{"id":27507,"date":"2021-12-18T16:28:57","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T00:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=27507"},"modified":"2021-12-18T16:36:53","modified_gmt":"2021-12-19T00:36:53","slug":"review-giallo-essentials1-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2021\/12\/review-giallo-essentials1-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"Giallo Essentials: Vol. 1 Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Giallo Essentials <\/em><\/strong>collection has three movies Arrow Films previously released some years ago and I guess if on sale might be worth picking up. As for the movies, only one I\u2019d consider a true giallo and none are particularly great but watchable.<\/p>\n

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Giallo Essentials
\n<\/span>\u2014 The Possessed \/ The Fifth Cord \/ The Pjama Girl Case \u2014
\n(1965-1977)<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Genre(s): <\/strong>Horror, Crime, Drama<\/span>
\nArrow Video| NR \u2013 280 min. \u2013 $99.95 | November 30, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 12\/18\/2021 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Director: <\/strong>Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini (The Possessed<\/em>); Luigi Bazzoni (The Fifth Cord<\/em>); Flavio Mogherini (The Pajama Girl Case<\/em>)<\/p>\n

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Writer(s): <\/strong>Giovanni Comisso (novel), Giulio Questi, Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini, Ernesto Gastaldi (screenplay) (The Possessed<\/em>); David McDonald Devine (novel), Mario di Nardo, Mario Fanelli, Luigi Bazzoni (screenplay) (The Fifth Cord<\/em>); Flavio Mogherini, Rafael S\u00e1nchez Campoy (story), Flavio Mogherini (written by) (The Pajama Girl Case<\/em>)<\/p>\n

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Cast (The Possessed<\/em>): <\/strong>Peter Baldwin, Salvo Randone, Valentina Cortese, Pia Lindstr\u00f6m
\nCast (The Fifth Cord<\/em>): <\/strong>Franco Nero, Silvia Monti, Wolfgang Preiss, Ira Furstenberg
\nCast (The Pajama Girl Case<\/em>): <\/strong>Ray Milland, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Michele Placido<\/span><\/p>\n

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DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Audio Commentaries, Interviews, Theatrical Trailers
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes (slip case)
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>No
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>3<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: <\/strong>Italian (PCM 1.0), English (PCM 1.0)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 1.85
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, English
\nCodecs: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A<\/span><\/p>\n
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THE MOVIES<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

THE POSSESSED<\/em><\/strong> (1965)<\/strong> \u2014 Bernard (PETER BALDWIN) is a depressed novelist who sets off in search of his old flame Tilde (VIRNA LISI), a beautiful maid who works at a remote lakeside hotel. Bernard is warmly greeted by the hotel owner Enrico (SALVO RANDONE) and his daughter Irma (VALENTINA CORTESE), but Tilde had supposedly killed herself and Bernard undertakes an investigation, soon plunged into a disturbing drama of familial secrets, perversion, madness and murder…<\/p>\n

Quick Hit Review: <\/strong>This first entry in the \u201cGiallo Essentials\u201d doesn\u2019t really feel like a giallo film at all, just a standard mystery. That being said, an okay little thriller with good performances all around and while it does go at a snail\u2019s pace in the middle, there\u2019s enough here to make it a decent enough film. 3\u00bc\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

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THE FIFTH CORD <\/em><\/strong>(1971)<\/strong> \u2014 When a man barely survives a brutal assault en route home from a New Year\u2019s party, washed-up, whisky-swilling journalist Andrea Bild (FRANCO NERO) is assigned to report on the case. Before long, the maniac strikes again, this time with fatal results. As the body count rises, Andrea falls under suspicion himself, making it even more imperative that he crack the case. His only clue lies in a series of black gloves found at the location of every attack, each with a finger cut off…<\/p>\n

Quick Hit Review: <\/strong>Of the three movies in this collection, this one is the most giallo of them. I enjoyed this one well enough as the mystery element was somewhat interesting and Franco Nero\u2019s presence made the film engaging, though as a whole it\u2019s not terrible memorable. 3\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

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THE PJAMA GIRL CASE<\/em><\/strong> (1977)<\/strong> \u2014 The body of a young woman is found on the beach, shot in the head, burned to hide her identity and dressed in distinctive yellow pajamas. With the Sydney police stumped, former Insepector Timpson (RAY MILLAND) comes out of retirement to crack the case. Treading where the \u201creal\u201d detectives can\u2019t, Timpson doggedly pieces together the sad story of Dutch immigrant Linda Blythe (DALILA DI LAZZARO) and the unhappy chain of events which led to her grisly demise.<\/p>\n

Quick Hit Review: <\/strong>The last entry was okay, especially with the telling of the story in two different points of time (one with a police investigation, the other on how the victim came to be murdered). That said, there are way too weird scenes, most notably the police encasing the burned victim behind plexiglass and having the public parading around it in the hopes someone may identify her. Just bizarre. 3\/5<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 4\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

This is the first volume of \u201cGiallo Essentials\u201d from Arrow, which are movies that from what I can tell already released individually before. The three movies are housed in their own HD keep cases which side-slides into a sturdy slip case and there\u2019s a slip cover with a cut-out on the front.<\/p>\n

The Possessed<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> by Writer and Critic Tim Lucas<\/li>\n
  • Richard Dyer on The Possessed<\/em> (25:12)<\/u><\/strong> is a video appreciation by the cultural and academic.<\/li>\n
  • Lipstick Marks (11:52)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with the film\u2019s Makeup Artist, Giannetto De Rossi.<\/li>\n
  • Youth Memories (16:20)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with the film\u2019s Assistant Art Director Dante Ferretti.<\/li>\n
  • The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers (30:36)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with Actor and Director Francesco Barilli, close friend of Luigi Bazzoni and his brother Camillo Bazzoni.<\/li>\n
  • Original Trailers<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Italian and English versions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    The Fifth Cord<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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    • Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> by Critic Travis Crawford<\/li>\n
    • Lines and Shadows (17:49)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Video essay by Critic Rachael Nisbet discussing the cinematography and production design.<\/li>\n
    • Whisky Giallore (28:22)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Appreciation of The Fifth Cord<\/em> by Author and Critic Michael Mackenzie.<\/li>\n
    • Black Day for Nero (23:33)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with Actor Franco Nero.<\/li>\n
    • The Rhythm Section (21:27)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with Editor Eugenio Alabiso.<\/li>\n
    • Deleted Sequence (2:37)<\/u><\/strong> is a brief montage that was found in storage with other film elements but has never been included in any known version of the film.<\/li>\n
    • Italian Theatrical Trailer<\/u><\/strong>, English Theatrical Trailer<\/u><\/strong> and an Image Gallery<\/u><\/strong> rounds out this disc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n

      The Pyjama Girl Case<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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      • Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> by Author Troy Howarth<\/li>\n
      • Small World (28:30)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with Author and Critic Michael Mackenzie discussing internationalism in the giallo.<\/li>\n
      • A Good Bad Guy (31:46)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with Actor Howard Ross.<\/li>\n
      • A Study in Elegance (23:17)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with Editor Alberto Tagliavia.<\/li>\n
      • Inside the Yellow Pyjama (15:04)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Interview with Assistant Director Ferruccio Castronuovo.<\/li>\n
      • The Yellow Rhythm (21:24)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Edited archival interview with Composer Riz Ortolani.<\/li>\n
      • Also included is an Image Gallery<\/u><\/strong> and the Italian Theatrical Trailer<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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        VIDEO \u2013 4\u00bd\/5, AUDIO \u2013 4\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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        All three of these movies were previously released individually and I assume came with booklets. In any case, these movies received at the time of their respective release dates, received new 1080p high-definition transfers culled from 2K restorations from the original camera negatives. In short, all three movies look quite good, detail is sharp and while there were some minor specs, for the most part these are clean and nicely defined.<\/p>\n

        All three films come with Italian and English PCM Mono tracks which were perfectly serviceable for movies this old. Dialogue comes across with good clarity and there is some minor depth for the scores\/soundtrack and other elements happening off-screen or in the distance. I didn\u2019t detect any significant instances of pops or hissing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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        OVERALL \u2014 4\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
        \n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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        Overall, the Giallo Essentials <\/em><\/strong>collection has three movies Arrow Films previously released some years ago and I guess if on sale might be worth picking up. As for the movies, only one I\u2019d consider a true giallo and none are particularly great but watchable.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The Giallo Essentials collection has three movies Arrow Films previously released some years ago and I guess if on sale might be worth picking up. As for the movies, only one I\u2019d consider a true giallo and none are particularly great but watchable.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,970],"tags":[3920,7003],"class_list":["post-27507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blurayreviews","category-quick-hit-reviews","tag-arrow-video","tag-giallo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27507"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27513,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27507\/revisions\/27513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}