Castello Balsorano in Italy's Abruzzi mountains is home to an ex-GI (Frank Wolff, CALIBER 9), his imperious wife (Erika Remberg, CIRCUS OF HORRORS), and her son (Paolo Turco, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO OUR DAUGHTERS?). Tired of watching stag films in the great hall, they go out to the local carnival and are amazed to see the star (Silvana Venturelli, CAMILLE 2000) of the film they have been watching as a motorcyclist on the "Wall of Death." They invite her home in hopes of surprising her with evidence of her youthful indiscretion, but they find the actress in the film replaced with another one. She, however, seems to pull details of their secret pasts out of thin air as she seduces each of them, becoming what they desire most and literally blurring the line between the screen and reality. Opening with a quote from Pirandello's SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR, THE LICKERISH QUARTET is a puzzle film in the guise of a softcore sex film. Metzger does not skimp on displays of flesh, but also conjures up intriguing characters performed with conviction (especially by Wolff and Remberg). There's a dash of Pasolini, some Bergman, and more than a bit of Resnais (cinematographer Hans Jura lent a LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD-esque feel to sequences of Metzger's earlier THERESE AND ISABELLE, which is referenced in this film's dialogue). Stelvio Cipriani provides a lyrical score not unlike his work on Piero Schivazappa's FEMINA RIDENS/THE FRIGHTENED WOMAN (which Metzger distributed in the US the year before through Audubon Films). Although the literary source of THE LICKERISH QUARTET is obscure and possibly nonexistent (it is supposedly based on a story called "Hide and Seek" by screenwriter Michael DeForrest), it proves more satisfying in narrative terms than his glitzy and sexy Dumas adaptation CAMILLE 2000.

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Feature: 13,403,277,312 bytes

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 18.98 Mbps

Blu-ray Release Date: April 26th, 2011
Standard Blu-ray Case

ADDITION: Cult Epics - Region FREE - Blu-ray: a dramatic improvement in detail, colors and brightness - the SD is dark, obscures information and has some occasional contrast boosting and edge enhancement. Skin tones on the 1080P transfer are very warm and there is a shade of noise on the single-layered disc but it is progressive in AVC and could easily be considered the best the film has ever looked on digital to date. 

Regarding the audio - this was recorded on location for DUBBING reference only. Obviously, no attempt was made to mask the camera or incidental production sounds at the time. Frank Wolffe in Rome and Erika Remberg in Paris recorded their own post-synchronization. Silvana Venturelli and Paolo Turco's voices were replaced by other actors. So sound is 2.0 channel and not lossless - it sounds as wonky as DUBs produced in this manner will tend to. Dialogue is always clear though and there are no optional subtitles on the region FREE Blu-ray disc.