Double Face is normally the kind of movie up my alley. The murder-mystery is a bit uneven with the pacing and editing, but even so, I did like Klaus Kinski’s performance and it did at least keep my attention through the end.
Double Face
(1969)
Genre(s): Drama, Suspense
Arrow Video | NR – 91 min. – $39.95 | June 25, 2019
Date Published: 06/14/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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Arrow Video 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 — 3.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When wealthy businessman John Alexander’s (KLAUS KINSKI) unfaithful wife Helen (MARGARET LEE) dies in a car crash, it initially looks like a freak accident. However, the plot thickens when evidence arises suggesting that the car was tampered with prior to the crash. And John’s entire perception of reality is thrown into doubt when he discovers a recently-shot pornopgraphic movie which appears to feature Helen – suggesting that she is in fact alive and playing an elaborate mind game on him…
Quick Hit Review: Double Face is a flawed but still entertaining Hitchockian mystery-thriller from Italian director Riccardo Freda credited here as Robert Hampton, and stars Klaus Kinski, though to be honest, not entirely familiar with either’s work (I’m still a bit of a novice when it comes to Italian cinema). In any case, the plot, like many of these giallo (or giallo-inspired) movies is usually a bit haphazard and character motivations or their actions, though at least unlike others within the Italian murder-mysteries, Klaus Kinski doesn’t play amateur detective, but instead is thrust the middle of the mystery itself, even being set up. All in all, Double Face (Doppia Faccia) was a fine film, nothing especially standing out though I did enjoy Kinski’s performance even if the end reveal was on the clumsy side, capped off with an awkward bit of exposition with the lead detective outlying the plot just in case anyone was confused.
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SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5 |
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The single-disc is housed in the usual Arrow Video clear HD Keep Case and inside is a nice 24-page booklet. The artwork is also reversible with the Italian poster on the other side. Audio Commentary – Author and Critic Tim Lucas Seven Notes for a Murderer (32:18) is an interview with Composer Nora Orlandi, recounting his work on the film. The Many Faces of Nora Orlandi (43:28) – Musician and “soundtrack collector” Lovely Jon, who I believe has participated in previous Arrow Video releases, talks about Orlandi’s career. The Terrifying Dr. Freda (19:53) – This video essay by Author and Critic Amy Simmons looks at Riccardo Freda’s foray into gialli. Lastly there is are Still Galleries with the original German pressbook and lobby cards, and the complete Italian “cineromanzo” adaptation as well as the Original Italian and English Theatrical Trailers. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Arrow Video releases Double Face onto Blu-ray, shown in the original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and given a new 1080p high-definition transfer, restored using the 35mm camera negative and scanned in 2K resolution. The picture was cleaned up, removing instances of dirt, debris, scratches and other film damage. So quite a bit of work went into this and while there certainly some minor specs that cropped up, it’s not distracting and overall the picture does look fantastic. Detail is sharp throughout, colors appear to be balanced and the natural film grain and noise was left intact, so any technical work was artfully applied. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The disc includes both an English and Italian language PCM Mono tracks which both sound fine, dubbed-dialogue does come through with good clarity as does the soundtrack and ambient noises. I didn’t detect much in the way of hissing or pops, so it would seem, like the picture, some nicely remastered as well. |
OVERALL – 3.5/5 |
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Double Face is normally the kind of movie up my alley. The murder-mystery is a bit uneven with the pacing and editing, but even so, I did like Klaus Kinski’s performance and it did at least keep my attention through the end. This Blu-ray from Arrow Video offers up excellent video and audio transfers alongside some solid bonus material. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.