Following the success of his debut feature, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, distributor Titanus tasked writer/director Dario Argento with delivering a follow-up in short order. The resulting film, granted a greatly enhanced budget and heralded in its US marketing campaign as “nine times more suspenseful” than its predecessor, was The Cat O’ Nine Tails. When a break-in occurs at a secretive genetics institute, blind puzzle-maker Franco Arnò (Karl Malden, Patton, One-Eyed Jacks), who overheard an attempt to blackmail one of the institute’s scientists shortly before the robbery, teams up with intrepid reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus, Beneath the Planet of the Apes) to crack the case. But before long the bodies begin to pile up and the two amateur sleuths find their own lives imperiled in their search for the truth. And worse still, Lori (Cinzia De Carolis, Cannibal Apocalypse), Franco’s young niece, may also be in the killer’s sights… This second entry in the so-called “Animal Trilogy” found Argento further refining his distinctive style and cementing his reputation as the master of the giallo thriller. Co-starring Catherine Spaak (Il Sorpasso) and Rada Rassimov (Baron Blood), and featuring another nerve-jangling score by the great Ennio Morricone (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly), The Cat O’ Nine Tails remains one of Argento’s most suspenseful and underrated films.
For thoughts on The Cat O’ Nine Tails, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNLYTwjxrhg]
Video Quality
Arrow Films presents The Cat O’ Nine Tails with a tremendous 2160p transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope negative and graded in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision. You really cannot go wrong with the delicate application of Dolby Vision for increased color output that should be lauded for the nuance it brings to this picture. The new restoration features some colors in the clothing and production design that really stand out with a dazzling vibrancy like the red dress of the little girl. This disc handles every carefully curated choice from Argento with ease. The black levels are outstanding with nothing in the way of crush present, and white levels are flawless with no evidence of blooming. Argento may not stray much from a narrative standpoint on his sophomore effort, but the development of his eye for aesthetics cannot be questioned. This presentation never lacks for something to appreciate.
With the core transfer, you will not find anything in the way of print damage. This new release is respectful to the original look of the film with the added resolution making elements seem more natural. When it comes to the encoding, there are absolutely no jarring digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. The level of detail and clarity is stunning with the perfect amount of natural film grain intact. The grain resolves well with no fluctuations detected at any point, even if some may find it to be a bit too thick. The texture on display in the costumes and within the setting are a revelation. The makeup effects likewise blend naturally which brings the disturbing images to the forefront with beautiful clarity. This presentation is another five-star effort from the crew at Arrow Video.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with DTS-HD 1.0 mono tracks in Italian and English, both of which represent the film as well as you might hope. While this is more of a personal creative annoyance, the dialogue has been post-looped which results in some loose sync instances that may distract some, but it is a product of this period in filmmaking. The environment of the city creates a din of sound that creeps through to provide some excellent ambient details. The dialogue itself comes through perfectly clear without being crushed by the sound effects or score. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels off. There are moments of light scuffles that add some intensity without becoming a muddled mess in the action. The memorable music from Ennio Morricone brings a very distinct mood to the proceedings that is represented well in the mix outside of some brash highs. Everything is presented with a strong fidelity with only the occasional instance of sound presenting as a bit thin or boxy. This presentation is mostly free of any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. Arrow Video continues to do right by these classic titles.
Special Features
The Limited Edition Collector’s Set of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of The Cat O’ Nine Tails comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer case and includes a 58-page bound book featuring four essays from Dario Argento, Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth and Howard Hughes which delves into the film, the music and Argento further. These works provide a great analysis of the film and the genre at large in a thoughtfully written style. This package also includes a double-sided poster. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Film Historians Alan Jones and Kim Newman deliver an enthusiastic and informative commentary track in which they discuss the rush to get this follow-up out after the success of Bird With The Crystal Plumage, the pseudo-science that drives the plot, the shooting locations, the performers who were assembled, the troubles of the production companies associated with the feature, unique promotional material handed out at the theater, the direction of Argento and much more. Once again, you are treated to a great time if you are a fan of the film.
- Nine Tails: A 16-minute interview with writer-director Dario Argento in which he discusses where he thought his career was heading after his debut, his thoughts on the film, scouting shooting locations in Turin, his experiences during production, his relationship with the performers, how they pulled off the train scene and much more. Argento has a good memory for details that are worthwhile.
- The Writer O’ Many Tales: A 35-minute interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti in which he discusses getting into writing, his early career, getting connected to Argento through clever means, the story that Argento wanted to make just to procure a motorbike, breaking the story for this feature, heated moments during the writing process and more.
- Child Star: An 11-minute interview with actress Cinzia De Carolis in which she discusses her career as a child actor, her memory of The Cat O’ Nine Tails, her fondness for Karl Malden, how she was treated by Dario Argento and more.
- Giallo In Turin: A 15-minute interview with production manager Angelo Iacono in which he discusses his initial meeting with Argento, the process of filming in Turin, filming the speeding car scene on a public holiday, other roles he performed on the film, memories of the actors and more.
- Original Ending: A three-minute epilogue to the ending is provided here in the form of script excerpts set to stills.
- Trailers: This disc includes the Italian Trailer (1:46), the International Trailer (1:52) and the US Domestic Trailer (1:39).
- Image Galleries: The disc contains image galleries for Posters, Lobby Cards, Promotional Materials, the US Pressbook and the Soundtrack.
Final Thoughts
The Cat O’ Nine Tails finds Dario Argento wading into familiar territory with his sophomore effort without raising the bar in any particular way. There are elements that coalesce a bit better than in his debut, but the overall product does not feel as fresh or daring. The reveal of the investigation holds less impact even if you do have Karl Malden delivering a strong, emotional core. The picture is far from bad, but it does not capitalize on the success from his debut or on the talent we know Argento would showcase in the future. Still, it’s a perfectly entertaining giallo that gets the job done well enough. Arrow Video has released a Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a can’t-miss A/V presentation and a grand amount of special features. Argento fans will be thrilled by this release. Highly Recommended
The Cat O’ Nine Tails (Limited Edition) is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
