The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh

Italy / 1970 Directed by Sergio Martino Starring Edwige Fenech George Hilton Ivan Rassimov Color / 94 Minutes / R Format: DVD (R0 - NTSC) NoShame Films

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Back in 2001, when reviewing The Case Of The Bloody Iris, I lamented the dearth of Region 0/1 DVDs of films featuring the gorgeous, incredibly sexy European actress Edwige Fenech. Hailed as the "Queen of the Giallo", Fenech's exotic beauty graced a number of these thrillers which we here in North America simply weren't able to see other than by way of crappy looking VHS bootlegs, if at all. In the interim, happily, progress has been made — albeit very slowly. Fall 2004 saw the release of All The Colors Of The Dark (1971) in a terrific edition from Shriek Show; now, the Queen's first starring giallo role, in Sergio Martino's The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh, arrives on DVD. And there's great news about the near future... But more about that later.     In Strange Vice Edwige plays the type of character that was to become her trademark in the gialli to follow by Martino and other directors: beautiful and glamorous, a sexually freewheeling fashionista living the jetsetter life, but with some major relationship and/or possible mental problems. And, oh yeah... A mysterious figure in black is trying to kill her.     Julie Wardh, the dissatisfied young wife of an international investment broker, arrives in Vienna with her husband to take up residence — at the very time a serial killer is brutally murdering women in the city. Julie hasn't even settled in when she receives a bouquet of roses, accompanied by a strange note, from an 'anonymous' admirer. She knows who sent them: Jean (Eaten Alive's Ivan Rassimov), a former lover with whom she shared a kinky and sometimes violent relationship of dominance and submission. Seems he hasn't taken their breakup all that well. Having wed husband Neil (Alberto de Mendoza) to forget about Jean, Julie now finds herself being stalked by her old flame. Hot-tempered and brutal, Jean is unpredictable, possibly dangerous; Julie can't be sure just how far he'll go. As for hubby, he's inattentive and distant, frequently absent on business trips. So her marriage isn't exactly a source of comfort or security.     Julie finds a quantum of solace in the arms of George (George Hilton), a handsome, devil-may-care playboy type who aggressively woos her from their very first meeting at a party. The happiness she finds in this illicit affair is short-lived, however; soon after bedding George she receives a phone call from a blackmailer threatening to tell her husband unless she coughs up some dough. Even though the caller's voice was disguised Julie's sure that it's actually Jean behind the scheme. Her best friend Carol (Torso's Conchita Airoldi) volunteers to make the payoff in her place, mainly so she can give Jean a piece of her mind. Carol winds up murdered instead, another victim of Vienna's savage razor killer — or so the police believe. Julie thinks Jean is the culprit and informs the cops. One problem with that theory, though: Jean has an airtight alibi. Then Julie herself is attacked in a parking garage by a shadowy figure in black, barely escaping with her life, while Jean is found dead shortly thereafter. Was it suicide or murder? Julie isn't sticking around to find out. Leaving a Dear John letter for her husband, she hooks up with George and takes off for sunny Spain to forget everything and start a new life. But her nightmare is far from over...     The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh was among the first of the 'new wave' of gialli epitomized by Dario Argento's better known The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, which was filmed at approximately the same time. Director Sergio Martino, then only 29 years old, and with only one other feature-length film (a spaghetti western) under his belt, displays remarkable assurance and a steady hand at the helm. The film is stylish and visually compelling, making fine use of the wide frame and a roving, kinetic camera — all hallmarks of Martino's gialli to come. Greatly enhancing the imagery is the score by composer Nora Orlandi, whose haunting theme for Julie's flashbacks/fantasies of her sadomasochistic trysts with Jean is simultaneously sensuous and creepy. (And which would be appropriated by Quentin Tarantino over 30 years later as the signature cue for Michael Madsen's Budd character in Kill Bill Vol. 2, albeit in a completely different context.) The stars, of course, fit their roles to a "T". Fenech and Hilton amply display the chemistry that would lead to their re-teaming in a number of Italian thrillers for Martino and other directors; Rassimov is perfectly cast as the sinister yet attractive 'bad boy' type that women who should know better end up getting involved with despite their better judgment. The film's only real shortcoming is the script (nothing new as far as gialli are concerned!), which, while providing a logical and genuinely satisfying resolution to the mystery, gets pretty far-fetched as to how that resolution is presented. (I'm referring specifically to the final scene, but can't go into any details without spoiling the end of the movie.)

This is my first look at a release from NoShame Films, a new company specializing in bringing European (mostly Italian) cinema to North American DVD. I'm mightily impressed. A beautiful looking transfer, an original language track, a nice array of extras... You can't really ask for too much more.     The anamorphic transfer, in its all-important proper aspect ratio (2.35:1), was taken from original elements and so is almost pristine, with only the teeniest bit of print damage in evidence. A handful of scenes look too dark (this is apparently the natural condition of the print) but otherwise the visuals are stellar, with vibrant colors and sharp detail. Two separate mono audio tracks are offered: the original Italian, with optional English subtitles, and the English dubbed version. The Italian track is definitely the way to go, as it's not only much fuller and less tinny sounding than the English one but the script is better, too. (The English track also contains an infrequent but nonetheless annoying glitch. Whenever subtitles appear onscreen to translate notes or newspaper headlines written in Italian, the audio cuts out for a few seconds.)     The slate of extras includes the Italian theatrical trailer (looking rather washed-out), a poster/still gallery, a brief liner notes booklet focusing on Martino, Hilton and Fenech, and a short (3 min.) video clip of Martino speaking before a recent revival screening in Venice. Martino is also featured — along with Hilton, Fenech, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi and producer Luciano Martino (the director's brother) — in a half-hour documentary on the making of Strange Vice, entitled Dark Fears Behind the Door. Aside from being well put-together and informative, the doc is of special note for the appearance of the elusive Edwige Fenech in her first interview for a DVD release... I have to say, the former sex goddess looks utterly fabulous for a gal in her late 50s! (Either Italy has the best plastic surgeons in the world or Ms. Fenech was simply born with great genes.)    And that good news I mentioned? NoShame will soon be releasing two more Fenech thrillers on DVD, Secrets Of A Call Girl and Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key (the title of the latter inspired by a line of dialog in Strange Vice); Blue Underground has announced Strip Nude For Your Killer for October. Righteous! 7/28/05

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