The Film (3.5/5)

    Michel (Tony Kendall) returns home from a business trip only to find that his wife Ruth has left him for another man, Paul (Jean Sorel).  Upon giving Michel the news, Ruth leaves to go with Paul to a beachside villa for the summer. Unfortunately, for the couple things are off to a rocky start with multiple attempts on Ruth's life as she nearly drowns while scuba diving, and an incident where the brakes are cut in her car. Could it be Michel seeking revenge, or is something deeper going on?

    José María Forqué's 1971 film Fox with the Velvet Tail is an early Spanish/Italian entry in the post-Argento giallo genre. The film features such genre luminaries as Jean Sorel (Lizard in a Woman's Skin, Short Night of Glass Dolls) and Tony Kendall (The Whip and the Body, Return of the Evil Dead). It's  unique as the film is largely bloodless, and is centered around the central mystery of who is trying to kill Ruth, and not around a series of murders, though it should be said there is at least a black glove in the film.  

    The film is a slow-burn for most of its running time, and at first feels like the beginnings of the relationship between Paul and Ruth, with a lot of slow motion, and long tender kissing moments, which are interspersed with attempts on Ruth's life. Toward the end, when Ruth begins to put together a clearer picture of what is going on suspense begins to build, and the film gets a certain intensity that was not there to begin with.

  I would not rate  Fox with a Velvet Tail among the greatest the genre has to offer. I honestly would only really recommend it to those truly familiar with other more typical giallo offerings. That being said, Fox with the Velvet Tail has some nice twist and turns throughout, that keep things quite interesting.

Audio/Video  (4.5/5)

    Mondo Macabro provide their usual stunning work with The Fox with the Velvet Tail. The Blu-ray is presented 1:85:1 in a 1080p transfer, colors pop, blacks are deep, and everything is natural and well detailed.

    Audio is presented in an English dub and in Italian. The English dub is weak, but solid where the Italian is strong, and loud, though a tad distorted at times, though I'd say that's the nature of the recording and not the Blu-ray mix.

Extras (3/5)

    We get another solid information packed commentary by So Deadly, So Perverse writer Troy Howarth. There is also a documentary on giallo So Sweet, So Perverse part of the Eurotika series. The set is rounded off by the original trailer and alternate scenes.

Overall

    Fox with a Velvet Tail is not the best giallo ever created, but it's a nice, entertaining, leisurely paced entry into the genre. The Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent, and has a nice slate of extras. RECOMMENDED.