The Strangler - Altered Innocence (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1970
Director: Paul Vecchiali
Writer: Paul Vecchiali
Cast: Jacques Perrin, Julien Guiomar, Eva Simonet, Paul Barge, Jacqueline Danno, Hélène Surgère, Katia Cavagnac, Sonia Saviange, Jean-Pierre Miquel, Nicole Courcel

Release Date: January 30th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $37.98

"The Strangler centers on Émile (Jacques Perrin, The Young Girls of Rochefort), a handsome young man targeting women he believes are too depressed to go on living. As multiple women fall to Émile’s suffocating white scarf, inspector Simon Dangret, the detective assigned to track down the killer, resorts to seriously unorthodox and even unethical methods to get his man with the assistance of Anna, a beautiful woman who believes herself to be a potential victim." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

The Strangler comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23 GB

Feature: 21.9 GB

Though no information is provided about this transfer source, it is in excellent shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, image clarity and contrast are solid, black levels are strong, compression is very good, and grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles and removable Spanish subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a newly created trailer (1 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with non-removable English subtitles), a video essay by Alexandra-Heller Nicholas titled Lost Boys and Sad Girls (15 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 2,000 units).

Other extras are trailers for She Is Conann, Stielke, Heinz, Fifteen, Irreversible, and The Wounded Man.

Summary:

Directed by Paul Vecchiali, whose other notable films are La Machine, Drugstore Romance, and At the Top of the Stairs.

The narrative revolves around a psychopath who murders lonely women.

The Strangler is a French thriller that is heavily influenced by the giallo genre. Its opening pre-credits sequence revolves around a young boy who witnesses a woman being strangled with a scarf. This key moment of trauma defines the protagonist and sets in motion the events that follow. Also, the use of past trauma is one of the more commonly used elements in the giallo genre. Another clear influence is French fantastique cinema, which reached its apex in the 1970s.

The most surprising aspect of The Strangler is how great the performances are, especially by Jacques Perrin (Cinema Paradiso) in the role of Émile, an unbalanced young man who sees himself as a conduit who performs mercy killings. Though his performance can be seen as restrained, he provides just the right amount of emotion. Another performance of note is by Julien Guiomar (Property Is No Longer a Theft) in the role of a detective who has met and is aware of Émile’s activities.

Though The Strangler delves into dark subject matter, there is also a surprising amount of humor, albeit dark humor. Some of the humor comes from the detective's passiveness when it comes to stopping Émile, while most of the humor comes from a character who steals from the recently murdered women. That being said, all of the humor is situational.

From a production standpoint, The Strangler is a film that maximizes the sum of its parts. The premise is well executed, a deliberately paced narrative does a superb job building tension, and an excellent ending provides a perfect coda. Not to be overlooked are the visuals, which are overflowing with style. Also, though there are numerous moments where women are strangled, these are not the only acts of ultraviolence that unfold in The Strangler. There is a montage of violence where Émile witnesses a woman being gang raped, a man attacking another man while welding a machete, and some other moments of carnage. Ultimately, The Strangler is a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience unlike anything that has come before or since.

The Strangler gets a first-rate release from Altered Innocence that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an informative video essay, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer