Nothing Underneath - Rustblade (Blu-ray)
Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1985
Director: Carlo Vanzina
Writers: Enrico Vanzina, Carlo Vanzina, Franco Ferrini
Cast: Tom Schanley, Renée Simonsen, Nicola Perring, Maria McDonald, Catherine Noyes, Paolo Tomei, Sonia Raule
Release Date: July 29th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 10 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Italian, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH, Italian, Spanish, German
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $26.95
"A killer is roaming the streets of Milan, using scissors to murder top models. A U.S. Park Ranger arrives in the city to protect his twin sister, only to realize she has disappeared." - synopsis provided by the distributor
Video: 4.25/5
Nothing Underneath comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.
Disc Size: 29.5 GB
Feature: 23 GB
No information is provided about this transfer's source; that said, it looks similar to Vinegar Syndrome’s 2021 Blu-ray release. Colors are nicely saturated, flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels look solid throughout, and grain remains intact.
Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Stereo English), 3/5 (Dolby Digital Stereo Italian)
This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in Italian. The stronger of these two audio tracks is the DTS-HD stereo English track, which is superior in every way. The DTS-HD stereo English track sounds fuller and more dynamic than the Dolby Digital stereo Italian track, which sounds flat. The English subtitles are actually English SDH, and they translate the English language track. Other subtitles include Italian, Spanish, and German; all subtitles are removable.
Extras:
Extras for this release include an stills gallery with music from the film, Italian-language theatrical trailer (1 minute 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian, no subtitles), English-language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), English-language opening and closing credits (5 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo), an in-depth analysis of Nothing Underneath by Francesco Lomuscio (7 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with composer Pino Donaggio (4 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), and an interview with screenwriter Enrico Vanzina (21 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles).
Summary:
It's difficult not to acknowledge Dario Argento’s influence when discussing the Giallo genre. And though the Gialli made during the 1970s bear a strong resemblance to the foundation laid by Dario Argento, his influence over Italian thrillers would be eclipsed by other filmmakers like Brian De Palma in the 1980s; case in point: Nothing Underneath.
Immediately, Nothing Underneath boldly wears its cinematic influences. Its premise has many striking similarities to Brian De Palma’s Body Double and other films directed by him. Another Brian De Palma connection is its score, which was composed by Pino Donaggio (who also composed Body Double’s score). In fact, the main music motif in Nothing Underneath is a slight variation of the song Telescope from Body Double. That said, there are an ample number of moments in Nothing Underneath that will have you feeling déjà vu.
Being that Nothing Underneath is a story that takes place in the world of fashion, it's not surprising how colorful the clothing and locations are. The look of Nothing Underneath has a pastel color scheme that’s synonymous with 1980s cinema. And of course, there’s an abundance of beautiful women scantily dressed/undressed.
From a production standpoint, Nothing Underneath is a slickly put-together film. The premise is well-executed, and the narrative does an excellent job of balancing mundane moments with stylish sequences where the killer strikes. Besides Pino Donaggio’s fabulous score, Nothing Underneath also features pop music like Murray Head's One Night in Bangkok and Gloria Gaynor's I Am What I Am. The performances suit the story at hand. The most memorable performance was by Renée Simonsen in the role of a model named Barbara. Ultimately, Nothing Underneath is one of the better 1980s Gialli not directed by Dario Argento.
This release's packaging is bilingual, in English and Italian. Nothing Underneath gets a first-rate release from Rustblade that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative interviews. Recommended.
Written by Michael Den Boer