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

Top Line – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1988
Director: Nello Rossati
Writers: Roberto Gianviti, Nello Rossati, Massimo Giuliani
Cast: Franco Nero, Deborah Moore, Mary Stavin, William Berger, Shirley Hernandez, Larry Dolgin, Robert Redcross, Rodrigo Obregón, Steven Luotto, George Kennedy

Release Date: August 13th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 91 Minutes 54 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Down and out author Ted Angelo (Franco Nero - Django) finds a U.F.O. while searching a cave for treasure. When he tries to warn the media, he soon becomes hunted by various clandestine organizations, but with the help of his new friend, June (Deborah Moore - Warriors of the Apocalypse), they search for the truth while evading certain death. Have the Aliens taken over the world? I want to believe!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2K restoration from the negative."

Top Line comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.5 GB

Feature: 27.5 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 3.5/5 (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. Though both tracks sound clean, the Italian language track sounds fuller than the English language track. That said, dialog comes through clearly enough to follow on both audio tracks. Included are English subtitles for the Italian language track and English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that subtitles can only be chosen via the audio setup menu, and they cannot be turned off while watching the main feature. Also, you cannot toggle between the two audio options while watching the main feature.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, an interview with parapolitics researcher Robert Skvarla titled Alien Terminated: The Alien theories of Top Line (12 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Eugenio Ercolani titled The Strange Case of Ted Archer (33 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Franco Nero titled Black Top! (22 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary by film historian Eric Zaldivar including audio interviews from cast members, Deborah Moore and Robert Redcross, with additional insight on Italian cult films with actors Brett Halsey and Richard Harrison.

Extras not carried over from the limited edition release for this standard edition release include a double sided poster, a booklet and a slipcase.

Summary:

Directed by Nello Rossati, whose other notable films are The Nurse and Django Strikes Again.

An author who accidentally discovers a UFO while living in Columbia finds himself in danger when he tries to expose the truth.

What is Top Line? Is it a spy film, an adventure film, or a sci-fi? It's all of the above. Though Top Line is a film that jumps from one genre to the next, it does it in such a way that you never notice these shifts. That said, Top Line is arguably one of the more unusual melting pots of genre mixing that you will ever see.

The opening 20 minutes lay the foundation for what follows by establishing all the key characters. Despite things starting off mundane enough, once the protagonist comes across the UFO, things veer into the unconventional. And when it comes to pacing, though things move along briskly, key moments are given an ample amount of time to resonate.

Franco Nero (Django), who was in his third decade as a leading man, looks amazing for someone in their late 40s. He delivers a solid performance in the role of the protagonist, who constantly finds himself in danger. Other notable cast members are William Berger (Keoma) and George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke), who make brief but memorable appearances.

From a production standpoint, despite there being a few areas where things do not come together as well as they should have, the result is a film that is always entertaining. Though there are ample moments for Franco Nero to show off his action movie skills, most of these are moments where his character is in peril. Ultimately, Top Line is a flawed film that works as well as it does because of Franco Nero’s performance and its out-of-this-world finale.

Top Line gets a solid release from Cauldron Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Nurse – Shameless Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1975
Director: Nello Rossati
Writers: Claudia Florio, Roberto Gianviti, Nello Rossati, Paolo Vidali
Cast: Ursula Andress, Duilio Del Prete, Mario Pisu, Luciana Paluzzi, Jack Palance

Release Date: February 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 105 Minutes 27 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £19.99 (UK)

"Screen legend Jack Palance (City Slickers) plays an American tycoon aiming to buy a vineyard in the beautiful Italian Veneto. But the hitch is that the aging owner won’t sign, despite his madcap family’s eagerness to sell and get rich.

The old man, recovering from a bonk-induced heart attack, is a randy lecher. So, the family’s outrageous stratagem is to hire Nurse Andress, not to cure the old boy, but for her to… ahem… undress and, hopefully, induce another – this time fatal – cardiac arrest." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Complete and Uncut, restored from 2K scan."

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

Disc Size: 37.7 GB

Feature: 29.4 GB

Though the bulk of this transfer looks excellent, there are a few very minor source imperfections that remain. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look great, and image clarity and black levels are solid. Also, compression is very good, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, 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 are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, the differences between these two audio tracks are minimal. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an archival interview with director Nello Rossati and set & costume designer Toni Rossati titled Calling the Nurse (24 minutes 1 second, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Other extras include trailers for Slave of the Cannibal God, Viva, and The Frightened Woman.

Summary:

Directed by Nello Rossati, whose other notable films are Django Strikes Again and Top Line.

When a wealthy widower with an insatiable sexual drive nearly dies from a heart attack, his greedy family members quickly swoop in, hoping to collect his wealth. Unfortunately, for them, his will to live is too strong, so they hire a sexy nurse to get his blood flowing in the hope that it will bring about his demise.

The Nurse is part of a collection of Italian films from the 1970s known as Commedia sexy all'italiana. These films are a subgenre of Commedia all'italiana that upped the ante when it came to female nudity and onscreen softcore erotica in a comedy setting.

The Nurse brings together former James Bond girls Ursula Andress (Dr. No) and Luciana Paluzzi (Thunderball). Ursula Andress portrays Anna, the title character, and Luciana Paluzzi in a minor but extremely effective performance as Jole Scarpa, one of the dying man’s relatives. And though Ursula Andress’ character does not appear until the end of the first act, ultimately the narrative is built up around her character. Also, her performance should be based solely on her physical presence, since it is her more than ample assets that are often on display throughout.

The Nurse is filled with colorful characters, such as the alcoholic butler, the housekeeper who is the object of everyone's amorous advances, and a character whose arousal issues can only be resolved by the sounds of war. When it comes to the performances, the cast is all very good, especially Jack Palance (Shane), who makes an all-too-brief appearance as the sleazy businessman Mr. Kitch. Also, Luciana Paluzzi makes full use of her limited screen time as she plays a sexually repressed woman who is on the verge of a nervous breakdown if she has to wait much longer to satisfy her sex drive.

Besides being blessed with a great cast, whose comedic timing is impeccable, The Nurse has many comedic moments that are overflowing with sexual innuendos. One of the main jokes revolves around the dying uncle character, who only says the word pussy over and over. Though this type of humor has its limit, it is perfectly executed in The Nurse. 

From a production standpoint, The Nurse is a film that maximizes its resources. The narrative pacing does a great job maintaining momentum, and the finale provides one final joke that brings everything that preceded to a head. Outside of a few moments, Nello Rossati's direction is often low-key, as he lets the material and performances speak for themselves. Ultimately, The Nurse is a solid example of Commedia sexy all'italiana.

The Nurse gets a first-rate release from Shameless Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an insightful interview, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer