The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection – Severin Films (Blu-ray/CD Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy, 1969 (Orgasmo, So Sweet... So Perverse), Italy, 1970 (A Quiet Place to Kill), Italy/Spain, 1972 (Knife of Ice)
Director: Umberto Lenzi (All Films)
Cast: Carroll Baker (All Films), Lou Castel, Colette Descombes, Tino Carraro, Lilla Brignone, Franco Pesce (Orgasmo), Jean-Louis Trintignant, Erika Blanc, Horst Frank, Helga Liné (So Sweet... So Perverse), Jean Sorel, Luis Dávila, Alberto Dalbés, Marina Coffa, Anna Proclemer, Hugo Blanco, Lisa Halvorsen, Manuel Díaz Velasco, Jacques Stany (A Quiet Place to Kill), Sergio Ciani, Ida Galli, Eduardo Fajardo (Knife of Ice)

Release Date: July 7th, 2020
Approximate Running Times: 97 Minutes (Orgasmo), 93 Minutes 24 Seconds (So Sweet... So Perverse), 95 Minutes 37 Seconds (A Quiet Place to Kill), 91 Minutes 35 Seconds (Knife of Ice)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (All Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian (All Films), DTS-HD Mono English (So Sweet... So Perverse, A Quiet Place to Kill, Knife of Ice), DTS-HD Mono English/Italian (Orgasmo)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free (So Sweet... So Perverse, A Quiet Place to Kill), Region A (Orgasmo, Knife of Ice)
Retail Price: $119.98

Orgasmo: "Carroll Baker stars as an American widow who arrives at her late husband’s luxurious Italian estate and surrenders to an orgy of ménages à trois, madness, and murder." - synopsis provided by the distributor

So Sweet... So Perverse: "a kinky retelling of Diabolique featuring lush Paris locations, trippy flashbacks, a swinging score by Riz Ortolani" - synopsis provided by the distributor

A Quiet Place to Kill: "Carroll Baker stars as a glamorous racecar driver entangled in a lurid affair with her ex-husband (Jean Sorel of Belle de Jour and A Lizard in a Woman's Skin), his wealthy new wife, and a twisted web of lust, murder and deception." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Knife of Ice: "a traumatized mute being stalked through the Spanish countryside by a black-gloved sex maniac who may be a member of a Satanic cult." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5 (Orgasmo), 4.25/5 (So Sweet... So Perverse, Knife of Ice), 4.5/5 (A Quiet Place to Kill)

Here’s the information provided about Orgasmo's transfer, "now scanned from the internegative of Lenzi’s Director’s Cut for the first time on Blu-ray."

Here’s the disclaimer about the director’s cut, “When Orgasmo was prepared for International distribution, around six minutes of footage was removed.

This footage was never dubbed into English, therefore when viewing the English audio option, these sequences are presented in Italian with English subtitles.”.

Orgasmo comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.9 GB

Feature: 24 GB (Director's Cut), 18.2 GB (U.S. Version)

The source used for this transfer looks clean, and any source-related debris is minimal. Though colors generally look good, black levels and image clarity leave plenty of room for improvement.

Here’s the information provided about So Sweet... So Perverse's transfer, "now fully restored in a new 2k scan from the original negative."

So Sweet... So Perverse comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29.5 GB

Feature: 23.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in very good shape. The colors look very good, the image looks crisp, and the black levels fare well. That said, some darker scenes have compression issues, and grain could have been handled better.

Here’s the information provided about A Quiet Place to Kill's transfer, "now scanned from the original camera negative for the first time ever in America."

A Quiet Place to Kill comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 28.7 GB

Feature: 23.8 GB

The transfer appears to come from the same source that X-Rated Kult Video and 88 Films used for their Blu-ray releases. The source used for this transfer is in great shape; the colors are nicely saturated, the flesh tones look correct, the image is clear, and the black levels look strong throughout. That said, there are a few darker scenes where the image clarity is not as convincing. It should be noted that Severin’s release has a fade to black with music ending, while the X-rated Kult Video release does not have the fade to black with music ending.

Here’s the information provided about Knife of Ice's transfer, "now scanned from the original camera negative for the first time ever in America."

Knife of Ice comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.3 GB

Feature: 22.9 GB

The transfer appears to come from the same source that Le Chat Qui Fume used for their Blu-ray release. The source used for this transfer is in great shape; the colors are nicely saturated, the flesh tones look correct, the image is clear, and the black levels look strong throughout. That said, there are a few darker scenes where the image clarity is not as convincing.

Audio: 4.25/5

Orgasmo comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in very good shape, and any imperfections are minimal. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, the score and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Italian dialog and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that when you switch the audio during playback, the subtitles have to be reset at the next chapter stop.

So Sweet... So Perverse comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in very good shape, and any imperfections are minimal. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, the score and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that when you switch the audio during playback, the subtitles have to be reset at the next chapter stop.

A Quiet Place to Kill comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. Also, the score and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that when you switch the audio during playback, the subtitles have to be reset at the next chapter stop.

Knife of Ice comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Though both audio mixes sound clean, the English language track is not as robust as the Italian language track. That said, dialog comes through clearly, and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that when you switch the audio during playback, the subtitles have to be reset at the next chapter stop.

Extras:

Extras for Orgasmo includes a postcard that contains track listing for Orgasmo’s score, US theatrical trailer (1 minute 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with director Umberto Lenzi titled Giallo Fever (11 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary is with film critic, author and academic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is for the director’s cut, an audio commentary is with film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth is for the US ‘X Rated’ version, and the US ‘X Rated’ version of Orgasmo (90 minutes 48 seconds, 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC, DTS-HD Mono English with removable English SDH subtitles).

Extras for So Sweet... So Perverse includes a postcard that contains the track listing So Sweet… So Perverse and A Quiet Place to Kill’s scores and Knife of Ice’s title track, English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Italian language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), Italian opening credits (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi titled Equilateral Triangle (5 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), a backstage chat with director Umberto Lenzi at The 1999 Nocturno Film Festival titled Lenzi’s Lenses (9 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Kat Ellinger, author of All The Colors of Sergio Martino. 

This disc has an Easter egg that can be accessed by clicking on the Severin logo on the disc’s menu. The Easter egg is a clip from German television that features onset footage of Carroll Baker from Harlow talking about working in Italy and a clip of her singing and dancing (7 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles).

Extras for A Quiet Place to Kill include an extended scene (10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), alternate clothed scene (26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Credits: Non Negative Effect (2 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), Credits: VHS Sourced (2 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi titled Equilateral Triangle (5 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), an interview with director Umberto Lenzi titled Sex and Conspiracy (10 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with author and film critic Samm Deighan. 

This disc has an Easter egg that can be accessed by clicking on the Severin logo on the disc’s menu. The Easter egg is a clip from Italian television that features onset footage from A Quiet Place to Kill (1 minute 2 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles).

Extras for Knife of Ice include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Italian openings credits (2 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an interview with Stephen Thrower, author of Nightmare USA titled Carroll and Umberto’s Final Stab (29 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an interview with Umberto Lenzi titled Until the Silence Screams (18 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Also included as part of this collection are two CDs: the first CD contains Orgasmo’s score, and the second CD contains So Sweet... So Perverse, A Quiet Place to Kill, and Knife of Ice’s title track.

Summary:

Orgasmo: Though Umberto Lenzi is most remembered as a "workmanlike" filmmaker who worked in whatever genre was popular at the time, he was ultimately a far more accomplished filmmaker than most of his contemporaries. Where many of his contemporaries fell into the trap of repeating former successes or mimicking other filmmakers. The same cannot be said about Umberto Lenzi when it comes to his thrillers. From Orgasmo (his first thriller) to Hitchhiker in the Dark, he rarely repeated himself.

And though Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace is widely regarded as the film that created the blueprint that countless Italian thrillers followed, there are a few Italian thrillers that bear little resemblance to Blood and Black Lace’s black-gloved killer who kills his victims in a spectacular way. Case in point: Orgasmo, a film that owes more to psychological thrillers than it does giallo cinema.

The narrative centers around a wealthy widow who relocates to Italy after her husband’s untimely death. Lonely and distraught, shortly after her arrival, she meets a young man who feeds her need for affection. From there, she becomes a slave to her desires, which ultimately cloud her judgment and put her in harm’s way.

The main attraction of Orgasmo is Carroll Baker (Baba Yaga) in the role of a wealthy widow named Kathryn West. Orgamso was only her second Italian film, and with Orgamso, you can see that she had already fully formed the type of character that would become synonymous with her Italian films.

Performance wise, the rest of the cast are all very good in their respective roles, especially Lou Castel (Fists in the Pocket) in the role of Peter Donovan, a narcissist sadist who preys upon Kathryn’s vulnerabilities, and Colette Descombes (Monika) in the role of Eva, Peter's step-sister and accomplice.

From a production standpoint, the premise is superbly realized, the well-executed narrative does a good job maintaining the mounting tension, and the finale provides a very satisfying coda to the events that have just unfolded. Also, Orgasmo does not have the violent set pieces that one has come to expect from Italian thrillers. Visually, there are an abundance of stylish moments that are dripping with tension. Ultimately, Orgasmo is a solid thriller that’s easily among Umberto Lenzi’s best films.

So Sweet... So Perverse: Content-wise, it’s not surprising that So Sweet... So Perverse bears a striking resemblance to The Sweet Body of Deborah. Both films were co-written by Ernesto Gastaldi and produced by Luciano Martino, and Carroll Baker is the star of both films. And both films use the equilateral triangle plot device. Henri-Georges Clouzot's Les Diaboliques" is another film that clearly influenced So Sweet... So Perverse.

The narrative revolves around a philandering husband, his neglected wife, and a mysterious woman who moves into the apartment upstairs. These three characters’ are part of a triangle that involves deception, seduction, and murder. And without giving too much more away about the plot, there are multiple moments of misdirection that keep characters’ motivations in the dark until the very last moment.

Though a film like So Sweet... So Perverse lacks the visceral murder set pieces that have become synonymous with giallo cinema, the result is actually a very satisfying thriller that does a great job maintaining tension. Another strength is how effectively So Sweet... So Perverse uses flashbacks to reinforce Nicole Perrier's, the mysterious woman who lives upstairs, repressed trauma.

So Sweet… So Perverse has a superb cast, and the cast members are very good in their respective roles, especially Carroll Baker (The Private Lesson) in the role of Nicole Perrier and Erika Blanc (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) in the role of Danielle Reynaud, the wife who’s trapped in a loveless marriage. Other notable cast members include Jean-Louis Trintignant (Death Laid an Egg) in the role of Jean Reynaud, the philandering husband, and Horst Frank (The Grand Duel) in the role of Klaus, Nicole’s sadistic lover.

From a production standpoint, there’s not an area where So Sweet... So Perverse does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, and the well-executed narrative gives key moments an ample amount of time to resonate. Also, setting this film in Paris is another plus, and the ever-reliable Riz Ortolani delivers another sensational score, which features music that he would recycle for Seven Blood-Stained Orchids. Ultimately, So Sweet... So Perverse is an extraordinary film that’s arguably one of Italian cinema’s best thrillers.

A Quiet Place to Kill: Umberto Lenzi is most remembered for the Cannibal and Crime films that he directed in the later part of his career. He spent the first decade of his career primarily directing Peplums, spy films, and a superhero adventure based around the character Kriminal. In 1969, Umberto Lenzi would enter his most artistic and critically acclaimed era of his career with the thriller titled Orgasmo. Over the next five years, Lenzi would direct a series of thriller-based films, including So Sweet... So Perverse, Paranoia (A Quiet Place to Kill), An Ideal Place to Kill, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, Knife of Ice, and Spasmo. Several of these thrillers featured actress Carroll Baker in the lead role.

The thrillers that Umberto Lenzi made up tell the story of 1970s paranoia and don’t pigeonhole themselves like so many thrillers from Italy that followed them would. His first three thrillers follow a more American-like blueprint that his later thrillers all but ignore, leading to fewer of them being imported for exhibition around the world. The level of violence in Paranoia (A Quiet Place to Kill) is tame compared to the thrillers that were released after the success of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, which also ushered in a more violent and misogynist era of thrillers in Italy. The level of paranoia and violence on screen is more in line, stylistically and visually, with the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Sex sells, and naturally, it has gotten more exploitative over the years, with each new Italian thriller trying to top the last one made. Umberto Lenzi’s first three thrillers, Orgasmo, So Sweet, So Perverse, and Paranoia (A Quiet Place to Kill), use nudity and sex scenes in place of the violent set pieces that have become synonymous with the Giallo films that he directed in the 1970s.

Visually, Paranoia (A Quiet Place to Kill) is an exquisite film to look at, with many superbly framed shots that add to the mood of the scene. The flawless pacing spreads out each new revelation for its greatest impact. One of the most impressive parts of Umberto Lenzi’s direction are the two car speeding sequences where Helen drives frantically down a long and winding mountain with very narrow roads. Another thing that Umberto Lenzi does very well is showcase Carroll Baker’s sex appeal with a shower scene and many moments where she wears nothing. The plot has several twists and an ending that poetically wraps up the events that have unfolded.

The protagonist, Helen, is a thrill seeker who became a race car driver after divorcing her husband. Her driving skills play an important role throughout the film. Actress Carroll Baker (The Sweet Body of Deborah) does a solid job as the demented ex-wife who, in her past, at one time tried to kill her husband Maurice. In the role of the ex-husband is actor Jean Sorel (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin), who during this time was a main fixture in the thriller genre in Italy. And Jean Sorel’s performance is in line with his other work within the genre. The remaining cast members are more than adequate in their roles, with no one's performance standing out as weak. One thing Italian thrillers almost always seem to have is memorable music. And the score for Paranoia was composed by Gregorio Garca Segura and Nino Rota (The Godfather). Ultimately, Paranoia (A Quiet Place to Kill) is a first-rate thriller that makes up for its lack of brutal killings with its intricate plot and Carroll Baker’s mesmerizing performance.

Knife of Ice: When one looks back on Italian genre cinema, names like Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and Lucio Fulci quickly come to mind. That said, despite Umberto Lenzi’s career as a director peaking in the 1970s, we can now reappraise his films from this period because of the DVD and Blu-ray formats.

Though Umberto Lenzi is widely regarded as a "workmanlike" filmmaker whose films lack the elements that are commonly associated with auteur filmmakers, He’s a rare exception of an Italian filmmaker who co-wrote or contributed ideas to his films screenplays. Needless to say, no matter what genre he worked in, there’s something undeniably Umberto Lenzi in all of his films.

Besides contributing to the screenplays, Umberto Lenzi was known as a hands-on director who ruled his sets with an iron fist. And though he worked with many cinematographers throughout his career, visually, his films always looked impeccable. Though his films contain well-executed set pieces. They rarely ever feature a visually stunning set piece that rivals his contemporaries Mario Bava or Dario Argento. That said, he always manages to craft films that have more depth than your typical genre film.

Content-wise, Knife of Ice isn’t your typical giallo film. It is devoid of onscreen carnage and copious amounts of nudity that have become synonymous with the giallo genre. Ultimately, Knife of Ice is more in line with a Spanish thriller like The Killer Is One of 13. Knife of Ice’s greatest strength is its effective use of flashbacks, which perfectly capture Martha’s fragile state of mind.

Carroll Baker’s (Baby Doll) extraordinary performance in the role of Martha Caldwell anchors Knife of Ice. Over the years, I have seen Carroll Baker in many films, and her performance in Knife of Ice is arguably one of her best. So much of the film relies on her performance; through her facial expressions and actions, she conveys more than words ever could. When compared to Carroll Baker, the rest of the performances are best described as mediocre.

Knife of Ice relies on the atmosphere that’s heightened by the locations used. In an early scene, the chauffeur stops the car because it is overheating, leaving Martha and Jenny in the car. The tension in this scene is heightened as we wait with the two women for the chauffeur to return as a fog engulfs the car. This scene sets the tone and stage for other similar moments that follow. Overall, though Knife of Ice breaks away from the traditional giallo formula, the result is an entertaining film in which Umberto Lenzi manages to keep things inventive and fresh.

Until recently, Umberto Lenzi and Carroll Baker’s four gialli collaborations were regulated to sub-par home video releases with atrocious audio and video presentations. Fortunately, these films are finally getting HD presentations that exceed all previous home video releases. That said, The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection is an excellent way to introduce you to these films and a must-buy for fans of giallo cinema, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer