NOTE Regarding the German transfer: Vincent Pereira tell us in our FB Group HERE: "The original editors had access to all the original material, and movies WERE NEVER EDITED DIRECTLY FROM ORIGINAL NEGATIVE. The negative is developed, a workprint is struck and the editing is done on the workprint, and once the edit is signed off on, the negative is carefully edited to match the workprint. Torsten's speculation that they cut directly on the negative is simply nonsense. Period. I don't have to have been there to know that this did not happen. Re: not striking a workprint to "save money"- again, nonsense, because negative developing/workprint was a set combined cost with the labs. The film labs were set up to work that way- they develop the negative and strike a workprint for the editor. You were not going to save any appreciable amount of money by not striking a workprint (maybe a couple pennies on the foot), but you would be putting the entire investment in the film (DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING might have been "low budget" but I imagine several hundred thousands of dollars were invested in it) at risk by not doing so by using the original negative essentially as the workprint. The "damage" seen on the negative in some of TLE's restoration examples certainly doesn't show evidence of the negative being used as a workprint. The negative looks like it was poorly stored and mishandled, but it doesn't show the wear and tear of a workprint that has been run repeatedly through an editing machine and been spliced and respliced as edits were tried out and then changed. The fact is, Techniscope negatives were edited to have "handles" at the beginning and end of shots due to the frame-lines being so close so they wouldn't get "bumps" and visible glue at the framelines on the edits. These extra frames would be skipped over in printing the intermediate elements used to make the prints. Torsten and TLE incorrectly left these handles in the film. There are several shots in the TLE version where the added frames detract from the editing. The early shot of the boy shooting a rock with a slingshot at a lizard, for example. It's a quick, shock cut in the properly edited version of the lizard being hit, then cut back to the boy. Thanks to the added frames on the TLE, the shot lingers too long on the lizard and it's clear it was just hit by something soft and the lizard is fine. There's also a shot of Florinda Bolkin being whipped by the chains where the extra frames hurt the effect. One of the guys swings the chain, and thanks to the extra frames at the head of the next shot, it's clear that the chain is just gently resting on Bolkin's stomach and is pulled away. In the properly edited version (thank you,Arrow!), the extra frames of the chain just sitting still on her at the beginning of the shot are gone, so the editing effect of her being "whipped" by the chain is intact. Then, there's the simple fact that the fully mixed soundtracks had to be resynced SHOT BY SHOT. This alone proves that what Torsten did was wrong, and he should have known he incorrectly assembled his master once that problem arose, but thanks to his hubris and ego, he decided history was wrong and needed to be "fixed" by him, Torsten Kaiser, the sole sighted man among the blind." - Thanks Vincent!!

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ADDITION: Happinet - Region 'A' - Blu-ray March 17'': I'm investigating the differences - not only because the Japanese Blu-ray runs about -minutes longer but, as far as I remember, I think some scenes are slightly in a different order than than the Blue Underground DVD. Eric tells us that "I have been told the Blu has extended exit music cut short on the DVD. Not sure if that accounts for all" and that The German "Leather Book" 4-disc set with Blu-ray (limited to 1250 units) also runs 1:48:00 like this Japanese Blu-ray. Once we have the full story - we will post it here.

NOTE: Jochen from FB HERE says "Maybe a hint to clarify the mystery of the longer runtime - and something I only learnt recently myself: if this is the same restoration as the German BluRay, it has some very serious issues. It seems like there has been a mistake in the restoration that adds 8 excess frames at every single cut (!) in the movie. Frames that were never supposed to be in the film. So this adds 1/3 of a second to every shot, and a few minutes to the complete film. Altering the complete rhythm of the montage, subtly but of course significant. A restoration disaster. I can provide links to a forum discussion explaining this deeper (and very technical, so I myself only understand parts of it). But only in German." (Thanks Jochen!)

The Happinet is dual-layered and colors take a dramatic shift - much warmer than the SD - exuberant, very rich (skin tones gain some orange) and a shade more information in the frame on the right and bottom - losing a smidgeon on the left and top edges. It looks fabulous on my system. So much brighter than the DVD, yet I can't, obviously, confirm its theatrical appearance resemblance.

Audio is Dolby True HD - a lesser used encode - it's 16-bit but not very robust, luckily the film's production doesn't require excessive depth or separation. It's available in English or Italian. There are optional Japanese subtitles on the region 'A' disc.

The Happinet includes some extras - unfortunately the 46-minute piece entitled The DP's Eye (a Freak-ORama Production) is only in Italian with Japanese subtitles - not English-friendly. There is also an alternate opening and ending, Italian trailer and image gallery.

Don't Torture a Duckling has limited graphic imagery - making it decidedly less Giallo-like - but is a very adept mystery with grim horror elements. It's an excellent example of a stylish, creepy, Italian early 70s film - and it can still be quite disturbing. Fulci seems in full control of his evolving signature. It's often considered one of his best. I love it and watching this new Blu-ray was like seeing the film for the first time.  Hubba Hubba Barbara Bouchet. Without owning the pricey German Blu-ray I have to endorse this to fans of the film and genre. Enjoy!