Sweet Violence (Douce Violence)
Picture: C Sound: C Extras: C+ Film: C+
I really
get a kick out of Elke Sommer films, no matter how bad, so it happened without
notice that we received a second DVD version of her 1962 film Sweet Violence (aka Douce Violence), a black & white
CinemaScope production that showed off her sex appeal and was released not too
long ago (and reviewed by yours truly on this site) in its “racier” U.S. cut as
Sweet Ecstasy (go to http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review.php?id=752&filter=S
for more details) by First Run Features.
This version is virtually the same film, with Sweet Ecstasy being a re-edited version of the film, but the DVDs
are a bit different in other ways.
For one
thing, this new version by Pathfinder Films is anamorphically enhanced and has
as accurate an aspect ratio for the CinemaScope frame as its predecessor. Unfortunately, the difference is not
extraordinary, but the Pathfinder version does better justice to
cinematographer Marc Fossart’s work, though this version seems a tad
darker. Both versions offer Dolby
Digital 2.0 English dub, but the Pathfinder version actually offers the
original French mono in the same Dolby compression and configuration. The subtitles are optional and good.
That
leaves the extras. Only 8 stills,
including a few lobby cards are offered, versus 15 on the First Run DVD, but
the pictures and menus tend to distort because of an odd application of anamorphic
enhancement. Biography text on director
Paces and Sommer are offered here only, and are extensive on both careers. A text essay on the film is also extensive
and interesting. It would be fair to say
that this is the version of the film that is not going out of its way to
titillate, and the changed version can only be found on the First Run DVD, but
if you want more background information, better playback of the film and the
original cut, Pathfinder’s DVD is the way to go.
- Nicholas Sheffo
