Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

Subtitles:

• New audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman

• Introduction by Helmut Berger (1:22)
• Murder in B-Flat Minor, a new visual essay on the film, its cast and crew by author Troy Howarth (26:47)

• A Butterfly Named Evelyn (54:45)

• Me and Duccio (8:23)

• Mad Dog Helmut (17:34)
• Original Italian (3:16) and English theatrical trailers (3:16)
• Gallery of original promotional images
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
• Limited edition 36-page booklet illustrated by Tonci Zonjic, containing writing by James Blackford, Howard Hughes and Leonard Jacobs.

NTSC DVD in the package

Bitrate:

 

Description: Directed by Duccio Tessari (Death Occurred Last Night, A Pistol for Ringo), The Bloodstained Butterfly melds the lurid giallo traditions popularised by Dario Argento and Mario Bava with courtroom drama, resulting in a film that is as concerned with forensic detail and legal process as it is with grisly murders and audacious set-pieces.

When a young female student is savagely killed in a park during a thunderstorm, the culprit seems obvious: her lover, TV sports personality Alessandro Marchi (Giancarlo Sbragia, Death Rage), seen fleeing the scene of the crime by numerous eyewitnesses. The evidence against him is damning... but is it all too convenient? And when the killer strikes again while Marchi is in custody, it quickly becomes apparent that there s more to the case than meets the eye...

Starring 70s heartthrob Helmut Berger (Dorian Gray, The Godfather: Part III) alongside genre mainstays Evelyn Stewart (The Psychic, The Case of the Scorpion's Tail) and Carole André (Colt 38 Special Squad), and featuring a score by Gianni Ferrio (Death Walks at Midnight), The Bloodstained Butterfly is presented uncut and in a sumptuous new 4K restoration that allows this unique and haunting thriller to shine like never before!

 

 

 

The Film:

Excerpt from TheTerrorTrap located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

This is the another Arrow Blu-ray release that is being simultaneously released in both region 'A' (US) and 'B' (UK). It is the exact same package on both sides of the pond to the best of our knowledge.

NOTE: Arrow Blu-ray is compared to the Camera Obscura Blu-ray HERE

The Bloodstained Butterfly gets an impressive, brand new 4K restoration, transfer to Blu-ray from Arrow.  It is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate for the 1 hour 39-minute feature. Colors are rich and there is some wonderfully consistent textures supporting the presentation as film-like. The 1080P reproduces solid contrast exhibiting healthy, black levels and some pleasing depth in the 2.35:1 frame.  It's very clean with a no intrusive speckles or surface scratches. This Blu-ray looks highly remarkable in-motion. Indeed, very pleasing.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrow give the option of DTS-HD Master mono tracks in either Italian or English (both 24-bit). There are some aggressive effects - but the film is one of the more passive Giallos. The jazz-infused score is by Gianni Ferrio (Death Occurred Last Night, Crime of Passion, Kreola) and, of course, we hear plenty of Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto - it's a wonderful addition supporting the viewing experience with the mysterious atmosphere suiting the genre. There are optional English subtitles for both Italian and English (in SDH) audio versions. My Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE.

Extras :

Once again, Arrow are very gracious about adding supplements to on e of their releases. This has a riviting new audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman expounding upon the details of this Giallo and the genre. We are offered a brief introduction to the film by Helmut Berger and 4 videos. Murder in B-Flat Minor, a excellent new visual essay on the film, its cast and crew by author Troy Howarth who explores the film, exclusively for this release, for over 26-minutes. A Butterfly Named Evelyn spends almost an hour with Evelyn Stewart - referencing her roles in spaghetti westerns and Giallo films in the 1960s and 1970s. She has appeared under several pseudonyms, including Ida Galli, Isli Oberon and Arianna. It's quite interesting hearing her history. Me and Druccio has a brief 8-minutes with Lorella De Luca, actress and wife of Duccio Tessar discussing the writer / director. Mad Dog Helmut spends over 17-minutes with Helmut Berger discussing his career and memories of shooting The Bloodstained Butterfly. There are trailer - the original Italian and English versions and a gallery of original promotional images. The package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin and a limited edition 36-page booklet illustrated by Tonci Zonjic, containing writing by James Blackford, Howard Hughes and Leonard Jacobs. Included is an NTSC DVD in the package.

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I enjoyed The Bloodstained Butterfly and am now keen to see more from, director, Tessari. There are plenty of 'adult' oriented aspects to the storyline and although not graphic delves into some sexually-uncomfortable areas. I thought it was a fabulous addition to this genre.  The Arrow Blu-ray provides an excellent a/v presentation with very valuable supplements. Fans of this genre shouldn't miss out on this - especially with the inclusion of the limited edition 36-page booklet.  We strongly recommend to Giallo aficionados. 

Gary Tooze

August 20th, 2016