Is All the Colors of Giallo Treasure or Trash?
Blu-ray Distributed By Severin / January 29, 2019
‘Giallo’ is Italian for ‘yellow’, the color of the lurid pulp novels that inspired one of the most intense, extreme and influential genres in movie history. In this unprecedented collection, experience the full chronological evolution of giallo with more than 100 rare and classic trailers from such masters as Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino, Antonio Margheriti, Umberto Lenzi and many more. Then slip on black leather gloves and set the mood with a Bonus CD of legendary soundtrack music from composers that include Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Bruno Nicolai, Stelvio Cipriani and others, along with all-new featurettes that thrust even deeper into the genre. “But be warned,” says Gizmodo.com, “once you start going down the blood-slicked giallo rabbit hole, you may become dangerously obsessed.”
Travis’s Take 
(3 / 5)
If you are a horror fan and you don’t know what giallo is at this point, I am going to assume you might be fairly young. If not, what the fuck is wrong with you? If you are a burgeoning horror viewer this release is a great primer. The disc starts with a spoiler warning, which apparently needs to be said these days or else consumers will bitch online about having things ruined in 40 year old films. So keep that in mind going in. It lays out the basics about the source printed materials that give the giallo its name. It talks about the evolution of the films as they depart for the crime procedural mysteries to a more visual focused experience at the expense of plot. Here’s another heads up for viewers new to Italian movies; many times they won’t make a ton of sense.
It has plenty of interviews with talking heads opining on the subject which is ok, but what you really want to do is listen to the directors and actors who were part of the films discuss their history. If you explore further, names such as Lenzi, Bava, Argento, Martino, and Fulci will become very familiar to you over time as you explore giallo titles. Most are still living, but they do dig up some vintage recordings of goremeister Fulci shit talking his colleagues. Now for viewer who is more familiar with the topic may not find much here to learn. There were a few directors that I wasn’t aware of which are mentioned and included as part of the hours long trailer loop.
Also, the movie points out the influence of German krimi films on giallo. While I was aware of these, I will also admit I really haven’t seen any or knew how they impacted Italian directors.
So disc two was where I found more benefit. It includes an interview with a German film historian who gives a pretty high level explanation of krimi films that I found fairly informative. You then get a bunch of krimi trailers to watch to give you a taste of what to expect. Seeing a young Klaus Kinski in one of the trailers certainly got my attention. I think my only complaint with the trailers is that the quality is really all over the place. I understand these are essentially bonus features, but some look like they are pretty poor resolution.
Finally the third disc is a CD of compiled musical cues from across various films. It shouldn’t be understated how well the soundtracks of giallo really help set the tone of the style, in particular the band Goblin. If you haven’t heard of them before, prepare to become a fan.
In summary, this release will provide tons of value for giallo newbies. Otherwise it should appeal to fans of trailer comps or soundtracks. Beyond that it’s a lot of material but not necessarily breaking any new ground for long time fans.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
Travis says: Hidden Treasure!
| Travis's Take: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Blu-ray Extras: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Average: |  (3.8 / 5) |
[amazon_link asins=’B07LD4P3D4,B00R33O65C,B01KEBWJYO,B07LDC9C88,B07812BLSB,B071W79FQC,B077HB8C5T,B07K91V1W2′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’trashmenamaz-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8e877147-8eb6-49fc-b8fa-76d53808c16c’]
Special Features:
DISC 1 – Blu-ray
- All the Colors of Giallo: A New Feature Length Documentary By Federico Caddeo
- The Giallo Frames: Interview With John Martin, Editor Of The Giallo Pages
- Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of All The Colors Of Sergio Martino
DISC 2 – DVD: The Case of the Krimi
- Kriminal!: Trailer Compilation
- The Case Of The Krimi: Interview With Film Historian Marcus Stiglegger
DISC 3 – CD
- The Strange Sounds Of The Bloodstained Films: Compiled By Alfonso Carillo of Rendezvous! From The Archives Of Beat Records. Remastered By Claudio Fuiano.
