In her stunning, semi-autobiographical directorial feature debut, Asia Argento plays Anna Battista, a rising young actress who, despite her popularity and success, experiences despair and degradation at the hands of an abusive industry. Her harrowing journey towards redemption leads her on a sordid spree of excess across America and Europe while trying to recapture her innocence and find true love. Newly restored in HD, SCARLET DIVA has been rediscovered by audiences and critics alike in the wake of the “Time’s Up” movement for its “full-throated rage against the international filmmaking machine” and is credited as “perhaps the earliest #MeToo film” (San Francisco Chronicle).

For thoughts on Scarlet Diva, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Scarlet Diva returns to Blu-Ray courtesy of Film Movement Classics with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio that appears to be the same disc first released by the label in 2018. The most important thing to note about this feature is that it was captured on mini-DV cameras in standard definition and blown up from the original Betacam recordings to 35mm for the original theatrical release. The HD restoration was derived from these 35mm elements, but one must keep in mind that the source was captured using very early digital technology. This movie has a very aggressive style that makes it somewhat challenging to evaluate by normal standards of transfers. There are only a few stretches of this film that we would say looks traditionally pleasant, but everything appears authentic to the techniques and technology used in capturing this film.

The presentation has some admirable detail given the source with some discrete facets in the production design that are on full display thanks to this transfer. There is also little in the way of blemishes or any sort of digital artifacts not inherent to the source. The base image is soft and displays a pixelated aesthetic. It lacks an overall sense of crispness that is simply not possible with this material. The highlights often register as a bit overexposed, but black levels hold up a bit better with less in the way of crush, but there are still some weaknesses on this front. Colors make it through decently saturated with some life in the clothing and elements of the production design. It may not always be beautiful, but it is honest to the original presentation. There is a lot to appreciate about this transfer, but you should go in with the proper expectations.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with an LPCM 2.0 track in the original mixture of Italian, French, and English with optional English and English SDH subtitles. Dialogue comes through clearly and rarely gets clipped by competing sounds. Environmental noises and other sound effects are rendered favorably alongside everything else. The music comes through favorably throughout with solid fidelity. There do not seem to be any substantial instances of age-related wear and tear. Film Movement Classics has done a fine job with the audio portion of the disc.

Special Features

This Blu-Ray set includes a multi-page booklet featuring the essay “The Loneliest Girl in the Word: Asia Argento’s ‘Heroine’s Journey’ From Scarlet Diva to #MeToo” by writer and creative Kier-La Janisse. The essays provide a great dive into Argento, analysis of the narrative and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentaries: A pair of commentary tracks are provided that find Asia Argento relaying rich anecdotes about the production of the film from two distinctly different points in her life. It is interesting to listen to both and see how some of the thoughts differ and evolve with the benefit of time and culture shifts.

- Audio Commentary #1: Asia Argento (2002)

- Audio Commentary #2: Asia Argento (2018)

Looking Into the Eye of the Cyclops with Joe Coleman: An eight-minute piece with the performer who played the Weinstein figure who shows off his artistic installation that was created after working on Scarlet Diva.

Asia Argento Original Release Interview: A 17-minute archival interview with Asia Argento who reflects on her reasons for making the film, the elements she fought to include in the film, the reaction from her parents, and more.

Making Scarlet Diva: A nine-minute archival documentary is provided that details the origins of the project, shooting on a digital format, and more.

Trailers & Promos: This disc provides the 2018 Theatrical Trailer (1:35), Original Release One Minute Promo (1:01), and Original Release Eight Minute Promo (8:04). There are also trailers provided for other Film Movement releases.

Final Thoughts

Scarlet Diva is a film we respect more than we actually enjoy, which is understandable given the subject matter. Asia Argento has created a fearless and incendiary drama that exposed systemic problems within the entertainment industry that long predated the reckoning that has occurred relatively recently. The film is aggressive and angry, but the end results play more like an act of catharsis for the filmmaker rather than a fully cohesive narrative. The film feels like a series of nightmares that most will probably want to stop experiencing as soon as possible, but given that the author does not have such a luxury, you do not dare look away. Film Movement Classics has released a Blu-Ray that features an authentic A/V presentation and a great selection of supplemental features.

Scarlet Diva is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

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

Disclaimer: Film Movement Classics and OCN Distribution 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.