The 10th Victim – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1965
Director: Elio Petri
Writers: Tonino Guerra, Giorgio Salvioni, Ennio Flaiano, Elio Petri, Ernesto Gastaldi
Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Elsa Martinelli, Salvo Randone, Massimo Serato, Milo Quesada, Luce Bonifassy, George Wang, Evi Rigano, Walter Williams, Richard Armstrong, Antonio Ciani, Jacques Herlin, Wolfgang Hillinger, Mickey Knox, Anita Sanders

Release Date: March 25th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 20 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"It is the 21st Century, and society’s lust for violence is satisfied by “The Big Hunt,” an international game of legalized murder. Players are selected at random by a computer and it is up to the “Hunter” to get his “Victim”—no matter what—and to do him in. The divine Ursula Andress (Dr. No), doing in her last victim with a cleverly concealed pair of pistols in her bra at a New York nightclub; and the dashing Marcello Mastroianni (8½), doing in his last victim by attaching sticks of dynamite to the spurs of his victim, a rider in a horse show, have been matched up against each other by the computer. These adversaries are to confront each other in the arena of the coliseum before the world’s television cameras for the kill of the century…but they find that love is the most dangerous game of all!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "2K Restoration from 2012".

The 10th Victim comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.5 GB

Feature: 29.6 GB

Though this release utilizes a 2012 restoration that Shameless Films applied for its 2014 release, it does not exhibit issues with scanner noise like that release or Blue Underground’s 2011 Blu-ray does. Besides scanner noise, another aspect where Kino Lorber’s release differs from the other two releases is its color timing, which at times exhibits a yellowish tint. When it comes to image clarity, black levels, and grain management, Kino Lorber’s release stands out as the clear winner.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 3.75/5 (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 tracks sound clean, clear, and well-balanced; the score and ambient sounds are effectively represented. That said, of these two audio tracks, the Italian language track sounds more robust. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include Italian theatrical trailer (2 minutes 23 seconds, DTS-HD mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles), U.S.theatrical trailer (1 minute 48 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a featurette by Roberta Licurgo with Paola Pegoraro Petri (Wife of Elio Petri) and Author/Film Historian Kim Newman titled Elio Petri - Subject for Further Research (28 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth, reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Other extras include trailers for Marriage Italian Style, Casanova '70, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, What's New Pussycat?, Alphaville, and Danger: Diabolik.

Summary:

The 10th Victim was co-written and directed by Elio Petri, whose other notable films include The Assassin (L'assassino), A Quiet Place in the Country, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, and Property Is No Longer a Theft. The 10th Victim is an adaptation of a story written by Robert Sheckley titled The Seventh Victim. 

The cinematographer on The 10th Victim was Gianni Di Venanzo, whose impressive filmography includes Il grido, Big Deal on Madonna Street, La note, L’eclisse, Federico Fellini’s 81/2, and Juliet of the Spirits. After The 10th Victim, Gianni Di Venanzo would only work on one more film before his untimely death at the age of 45.

The score for The 10th Victim was composed by Piero Piccioni, whose other notable scores include Duel of the Titans, The Lady Killer of Rome, La Commare Secca (The Grim Reaper), Contempt (the Italian and Spanish versions), The Nuns of Saint Archangel, and Story of a Cloistered Nun.

The narrative revolves around two characters, Marcello Polletti and Caroline Meredith, who are both participating in "The Big Hunt." Marcello is the hunted, while Caroline is the hunter in search of her 10th victim. She soon discovers that he is not as easy a target as her previous victims as he leads her around on a series of misadventures as he tries to figure out who she is and what she wants. This cat-and-mouse game that evolves between these two characters is the most enjoyable part of the film.

The cast of The 10th Victim is strong, led by Marcello Mastroianni's (8 1/2) performance as Marcello Polletti, a charismatic character who fits the type of character he was frequently cast to play. Cast in the role of Caroline Meredith, the other lead is Ursula Andress (Dr. No). Though she gives a good performance, one has to wonder if Ann-Margret, the original choice, would have been a better fit in the role of Caroline Meredith. Having said that, there is a scene with Ursula Andress that clearly inspired the Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery machine gun breast assassins.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The 10th Victim does not deliver and then some. The premise is superbly realized, the narrative does a great job building momentum, and a very satisfying finale provides the perfect climax. Also, The 10th Victim takes full advantage of the Rome locations in the film. All of the sets used are beautifully designed and realized. Ultimately, The 10th Victim is a highly entertaining farce that fans of Eurospy films and campy 1960s sci-fi cinema are sure to thoroughly enjoy.

Though the yellow tint is disappointing, Kino Lorber’s release represents an improvement in every other aspect, and for this reason, I recommend this release.

Written by Michael Den Boer