Some merely listen to music and watch films, while others live to uncover something new and exciting with each turn. Call them explorers, call them tastemakers, wherever the case may be, they are unique personalities who are most happy digging through a bin of records or researching obscure movies. Is it to be different? Perhaps. However, the root of the chase is often to find a piece of art that is beautiful and brilliant, yet overlooked and forgotten.
The way you could describe the home media label Celluloid Dreams, since its launch in early 2023, its goal has been to find and restore underserved genre films. A dream come true for film lovers exhausted by the same old same old, since Celluloid Dreams began, they have released a stunning 4-disc 4K Ultra set for the 1972 Italian Giallo The Case of the Bloody Iris in April 2024, followed by offering Aldo Lado’s 1971 film Short Night of Glass Dolls as a 4-disc set in May 2025. Meticulous with each of these releases, they not only bring titles not widely known to home media but also restore them with the utmost care. Both releases are worth looking into, but in late 2025, Celluloid Dreams presents its third-ever release, 1968’s A Hyena in the Safe.
Arriving as a single-disc Blu-ray on November 25, 2025, this release has so much intrigue that it needs explanation. First and foremost, A Hyena in the Safe (originally titled Una iena in cassaforte) was released in Italy in theaters for a brief run starting July 26, 1968. A film that, even at the time, the public knew little about, had little to no promotion, and went in and out of theaters rapidly, resulting in decades of obscurity. A film by Cesare Canevari (known for his work across a broad range of genres), A Hyena in the Safe truly displays his magical artistic touch as a filmmaker.
Featuring a cast of unique individuals, you had Dimitri Nabokov (primarily an opera singer rather than an actor), Cristina Gaioni (a significant figure in Italian cinema), Marie Luise Greisberger (who is stunning as the film’s leading host), Alex Morris (who played in many Italian films), among others.
Each cast member brings a unique character and persona to the film, and Canevari captures each in a way that makes them stand out. A testament to his brilliant direction, overall, A Hyena in the Safe is an impeccably stylish film that is as visually ahead of its time as its enticing script.
A story co-written by Cesare Canevari with Alberto Penna, you could say A Hyena in the Safe is a straight-forward Heist Thriller, but you would be wrong. Far more unique than this aesthetic, the film employs dynamic cinematography and runway-style fashion for the female cast leaders, creating a poignant, fantastical atmosphere. Carefully presenting each character, while little is given into their backstory, the image they portray in the moment is enough to develop the viewer’s own ideas of who they are.
Explaining the story briefly, you have an international gang of seven primary characters set out to split diamonds in a safe concealed underwater in a secluded Italian mansion. A lovely backdrop to cast your eyes on, the safe requires six different keys to open, but an initial conflict abruptly ends when one key is missing. From here, one by one, each of them is knocked off, leading you down a road of curiosity about what will happen next.
A very cleverly written story, once again, A Hyena in the Safe excels in its style of filming and its characters. Arguably, the prototype for future Giallo-themed films, thankfully, A Hyena in the Safe rises from overwhelming obscurity through Celluloid Dreams’ release. Reportedly, a film that had been lifted from obscurity about 15 years earlier, Celluloid Dreams acquired its rights and restored it in high definition for the first-ever North American release. Scanned from the original 35mm camera negative, the clarity is so stunning that you will be blown away.
Presented in the original Italian language (with optional English subtitles), the extra features include a documentary titled 7 Guests for a Massacre (featuring interviews with Director Cesare Canevari and Actor Sandro Pizzochero), rare photos, an insightful audio commentary track from Guido Henkel, and more.
Altogether, anyone who is one of the select ‘tastemakers’ or ‘explorers’ must look into adding this Blu-ray release of A Hyena in the Safe to their collection. Extremely compelling, Cryptic Rock gives it 5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment