Review of Black Angel

Introduction

If there`s an acceptable face of Eurosmut, it`s director Tinto Brass. Best known as the director of Caligula, Bob (Penthouse) Guccione`s softcore epic, Brass is a maker of quintessentially Italian erotica. Some of his work is genuinely fun, such as the bottom-obsessed Cheeky starring Yuliya Mayarchuk, while others are distinctly sleazy. Black Angel falls into that latter category, revelling in that sleazy decadence of the Cabaret era.

The film is set in Italy in the closing weeks of the Second World War. Livia, the wife of a high-ranking Ministry official embarks on an illicit affair with a louche SS lieutenant. The affair is no great tragic romance, just a series of grubby fumblings of women in passion-killer underwear by seedy individuals in Rentanazi costumes.

As with most Arrow released I`ve reviewed, it seems all too easy to knock the movie out of kilter. 2x fast-forward on my machine causes the picture to pixellate badly and the film only recovers if stopped and restarted.

Video

The movie is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen. There are some black-and-white sequences while the majority of the movie is in colour (reds seem particularly gaudy). The image is crisp but unremarkable.

Audio

The soundtrack is in the original Italian, Dolby 2.0 Stereo. English subtitles are burnt-in. It is noteworthy that the score of the film is provided by Italian maestro di maestri Ennio Morricone.

Features

There is an Interview with Tinto Brass which carries removable (and badly spelled) English subtitles, a trailer and behind-the-scenes footage.

Conclusion

A rather distasteful excursion into The Night Porter territory by the King of Eurosmut. Based on the novel "Senso" by Camillo Boito, it`s just an excuse to have a bunch of fellers in Nazi uniform engaging in the kind of Bacchanal that went out with togas and laurel wreaths. One for SS fetishists only.