The Film (4/5)

    Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a giallo I first read about on Richard Glenn Schmidt's Doomed Moviethon website about 10 years ago, and was finally able to see via a DVD-R from EuroCultAV contributor and good friend Brad Hogue. The film is one of Riccardo Freda's contributions to the giallo genre, and one would think with a name on the top of the bill like Freda's the film would have gained more of an audience over the years, however, it is has never had an official release in the U.S., and the existing releases like the bootleg DVD-R I watched had less than stellar transfers.

   The film opens with the discovery of a mutilated and acid-scarred body in the trunk of a Rolls Royce.  The car belongs to an ambassador who has recently come to the area from the Netherlands. When the woman's passport is sent to police, and it is of Dutch origin, Inspector Lawrence begins to do a deeper investigation into the murder and the ambassador himself who is using his diplomatic immunity to avoid police entanglements.

    When I first watched Iguana with the Tongue of Fire a few years back, I wasn't super impressed. The film was solid, but it's pacing was off, and I couldn't quite get into it.  Watching the film again on the newly restored Arrow Video Blu-ray I could point out that the pacing problems are still there, but the film has certain unique charms that really make up for it, including a really intense and bizarre third act that is one of the overall highlights of the film.

    Iguana with the Tongue of Fire stars a who's who of Italian cult actors like Dagmar Lassander (The House by the Cemetery), and Luigi Pistelli (The Sweet Body of Deborah).  The film feels like a huge pastiche of genre influences with sleazy, violence, and nudity throughout. The film when stacked against Freda's other films like the Horrible Dr. Hichcock and the oft-neglected Murder Obesssion feels like he was less passionate about this one, which he had actually said in interviews. However, even though it mostly lacks the stylish flair of other Freda efforts the film is still a fun and engaging good time, and giallo fans who have lacked a solid option for this one are certainly in for a treat with the new Arrow Blu-ray.

Audio/Video (4/5)

    Arrow Video's Blu-ray is presented with a  1:85:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer.  Iguana... is not a stylish film by any means, but the cinematography here looks clearer than ever before, more detailed, and natural than ever before. There was a DVD release in Germany a number of years back, but it was not a quality release, so this isn't even an upgrade. This is the definitive version of the film on home video, if you are a fan of giallo or Freda this defaults to a must have.

    The audio is handled by a DTS-HD mono track in English or Italian. Both sound excellent with dialogue and score coming through clearly and without issue.

Extras (4/5)

    The release kicks off with a fantastic commentary track by Adrian J. Smith and David Flint that really digs deep into the film and Freda as a whole..   There is a video appreciation of the film by Richard Dyer, and another appreciation this one of composer Stelvio Cipriani.  There are also a number of interviews with members of the cast and crew of the film including Dagmar Lassander.

Overall

    Iguana with the Tongue of Fire has been neglected for decades on home video, and fortunately, Arrow Video has decided to make up for it with a stunning presentation of the film and a solid extras slate. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.