Why So Blu?

The 10th Victim (Blu-ray Review)

Oh yeah, the groovy 60’s are here, but not quite like you imagined them. The 10th Victim is technically a science fiction satire piece that revolves around a world where people hunt other people and take turns as the hunter and prey. Female or male – there is no discrimination based on sex. Game on! Italian superstar Marcello Mastroianni and sex Godess Ursula Andress heat up the screen in this visually provocative tale of sex, lies, deceit, and eccentricity. In fact, if you want to know where Mike Meyers got most of the ideas for Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery then you need to look no further as it’s all here. Blue Underground has brought us the Blu-ray of this 60’s gem, so let’s see how it stacks up in high definition, shall we? 

Film 

In the distant-near future society has implemented a system to satisfy the world’s craving for violence. It’s legalized murder! In this most dangerous game the players go at for ten rounds – five as the hunter – five as the hunted. If they survive the ten rounds they get to retire in lavish style and continue on with their lives.

Marcello Polleti (Marcello Mastroianni) and Caroline Meredith (Ursula Andress) are pitted against each other. It’s Marcello’s turn to play the victim one last time and Caroline is set to try and take him out in style… and by endorsement – she’s got a contract with the Ming Tea Company that says she must kill him in front of the camera while plugging the product. Wow!

That sounds like an awesome party to me, but what happens when the players fall in love with each other? There’s the rub right there. Will they set aside their differences and run off together in the sunset or will they continue the game?

I had to watch The 10th Victim twice, because there is so much information to take in, but not because it was hard to follow. The 10th Victim is a visual feast for the eyes. The costume and production design are so freakin’ cool that during the first viewing I wasn’t really paying attention to the story, because I kept thinking about what cool outfits the people were wearing. It’s as if an Italian fashion runway had exploded from my home theater!

Being that I am also a fan of 1960’s furniture and props, The 10th Victim also had many of these on display. Yeah, it’s a very aesthetically pleasing film. In addition to all of these production design props it was fun to see where most of the ideas that were used in Austin Powers originated from. There’s even a scene that references the fembot weaponry used in Austin Powers, if you know what I mean. Oh, behave!

The 10th Victim is a scathing satire mixed in with science fiction, so fans of the genres will surely have a good time. The level of apathy is pretty surprising as are some of the more personal themes touched upon. There’s a whole subplot that deals with patriarchy that was quite fascinating – and this was in the mid 60’s – and told in science fiction. Who would have thunk?

Well, The 10th Victim is now available on Blu-ray, so I suggest that if you’re a true science fiction fan that this film is required viewing. Blue Underground have once again done an outstanding job with the video and audio presentation. Kudos!

Video 

The 10th Victim is presented in 1080p, 1.85:1, widescreen. Here is a worthy presentation of high definition has to offer. The 10th Victim is a 45 year old film, but looks astonishing! Colors leap out at you as does the fashion, which I find incredibly bold and sexy.  Banding is very minimal. Grain is present throughout the entire film and I did not detect any hints of print damage, dirt or scratches. Blue Underground continues to source these films from the highest quality prints and I applaud their efforts.

Audio 

Okay, here’s where it gets kind of confusing, so take note as I will try to clarify things a bit. The back of the box says that The 10th Victim is presented in 1.0 Mono. When I viewed the film it was actually in lossless 2.0 Usually if I were to play a film and it were in mono it would only be heard from the center channel and it would also say 1.0 in my settings. The sound came from the left and right speakers, so I will say that the label is wrong. Anyways, The 10th Victim has a bit of a punch. Dialogue is clear, but you can clearly see that it was dubbed over in post production, but that’s how it was done back in the day. There are two tracks – an English dubbed version and an Italian language track with English subtitles. The Italian track sounds way better, in my opinion. The funky 60’s music comes through nice and cool and does not grate.

Special Features 

The 10th Victim has a smattering of special features, but what elevates the package is a full length documentary that chronicles Marcello Mastroianni’s career and features interviews with the many prominent people in his life including close friends and his daughters. This is worthy of purchase alone.

• Marcello: A Sweet Life
• U.S. Trailer
• Italian Trailer
• Poster & Still Gallery
• Marcello Mastroianni Still Gallery

Final Thoughts

To say that The 10th Victim is not an inspiring film would be a lie. It has inspired films like The Running Man and Austin Powers, so it does show you the power of the material. I’m still amazed that the film is 45 years old, because the thematic elements are so contemporary. Marcello and Ursula heat up the screen, and it is a pleasure to watch it all unfold. Highly recommended!

 

Order The 10th Victim on Blu-ray!