Region: 2
Country of Release: Italy
Country of Origin: Italy
Distributor: Raro Video
Pros:
- An absolutely awesome and unexpected ending.
- A decent cast.
- Direction and use of budget was very good considering it was made on a pittence.
- English subtitles don't have any mistakes.
- Original Italian mono track is in good shape.
Cons:
- The picture quality isn't particularly good despite being 'restored'.
- The extras aren't of any importance.
The Film:
"Vacanze per un massacro" or "Madness" as it's known internationally was director Fernando Di Leo's eighteenth go at directing a featuring length film and was also one of the last before his death in December 2003 (He retired way back in 1985). Probably more well known for his screenplay talents (he also wrote this film), Di Leo was not the original choice to direct the film (Mario Gariazzo was), but due to pressure towards the studio, producer Fabio Diotallevi was successful in getting Di Leo into the directing reigns. The budget for the film was very low (which is pretty obvious when watching the film) and was shot in a small country house in the Abruzzi mountains. Also, due to the low budget, the number of cast and crew members was also minimal (only four credited actors). The film starts off outside a small farm near Rome, and the first thing we see is a mysterious man kill the farmer and steal his car. We then see the man drive up into the mountains but we are still not sure why. We then cut to the other three main characters of the film: Paula (Lorraine De Selle - Cannibal Ferox, several Emmannuelle films), Lillian (Patrizia Behn - Play Motel) and Sergio (Gianni Macchia - A Woman On Fire, Hostages!). Paula and Sergio are married and own the small house in the mountains where they only travel to at weekends and Lillian is Paula's sister, who just happens to be having an affair with Sergio. Cut forward a few scenes and we have Sergio going hunting, Paula going shopping and Lillian staying home to sunbathe. Lillian puts on the radio and we hear a news report a thief and murderer who has escaped from jail and is on the loose. We then realize that the man who stole the car and is hiding near the house, has buried 300million lira in the house (from the previous robbery). Back then though, nobody lived there. This makes way for an extremely engrossing film in which the robber (whose name we now know as Joe Brezy) takes the three of them hostage whilst he digs for his loot. When he finally gets his loot, he plays Paula, Lillian and Sergio against each other, telling Paula about the affair her husband and sister are having. This makes way for a powerful twist at the end of the film that is not to be missed. If you can overlook the poor production values of the film, you will find something very much worth a watch.
The DVD:
Video:
Raro Video have given us the OAR transfer of 1.85:1, though it is non-anamorphic. Unfortunately, the picture has a few major problems including instances where the film goes blurry and a couple of instances where it seems that a couple of frames are missing and we get a judder effect. The worst part of the picture are that the colour levels are far too low and seem washed out. There is also noticeable grain throughout. The picture is far from the worst I've ever seen and is still better than a VHS release, but having Restored Version written on the case is misleading. Could be a lot worse, but could be a lot better. We are also given the option of English subtitles, which are about the best subtitles I have come across on a release from a non-English speaking country. No grammar or spelling mistakes were noticed and the subtitles were clearly displayed.
Audio:
The original Italian track in Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono is provided here, and it's pretty good. The dialogue is clear and the music levels consistent. I would've perhaps like to have seen a 5.1 track aswell because the film has a good music soundtrack that could've added to the atmosphere more than it currently does.
Extras:
Biography/Filmography - We are given a couple of text pges of information informing in a bit of detail about Fernando Di Leo's illustrious career in the movies. Half of each page is in Italian whilst the other half in English.
Liner Notes - Giving us some more detail about the films production, the liner notes are also in both Italian and English
Unfortunately, that is all we get extras wise and I would have definately liked some form of audio commentary to supplement this release.
