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The Slave – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1969
Director: Pasquale Festa Campanile
Writers: Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi, Renato Ghiotto
Cast: Rosanna Schiaffino, Haydée Politoff, Romolo Valli, Aldo Giuffrè, Daniela Surina, Gabriele Tinti, Karen Valenti

Release Date: September 9th, 2014
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A/Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: OOP

"Silvia (Haydee Politoff) is young, beautiful and rich. She has everything - except the bondage and humiliation she craves to fulfil her erotic yearnings. Margaret (Rosanna Schiaffino) is a legendary movie star who loves to wade thigh high in 10,000 lira bank notes - and who is only too happy to give Silvia what she wants.

In a strange, secluded house in Rome, the two women create a bizarre private world where Silvia’s fantasies become real, as Margaret turns her into a slave, a plaything of flesh, subject to the whims of an all powerful owner who can use her in any way she desires." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new transfer from film negative".

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

Disc Size: 22.9 GB

Feature: 20.1 GB

For a transfer that is now 10 years old, it still looks great. Flesh tones look correct, colors are appropriately vibrant, image clarity is solid, black levels are strong, compression is very good, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with non-removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a Mondo Macabro preview reel, a text based bio for actress Rosanna Schiaffino, a text based bio and filmography for actress Haydée Politoff, a text based bio and filmography for director Pasquale Festa Campanile, a text based bio for composer Piero Piccioni, a text piece about The Slave, an interview with film critic Roberto Curti (27 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with Justin Harries of Filmbar 70 on Italian genre cinema (19 minutes 9 seconds).

Also, when accessing the filmographies, there are trailers and film clips for these films: The Collector, Interrabang, Queens of Evil, Hector the Mighty, Count Dracula's Great Love, The Human Factor, The Libertine, Con quale amore, con quanto amore, When Women Had Tails, When Women Lost Their Tails, Soldier of Fortune, Hitch-Hike, The Girl from Trieste, and Bingo Bongo.

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

Summary:

Pasquale Festa Campanile directed The Slave. He is also known for directing other films, such as The Libertine and Hitch Hike. He also worked extensively as a screenwriter, and some of his notable screenwriting credits include The Assassin and The Leopard. Another title that The Slave is also known under is Check the Queen, a direct translation of the Italian language title Scacco alla regina.

Unable to fulfill her erotic desires, a young, attractive woman named Silvia, who comes from a wealthy family, takes on a job that requires her to be submissive.

Though the main premise revolves around a young woman's exploration of her sexual fantasies, When it comes to sexual content, The Slave is actually rather tame. And outside of a few moments of naked flesh, there really are no sustained moments of eroticism. That said, the lack of naked flesh is intentional since The Slave is a film that is more rooted in the psychological aspects of its protagonist's mind. She is trying to break free of the boredom of reality and ultimately achieve that ecstasy that, so far, she has only been able to obtain in her fantasies.

When discussing The Slave, one must not overlook the role that the exquisite visuals play. There are no throw-away moments; every inch of every frame is perfectly composed. Some of the most notable moments are the spellbinding dream sequences, which have a tremendous amount of atmosphere; the scene where one Silvia pretends to be a statue; and the finale, in which Silvia must finally choose if she wants to be free or continue to be a slave to her desires. Made at the tail end of the 1960s, The Slave has a vibrant look that is synonymous with the decor in other similar-themed films from this era of European cinema. And its lush production design helps reinforce the decadent behavior that runs rampant throughout The Slave.

The most surprising aspect of this production was just how great the entire cast was in their respective roles. The most memorable performance comes from Rosanna Schiaffino (The Killer Reserved Nine Seats) in the role of Margaret Mevin, a domineering movie star who takes Silvia under her wing. Haydée Politoff's (Dracula’s Great Love) portrayal of Silvia is another standout performance. These two actresses have a strong chemistry, and the scenes that they are in together are easily the most compelling. Also, the cast has several recognizable faces, like Romolo Valli (Duck You Sucker) and Gabriele Tinti (Emanuelle in America).

From a production standpoint, The Slave is a film that maximizes its resources and accomplishes its goals. Its premise is superbly realized, and a meticulously laid-out narrative does a phenomenal job of maintaining momentum. Another area where The Slave excels is the Piero Piccioni (Camille 2000) superlative score, which perfectly underscores the mood. Ultimately, The Slave is a solid successor to Pasquale Festa Campanile’s similar-themed The Libertine.

The Slave gets a solid release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.