‘Honey’ (1981) Blu-Ray – An Erotic Tumble Through The Looking Glass

The young, naive Annie (Clio Goldsmith) enters a hotel to spend the night – without knowing that it’s a special kind of hotel that serves more than breakfast. Curiously, she walks around and watches the maids doing their job. She’s especially fascinated by a forbidden room, where a silent, strange man lives.

For thoughts on Honey (1981), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/Bx4vP5G81XY?t=4186]

Video Quality

Honey debuts on Blu-Ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 which is not noted as being from a new master, but looks very solid all the same. There is some inherent softness to some of the photography, but overall this material looks pleasant. The close-ups hold up better when it comes to fine detail, but even medium shots deliver some texture. Some of the softness does appear to be intentional to complement the dreamy, erotic journey of our central character. 

Digital noise is mostly avoided while the natural film grain shines through. Things can become a bit more problematic in the steamy bathroom moments where the picture can struggle to resolve firmly. Black levels are pretty good with a semblance of detail in shadows and no egregious instances of crush. There is not much in the way of nicks or scratches to be found. Colors are lovingly saturated in a way that brings the most out of certain articles of clothing and lighting choices. Raro Video has delivered a fine video presentation for this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with an agreeable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Italian with optional English subtitles. Dialogue stays planted in the center channel as it comes through discernibly without being burdened by competing elements. Environmental sounds such as running water are rendered well alongside other factors. The music emanates with a nice fidelity throughout the duration of the runtime. We did not spot any major instances of age-related wear and tear, but there are some areas where the source is not in the best shape. This audio presentation holds up pretty well overall. 

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc. 

Final Thoughts

Honey is a somewhat sexy journey through a young woman’s burgeoning desire that plays like an intimate tumble down the rabbit hole. The film does not devolve into all-out softcore porn, the feelings on which will vary from audience member to audience member. That being said, there is no shortage of bare skin – you just might find the rest of the “narrative” a bit slow and aimless. The brief runtime helps this one out tremendously, but you should keep in mind this film is mostly vibes. Raro Video and Kino Classics have delivered a Blu-Ray with a really swell A/V presentation but absolutely no supplemental features. This film does more good than bad. Recommended 

Honey is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Raro Video and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.