The Black Cats from Arrow Video is just a strange
collection. Not that the pairing is completely unnatural; both movies originate
with the classic Poe tale of terror, The Black Cat, but when Arrow first
announced this set, I have to admit I was confused. Why wasn’t Your Vice is a
Locked Room and Only I Have the Key paired with The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
aka Blade of the Ripper? That seemed like the normal partner. Both movies by
Sergio Martino. Both movies star the ever lovely Edwige Fenech, and Your Vice
is a sequel to Strange Vice. Meanwhile we have Fulci’s The Black Cat. I adore
this movie. It is often attacked for being a solid mess of a movie, but I think
the story is clear, the acting is fantastic and the score is perhaps the best
music to write to next to the House on the Edge of the Park score. What I’ve come to realize after watching both
movies in this double feature is that the connection between Fulci and Martino
is strong and almost a strong connection can be found in the foundations of
both features over the relationship between the Martino pictures put together.
The Black Cat is a clearly a Poe driven story, more clearly
related to the source material than Your Vice. It’s heavy on graphic violence
and strange, unique death scenes which are pure Fulci. Combined with almost out
of place supernatural imagery and a psychic storyline, you can almost find The
Black Cat a home in the Gates of Hell trilogy rather than as a standalone
adaptation. It’s true that Fulci takes liberties with the original Poe story
which works out deliciously for fans. At times you’ll feel as though you are
wandering through the movie, unled, exploring the movie as a detective in a
near cop drama, but the moments of pure Fulci madness, eccentricity and
exploitation will bring you back to center. It is clearly a Horror picture, and
unlike its counterpart in this set, features a cat as a vehicle for the story
and an antagonist prominently.
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key on the
other hand is a beautifully crafted Martino Giallo. There’s no mistaking the
quality in this storytelling for the somewhat slam danced work in Fulci’s The
Black Cat. It is a clear case of yellow storytelling with a pragmatic killer
creating psychological attacks on completely innocent victims with a flair for
the whodunit or who will do it, detective style. It’s a movie for which I have been longing to
see on a Blu-ray for quite some time. The previous DVD went out of print some
time ago, and was fetching over $40 for a release that holds no water compared
to the gem that Arrow has delivered. Of course I am an Fenech nut. I adore her
work whether it is comedy, Giallo or even adult fare. Something about her is
simply mesmerizing; her feline eyes and go-go hair with a genuine, classic
sense of full bodied beauty. She’s clever and she can play the killer just as
easy as she can play a victim.
So where do The Black Cat and Your Vice meet? Of course the
Arrow box set finds their common core at the source material as adaptions of a
Poe story, but where they really connect is in their pure Italian horrific
nature, story elements and aesthetic. Both movies have elements of pure Italian
exploitation that really sell each picture especially the erotic bits in both
movies. The scores are undeniably beautiful featuring premiere composers, genre
favorites known for their ability to woo an audience into a dark fantasy world.
Both movies look delicious, shot beautifully and edited well (Tomassi does a
fantasic job on The Black Cat as he does with all his Fulci efforts).
Both releases look beautiful, the transfers preserving film
grain, good color saturation and deep blacks. Arrow delivers as usual. You’d
expect that for any Arrow release, but what you gain for each release
separately is an extra package that is well thought-out and complete. This is a
set limited to 3000. That means you have to grab it now before it goes out of
print. It is in cased in a handsome box that holds two separate Blu-ray boxes
and a rather hefty booklet filled with essays and a detailed history of
adaptations of Poe’s story. Each release comes as a separate Arrow Blu-ray
which means you get all the benefits of an individual offering in a nice set.
That means reversible artwork. That means that each movie has its own set of
features rather than being crushed onto a single disc. The making of featurette
on Your Vice is tremendous as is in the new interview with Sergio Martino.
Definitely must watch material. On the Black Cat side, Stephen Thrower (a
favorite of mine) offers his insight into the creation of the picture. What’s
more is that you get a new commentary from Chris Alexander for the Black Cat
disc. I love Alexander’s insight into Italian cinema and his essay included in
the booklet is also a welcome addition. I’ve included the full list of extras
below. There’s a lot to check out and definitely a strong release for fans of
somewhat more obscure Italian Horror (I’ll get nailed for saying “more obscure”
by true fans for sure).
I can’t recommend this release enough especially since Your
Vice is OOP otherwise. The Black Cat was released previously by Blue
Underground, a fine edition, but this is clearly an upgrade. Both movies are
excellent examples of their respective directors’ style and substance while
being non-traditional retellings of a classic Horror tale and given the Arrow
treatment.
You can order your copy now while they last. Remember only
3000 were produced. You need to get on this.
From Arrow:
Synopsis: Edgar Allan Poe’s celebrated story The Black Cat
has provided the inspiration for numerous films over the years. But few
adaptations are as stylish as those offered up by the twin Italian titans of
terror, Sergio Martino and Lucio Fulci.
In Martino’s classic giallo Your Vice is a Locked Room and
Only I Have the Key, teacher Oliviero (Luigi Pistilli, A Bay of Blood) finds
himself under suspicion for murder when one of his students – and mistress – is
found brutally murdered. As more bodies start to pile up, the arrival of
Oliviero’s attractive niece (Edwige Fenech, Five Dolls for an August Moon, All
the Colours of the Dark) brings with it complications of its own.
In The Black Cat, from that “other” Godfather of Gore, Lucio
Fulci (Zombie), Scotland Yard Inspector Gorley (David Warbeck, The Beyond) find
himself summoned to a sleepy English village to investigate the recent murder
of a young couple. With no obvious signs of entry at the murder scene, Gorley
is forced to start considering the possibility that his suspect may not be
human…
Finally together on Blu-ray and in stunning new 2K
restorations from the original camera negatives, fans can enjoy the double-dose
of terror that is Edgar Allan Poe’s Black Cats – Italian-style!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Limited Edition
boxed-set (3000 copies) containing Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have
the Key and The Black Cat
Brand new 2K
restorations of the films from the original camera negatives
High Definition
Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Italian
and English soundtracks in mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays)
Newly translated
English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
Optional English
subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
Limited Edition
80-page booklet containing new articles on the films, Lucio Fulci’s last ever
interview and a reprint of Poe’s original story
YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY:
Through the Keyhole
– a brand new interview with director Sergio Martino
Unveiling the Vice
– making-of retrospective featuring interviews with Martino, star Edwige Fenech
and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
Dolls of Flesh and
Blood: The Gialli of Sergio Martino – a visual essay by Michael Mackenzie
exploring the director’s unique contributions to the giallo genre
The Strange Vices
of Ms. Fenech – film historian Justin Harries on the Your Vice actress’
prolific career • Eli Roth on Your Vice and the genius of Martino
Reversible sleeve
featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
THE BLACK CAT:
Brand new audio
commentary by filmmaker and Fangoria editor Chris Alexander
Poe into Fulci: The
Spirit of Perverseness – film historian Stephen Thrower on Fulci’s Poe-tinged
classic
In the Paw-Prints
of the Black Cat – a look at the original Black Cat locations
Frightened Dagmar –
a brand new career interview with actress Dagmar Lassander
At Home with David
Warbeck – an archive interview with The Black Cat star
Original Theatrical
Trailer
Reversible sleeve
featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
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