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Seven Blood Stained Orchids
Media Blasters // Unrated // February 25, 2003
List Price: $24.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The cycle of Italian murder-mystery films known as "gialli" (taken from the popular pulp novels which sported yellow covers) didn't really take off in America until the early-to-mid 1970s. (And even then, the films were only popular with a small number of fans.) Because of this, many of the earlier gialli never received the attention that they deserved in this country (as they were generally given odd titles and played only sporadically), or even worse, were never released here at all. "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" is a perfect example of that latter phenomenon, as the film is just now getting its first official release in the U.S.
The Movie
Antonio Sabato (yes, the father of Antonio Sabato, Jr.) stars in "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" as Mario, a fashion-designer who is engaged to the beautiful Giulia (Uschi Glas, who looks like a cross between Amanda Bearse and Katharine Ross). After Giulia is attacked on their honeymoon, they soon learn that she is the target of a killer who is searching for seven women who once stayed at a seaside resort. Feeling that the police aren't doing enough to find the killer, Mario takes the investigation into his own hands. However, the only clue that he has are the strange crescent-moon medallions that the killer leaves with each corpse. Will Mario be able to solve the mystery in time to save Giulia from another attack?
"Seven Blood-Stanined Orchids" is one of those movies that does everything "by the book" (so to speak), thus making it difficult to review. As the film was a contemporary of many of the more popular gialli, it would be unfair to call "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" derivative. The problem is that it does little to seperate itself from those other films. So, for those devoted gialli fans who have always wanted to see "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", the bad news is that it brings nothing new to the genre.
The good news is that you will find a fairly competently made thriller. For one thing, the cast, lead by Antonio Sabato, all do a fine job. (Although, to be honest, the awkward dubbing makes it difficult to hand down a definitive judgment on the acting.) Director Umberto Lenzi (who shows off his trademark unmotivated zooms here) keeps the film moving along at a nice pace, and in a very welcome move, the film contains little of the padding so often seen in foreign films. Actually, there are four attacks by the murderer in the first 15 minutes, so the film has a nice pace indeed. Unlike many other gialli, once the story unfolds, it actually makes sense. However, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" follows the gialli tradition of introducing many characters, but no real suspects. This is where these films differ from the more familiar mysteries that we see in the U.S. The fun of the giailli doesn't hinge on guessing the killer, but rather, watching their exploits. Speaking of which, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" is rather tame in that department, as it features the requisite blood and topless women, but none of the depravity that can often sully these films.
Video
For its American DVD premiere, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. Given the film's age and obscurity, the image is rather sharp and clear. There is some noticeable grain at times, and some overt defects from the source print (such as scratches), but these will not detract from the viewing experience. As with many gialli, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" was shot in Technicolor, and the reds, blues, and greens look very good here. The framing appears to be accurate, but there are some moments of minor artifacting.
Audio
This DVD carries the films original Dolby Digital mono English dubbed track. This track provides clear dialogue but has that "hollow" sound that many dubbed tracks carry. The music, with the main theme that sounds like "Take a Walk on the Wild Side", sounds fine and the track is well-balanced. The track is unremarkable, but has no true defects.
Extras
The few extras found on this DVD will appeal mainly to fans of the film. We start with a 3-minute interview with actress Gabriella Giorgelli, who has a very small role in the film as a prostitute (and incidentally looks like Nikki Sixx in drag in the movie). She discusses her memories of the film and the current state of Italian cinema. Next, there is an 8-minute interview with director Umberto Lenzi, who sites his influences and talks about the production of "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids". Brief liner notes describe the film's obscure status. There is a very short still gallery which contains promotional art from the film. Finally, we have the original theatrical trailer for "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", which is chock full o'nudity and spoilers.
Fans of gialli should relish the opportunity to finally see "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", as it's a prime example of the genre, despite the fact that it's woefully unoriginal. Those who aren't familiar with the medium may find this film a bit slow and no more titilating than a made for TV movie. Either way, the DVD transfer is good, allowing the film to be seen as it was intended.
The Movie
Antonio Sabato (yes, the father of Antonio Sabato, Jr.) stars in "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" as Mario, a fashion-designer who is engaged to the beautiful Giulia (Uschi Glas, who looks like a cross between Amanda Bearse and Katharine Ross). After Giulia is attacked on their honeymoon, they soon learn that she is the target of a killer who is searching for seven women who once stayed at a seaside resort. Feeling that the police aren't doing enough to find the killer, Mario takes the investigation into his own hands. However, the only clue that he has are the strange crescent-moon medallions that the killer leaves with each corpse. Will Mario be able to solve the mystery in time to save Giulia from another attack?
"Seven Blood-Stanined Orchids" is one of those movies that does everything "by the book" (so to speak), thus making it difficult to review. As the film was a contemporary of many of the more popular gialli, it would be unfair to call "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" derivative. The problem is that it does little to seperate itself from those other films. So, for those devoted gialli fans who have always wanted to see "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", the bad news is that it brings nothing new to the genre.
The good news is that you will find a fairly competently made thriller. For one thing, the cast, lead by Antonio Sabato, all do a fine job. (Although, to be honest, the awkward dubbing makes it difficult to hand down a definitive judgment on the acting.) Director Umberto Lenzi (who shows off his trademark unmotivated zooms here) keeps the film moving along at a nice pace, and in a very welcome move, the film contains little of the padding so often seen in foreign films. Actually, there are four attacks by the murderer in the first 15 minutes, so the film has a nice pace indeed. Unlike many other gialli, once the story unfolds, it actually makes sense. However, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" follows the gialli tradition of introducing many characters, but no real suspects. This is where these films differ from the more familiar mysteries that we see in the U.S. The fun of the giailli doesn't hinge on guessing the killer, but rather, watching their exploits. Speaking of which, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" is rather tame in that department, as it features the requisite blood and topless women, but none of the depravity that can often sully these films.
Video
For its American DVD premiere, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. Given the film's age and obscurity, the image is rather sharp and clear. There is some noticeable grain at times, and some overt defects from the source print (such as scratches), but these will not detract from the viewing experience. As with many gialli, "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" was shot in Technicolor, and the reds, blues, and greens look very good here. The framing appears to be accurate, but there are some moments of minor artifacting.
Audio
This DVD carries the films original Dolby Digital mono English dubbed track. This track provides clear dialogue but has that "hollow" sound that many dubbed tracks carry. The music, with the main theme that sounds like "Take a Walk on the Wild Side", sounds fine and the track is well-balanced. The track is unremarkable, but has no true defects.
Extras
The few extras found on this DVD will appeal mainly to fans of the film. We start with a 3-minute interview with actress Gabriella Giorgelli, who has a very small role in the film as a prostitute (and incidentally looks like Nikki Sixx in drag in the movie). She discusses her memories of the film and the current state of Italian cinema. Next, there is an 8-minute interview with director Umberto Lenzi, who sites his influences and talks about the production of "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids". Brief liner notes describe the film's obscure status. There is a very short still gallery which contains promotional art from the film. Finally, we have the original theatrical trailer for "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", which is chock full o'nudity and spoilers.
Fans of gialli should relish the opportunity to finally see "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", as it's a prime example of the genre, despite the fact that it's woefully unoriginal. Those who aren't familiar with the medium may find this film a bit slow and no more titilating than a made for TV movie. Either way, the DVD transfer is good, allowing the film to be seen as it was intended.
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