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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Eye in the Labyrinth aka "L'occhio nel labirinto" [Blu-ray]

 

(Mario Caiano, 1972)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Transeuropa Film

Video: Code Red

 

Disc:

Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:34:42.426 

Disc Size: 23,435,966,044 bytes

Feature Size: 21,623,359,488 bytes

Video Bitrate: 24.95 Mbps

Chapters: 15

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: March 21st, 2017

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DUB:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1582 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1582 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

 

Subtitles:

None

 

Extras:

• Trailer (3:20)

• Five Code Red trailers (1:47, 2:13, 2:07, 2:25, 1:51)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: Julie (Rosemary Dexter SHOES OF A FISHERMAN) is disturbed by the disappearance of her psychiatrist lover Luca (Horst Frank) following a bizarre dream where she witnessed him murdered. She travels to a seaside village where he might be and encounters Frank (Adolfo Celi ITALIAN CONNECTION), who tells her Luca has indeed been there. Julie's investigation leads her the house of Gerta (Alida Valli THE THIRD MAN), where the mystery deepens among the odd characters residing at this artists enclave. Also starring Sybil Danning (REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS), see this rare Giallo from a brand new HD master!

 

 

The Film:

Julie is a foreign girl living in Milan who has long been cared for by her psychoanalyst Luca Berti, who is also her lover. One night she has a nightmare visage of a sadistic death. In fact, the doctor has disappeared and Julie is the key to solving the mystery. During the search she meets many people with secrets that include murder, blackmail and rape. A worthy Giallo thriller by Mario Caiano (Nightmare Castle and The Real Decameron).

***

Beautiful but troubled young Julie (Rosemary Dexter) searches for her missing boyfriend Luca (Horst Frank), a psychiatrist who has suddenly vanished for no apparent reason. She drives down south to the last place he was seen, near a small seaside town. Frank (Adolfo Celi), a shifty old former gangster newly returned from America, cops an eyeful of Julie in her slinky miniskirt and offers his help. He lets Julie stay at the home of an eccentric art dealer whose creepy servant boy spies on her while she sleeps in the nude. A trail of clues eventually leads Julie to a villa by the sea, a commune for eccentric arty types run by flamboyant Gerda (Alida Valli), yet another of Frank's sinister friends. Here Julie discovers her boyfriend was not such a great guy after all. In fact Luca was a drug-dealing rapist out to blackmail other residents over their deep dark secrets. Everyone had a reason to want him dead. Out of the blue Julie receives a phone-call from Luca, assuring her he is fine and well. Then Frank, still trying his hardest to get in Julie's pants, reveals it was only a recording. Someone at the villa murdered Luca and wants Julie dead too.

Excerpt from TheSpinningImage located HERE

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

The single-layered Code Red Blu-ray of Eye in the Labyrinth looks fairly unremarkable in 1080P. The source is imperfect with a few inconsistencies and speckles but the visuals improve as the film runs along. The transfer seems adept and there are sequences of rich colors and the grain texture is appreciated. Contrast is adequate and detail has some surprising moments in the film's frequent close-ups. There is also some depth.  I noticed no noise or digitization. It is in the, bastardized, 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This Blu-ray gave me a watchable viewing in regards to the picture quality, but nothing exceptional.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Code Red use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 1582 kbps (246-bit) in the, majority, DUBBED English language. The sync mismatches were obvious at times. I found the audio had fluctuations - no notable drops. There are minor effects in the film - mostly though the atmosphere is effective with the desirable trumpet / vibraphone-leaning jazz score - described as 'psych and dark jazz-funk' - by Roberto Nicolosi (Caltiki, Black Sabbath, Black Sunday, The Girl Who Knew Too Much). It adds a subtle atmosphere of mystery and sounds supported via the lossless. There are no subtitles offered and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

 

Extras :

Only a trailer and some other Code Red trailers.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I had never watched Eye in the Labyrinth but was, again, keen to see it as it's a bona-fide Giallo - part of our listing HERE. It's a shade disjointed but I liked Rosemary Dexter as Julie. It's sexy (a young Sybil Danning credited as 'Sybil Dunning') and mysterious - a very giallo-esque narrative with less style than many. However, it is unmistakably part of the genre. The bare-bones Code Red
Blu-ray seems the only way to see this effort in 1080P. A commentary would have been an appreciated addition though but I was simply interested in the film which is really advanced by the rich jazz score. I wouldn't call it a great flic but it's fairly hard to see and decent enough to re-watch one day.  Recommended to Giallo aficionados and completists! 

Gary Tooze

August 17th, 2017

 

About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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