Blood and Black Lace (Sei donne per l'assassino) (1964) (NTSC) |
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Blood and Black Lace (Sei donne per l'assassino) (1964) (NTSC) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Horror |
Audio Commentary-Author Tim Lucas Theatrical Trailer-American, French, German & Italian theatrical trailers More…-Alternative French and American main title sequences Biographies-Cast & Crew Interviews-Cast-Cameron Mitchell and Mary Dawne Arden Gallery-Film and Poster gallery More…-Bonus soundtrack More…-Comparison between American and European cuts of the film More…-Biography of author Tim Lucas |
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| Year Of Production | 1964 | ||
| Running Time | 84:42 (Case: 169) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Mario Bava |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Beyond Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Cameron Mitchell Eva Bartok Thomas Reiner Ariana Gorini Dante DiPaolo Mary Arden Franco Ressel Claude Dantes Luciano Pigozzi Lea Lander Massimo Righi Francesca Ungaro Giuliano Raffaelli |
| Case | Amaray-Opaque | ||
| RPI | $19.95 | Music | Carlo Rustichelli |
| Video (NTSC) | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 480i (NTSC) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English Spanish |
Smoking | Yes, constantly! |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Contessa Cristina Como (Eva Bartok) and her lover Max Marian (Cameron Mitchell) run a high class fashion salon just outside of Rome. When Isabella, one of their models, is brutally murdered by a killer in a mask on a dark and stormy night, Inspector Silvester (Thomas Reiner) investigates and suspicion falls on Isabella’s lover, antique dealer Frank Sacalo (Dante DiPaolo). It seems that Isabella had kept a diary, with revelations that most people in the fashion house would like kept secret. When house models Nicole (Ariana Gorini) and then Peggy (Mary Arden) are murdered, the police have no shortage of suspects. Is it Max, Frank, designer Cesar (Luciano Pigozzi), assistant Marco (Massimo Righi) or Marquis Richard Morell (Franco Ressel)? They all appear to have something to hide. Despite Silvester detaining the five prime suspects, the murders continue and it appears that the truth may be even more bizarre than anyone suspects.
Blood and Black Lace (Sei donne per l’assassino) was directed by the Italian master Mario Bava, who is credited with creating the giallo genre (giallo is yellow in Italian, the colour of the covers of the popular crime pulp novels of the period) and influencing the work of later Italian horror directors including Dario Argento and Sergio Martino. Indeed, Blood and Black Lace is all style: mood music courtesy of composer Carlo Rutsichelli, garish psychedelic colours in mannequins and sets, noir lighting, blood, murder and numerous red herrings. By modern standards, the blood and gore is minimal, but there are still shocks as well as some fantastic tension leading up to the killings that more than make up for it. It is also true that some of the plotting makes no sense, with “why would they do that!” moments, and the acting and the dialogue is often stilted. However, it cannot be denied that Blood and Black Lace is a gem of 1960s European horror filmmaking; a cult film that created a genre and is still wonderfully entertaining.
Blood and Black Lace is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78.1 and is16x9 enhanced. The original theatrical ratio was 1.85:1.
The picture is soft, and clarity indifferent. Detail could be better and although blacks are OK shadow detail can be indifferent. Colours are psychedelic, with reds and blues dominant, although their vibrancy leads to a number of instances of colour bleed. In contrast, skin tones are often on the pale side and contract and brightness can vary.
Small dirt marks on the print were frequent, but none were too big or distracting and a vertical line occurred (14:47). There was also evidence of edge enhancement, aliasing on drapes (9:34) and obvious grain. This, however, makes it sound worse then it is; it is better than one might expect from a film made in 1964.
English or Spanish subtitles can be selected. The English subs were in a largish white font but are still sometimes hard to read. Their timing was often some way away from the spoken dialogue, they sometimes repeated lines and contained a number of minor spelling and grammatical errors. If you select the Italian audio track, and enable the English subtitles, at one place (31:34) when part of Isabelle’s diary is read in Italian no subtitles are provided. You need to switch to the English audio to find out what is read.
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Audio offered is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track at 448 Kbps, plus French and Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono) tracks at 192 Kbps. That is what is says on the menu, and my computer identified the English as 5.1, but I have to say that my Blu-ray and audio equipment read the English track as 2.0 mono. In any case, the original mix was mono and all are OK, with the Italian and French dubs recorded at a louder level.
Dialogue was clear, and although the effects were predictably flat the music of Carlo Rutsichelli came across nicely. As such, the audio was perfectly adequate, although there was some hiss evident in the scenes without effects or music. There was no surround or subwoofer use.
It really does not matter which language you select, the lip synchronisation is very indifferent. Mary Arden revealed that English lines were spoken on the set, even by non-English speakers as it was thought this would help sales in the American market. In post, these lines were voice dubbed.
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Lucas provides an entertaining and enlightening commentary showing an encyclopaedic knowledge of Blood and Black Lace and Bava. He covers Bava’s career and techniques, locations, the biographies and filmographies of pretty much everyone who appears on screen, the music and the influence of Blood and Black Lace on other filmmakers and the giallo genre. An excellent commentary and an essential listen.
These are quite nicely done. They are presented as a scrolling screen with effects from the film playing. Included are short biographies and filmographies for
Profile of Lucas including information about his book on Bava, Mario Bava- All the Colours of the Dark. Scrolling screen and film effects play in background (2:16).
An interesting a varied array; the trailers, etc, are not in pristine condition with scratches and dirt but they are in reasonable condition, considering the age of the material. It is a bit annoying that after every item, the cursor reverts to the top of the extras list so has to be tabbed down.
Mitchell chats to David Del Valle. Mitchell speaks about working with Bava, with whom he made six films. There is nothing here specifically about Blood and Black Lace but it is an entertaining interview filmed before his death in 1994.
Filmed in September 2000 Arden responds to prompts in text on the screen about working on Blood and Black Lace and her subsequent career, in and out of films. She is lively and funny, although some of the information is repeated a couple of times.
In France the film was called 6 Femmes pour L’assassin
Called Blutige Seide in Germany
Very different music and visuals from the opening titles used elsewhere; skulls and lighting makes it feel almost Hitchcockian.
The title is 6 Donne per L’assassino
Eric the Conqueror (1:50), Whip and the Body (French) (3:24) and Whip and the Body (American) (3:22). Interesting point – in the last two trailers the director is credited as John M. Old!
Film stills and promotional materials advance automatically with sound effects in the background. Total time: 4:09.
Four tracks by Carlo Rustichelli from the film; a film poster is on the screen and some hiss and crackle is evident. Total running time: 7:26.
Seven individual scenes showing the difference between the European Cut and the American Uncut versions of the film. First the cut version is shown, then the uncut. The longer version includes more blood and longer violence; perhaps the major differences involve the “claw” instrument used on victim 2 and the face burning of victim 3.
There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This NTSC Region 0 release is identical to the US release.
Blood and Black Lace, from the Italian master Mario Bava, is all style. Mood music, garish psychedelic colours in mannequins and sets, noir lighting, blood, murder and numerous red herrings, Blood and Black Lace is a gem of 1960s filmmaking that is still wonderfully entertaining.
The video and audio are acceptable for a 45 year old film, the extras are extensive and mostly worthwhile.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Sony BDP-S350, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | NAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
| Amplification | NAD T737 |
| Speakers | Studio Acoustics 5.1 |