Translating to ‘yellow,’ Giallo is a style of cinema indigenous to Italy, but something that spread influence around the globe. Often murder mystery themed, which results in them being filled under Horror, the distinctive qualities of Giallo are the unique filming style, use of rich colors, and music placement. Planting roots in the ‘60s, most agree that Mario Bava is the Godfather of Giallo with films like 1963’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much. From here the genre grew in popularity in the ‘70s with films like Dario Argento’s Four Flies on Grey Velvet from 1971, and Lucio Fulci’s Don’t Torture a Duckling from 1972, among others like Sergio Martino’s Torso from 1973.
Originally titled I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale (translating into Carnal Violence), Torso emerged during a period of Horror related productions for Martino; this included 1971’s The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail before 1972’s They’re Coming to Get You! and Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key. Each offering something a little different, Torso was one of the earliest screenplays written by Martino; proving to be quite interesting and filled with bizarre twists and turns. What some would call one of the earliest models of a Slasher film, here you have a mysterious group of murders taking place by a masked man taunting and haunting their victims. Leaving you curious what the motive is, once it is discovered everything comes together in an even more disturbing fashion.
In all, Torso utilizes the elements of mystery, terror, and erotism to create a vibe that some may call peculiar or even sleazy, but perhaps they are missing the artistic intent. Highly stylistic in the filming, like some of the best Giallo, Martino’s Torso creates an atmosphere for his international cast of stars that includes England’s Suzy Kendall (known for films like 1967’s To Sir, With Love and 1970’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), the USA’s Tina Aumont (known for 1966’s Modesty Blaise and 1969’s Satyricon), France’s Luc Merenda (a top leading man in Italian cinema through the ‘70s), as well as many others like biracial Actress Carla Brait (known for 1972’s The Case of the Bloody Iris and 1983’s Escape from the Bronx). With a diverse, talented cast, matched with a stunning backdrop of Perugia, and all other aspects included, Torso is truly one of the best Giallo films out there.
Interestingly enough, while it was released on January 4, 1973, under the original title, it would make it to the US market but recut and featuring a new score with dubbed English under the title Torso. The case with many foreign features, surprisingly Torso became quite a hit at drive-in theaters during its run and was ironically often matched as a double feature with 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Since then, it came to DVD in the US in 2000 through Anchor Bay, to Blu-ray via Blue Underground in 2011, and as a restored 2K edition in 2018 thanks to Arrow Video. A generous number of options to check out, now in 2024 Arrow Video offers arguably the best yet in a 4K limited edition set.
Released on September 17th, this new one-disc set includes a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives, plus a lot more. Helping you understand this, if you purchased the 2K edition back in 2018, the extra features pretty much are identical. That being said, it is really up to you to decide if the new 4K transfer is that much more significant than the 2K edition. If you are a sucker for detail, it honestly is; because the imagery appears sharper, colors brighter, and overall, the transfer much cleaner.
Considering this, let us assume you did not pick up the 2K edition. If that is the case, the extras included are rather exciting because you get three different cuts of the film – the original Italian cut, an English/Italian hybrid language cut, plus the Carnal Violence export cut which is shorter by four minutes. Beyond this, there are interviews, a reversible sleeve, using new and original artwork, plus a nice booklet complimenting the film/packaging with insight essays.
The bottom line is that Torso is a must-visiting experience for those who enjoy flawlessly crafted Giallo. Call it Giallo, call it a Slasher, just remember that there is no denying the impeccable style. Glorious in 4K, Cryptic Rock gives Arrow Video’s new limited edition release of Torso 4.5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment