The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970) - January 15, 2019

[MifuneFan]

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/...-photos-arrow/

Before the influence of Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage permeated every corner of the giallo genre, another strain of these distinctive Italian thrillers enjoyed considerable success. These “melodrama gialli”, heavily inspired by Clouzot’s Les diaboliques, relied less on graphic violence and high body counts and more on psychological tension.

Minou (Dagmar Lassander, Lucio Fulci’s The Black Cat) leads a pampered but dull life with her frequently absent husband, Peter (Pier Paolo Capponi, The Cat O’ Nine Tails). One night, while out walking on the beachfront, Minou is accosted by a mysterious blackmailer (Simón Andreu, Death Carries a Cane) who informs her that Peter is a murderer. Driven by misplaced loyalty to her husband, Minou gives in to the blackmailer’s every perverted whim in exchange for his silence. But as the blackmailer ups the ante, demanding that she submit to his increasingly obscene demands, can Minou hold on to what little remains of her sanity?

Written by the prolific Ernesto Gastaldi (Torso), infused with a seductive score by the great Ennio Morricone ( The Cat O’ Nine Tails ) and featuring a memorable turn by Nieves Navarro a.k.a. Susan Scott (Death Walks at Midnight) in the role of Minou’s best friend, The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion is a trippy giallo delight that brings together the talents of many of the genre’s leading lights on both sides of the camera.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
• Private Pictures, a newly-edited documentary featuring archival interviews with actress Nieves Navarro and director Luciano Ercoli, and new interview material with writer Ernesto Gastaldi
• The Forbidden Soundtrack of the Big Three, a new appreciation of the music of Forbidden Photos and 70s Italian cult cinema by musician and soundtrack collector Lovely Jon
• The Forbidden Lady , a Q&A with actress Dagmar Lassander at the 2016 Festival of Fantastic Films
  
• Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Twins of Evil

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Michael Mackenzie

The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion Original Trailer (Luciano Ercoli, 1970) - YouTube

[The Great Owl]

Excellent news!

[PowellPressburger]

Got my BLU from DiabolikDVD today.

The transfer in my eyes looks great. Watched it with the dubbed english track

Will be listening to Kat Ellinger’s audio commentary soon.

[kmhofmann]

Still waiting to get the Blu-ray, but this is proof that L'Immagine Ritrovata can deliver excellent work...
...as long as they STAY THE HELL AWAY from grading any film!

[captainron_howdy]

Awesome Giallo, Arrow did amazing work with this & the death walks set. Glad to have all 3 on Blu-Ray.

[DaylightsEnd]

This film is such a visually stunning work. The painstakingly selected color choices, set pieces, furnishings, outfits, sound track....this is a quintessential work in terms of the cinematography and aesthetics. Great directing and editing. The essence of late 60's fashion and style is beautifully captured. The transfer, encode, and color saturation on the blu ray are excellent as well. I can only imagine how fantastic this would be on 4k uhd.

[amputd]

Originally Posted by DaylightsEnd

This film is such a visually stunning work. The painstakingly selected color choices, set pieces, furnishings, outfits, sound track....this is a quintessential work in terms of the cinematography and aesthetics. Great directing and editing. The essence of late 60's fashion and style is beautifully captured. The transfer, encode, and color saturation on the blu ray are excellent as well. I can only imagine how fantastic this would be on 4k uhd.

I totally agree. One of my favorite Giallos. 4k is made for films like this.

[DaylightsEnd]

Originally Posted by amputd

I totally agree. One of my favorite Giallos. 4k is made for films like this.

With a respectful HDR pass and an FiM-level encode, this would be filmic as all hell in 4k. Has me drooling just at the thought. It's already oozing with style and class, but with rich, dense wcg, proper contrast, and accurate rendering of the grain, it could wind up being one of the handsomest Giallos on disc, assuming it gets done right. Sign me up.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by DaylightsEnd

With a respectful HDR pass and an FiM-level encode, this would be filmic as all hell in 4k. Has me drooling just at the thought. It's already oozing with style and class, but with rich, dense wcg, proper contrast, and accurate rendering of the grain, it could wind up being one of the handsomest Giallos on disc, assuming it gets done right. Sign me up.

Yeah I don't know why more giallo fans aren't talking about this one, because it pretty much checks all the boxes in my book. I've been a fan ever since I first got the old Blue Underground DVD back in 2006.

[LanceL]

Might haveta get this sometime.

[By_His_Strypes]

Originally Posted by LanceL

Might haveta get this sometime.

It's a good one! I saw this thread pop up and was thinking there might've been some 4k news. I highly recommend!

[LanceL]

Originally Posted by By_His_Strypes

It's a good one! I saw this thread pop up and was thinking there might've been some 4k news. I highly recommend!

Sorry. Just thinking about Arrow movies I don't own yet.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by LanceL

Sorry. Just thinking about Arrow movies I don't own yet.

By all means, get it. It's a dandy giallo, with a fine cast, interesting art direction, and a great score by Maestro Morricone. Plus, Arrow's transfer is excellent. How can you lose?

[LanceL]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

By all means, get it. It's a dandy giallo, with a fine cast, interesting art direction, and a great score by Maestro Morricone. Plus, Arrow's transfer is excellent. How can you lose?

I'll probably get it in the future. I won't have enough to get it during the sale from MVD this time around.

[Bravis Jacobson]

Is it gialli, or is it giallo?

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by Bravis Jacobson

Is it gialli, or is it giallo?

gialli is plural, giallo is singular

[LanceL]

I'm not quite an hour into this movie and I don't see any hallmarks of this being a giallo at all. Aren't gialli murder mysteries? Where's the murder and where's the mystery? Am I missing something?