Disc Dispatch: THE 10TH VICTIM
The 10th Victim
Kino Lorber
Video: 1080p High-Definition
Audio: Italian/English Mono DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English
Buy it from Kino Lorber and DiabolikDVD
by Sam Christian, Staff Writer
The Movie: Good
It’s the not-too-distant future of the 21’st century. Mutually assured destruction has rendered war obsolete. In order to curb violent crime, murder has been legalized through the founding of The Big Hunt. Along with the sating of violent crime the Big Hunt is the future of entertainment. Citizens from all around the world volunteer for the Big Hunt, in hopes to survive five rounds as a hunter and five rounds as a victim, if they last the ten rounds, they win big money and fame!
The 10th Victim—Based on Robert Sheckley’s 1953 short story The Seventh Victim—was released in 1965. The film follows our “Hunter” Caroline Meredith played by the former Bond Girl, Ursulla Andress, and our “Victim” Marcello Poletti played by Italian film icon Marcello Mastroianni, as the duo play cat and mouse throughout a retro futuristic Rome. The setting of the film in Rome provides a perfect backdrop for a sci-fi setting. Mastroianni and Andres, running through the ruins of ancient Rome juxtaposed with the Pop Art inspired set designs of the future which feature very cool sax players entertaining atop massive black cubes. The set design of the movie is campy and otherworldly. It reminds me of the way Jean-Luc Godard set his future world of Alphaville. Both were filmed in modern cities but found futuristic looking elements to create a future needing no special effects while still retaining a futuristic feel.
The director, Elio Petri prior to The 10th Victim had directed mostly crime dramas like The Assassin, slowly made his way into comedies and decided he wanted to make a sci-fi movie. The 10th Victim was originally released to mixed reviews, but became a cult classic later decades later and is stylistically an influence for comedies like Austin Powers, and thematically a precursor to the popularity of legalized murder stories seen in the Hunger Games films, The Purge films, etc.
The plot of the movie is a little bit messy. How the Big Hunt works is laid out in narration at the beginning of the film, it’s not overly explained throughout the film and trusts that the audience will follow along. But there’s some confusing bits of the future that could use some explanation, for instance the elderly parents of the hunters and victims must be turned into the state, which Marcello ignores and keeps them in a secret room in his home. A plot element that doesn’t get explained or resolved. These elements shouldn’t be thought about too much because they really add the weird in a fun way rather than a way that detracts from the film itself. The 10th Victim is an incredibly fun movie. It’s perfect for those interested in set design, Pop Art and Italian cinema. For the lovers of Italian cinema, it’s a great middle ground of the art pictures of Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni and the Giallo films of Fulci and Argento. The 10th Victim is worth watching for the style alone, and while the plot and line delivery are a little cheesy it’s still worth picking up.
The Packaging: Average
The Packaging is very no frills. Included is a nice cardboard slipcover encasing the regular blue Blu-ray case. The coolest feature of the packaging is that there is a reversable cover. It’s cool to choose between two alternative covers featuring different artwork. Other than that, the packaging is just okay.
The Video: Good
The 1080p presentation, from a 2K scan, really enhances the pops of bright colors that the futuristic sets require. The master cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo (who famously worked with Fellini on 8 ½ and Juliet of the Spirits, as well as working with Antonioni on La Notte and L’Eclisse) does all of the heavy lifting in making The 10th Victim look really good. While not being a higher definition of restoration, the 2K restoration gets the job done, and really preserves the gorgeous film grain shot by Venanzo. This is the best quality of video released yet for this film the way this film looks is good on the verge of awesome. The visuals of this film capture the wild sci-fi sets of a B movie but elevate it through the careful eye of Venanzo.
The Audio: Average
The audio is that of an average 60’s Italian movie. There are an English and Italian audio track recorded using ADR that is consistent in Italian cinema of the time. While the track recording process is outdated and may annoy those who can’t stand audio not always matching the way the actors’ mouths move, the audio is still clear, and the audience still will have no trouble hearing all the dialogue. Personally, I find the mismatched sound in old Italian movies charming and part of the appeal. While the audio is average, I still would recommend this movie because this type of films audio does not require the most high tech surround sound in order to enjoy.
Special Features: Average
The special features here are okay. The featurette is an informative watch if you want to know more about Elio Petri, and the trailers are fun blast from the past and cool to see how films from the 60’s were advertised.
Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth
Elio Petri - Subject for Further Research: Featurette by Roberta Licurgo with
Paola Pegoraro Petri (Wife of Elio Petri) and Author/Film Historian Kim Newman
Theatrical Trailers
In Summary: Grab it on sale
The 10th Victim is a movie for a niche audience. The movie appeals to me because I love Italian cinema and have just started getting into Italian romantic comedies of the 60’s. The overall experience with this release was positive, the film looked good, and the sound was not the best, but it also isn’t a film that demands the highest definition to enjoy. The special features are little but informative. Overall, it’s a must have for the cinephile with Italian cinema leanings; however, for the casual film buyer I would recommend grabbing it on sale.
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