Firstly, a HUGE thanks to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential. We are always trying to expand Patron benefits... you get access to the Silent Auctions and over 10,000 unpublished screen captures (in lossless PNG format, if that has appeal for you) listed HERE. Please consider helping with $3 or more each month so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you so much. We aren't going to exist without another 100 or so patrons.


 

Search DVDBeaver

 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Doctor in the Nude" or "Shock Treatment" or "Shock!" or "Island of the Damned")

 

Directed by Alain Jessua
France / Italy 1973

 

French film legends Alain Delon (PURPLE NOON, LE SAMOURAÏ) and Annie Girardot (ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS, THE PIANO TEACHER) star in the 1972 thriller from writer/director Alain Jessua (ARMAGUEDON, THE DOGS) that became a cause célèbre of international cinema.

When a career woman (Girardot) checks into the exclusive seaside clinic of a doctor (Delon), famed for his unorthodox rejuvenation treatments, she'll discover a nightmare of bourgeois depravities, medical atrocities and the eye-popping full-frontal nudity that sparked worldwide headlines. Robert Hirsch (HIVER 54, L'ABBÉ PIERRE), Michel Duchaussoy (MESRINE) and Jeanne Colletin (EMMANUELLE) co-star in this "political allegory fashioned as horror story" (Time Out).

***

Feeling at a dead end in life, Hélène Masson, the 38-year-old unmarried owner of a fashion business, books into the private clinic of Dr Devilers on the Brittany coast. Most of the workers, she notices, are unskilled Portuguese men who do not seem healthy, as they are prone to fainting. The clinic's regime for its wealthy clients, all regulars, is centred round fresh cell therapy. Her friend Jérôme, who recommended the place but can no longer afford the hefty fees, warns her that the injections are addictive. Next day he is found dead at the foot of the cliffs, an incident the police inspector considers suicide.

Excerpt from Wikipedia located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 18th, 1973

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: Severin - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Bonus Captures:
Distribution Severin - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:27:08.097         
Video

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 45,115,427,842 bytes

Feature: 27,029,680,128 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.00 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio French 2056 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2056 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

DUB:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 2015 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2015 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles English (SDH), English (French audio translation), None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Severin

 

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 45,115,427,842 bytes

Feature: 27,029,680,128 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.00 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Alain Jessua - The Lone Deranger - Interview with Bernard Payen, Curator at The Cinémathèque Française (20:13)
 • Koering's Scoring - Interview with Soundtrack Composer René Koering (23:43)
 • Director's Disorder - Interview with Director Alain Jessua (9:51)
 • Drumrunning - René Koering Commentary on Three Sequences (8:19)
 • Trailer (1:44)


 Blu-ray Release Date: October 27th, 2020
 Black Blu-ray Case

Chapters 10

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Severin Blu-ray (November 2020): Severin have transferred Alain Jessua's Shock Treatment to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from as "scanned uncut in 2k from the original interpositive". It looks fairly consistent, a bit dull and there is some texture. Many close-ups show pleasing detail. There is less frequent depth. Contrast is not at premium levels but with a max'ed out bitrate, we presume it is a fair replication of the source used.  

NOTE: We have added 74 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Severin use DTS-HD Master dual mono tracks (24-bit) in both the original French language (with some Portuguese) or an English DUB (NOTE: the Portuguese is not DUB'ed). There aren't an abundance of effects and a score by René Koering (with Alain Jessua) - his first film composure credit, addressed in the extras. Severin offer optional English (SDH) and Frecnh-translated subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Severin Blu-ray offer a few supplements. There is a 20-minute interview with Bernard Payen, curator at The Cinémathèque Française entitled "Alain Jessua - The Lone Deranger" discussing how his career evolved. We also get 24-minutes interview with composer René Koering who details how it was constructed and his favorite parts. Director's Disorder is a 10-minute interview with Alain Jessua and Drumrunning has Koering dissecting the musical cues in three sequences. Lastly, there is a trailer and the package has reversible cover art (see below).

Alain Jessua's Shock Treatment is an odd and creepy thriller with a long fuse. I liked the slow build and drawn-out suspense although felt it was not always realized to its greatest effect. We get the idea fairly early on that this 'Spa' has dark secret. The Severin Blu-ray gave me a solid presentation of a film that I had not seen before of a director I was also not aware. Delon and Girardot certainly give Shock Treatment a leg-up and for fans of 70's Euro-thriller (it may be a stretch to call it a 'horror'), it's probably worth a spin considering their effective participation.

Gary Tooze

 

Menus / Extras

 

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

 

English Subtitle Samples - SDH and French translations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 
Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Bonus Captures:
Distribution Severin - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

Search DVDBeaver

 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

Hit Counter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive:

 CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Gary Tooze

Thank You!