The
Bloodstained Butterfly (1971/Arrow Blu-ray/DVD Set)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: B Film: B
If
you're a fan of Italian '70s giallo films, then you won't want to
miss Duccio Tessari's The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971), which
has just arrived on Blu-ray thanks to our friends at Arrow, looking
and sounding better than ever. This intense murder/thriller is
similar to Dario Argento and Mario Bava films, with the same
voyeuristic photography and gore. The film stars Helmut Berger,
Evelyn Stewart, and Carole Andre to name a few.
A
tale of cat and mouse murder mystery, The Bloodstained Butterfly
finds a beautiful young woman murdered in a rainy park. The police
assume to suggest that the killer is a man closest to her - TV sports
personality Alessandro March - to whom many attest to seeing fleeting
the scene of the crime. Soon, more murders begin to strike while the
culprit is in custody - leaving nobody safe from his knife-wielding
maniac.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and
a great sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Mono 1.0 track, the film
has been restored in 4K resolution from the new camera negative and
looks crystal clear on Blu-ray disc with, little to be desired in
terms of presentation. Also available in this edition is the
standard definition DVD with a anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of
2.35:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 1.0 track, the film looks and sounds
fine for the format but doesn't match the Blu-ray, despite being from
the same source. There is both the original Italian language track
and an English dubbed versions to choose when playing the film.
Newly translated English subtitles also accompany the film.
Special
Features include...
New
audio commentary with critics and film scholars Alan Jones and Kim
Newman.
Murder
in B-Flat Minor, a new visual essay on the film, its cast and
crew by author Troy Howarth
New
career retrospective on director Duccio Tessari.
Original
Italian and English theatrical trailers.
Gallery
of original promotional images.
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew
Griffin.
Limited
edition 36-page booklet illustrated by Tonci Zonjic, containing
writing by James Blackford, Howard Hughes and Leonard Jacobs.
If
you're a fan of giallo films or crime mysteries like Zodiac,
then The Bloodstained Butterfly may catch your interest.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
