Arrow Releasing Giallo Essentials

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Coming soon from Arrow.

https://arrowfilms.com/product-detai...lu-ray/FCD2203

Alongside the spaghetti western, the giallo is one of the most famous Italian export genres: films steeped in mystery and intrigue, delivered with stylised violence and unforgettable musical themes.

The Possessed (1965) masterfully combines noir, mystery and giallo tropes in a proto-giallo based on one of Italy's most notorious crimes. It tells the story of a depressed novelist (Peter Baldwin) in search of his old flame (Virna Lisi) who has disappeared under suspicious circumstances, prompting an investigation that finds him plunged into a disturbing drama of familial secrets, perversion, madness and murder. The Fifth Cord (1971) boasts a complex, Agatha Christie-esque plot of investigation into a series of brutal assaults. As the body count rises, whisky swilling journalist Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) finds himself under suspicion, making it all the more imperative he crack the case. The Pyjama Girl Case (1978), inspired by a real-life case that baffles to this day, takes us to Australia where former inspector Timpson comes out of retirement to crack the case of a young woman, found on the beach, shot in the head, burned to hide her identity and dressed in distinctive yellow pyjamas...

In the first of a multi-volume series of Giallo Essentials these films feature a raft of talent in front and behind the camera with each film restored from the original camera negative and presented with a range of contextualising interviews and featurettes.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

Brand new 2K restorations of the film from the original camera negative for The Possessed, The Fifth Cord and The Pyjama Girl Case
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of each film
Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
Rigid box packaging with newly designed artwork by Adam Rabalais in a windowed Giallo Essentials Collection slipcover

THE POSSESSED

New audio commentary by writer and critic Tim Lucas
Richard Dyer on The Possessed, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic
Cat's Eyes, an interview with the film's makeup artist Giannetto De Rossi
Two Days a Week, an interview with the film's award-winning assistant art director Dante Ferretti
The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers, an interview with actor/director Francesco Barilli, a close friend of Luigi and Camillo Bazzoni
Original trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips

THE FIFTH CORD

New audio commentary by critic Travis Crawford
Lines and Shadows, a new video essay on the film's use of architecture and space by critic Rachael Nisbet
Whisky Giallore, a new video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie
Black Day for Nero, a new video interview with actor Franco Nero
The Rhythm Section, a new video interview with film editor Eugenio Alabiso
Rare, previously unseen deleted sequence, restored from the original negative
Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love

THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE

New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
New video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie on the internationalism of the giallo
New video interview with actor Howard Ross
New video interview with editor Alberto Tagliavia
Archival interview with composer Riz Ortolani
Image gallery
Italian theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

Hahah, are they going all Media Blasters. Throwing all their old stuff in boxes to get rid of 'em. THE POSSESSED/LA DONNA DEL LAGO is a gorgeous film, and fun, not sure i'd call it a Giallo though.

[Nabonga Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nabonga]

The Fifth Cord is one of the most beautifully photographed films I've ever seen.

I still haven't gotten around to buying these yet so I'll definitely get this box.

[Derrick King Waterfall Puncher Find all posts View Profile Close Derrick King]

Probably end up cheaper to just buy the individual releases instead of the box.

[bgart13 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bgart13]

Yeah, I don't know how they justify a boxset re-release of these at that pricepoint.

[Nabonga Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nabonga]

Might be smart to buy them separately as said. I think I know a site here in Sweden that sell these pretty cheap. At least cheaper than their competitors.

EDIT: Turns out I was wrong. They did not. They only had The Possessed. A shame because all the other retailers never lower the price on Arrow titles. Extremely rarely anyway.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

The Fifth Cord is one of the most beautifully photographed films I've ever seen.

Agreed, Storaro's photography is absolutely stunning in this film. Some of those shots are suitable for framing and hanging on the wall. Doesn't hurt that Pamela Tiffin and Silvia Monti are smoking hot either.

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

Silvia Monti is absolutely stunning in this one, and yeah, the whole film is gorgeous. LA DONNA DEL LAGO, FIFTH CORD and FOOTPRINTS make for a fantastic little marathon.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

Silvia Monti is absolutely stunning in this one, and yeah, the whole film is gorgeous. LA DONNA DEL LAGO, FIFTH CORD and FOOTPRINTS make for a fantastic little marathon.

Yep, all of them are amazing, almost hypnotic films. FOOTPRINTS in particular is really haunting, that film really resonates with me.

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

Yeah, the first time i watched FOOTPRINTS years ago, it wasn't what i was expecting and i just didn't get it. But subsequent viewings made me realize how fantastic it is.

[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

I need to watch 'Footprints' again.

It's a real shame Arrow couldn't/didn't pick up the rights for that one, or they could have been giving us a Bazzoni box set right now instead of this shabby "Giallo Essentials" business, featuring two highly unconventional borderline gialli/art films and one perfectly average, unconnected one.

Almost wish they'd been honest and just called it the "three films whose licenses run out soon" box set... I mean, ok if it was a bargain mid-price reissue kind of deal, but who do they honestly expect is going to buy this for over twice the price of picking up all three individual titles in their sale a few weeks back..? Non-discerning relatives of Italian film fans who need a last minute birthday present?

But, ENOUGH MOANING. At the end of the day, these are all great films, and reissuing them presumably means there are more copies pressed onto discs available across the world, so nothing to complain about here.

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

Hahah, are they going all Media Blasters.

At least those three packs were good value. They're selling this for £60. So when there's an Arrow promotion these are £8 each! They're deluded. Plus one of these is very average.

I really think Arrow have lost it with their pricing recently. Unless they stop their regular sales there's no reason to buy them immediately.

Edit - Just checked Zavvi, it's £45 there, so the pricing strategy is a ploy to get people to buy from there. Zavvi are owned by the same company as them.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Coming in July.

Giallo Essentials - Black Edition [Limited Edition]

•SMILE BEFORE DEATH (1972)
•THE WEAPON, THE HOUR, THE MOTIVE (1972)
•THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS (1974)
•2K scans from the camera negatives

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 2K restorations from the original camera negatives of Smile Before Death and The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive
• 2K restoration from the original camera negative of The Killer Reserved Nine Seats
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of each film
• Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks on Smile Before Death and The Killer Reserved Nine Seats
• Original lossless mono Italian soundtrack on The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
• Rigid box packaging with original poster artwork in a windowed Giallo Essentials Collection slipcover
• Reversible sleeves for each film featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais, Peter Strain and Haunt Love

DISC ONE: SMILE BEFORE DEATH

• Brand new audio commentary by authors and critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• Original Italian and English front and end titles
• Smile of the Hyena, a brand new video interview with Stefano Amadio, film journalist and son of director Silvio Amadio
• Never-before-seen extended nude scenes, not used in the final film
• Image gallery

DISC TWO: THE WEAPON, THE HOUR, THE MOTIVE

• Brand new audio commentary by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• A Man in Giallo, a brand new video interview with actor Salvatore Puntillo
• Front and end titles for the lost English-language dub
• Image gallery

DISC THREE: THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS

• Brand new audio commentary by author and critic Kat Ellinger
• Hanging with Howard, a video interview with actor Howard Ross
• Writing with Biagio, a video interview with screenwriter Biagio Proietti
• Italian theatrical trailer (in Italian and English)
• Image gallery

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: individual illustrated collector's booklets for each film, featuring new writing by Rachael Nisbet, Barry Forshaw and Peter Jilmstad

[killer must kill again Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close killer must kill again]

great... one interesting title, one snoozer (the weapon, the hour ...) and they're using the 8 year old CO transfer for the killer reserved nine seats as expected.

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

At least they're all new to this side of the pond. I do have the German KILLER RESERVED, but i'll still probably pick this up since i don't have the other two in any form.