Forgotten Gialli: Volume Five (A White Dress for Marialé/Tropic of Cancer/Nine Guests for a Crime) – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy, 1972 (A White Dress for Marialé), Italy/Haiti, 1972 (Tropic of Cancer), Italy, 1977 (Nine Guests for a Crime)
Directors: Romano Scavolini (A White Dress for Marialé), Giampaolo Lomi, Edoardo Mulargia (Tropic of Cancer), Ferdinando Baldi (Nine Guests for a Crime)
Cast: Evelyn Stewart, Luigi Pistilli, Ivan Rassimov, Pilar Velázquez, Carla Mancini (A White Dress for Marialé), Anthony Steffen, Anita Strindberg, Gabriele Tinti, Umberto Raho (Tropic of Cancer), John Richardson, Caroline Laurence, Massimo Foschi, Loretta Persichetti, Sofia Dionisio, Dana Ghia, Rita Silva, Venantino Venantini, Arthur Kennedy (Nine Guests for a Crime)

Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Approximate Running Times: 90 Minutes 21 Seconds (A White Dress for Marialé), 94 Minutes 56 Seconds (Tropic of Cancer), 91 Minutes 36 Seconds (Nine Guests for a Crime)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Nine Guests for a Crime), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (A White Dress for Marialé, Tropic of Cancer)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian (All Films), DTS-HD Mono English (Tropic of Cancer, Nine Guests for a Crime)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $89.98

A White Dress for Marialé: "When Marialé was a little girl, she witnessed her father murder her mother, along with an adulterous lover, before killing himself. Years later, Marialé has invited a group of friends over for a party at an isolated villa. As the festivities progress, an increased sense of debauchery and hedonism befalls the group, only for their perverse fun and games to be disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious killer, who begins dispatching the revelers in nasty fashion, all to cover up a secret buried deep in the past…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Tropic of Cancer: "Fred and Grace Wright are vacationing in Haiti in the hope of repairing their failing marriage when they run into an old friend, Dr Williams. Excited to share the news of his latest work, Williams explains that he has developed a powerful aphrodisiac which doubles as a hallucinogen. Intrigued by their friend's discovery, the couple quickly find themselves embroiled in a high stakes plot to steal the drug, all the while a mysterious killer (or killers) begins viciously doing away with anyone who gets too close to uncovering the truth about the formula." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Nine Guests for a Crime: "Nine members of an extremely rich and hateful family have decided to have a month-long reunion on a remote island in the Mediterranean. No sooner than their arrival, old grudges, resentments, and feuds make themselves known, along with allusions to some more macabre events in their past. But when their boats are torched, thus stranding them without any connection to the mainland, it becomes clear that someone is not willing to let old wounds heal, a fact made all the more clear as bodies start to pile up…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (A White Dress for Mariale), 4.25/5 (Tropic of Cancer, Nine Guests for a Crime)

Here’s the information given about the A White Dress for Marialé transfer, “Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative.”

A White Dress for Marialé comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

The source is in excellent shape. Color saturation, image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Disc Size: 41.8 GB

Feature: 24.5 GB

Here’s the information given about the Tropic of Cancer transfer, “Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative.”

Tropic of Cancer comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.2 GB

Feature: 27.4 GB

Though the source used for this transfer looks great. It should be noted that there are some minor instances of print debris, most notably in the opening credits. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Here’s the information given about the Nine Guests for a Crime transfer, “Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative.”

Nine Guests for a Crime comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.9 GB

Feature: 26.4 GB

Though the source used for this transfer looks great. It should be noted that the flashback sequence that opens that film does not look as good as the rest of the transfer. Also, there is another sequence later on where source damage flares up. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian - A White Dress for Mariale), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English - Tropic of Cancer, Nine Guests for a Crime)

A White Dress for Mariale comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian, and included are removable English subtitles.

The Tropic of Cancer and Nine Guests for a Crime each comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Also, each film comes with two subtitle options: removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

All of the audio mixes are in great shape. That said, quality-wise, the Italian and English language tracks are comparable. There are no issues with background hiss or distortion; dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced; ambient sounds and the score are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for A White Dress for Marialé include a French theatrical trailer (3 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a Italian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), deleted scenes (3 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian, no subtitles), an audio essay by film historian and critic Rachael Nisbet (16 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Ida Galli titled A White Dress For Evelyn (55 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an interview with director Romano Scavolini titled Forget This Movie (55 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Extras for Tropic of Cancer include a English language trailer (2 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a Italian language trailer (2 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), alternate English title sequences (3 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), outtakes (2 minutes 40 seconds, music from the film playing in the background), an audio essay by Rachael Nisbet (18 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with screenwriter/director Giampaolo Lomi titled Sex, Voodoo and Dictatorship (32 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Extras for Nine Guests for a Crime include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with Italian text, no subtitles), an audio essay by Rachael Nisbet (15 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with actor Massimo Foschi titled Giallo in Sardinia (26 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

It should be noted that, unlike the other Forgotten Gialli releases, this latest collection does not come with reversible cover art.

Summary:

A White Dress for Marialé: Directed by Romano Scavolini, who is most remembered for directing the 1980’s slasher film Nightmare. He would also serve as the cinematographer on A White Dress for Marialé.

There are two genres that A White Dress for Mariale draws inspiration from: the Italian thriller, which was already in decline by 1972, and the Gothic horror that all but launched horror cinema in Italy in the early 1960's. The most enduring Italian thrillers all have memorable opening sequences that set the tone, and these are sure to knock the wind out of even the most ardent Italian thriller fan.

The narrative contains many themes that Romano Scavolini would revisit throughout his career, most notably the everlasting effects of childhood trauma. Perhaps due to his documentary background, he presents the horrific events that unfold on the screen in a voyeuristic manner that not only involves the viewers but makes them unwitting participants. There is no shortage of atmosphere or picturesque moments of carnage in A White Dress for Marialé.

The remarkable score was composed by Bruno Nicolai, a frequent collaborator of the legendary Ennio Morricone. In his own right, Bruno Nicolai was a very accomplished composer who frequently worked with Jess Franco in the latter part of the 1960's and the first half of the 1970's. One criticism that has often followed Bruno Nicolai is how similar many of his scores sound. This is not the case with A White Dress for Marialé, which is arguably the most accomplished of his career, especially the main theme.

When it comes to casting, Italian cinema always somehow assembles a wide variety of recognizable faces. The cast for A White Dress for Marialé is anchored by performances from Ida Galli (The Case of the Scorpions Tale) in the role of the protagonist, a woman named Mariale, and Ivan Rassimov (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh) in the role of Massimo, one of two men who are vying for her affection. One performance of note is Luigi Pistilli (The Sweet Body of Deborah) in the role of Paolo, the other man in Mariale’s life. Ultimately, A White Dress for Marialé is a haunting exploration of the dangers of not coming to terms with one's past.

Tropic of Cancer: During the early 1970's, the Italian thriller genre was undeniably at the height of its popularity. The best examples of the genre offer up a satisfying mix of sex, murder, and operatic death sequences. And, while far too many filmmakers attempted to imitate the style that established Dario Argento as the dominant filmmaker working in this genre, every now and then, a film would come along that would go against the grain by putting a slight twist on the tried and true conventions of the genre. One such film that falls into this latter category is The Tropic of Cancer.

First off Tropic of Cancer is set in the exotic of Haiti, while the majority of Italian thrillers were set in Italy. And it is this change of venue that serves  story at hand greatly, since if it were to take place in the more familiar surroundings of Italy, the story would not be as engaging. In fact, to put it bluntly, the narrative is a mess that often throws logic out the window.

The stylish cinematography further bolsters the aforementioned exotic locales. With the standout moment being a hallucinatory sequence in which Anita Strindberg’s (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin) character glides down a corridor that is filled with naked men fondling her. Speaking of Tropic of Cancer’s leading lady, though her performance is not the type that is going to win any awards, the way in which she is photographed cements her place as an object of desire. Out of all the films that I have seen her in, Tropic of Cancer is without a doubt the most alluring she has ever looked.

Performance wise, there is no one performance that stands out above the rest. All the performances are not much more than a means to an end. The cast does, however, feature a few recognizable Euro-cult faces like Anthony Steffen (Arizona Colt Returns) and Gabriele Tinti (Emanuelle in America).

When it comes to Italian thrillers, one of the main draws is their death sequences. It is in this regard that this film does not come out smelling like roses. Since the majority of the kills lack the flair that one has come to expect from Italian thrillers. Ultimately, The Tropic of Cancer is a seductive concoction of sex, voodoo, and murder ripe for rediscovery.

Nine Guests for a Crime: From the start, it is clear that Nine Guests for a Crime is not going to be your run-of-the-mill film that follows the blueprint that countless other giallo films have followed almost to the fault. Sure, there are many things in Nine Guests for a Crime that have been established as staples of the genre, like red herrings, black-gloved killers, and the use of one primary location to reinforce the helplessness felt by the potential victims.

Beginning with a flashback to a young man on the beach with his lady, they are confronted by an angry mob out for blood. This enraged mob then pursues and murders this young man before burying him in the sand. Without giving away too much more, this is a key sequence that actually reveals more with each new viewing.

And though opening a giallo in such a revealing way may seem to take away the impact of the finale, this couldn’t be farther from the truth, since this opening taste of murder gives the viewer something to abide by while Nine Guests for a Crime goes off in a completely different direction for the remainder of the first act and middle act. It is not until the final act that it goes full on giallo as the bodies start piling up.

After the opening flashback and opening credits, Nine Guests for a Crime shifts more towards a melodrama as we are introduced to a decadent family with many vices. Most notably, a son who is sleeping with his father’s much younger wife, who has a past as a call girl. Over the course of the first hour, Nine Guests for a Crime does a superb job setting up who everyone is and what their vices are.

Visually, what is not to love about Nine Guests for a Crime? It takes full advantage of its beautiful island location and, more importantly, makes sure that all the female cast and their assets are exploited for all they are worth. Surprisingly, though there is only one kill until the final act, pacing never proves to be an issue as there is plenty of debauchery and other forms of entertainment on display. And when it comes to the kill scenes, they are all well executed and committed with different weapons.

Performance wise, one would be hard pressed to find any faults in any of this cast's performances. Nine Guests for a Crime features several well-known faces like John Richardson (Eyeball), Massimo Foschi (Last Cannibal World), Sofia Dionisio (Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man) and five-time Oscar nominated actor Arthur Kennedy (The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue) in the role of the patriarch of this decaying family. Ultimately, Nine Guests for a Crime is a solid thriller that giallo fans are sure to enjoy.

Forgotten Gialli: Volume Five is another solid release from Vinegar Syndrome that collects three films that have been widely available in English-friendly releases, gives them new transfers, and an assortment of extras that mirror most of the extras from these films' earlier English-friendly releases. highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer