The Films (5/5 - The Fifth Cord, 3.5/5 - The Possessed)

    Luigi Bazzoni might forever be known to cult-horror, and giallo aficionados as the director of what could be considered the most popular giallo outside of the work of Argento, Bava, and Fulci, The Fifth Cord. The Fifth Cord being one of the most beautifully stylized examples of gialli to come out of the early 70's post Bird with the Crystal Plumage giallo trend.  While his career was primarily one of making documentary films in his native Italy, he would direct 2 other films that skirt both the horror genre and giallo. Footprints on the Moon (on DVD via Shameless), and the earlier film The Possessed (co-directed by  Franco Rossellini).  Both the Fifth Cord and The Possessed have been releases through Arrow Video this month. The Fifth Cord had a prior Region 1 DVD release through Blue Underground and Anchor Bay in the early 2000's. The Possessed has not had any English friendly release to speak of until now, so this release is quite a treat for fans of European and Italian horror.

    Bazzoni's most famous work is his 1971 giallo effort the Fifth Cord. The Fifth Cord stars Franco Nero (freaking DJANGO!) as Andrea an alcoholic newspaper reporter who finds himself one evening at a party where a woman is assaulted and nearly murdered.  While she is in the hospital recovering other murders begin to occur, the common thread being that the victims were all attendees at the same party.  Andrea begins to investigate, but as the body count piles up the police begin to finger him as the primary suspect, and he is taken off the story.  Of course, with his own life on the line his personal investigation does not stop as he attempts to track down the murderer before he becomes the next victim.

      The Fifth Cord is a simply beautiful looking film that features cinematography from legendary cinematographer Vittorio  Storaro (Apocalypse Now, Bird with the Crystal Plumage).  Unlike the bright and garish color schemes of many of it's contemporaries The Fifth Cords color palette is more naturalistic and muted, going for more a darker tone reminiscent of a gray rainy day.  This channels more of a hard-boiled film noir atmosphere than the tone typically set for films of it's caliber.  We then have a simply outstanding performance from genre legend Franco Nero.  Nero's Andrea helps bring him that Noir-ish vibe, and also takes a character who on the page may have been very one-dimensional and helps flesh him out to something more substantial.

     The Possessed is a eerie, melancholy, and moody piece that feels like a proto-giallo meets the man in a mysterious rural village genre.  It involves a writer named Bernard who visits a rural village every so often to complete work on his novels. During his various visits here he became acquainted with a woman Tilde. Upon arrival on this visit it is discovered that Tilde has recently died, poison was found in her system, but her cause of death was blood loss from a slit throat.  She was also pregnant. He initially suspects the owner of the hotel in which he is staying, Enrico.  However, Enrico's son Mario returns from his honeymoon his bride Adrianna who dies soon after under mysterious circumstances. With a village full of suspicious characters, and a body count piling up Bernard takes it upon himself to investigate the instances, in hopes of preventing further death.

     The film itself feels tonally similar to Bazzoni's later Footprints, in that both films share a sparse minimalist directorial sensibility, that feels more in line with a 60's European arthouse drama. If a comparison had to be offered, it could fall somewhere in the vein of early Michelangelo Antonioni (L'avventura, La Notte), but obviously with a horror leaning.  It is a moody serious piece that shows an early talent from the burgeoning director.

Audio/Video (4/5 - The Fifth Cord , 4/5 - The Possessed)

      Both films are presented by Arrow Video in splendid 1:85:1 1080p transfers. The Fifth Cord is a massive upgrade from the old DVD release. Detail is excellent, and colors look solid for the most part. The film is much brighter than prior releases which gave it a more downtrodden look. The visual style of the film is preserved here, it just looks more different than I am used to. Still an excellent upgrade.  
    I have only seen the Possessed via a bootleg DVD-R in Spanish without subtitles. Therefore, anything would be better, but this being Arrow Video they succeed marvelously here. It is well detailed with excellent contrast and natural organic look to it.

    Both Blu-ray's feature Spanish and English 1.0 LPCM tracks that sound quite solid with excellent clarity throughout.

Extras (3.5/5)

    Extras on the Possessed include a marvelous commentary track by the always reliable Tim Lucas. There are also a number of interviews with members of the film crew including Special FX maestro Gianetto De Rossi. There is also one other piece called Richard Dyer on the Possessed a video tribute to the film.  The Fifth Cord is packed as well. It has a video tribute to the film, commentary by Travis Crawford, a new interview with star Franco Nero, and the film's editor, a deleted scene, and much more.

Overall

    Being a junkie for Italian horror cinema these 2 releases from Arrow Video hit me in the right spot. The Fifth Cord is a landmark giallo, and the Possessed while more restrained really shows where Bazzoni got his thematic starting point. Both Blu-ray's look and sound amazing, and are loaded with extra HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.