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Two Males for Alexa (Bitterer Whiskey) – X-Rated Kult Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/Italy, 1971
Director: Juan Logar
Writers: Juan Logar, Francesco Campitelli, Jesús R. Folgar
Cast: Juan Luis Galiardo, Curd Jürgens, Rosalba Neri, Emma Cohen, Manolo Otero, Eduardo Calvo, Mario Della Vigna, Franco Marletta, Pilar Velázquez

Release Date: May 15th, 2017
Approximate Running Times: 85 Minutes 3 Seconds (Italian Theatrical Version), 86 Minutes 36 Seconds (Spanish Theatrical Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Both Versions)
Rating: FSK 12 (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono German (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English, German (Both Versions),
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP (Germany)

"Although young Alexa has married the banker Ronald, who is almost 30 years her senior, she lures young, potent men into extramarital affairs, which she even finances with his money. Catalina, Ronald's daughter, smells a rat and tries in vain to convince her father that his young wife Alexa is deceitful. When Alexa spends the night with her new lover in a lonely villa on the sea coast, a life-threatening situation arises. The intoxication of the senses turns into a death rush, which is only drowned out by the waves of the lonely sea coast!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Italian Theatrical Version), 4/5 (Spanish Theatrical Version)

Two Males for Alexa (Bitterer Whiskey) comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.9 GB

Feature: 23.8 GB (Italian Theatrical Version), 15 GB (Spanish Theatrical Version)

Quality-wise, the differences between these two versions are minimal. The source for these transfers is in excellent shape; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity is solid, black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian - Both Versions)

Both versions come with an Italian DTS-HD mono mix and a German DTS-HD mono mix. For this review, I only listened to the Italian-language tracks. Both Italian language tracks are in good shape, and dialog comes through clearly. That said, there are times when the score sounds noticeably louder than the dialog. Included are removable English and German subtitles for the Italian-language tracks.

Extras:

Extras for this release include alternate opening/closing credits (2 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), text less opening credits (1 minute 30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), B-roll footage (6 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an option to listen to music from the film (6 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), and an audio commentary with Gerd Nauman, Matthias Künnecke and Bodo Traber for the Italian theatrical version, in German, no subtitles.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slip cover and 16-page booklet with an essay titled Im Rausch Der Sinne Due Maschi Per Alexa (In the intoxication of the senses due machine for Alexa) written by Christopher Klaese (all text in the booklet is in German).

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

Summary:

When a wealthy older man learns that his much younger wife is having an affair, he comes to terms with this revelation by exacting his vengeance on his wife and her lover.

Two Males for Alexa (Bitterer Whiskey) was a Spanish-Italian co-production, and though it fits firmly within the thriller genre, the end result is a film that bears no resemblance to the Italian thriller genre.

The narrative executes the premise well and gives key moments sufficient time to resonate. Also, the use of flashbacks to flesh out the characters is one of the narrative strengths. And without giving away too much about the plot, outside of these aforementioned flashbacks, the majority of Two Males for Alexa (Bitterer Whiskey) takes place in one room.

The cast is all very good in their roles, especially Rosalba Neri’s (Top Sensation) portrayal of the protagonist. Her character, Alexa, is a woman who has married into wealth to give herself a better life, not for love. Other notable cast members are Curd Jürgens (And God Created Woman) in the role of Alexa’s husband, Ronald Marvelling; Juan Luis Galiardo (Inquisición) in the role of Alexa’s lover; and Emma Cohen (The Other Side of the Mirror) in the roles of Alexa’s classmate and Ronald’s daughter.

The visuals do a superb job reinforcing Alexa and her lover's state of mind as their fate sets in. The most memorable moment is the scene where Alexa’s husband reveals to Alexa and her lover their fate. Another exemplary moment is the finale, which provides a very satisfying coda. Ultimately, Two Males for Alexa (Bitterer Whiskey) is a solid Spanish thriller that fans of Italian thrillers should thoroughly enjoy.

Two Males for Alexa (Bitterer Whiskey) gets a strong audio/video presentation from X-Rated Kult Video.