The Glass Ceiling – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1971
Director: Eloy de la Iglesia
Writers: Antonio Fos, Eloy de la Iglesia
Cast: Carmen Sevilla, Dean Selmier, Patty Shepard, Emma Cohen, Fernando Cebrián, Encarna Paso, Rafael Hernández

Release Date: May 27th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 95 Minutes 23 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $99.95 (only available as part of House of Psychotic Women: Rarities Collection Volume 2)

"When her husband leaves on a business trip, a frustrated housewife begins to obsess over unfamiliar noises in their apartment building and suspects that an upstairs neighbor has committed murder." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "now scanned in 4K from the original camera negative."

The Glass Ceiling comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.8 GB

Feature: 28.1 GB

The majority of the source appears to be in excellent condition, except for a noticeable instance of damage occurring at 76 minutes and 32 seconds. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and contrast are solid, black levels are strong, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Although both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, the Spanish language track sounds more robust. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate scenes from TV version (1 minute 1 second, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Judith Chapman titled Connected at the Soul—Patty Shepard as Remembered by Her Sister (16 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women (6 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Shelagh Rowan-Legg, author of a forthcoming monograph on director Eloy De La Iglesia, and Faculty of Horror's Alexandra West, and a short film directed by Agustí Villaronga titled Anta mujer (26 minutes 26 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles.

Anta mujer: A voice guides a woman seeking sanctuary, and if she achieves five portents, a secret will be revealed to her.

Summary:

Eloy De La Iglesia directed The Glass Ceiling. He's known for The Cannibal Man, No One Heard the Scream, Murder in a Blue World, The Creature, and El pico.

A woman whose husband is often away on long trips hears footsteps that sound like her upstairs neighbor's husband. When she inquires about what she’s heard, her neighbor insists that she was all alone and no one visited her. She is not satisfied with what she’s been told, and when things do not add up, she digs deeper into what’s going on, suspecting her neighbor murdered her husband.

The Glass Ceiling is the first of three successive psychological thrillers directed by Eloy de la Iglesia; the other films are The Cannibal Man and No One Heard the Scream. The protagonist is in a central location where they are mostly isolated from others and their state of mind gradually deteriorates in all of these films. Two films that might have influenced Eloy de la Iglesia’s The Glass Ceiling are Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window and George Cukor's Gaslight.

The Glass Ceiling relies not so much on what you see, but on what you hear. While there are occasional visual clues that connect with the sounds profoundly impacting the protagonist, they do not clearly indicate whether she is losing her mind or if someone is attempting to drive her to the brink. That said, The Glass Ceiling’s greatest power is putting you into its protagonist’s state of mind.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Carmen Sevilla (Beatriz) in the role of Marta, a housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Marta, like her character Elisa from No One Heard the Scream, suffers through a similar crisis. Patty Shepard (The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman) portrays Marta’s upstairs neighbor, Julia. Emma Cohen (The Cannibal Man) portrays Rosa, a flirtatious farmer’s daughter who delivers milk to the residents of Marta’s building. Both performances are noteworthy and contribute significantly to the film.

The Glass Ceiling is not a film that relies on shocks as much as it does on atmosphere. The premise, a bored housewife with too much time on her hands, is perfectly executed, and the narrative does a superb job building momentum to its exemplary finale that puts everything into focus. While the visuals mostly let the character be the focal point, throughout there is an ample amount of symbolism, notably when it comes to moments that are internal thoughts. An area where the visuals are striking is its use of juxtaposing images and sounds for a desired effect. Ultimately, The Glass Ceiling is an extraordinary psychological thriller, making it a must-see for fans of Spanish gialli.

Severin Films gives The Glass Ceiling an exceptional release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer