Torso 4K Blu-ray Review
Written by Robert Gold
Blu-ray released by Arrow Video
Directed by Sergio Martino
Written by Ernesto Gastaldi and Sergio Martino
1973, 94 minutes, Not Rated
Released on September 17th, 2024
Starring:
Suzy Kendall as Jane
Tina Aumont as Daniela Anselmi
Carla Brait as Ursula
Angela Covello as Katia
John Richardson as Franz
Roberto Biascco as Stefano Vanzi
Review:
Someone is killing co-eds, first strangling them with a scarf and then mutilating them with a knife. Following a police briefing, Daniela thinks she recognizes the scarf, but can’t place how. It might look like the one her possessive ex-boyfriend Stefan wears. Following the death of another friend, Dani’s uncle encourages her to visit the family’s remote countryside villa. She agrees and invites her three best girlfriends – Ursula, Katia and Jane – for a weekend getaway. Not long after arriving, Jane falls down the stairs and twists her ankle. A handsome doctor bandages her injury and orders bedrest. The friends have drinks, play music and send Jane off to rest with a sleeping pill, but the next morning she wakes to an unexpected nightmare.
Torso (aka Carnal Violence, aka I Corpi Presentano Tracci Di Violenza Carnale) is a stylish giallo/proto-slasher from acclaimed director Sergio Martino (The Suspicious Death of a Minor). Working from a script he co-wrote with Ernesto Gastaldi (The Case of the Bloody Iris), the director connects a series of increasingly suspenseful scenarios building to a knockout finale. There are many memorable moments throughout the picture, but the final twenty minutes are a masterclass in genre filmmaking. In Martino’s capable hands, the simplest task of retrieving a key, for example, becomes increasingly tense.
The mystery is well-executed with no shortage of suspects, including the ex-boyfriend, the creepy scarf salesman, the art professor, the doctor, even the well-meaning uncle. There is a decent amount of violence and an abundance of nudity that is at times beyond gratuitous. One standout murder-set-piece finds an unsuspecting woman playing a game of cat-and-mouse in a remote wetland, revealing the killer’s spooky disguise. Another trope I rather enjoy is having a character wake in the middle of, or just after, something terrible has happened, clueless as to the danger in which they are about to find themselves.
Torso is a compelling picture that stands out within the giallo subgenre with bold creative decisions during key sequences. The final act in which our heroine hides from the killer is absent of music, making his actions of dismembering her friends all the more upsetting. The psycho-sexual killings are familiar in the genre, as is the masked, black gloved killer, but where this film pulls the rug out is in its lack of a traditional Final Girl. The protagonist we are following may not be the one to confront the killer in the end, keeping audiences guessing who will survive. If you somehow missed this movie, I eagerly encourage you to pick it up now, as it has never looked better and deserves a place in your collection.
Video and Audio:
The original camera negative has been scanned and restored in 4K and is presented in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) in both the 94-minute Italian and 90-minute English export versions. Colors are incredibly vibrant and frequently pop while black levels are bottomless. Small-object detail is readily available and a fine level of film grain is present throughout.
Both a DTS-HD MA 1.0 Italian and hybrid Italian and English language track is available on the international cut of the film while only a DTS-HD MA 1.0 English language track is included on the English export version. The international version has a few scenes that were either never dubbed into English or the source has been lost, so these scenes appear in Italian with English subtitles.
Optional English subtitles are included for anyone in need.
Special Features:
Author Kat Ellinger (All the Colors of Sergio Martino) provides an insightful audio commentary that opens with an overview of the director’s work before taking a lengthy detour of the producer’s filmography. Other topics include the writing process, the locations, the film’s influences and cynical views on sex.
The interview segment All Colors of Terror (34 minutes) catches up with director Sergio Martino, who recalls how this project came together. He goes on to discuss the casting, filming locations and music. Other topics include early test screenings, real murders similar to those in this film and his thoughts on violence in cinema. This interview is in Italian with English subtitles.
The Discreet Charm of the Genre (35 minutes) is an interview with actor Luc Merenda conducted in Italian with English subtitles. He looks back at his action pictures and their success in part due to violent content. From there he talks about working with directors Sergio Martino and Tinto Brass and points to some of his memorable co-stars. He also tells a touching story of losing his father while he was making a movie.
In Dial S for Suspense (29 minutes), co-writer Ernesto Gastaldi remembers how he got into filmmaking and later writing gialli. He takes a few passing swipes at Argento before moving on to examine the many tropes of the genre and his take on the classic scenario: a crime in a closed room. This segment is in Italian with English subtitles.
Women in Blood (25 minutes) is an interview with Federica Martino, daughter of Sergio and herself a filmmaker. She examines Torso and offers her thoughts on how it could be remade today. Other topics include the themes of the film and its iconic moments as well as tales from film school at NYU alongside Eli Roth.
Saturating the Screen (25 minutes) is a new interview with author Mikel Koven. He discusses the tropes of the giallo and Martino’s upending of expectations. He goes on to discuss the director’s style and pacing and the intricacies of the plot and the film’s domestic release. He then points out the differences between a giallo and a slasher and how this film doesn’t follow conventions. This segment is in English and is well worth checking out.
Sergio Martino Live (47 minutes) is a Q & A from the 2017 Abertoir International Horror Festival, conducted in both English and Italian with a translator.
An alternate Torso title sequence (4 minutes) is offered for completists.
The Italian theatrical trailer is included as is the English language trailer for Carnal Violence. Sadly, absent from this release is the Grindhouse trailer under the title Torso with its humorous voiceover.
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