Madness - Joe Dallesandro

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Vacanze per un Massacro" or "Toy")

directed by Fernando Di Leo
Italy 1980

Imprisoned for robbery and the double-crossing murder of his partner, Gio Brezzi (Joe Dallesandro, ANDY WARHOL'S DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN) escapes and heads for the Italian countryside to a remote cottage where he and his partner stashed the loot. When he arrives, he learns that the cottage has been purchased as the weekend getaway for Roman couple Sergio (Gianni Macchia, EMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD) and Liliana (Patrizia Behn, PLAY MOTEL). When the couple arrive - along with the wife's slinky sister Paola (Lorraine de Selle, THE HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK) - Gio lurks in the ruins of a nearby cottage and watches them over the course of the evening, observing Sergio's dalliance with his sister-in-law (who teases him and sends him off to his acquiescent wife). The next day when Sergio goes off hunting and Liliana drives to the village to do some shopping, Gio subdues Paola and starts hacking up the fireplace hearth with a fireplace in search of his loot. When Paola comes to, he makes her do the heavy labor (and then he rapes her when she tries to escape). When they each return, Gio easily overcomes both Liliana and Sergio. Watching over Paola and Sergio with a shotgun as they dig for the loot, Gio gleefully reveals their betrayal to Liliana (and even forces them to make love in front of her) who tries to remain stoic and noble. When the stolen money is unearthed, Paola tries to play both sides (i.e. both men); however, Liliana and Gio have inexplicably begun to fall for each other, and a pickaxe vs shotgun scuffle is sure to splatter the walls of the cottage with blood.

Eric Cotenas

Poster

Theatrical Release: 20 March 1980 (Italy)

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DVD Comparison:

Raro Video - Region 0 - PAL vs. Raro Video USA - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the Screen Caps!

(Raro Video - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Raro Video USA - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Raro Video Region 0 - PAL	Raro Video USA Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:25:39 (4% PAL speedup)	1:29:21
Video	1.67:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.5 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.85:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.65 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Raro Video
Bitrate: Raro Video USA
Audio	Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
Subtitles	English, none	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Raro Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 1.67:1 Edition Details: • Director's Biography • Director's Filmography • Liner Notes Booklet DVD Release Date: 14 February 2006 Amaray Chapters 10	Release Information: Studio: Raro Video USA Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Director's Biography • Director's Filmography • DVD Credits • Liner Notes Booklet DVD Release Date: 28 August 2012 Amaray Chapters 10

Comments

Raro USA's new progressive, single-layer, anamorphic HD-mastered transfer is quite an improvement over their six-year-old Italian PAL non-anamorphic offering. The out-of-print import features a sliver of additional picture on the right side of the frame, but the colors and contrast are vastly superior on the new transfer. Skin tones also look healthier (and there is a lot of skin on display). The Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio, on the other hand, is not significantly improved. The recycled music sounds a bit bolder, but there is still a layer of hiss noticeable during the quieter passages and there is occasional distortion on the higher end of the score.

The text filmography and biography are the same (albeit translated into English on the domestic disc), but the liner notes booklet is brand new (I wrote it so I won't comment on its contents).

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus
(Raro Video - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Raro Video USA - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)