"Director: Luigi Bazzoni"

• Giallo Essentials | Blu Ray | (08/11/2021) from £34.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  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 Features 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 Malbo

• The Possessed | Blu Ray | (04/02/2019) from £11.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Possessed is a wonderfully atmospheric proto-giallo based on one of Italy s most notorious crimes, The Alleghe killings, and adapted from the book on that case by acclaimed literary figure Giovanni Comisso. Peter Baldwin (The Ghost, The Weekend Murders) stars as Bernard, a depressed novelist who sets off in search of his old flame Tilde (Virna Lisi, La Reine Margot), a beautiful maid who works at a remote lakeside hotel. Bernard is warmly greeted by the hotel owner Enrico (Salvo Randone, Fellini's Satyricon) and his daughter Irma (Valentina Cortese, Thieves Highway, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire), but Tilde has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Bernard undertakes an investigation and is soon plunged into a disturbing drama of familial secrets, perversion, madness and murder... Co-written by Giulio Questi (Death Laid an Egg, Arcana) and co-directed by Luigi Bazzoni (The Fifth Cord, Footprints on the Moon), The Possessed masterfully combines film noir, mystery and giallo tropes, whilst also drawing on the formal innovations of 1960s art cinema (particularly the films of Michael Antonioni). A uniquely dreamlike take on true crime, The Possessed is presented here in a stunning new restoration. Features: Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original Italian and English soundtracks, titles and credits Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack 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 FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andreas Ehrenreich, Roberto Curti and original reviews

• The Fifth Cord | Blu Ray | (04/02/2019) from £12.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The success of Dario Argento s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage ushered in a host of imitators, seeking to capitalise on this new, modern take on the giallo thriller. Many were highly derivative, but a number nonetheless rose above the crowd thanks to skilful execution and a willingness to experiment stylistically. Once such example is The Fifth Cord ¬ which, in the hands of director Luigi Bazzoni (The Possessed, Footprints on the Moon), turns a conventional premise into a visually stunning exploration of alienation and isolation. When a man barely survives a brutal assault en route home from a New Year s party, washed-up, whisky-swilling journalist Andrea Bild (Franco Nero, Django) is assigned to report on the case. Before long, the maniac strikes again, this time with fatal results. As the body count rises, Andrea falls under suspicion himself, making it even more imperative that he crack the case. His only clue lies in a series of black gloves found at the location of every attack, each with a finger cut off... Adapted from a novel by David McDonald Devine, The Fifth Cord boasts a complex, Agatha Christie-esque plot, outstanding cinematography courtesy of future Oscar-winner Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now) and supporting appearances by a raft of genre stalwarts, including Silvia Monti (A Lizard in a Woman s Skin), Edmund Purdom (Nightmare City) and Rossella Falk (Sleepless). Debuting here in high definition, arguably the most visually stunning giallo ever made now shines like never before. Features: Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack 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 FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kat Ellinger and Peter Jilmstad

• Footprints | DVD | (29/08/2009) from £8.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (85.84%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Florinda Bolkan stars as a translator named Alice Cespi whose life is falling apart due to strange memories from childhood when she was forced to watch a film called Footprints On The Moon involving an experiment of leaving astronauts stranded on the moon.