The Cat in Heat – Cineploit (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1972
Director: Nello Rossati
Writer: Nello Rossati
Cast: Eva Czemerys, Silvano Tranquilli, Anthony Fontane, Renato Pinciroli, Ada Pometti

Release Date: October 7th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 52 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, German
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: 29,90 EUR

"Anna is a young, attractive woman who lives with her husband Antonio in a small Italian village. She leads a seemingly perfect life, but is secretly dissatisfied. When Massimo, a young painter, moves into the village, Anna is fascinated by him. She begins an affair with him that turns her world upside down. But passion comes at a high price. Anna's past catches up with her and she is caught up in a maelstrom of violence and murder. " - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Worldwide 2K Blu-Ray Premiere!"

The Cat in Heat comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.7 GB

Feature: 25.3 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, and image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid.

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

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian. The English and Italian language tracks are in great shape. There are no issues with background hiss or distortion. Dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English and removable German subtitles for the Italian language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (15 images - posters/home video art/soundtrack art), an introduction Mark Thompson Ashworth (5 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette with director Nello Rossati and set designer Toni Rossati titled Calling the Nurse; this extra originally appeared on NoShame Films The Sensual Nurse DVD (23 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English and German subtitles), an interview with Christian Kessler, who discusses The Cat in Heat (13 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), a double-sided poster with 2 Italian motifs, and a media book packaging that contains a 28-page booklet with a bio for composer Gianfranco Plenizio (text in German), an essay titled A Talent on His Journey Through the 1970s written by Udo Rotenberg (text in German & English), and archival images (international promo material and photos).

Additionally, this release includes multilingual menus in English and German.

Summary:

Nello Rossati directed The Cat in Heat. He’s known for The Nurse, Django Strikes Again, and Top Line. The Cat in Heat had two notable crew members: cinematographer Aristide Massaccesi (Joe D'Amato) and assistant director Lamberto Bava.

A businessman returns from a trip and finds a man's lifeless body in his front yard and his wife emotionally distraught inside their home.

Although The Cat in Heat incorporates many elements typical of the giallo genre, it ultimately resembles a psychological thriller that skillfully employs misdirection. Its opening setup does a phenomenal job drawing you into the story that unfolds, and a series of well-timed revelations keeps you engaged. That said, despite a lack of carnage, there is plenty of suspense and some mystery.

For a film that is dialog-driven and mostly takes place in one location, its narrative actually covers a lot of ground. The narrative relies heavily on flashbacks, which fill in backstory, notably the events that led up to the dead man lying in the front yard. The premise is superbly realized, pacing is never an issue, and an unforgettable ending serves as a perfect coda.

The two leads, Eva Czemerys (The Killer Reserved Nine Seats) and Silvano Tranquilli (Smile Before Death), who at that time were married in real life, portray a wife and husband. That said, their performances suit the story that unfolds. A performance of note is Renato Pinciroli, whose character, a caretaker who's always nosying around when characters are trying to conceal something, provides comic relief.

Known mostly for his work in comedy and erotica, Nello Rossati does an excellent job creating tense moments, most of which involve concealing a body. Two standout moments are a scene where the caretaker goes inside the dead man’s house and walks towards what appears to be someone hiding, and a tense finale where the couple are assisted by the caretaker in moving their car that’s stuck on something (they fear he will see the body they are hiding).

Despite being mostly in one location, the visuals are surprisingly stylish; they do an amazing job heightening the mood. For a film about a woman who seeks affection elsewhere when her husband neglects her, it is surprisingly light when it comes to erotic moments. Ultimately, The Cat in Heat resembles something closer to a Claude Chabrol thriller than a giallo.

The Cat in Heat gets an excellent release from Cineploit that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer