The Bloodstained Butterfly – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany, 1971
Director: Duccio Tessari
Writers: Gianfranco Clerici, Duccio Tessari
Cast: Helmut Berger, Giancarlo Sbragia, Ida Galli, Silvano Tranquilli, Wendy D'Olive, Günther Stoll, Wolfgang Preiss, Lorella De Luca

Release Date: August 22nd, 2016 (UK), August 23rd, 2016 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 8 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"When a young female student is savagely killed in a park during a thunderstorm, the culprit seems obvious: her lover, TV sports personality Alessandro Marchi (Giancarlo Sbragia, Death Rage), seen fleeing the scene of the crime by numerous eyewitnesses. The evidence against him is damning… but is it all too convenient? And when the killer strikes again while Marchi is in custody, it quickly becomes apparent that there's more to the case than meets the eye…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "All restoration work was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan with a wetgate and was graded on Digital Vision's Nucode Film Master.

Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratches were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Overall image stability and instances of density fluctuation were also improved."

The Bloodstained Butterfly comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 25.1 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image retains an organic look. That said, there are some darker moments where black levels and contrast are not as convincing as they should be.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes are in very good shape; the dialog is always clear, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it needs to, especially the score. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction with actor Helmut Berger (1 minute 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a promotional image gallery (posters/stills), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), Italian language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Lorella De Luca titled Me and Duccio (8 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Helmet Berger titled Mad Dog Helmet (17 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Ida Galli aka Evelyn Stewart titled A Butterfly Named Evelyn (54 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a video essay by author Troy Howarth titled Murder in B-Flat Minor (26 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman. reversible cover art, and a 32-page booklet (first pressing only) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Perversion Story: A Brief Introduction to the Italian Giallo written by James Blackford, an essay titled Baroque and Roll: The Film Music of Gianni Ferrio written by Howard Hughes, an essay titled Breaking the Fourth Wall in the Bloodstained Butterfly written by Leonard Jacobs and information about the restoration.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

The Bloodstained Butterfly is one of three exceptional gialli directed by Duccio Tessari. The other two films are Death Occurred Last Night and Puzzle. Other notable films that he directed include A Pistol for Ringo, The Return of Ringo, and Tony Arzenta.

When a young woman is murdered in the park, law enforcement collects an overwhelming amount of evidence that leads them to their suspect. On trial and now in custody, two witnesses to the original girl’s death were also murdered. Do the police have the right man? Does he have an accomplice, or is there something more sinister going on?

Though there are many elements in The Bloodstained Butterfly that one would associate with the giallo genre, the result is easily one of the more unique films to emerge from the giallo genre. One of its major differences is that the investigation to find the killer is completed in the first act, and the middle act is spent with the suspected killer on trial. And by the time the final act rolls around, a few more bodies turn up. Before everything comes to a head with a jaw-dropping ending,

The narrative is meticulously constructed, and pacing is never an issue, as The Bloodstained Butterfly does a superb job letting each new revelation fully reach its maximum impact. Another strength of The Bloodstained Butterfly is its ability to keep the majority of the cast in play in regards to who the killer is. And just when it appears that the killer has been unmasked, a few well-timed moments of misdirection are thrown in for good measure for the final act.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is great in their respective roles. This film’s standout performance comes from Helmut Berger (The Damned) in the role of an accomplished concert pianist named Giorgio. Another performance of note is Giancarlo Sbragia (Equinox) in the role of Alessandro Marchi, the man on trial for murdering the woman in the park.

From a production standpoint, there is not a single area where The Bloodstained Butterfly is lacking. One of its stronger assets is its visuals and how they play a role in the story at hand. Also, for a film that has many standout moments visually, no moment stands out more than the initial murder of the young woman in the park. Ultimately, The Bloodstained Butterfly is a solid example of the Giallo in its golden age.

The Bloodstained Butterfly gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer