THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY
- RELEASE DATE: Available Now on Blu-ray/DVD Combo (Click Here to Purchase a Copy)
- WRITTEN BY: Gianfranco Clerici, Duccio Tessari
- DIRECTED BY: Duccio Tessari
- STARRING: Helmut Berger, Giancarlo Sbragia, Ida Galli
THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY concerns the cut and dried case of a comely co-ed who is murdered by her lover; the famous TV sports personality Alessandro in a park one stormy day. See ol’ Big A was conveniently seen by eyewitnesses high-tallin’ if from the scene of the crime; so it’s hi-ho off to jail you go! The only somewhat troubling thing is; the killer does what he does best while Alessandro is in custody; whoops! Well; looks like there’s more than meets the eye to this one my creeps!
THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY is an odd one; it’s kinda a giallo; but then it really isn’t (this kind of clarity is why you keep comin’ back for more, huh?). What I mean is; there are the grizzly murders carried out by a mysterious assailant like you’d find in the genre; along with some arty-farty stylistic flourishes; but this flick is BD into the forensic angle of the case as well as the legal goings on (which I will gladly skip for more of the ol’ red sauce). Does it work? Well, sort of; it’s an interesting enough flick for what it is, but as a giallo it plays a lil’ flat.
As much as the film wasn’t exactly my thing; this presentation from Arrow Video is a top shelf geezer of a release! Along with the razor sharp 4k presentation of the film 9in both its Italian and English versions), you also get a bevy of “killer” extras including; an audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman, a visual essay on the film by author Troy Howarth, a career retrospective on director Duccio Tessari, trailers and a still gallery.
If you are a hardcore giallo fan, THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY absolutely belongs in your collection; if on the other hand you are new to the genre or merely a casual fan this would not be the flick for you; unless you dig on procedurals as much as bloodshed.
The Outre Eye of Daniel XIII 