Couture fashion house is a home to models, backstabbing, blackmail, drug deals… and murder. A masked killer – which bears some resemblance on Rorschach from “Watchmen” – is on the loose and when one of the models, Isabella (FRANCESCA UNGARO), is savagely beaten, murdered and body placed inside the fashion house, the police, led by Inspector Sylvester (THOMAS REINER), are stumped and the list of suspects is long, including: Manager Max Morlan (CAMERON MITCHELL) and his lover, the recently widowed Countess Christina Como (EVA BARTOK); workman Mark (MASSIMO RIGHI); antiques dealer and boyfriend to model Peggy (MARY ARDEN), Frank (DANTE DI PAOLO); Aristocrat Marquis Richard Morrell (FRANCO RESSEL) who is having financial troubles; and dress designer Caesar Lazar (LUCIANO PIGOZZI). Quick Hit Review: With the recent slate of Arrow Video releases, I am a newcomer to the giallo genre of Italian cinema and although there’s been some decent enough films, namely Death Walks Twice and Death Walks at Midnight, while others were underwhelming (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave), but Blood and Black Lace has been known as the top of the line in giallo and no doubt, it’s my favorite so far. The film contains some wonderful suspense while the mystery holds up. Anybody who is new to the genre, this is the movie to begin with. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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This is a second Blu-ray release of Blood and Black Lace, the first from Arrow Video. There are a couple cross-over features but a few seem to be new. Audio Commentaries:
American Cut vs. European Cut (27:31) shows the differences between the two versions, pretty interesting actually. – On Blu-ray & DVD Photo Gallery (5:38) – On Blu-ray & DVD Music Score by Composer Carlo Rustichelli (7:27) is a sampling of the score from the movie. Trailer (3:21) – On Blu-ray & DVD American Titles (1:53) – On Blu-ray & DVD The Sinister Image (7:25) is a snippet from David Del Valle’s show which is shown in full on the Arrow Video release… – DVD Only Interview with Mary Dawne Arden (12:10) – The actress, in 2000, discusses her memories of making the movie answering a variety of questions. – DVD Only |
VIDEO – 3.0/5 |
| This is now the second release for Blood and Black Lace, this time from VCI coming with an AVC encoded transfer, with a 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio versus Arrow Video’s 1.66. This is going to be a matter of preference as this version does reveal a bit more of the picture and yet I felt the Arrow transfer feels more natural compared to this one with a waxier texture and detail not quite as sharp. By no means is this bad but if I’m going to watch this movie again, I think I’ll go with my Arrow Video copy… |
AUDIO – 3.5/5 |
| Unfortunately only the English version, with a PCM Mono track, is available on the Blu-ray while the original Italian language is only on the DVD. Makes sense. As such, the audio quality is decent enough with clear dialogue levels. |
OVERALL – 3.5/5 |
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Overall, Blood and Black Lace is easily one of the better in the giallo sub-genre and the place to start for those new to it. The suspense is generally intense and the plot is well developed with true intrigue throughout. This release from VCI offers different transfers and features from the Arrow Video version and will be a matter of preference as the VCI has a 1.85 aspect ratio while Arrow’s is 1.66. Personally, I’m on the latter end but there’s nothing wrong with this one either. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.