The Perfume Of The Woman In Black — The Perfume Of The Woman In Black ( UHD/ Blu Ray)
From the early 70s, The Perfume Of The Woman In Black blends are they-or-are-they not-mad thriller, stylish/elegant Giallo, and psychological horror. It features a well-placed/believable lead Mimsy Farmer, who plays an overworked industrial scientist, who may/may not be losing her marbles. Here from Powerhouse, either as a UHD or Blu-ray, is a new release of the film. Taking in a wonderful, lush and bold 4k print, a commentary track from genre experts, and a great selection of new extras.
The Perfume Of The Woman In Black ( Il Profumo Della Signora In Nero, Cult of the Damned) is from the year 1974. Been filmed in several locations around Rome, as well as sound stages in Studio Incir - De Paolis, Rome.
It was directed and co-written by Parma-born Francesco Barilli. He had fourteen features to his name- these move from slow-burning thriller Hotel Thriller (1978), a documentary regarding the cinema in Parma Poltrone Rosse - Parma E Il Cinema(2014), and dramatic horror Il Paese Del melodrama(2023).
The film revolves around Silvia Hacherman(Mimsy Farmer), a woman in her early thirties who is wholly focused on her work industrial scientist. She lives in a large/ plush apartment block, which has a red carpet up to its door, and a large fountain out front. She is in a relationship with the causal suited Roberto(Maurizio Bonuglia)- who keeps trying to get her to take a break from work.
Living in the apartment block around her, we have a selection of characters- who move between being friendly and shifty/ creepy- taking the bow-tied, grey-haired & smoking jacket wearing Signor(Mario Scaccia). Thin, rather haunted-looking, and constantly watching Francesca(Donna Jordan), and a few others.
As the film unfolds starts Silvia gets glances of things & people from her past- first it’s things like a vase her mother had, then her dead raven-haired mother, a spawned lover, a little girl who looks like her, etc. Is it someone faking these things to try to drive her mad, or is she really seeing it?. Then one of the apartment’s denizens is found dead, and things seem to speed up in their unfolding.
Throughout the film, we get footage of lush vegetation and bright in bloom flowers- this at points spreads out into the apartments themselves with bright flowered wallpapers, and wildlife murals.
It’s not until later on that we really get any gore/murder, and when it appears, it moves between rock and hatched bashed in heads, a hatchet in the back, and cutting and then eating internal organs footage.
Farmer is excellent as our lead- moving between being a very focused & serious scientist, going all the way to a gibbering wreck. And the further we get into the film, things get more tilted/ uneasy- with some great shudder-inducing moments, and a real feeling of reality/non-reality blend & blur- and you're no longer sure where the two begin & end.
If you’re looking for a more formal black gloved killer gialli, then The Perfume Of The Woman In Black won’t be for you. As it’s prime focus is whether or not Silvia is going mad, and the mystery behind what is going on in the apartment building.
This new release features a truly lovely and richly colourful 4k scan, which I think has to stand as one of the best scans I’ve seen in some time, with some much clarity to the greens, reds, yellows and blues.
The release takes in two versions: The Perfume of the Lady in Black, the English-language version; and Il profumo della signora in nero, the Italian-language version.
On the extras side, we get a good selection of mainly new things. First off is a commentary track with film genre experts/ historians Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth, and Nathaniel Thompson. They begin by declaring that the film is the most elegant and refined gialli of its time, and how it nods throughout towards the work of Roman Polanski. They discuss the apartment location, which apparently is also the home of none other than Dario Argento. They talk about how the film developed and changed from 1966, when Francesco Barilli first came up with its idea, and apparently, the finished film turned out to be a lot more timid than he wanted. They debate whether the film is a Giallo or not. We find our first and foremost Barilli was a painter who dabbled in working in film. Later on, they discuss how the film was handsomely budgeted- with the director taking time to both select the crew & create the picture. We find out it got largely mixed to plain bad reviews when it was first released- these rather hurt/ upset Barilli. They discuss Lara Wendel, who plays the younger version of Silvia. They talk about how the film feels like an early example of elevated horror, the harrowing rape scene, and much more. Another well-researched/ observed from these commentary track pros.
Otherwise, on the new side, we have the following: Exploring Beauty (19.59) in-depth interview with the now rather elderly director- discuss the film to hand, and his wider career. The Memories of the Lady in White (11.23) interview with actress Lara Wendel. The Profumo Affair (34.19), which finds genre expert/ writer Stephen Thrower giving his usual deep dive into the film, and all that surrounds it. A Classical Approach (33.26) which finds DJ and soundtrack enthusiast Lovely Jon- talk about the film's score, and its composer Nicola Piovani. Barilli’s Roma (5.51) visiting film locations in Rome today.
On the archive side, we have-The Death of Cinema (16.05) 2015 interview with Barilli. Portrait in Black (24.26). Image gallery: promotional and publicity material.
The finished release comes with an eighty-page book with a new essay by Paul Duane, an archival profile of actor Mimsy Farmer, a career-spanning archival interview with director Francesco Barilli, and full film credits.
If you enjoy where thriller, Giallo, and horror meet, with elegant and arty touches, The Perfume Of The Woman In Black is a must. This new Powerhouse features a truly lovely 4k scan and a wonderful selection of interesting/ informative extras.