TORSO

The synopsis below is a minor modification of that which was used for the review of the Shameless DVD release a while back:

Beneath yellow titles, two perfectly toned young females cavort nakedly with an unseen third person. The threesome is caught several times by the flash of a camera, but the images caught on its film are softened to obscure our knowledge of just who this act involves. It will, after all, prove to be a vital clue in Sergio Martino's (MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD; THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL) classic giallo.

The focus then shifts to an Italian university, where Franz (John Richardson, THE CHURCH; EYEBALL) is addressing a hall full of bored hippyish students. As his seminar ends, the students rush out onto the cobbled streets and we meet foreign exchange student Jane (Suzy Kendall, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE; SPASMO) and her foxy teenaged friends - one of whom is getting hassle from an estranged boyfriend.

This latter point becomes more significant when a pretty student and her beau are killed while making out in their car one evening, and a funky scarf is left at the scene of the crime. You see, the disgruntled ex-boyfriend has been spotted wearing an identical scarf! Oh, hang on, so does slimy lecturer Franz. As do plenty of the local students, and so on. As a red herring, the idea of the scarf suggesting possible suspects is an entertainingly feeble conceit...

But where Martino's film struggles in its amusing attempts at establishing a host of potential assassins, it does offer loads of ambience with prolonged shots of misty woodlands (the stalking and eventual killing of a stoner chick lost among the trees is the film's cinematic highpoint) and a wonderful flute-led Goblin-esque score. Let�s not forget, either, the eroticism of the victims before, during and even after their victimisation: this is heavy allegorical stuff, if you�re willing to look that deep into it.

If not, TORSO makes little sense and is full of holes. It's the usual giallo guff, only weaker: a bunch of nubile young ladies are being killed off, there are plenty of would-be suspects with hidden pasts and occasional flashbacks that eventually will form together to reveal why the killer has now decided to follow their murderous urges.

Just to numb the brain even further, Martino shifts the action in the final third to a remote villa set at the top of a hill overlooking the village. This is where the students - one of them now injured and effectively bed-ridden (!) - are completely at the mercy of the psychopath waiting outside. It's strictly by-the-numbers fare - and you'll guess the killer's identity long before Martino clumsily volunteers it.

But Martino pulls this off thanks to a more-blatant-than-most focus on the correlation between sex and death, and a succession of well-executed set-pieces. As mentioned, the stoner-in-the-woods scene is masterfully shot for maximum atmosphere (and we get bare breasts thrown in gratuitously, which is always a plus).

Elsewhere, there's a nifty car chase which is cut short when the vehicle�s target is cornered and smashed graphically against a wall several times; a primitive yet curiously effective eye-poking (another visual clue to the murderer's deep-rooted psychosis); Kendall trembling with fear as she watches from her hiding place while the killer dismembers her friends with a hacksaw; the tense final fifteen minutes as one student barricades herself in her bedroom while the murderer closes in.

For these reasons, coupled with the sterling cinematography, scenic Italian locations and memorable score, TORSO works as deceptively dim but gripping entertainment. Ernesto Gastaldi's (ALMOST HUMAN; GAMBLING CITY) screenplay is low on logic but big on Catholic metaphor: Martino understands it perfectly.

Part of the credit must also go to Kendall and Richardson though, who carry the film with sincere performances that ensure likeable leads and even manage to pull off an unlikely romance between their characters.

Blue Underground introduces TORSO to blu-ray on a region-free 50GB disc and the results are hugely satisfying.

First off, we get two versions of the film: the English-language International version (which most will be familiar with) and the Italian language director�s cut. Both are full uncensored versions, presented in 1080p HD with 16x9 enhanced 1.85:1 transfers.

The English version is 3 minutes shorter than the director�s cut, but both are uncut in terms of nudity and violence. Any additional footage in the latter is made up of inconsequential extended storyline scenes (basically, scenes that were never dubbed for International audiences).

The former looks absolutely superb. It�s vibrant, fresh and blessed with a surprising amount of depth for the most part. Occasional softness can�t dampen the pleasure from seeing TORSO look so smooth, so clear and so vivid. Minor grain is there, but barely registers � such is the potency of this new transfer�s clarity.

The Italian language version looks pretty much the same, save for some wobbling film stock in the opening frames and a marginally less impressive rendering of the aforementioned stoner chick�s demise (I spied some ghosting here).

Conversely, I reckon the Italian language print demonstrated a clearer audio playback than the ever so slightly muffled English language counterpart (both are mono DTS-HD Master Audio mixes). You can�t have it all ways, I suppose.

Subtitles are optional on both versions of the film. They�re well-written and easy to read. The English translation on both versions is different (as it should be). We also get Spanish and French subtitles for the English version of the film.

An animated main menu page leads into pop-up menus that allow you to choose either cut of the film. Extras and scene-selection (18 chapters) are the same for each version.

Bonus features begin with an optional 2-minute video introduction to the film from Eli Roth. This isn�t listed as an extra on the cover. He comes across well and sounds sincere about liking the film ... but he keeps mentioning how the killer rapes their victims. Really?!

"Murders In Perugia" is an all-new 11-minute interview with Martino, which finds the great man talking generously about the film and his career around that time. There�s a priceless piss-take of the TORSO retitling, come the end of this enjoyable featurette.

From there, we get the original US opening credits (tacky, interesting; really worn).

Two TV spots and a single radio spot are welcome additions too. Even better are three original theatrical trailers: the US, International and Italian variants. They don�t differ too much, but are great fun of the psychedelic form regardless.

And, in what may be a first for Blue Underground�s blu-ray catalogue (?), they�ve deemed the posters and stills gallery as fit for inclusion here. As a fan of these, this is minor cause for further celebration for me.

The cover�s nice too, and the reverse of it boasts an attractive reproduction of the film�s late skinny-dipping scene. Sweet.

TORSO is one those exceptional gialli that gets better each time you view it. I now officially love it. My appreciation is in no small part enhanced by the fact that Blue Underground�s superb blu-ray brings out all the colour and flamboyance that I previously hadn�t seen. If you like this film, this is an essential purchase.

Also available on DVD, albeit with the English language version only.

Review by Stuart Willis