A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN

Directed by Lucio Fulci
Written by Lucio Fulci, Reberto Gianviti, Jose Luis Martinez Molla, & Andre Tranche
Cinematography by Luigi Kuveiller
Music by Ennio Morricone
Cast: Florinda Bolkan, Stanley Baker, Jean Sorel, Alberto De Mendoza, Penny Brown & Mike Kennedy

1971/103 Mins/Color/Dolby Digital Surround 5.1
1.85:1 anamorphic/Italian/Italy/NTSC Region 1

Review from Shriek Show/ Media Blasters DVD.

Carol (Florinda Bolkan) has been haunted by strange, surreal nightmares. In one of them, she carries on a steamy lesbian moment with her sexy, hippy neighbor (the beautiful Anita Strindberg). But then she brutally stabs and kills her. When this happens in real life, exactly as it did in her dream, the police name her as the prime suspect. So, she sets to find the truth herself; is she the killer or just a victim of a frame up?

One of the things that definitely stand out in this film is the impressive style in which it is made. Fulci gives the movie a very surreal and trippy look. The editing also greatly enhances it. It has a slow deliberate pace, but builds interest thanks to some really good twists and revelations along the way. Also, important in giving the film its unique feel is the wonderfully score by the master, Ennio Morricone.

The women are gorgeous, of course. The lesbian dream scene is both steamy and weird. Thankfully, the movie does not disappoint in the nudity department, either. While, there are some violent moments here and there, for the most part, this is a film that holds back on the gore considerably. Not, that the movie needs it; as it works fine as is.

This early gaillo has long been considered by many to be one of Fulci’s finest films, if not his best film. While I feel that some have overrated the movie; it is still a very good and solid mystery. Personally speaking, I prefer another gaillo that he did, DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING (which also stared the lovely Ms. Bolkan, by the way). Nonetheless, I still feel that this is a must see for any fan of gaillo, Fulci, or quality horror films, in general.

Shriek Show gets all trippy with this excellent DVD release in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen. They had earleir released it in a very disappointing version that had the censored, R-rated cut in widescreen, and this uncut version in pan-and-scan. Thank God they found the original edit for this superior release, cause this movie, like any other film, needs to be seen in all of it’s uncut glory. The picture quality, itself, has lots of artifacting and lines in some parts, but the colors are nonetheless rich and vivid with rich, thick blacks. To enjoy the nice 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, you will have to hear the English dub, as the Italian dub is only in mono. That said, the newly discovered scenes added to make the film uncut, where never dubbed, so much like the DVD release of DEEP RED, those are still in Italian. But, fear not, the dubbing is not as bad as usual.

The extras are great in this release. “Interview with Fulci Expert, Professor Paolo Albiero” is very interesting, and I felt that I learned a lot listening to him. He talks about the history of Fulci and the man, in general. He also goes into some great stories and history about LIZARD, including some really cool anecdotes. I think this interview is a must for any Fulci fan to see. He also appears to discuss “A History of the Film’s Censorship” in another interesting and informative interview.

Also included in the disc is the original Italian title scene to the movie. As well, as a Fulci trailer reel with: ZOMBIES 2, the film itself, DEMONIA, MURDER ROCK, TOUCH OF DEATH, and THE SWEET HOUSE OF HORRORS. Aside, from these trailers, it also has trailers to: HOME BEFORE MIDNIGHT, BAD INCLINATION, FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW, and COP KILLERS. The keepcase comes with a Fall 2006 Media Blasters coming soon catalogue. From the menu you can access the fourteen chapters that it is broken up into.

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Review by Giovanni Deldio. All Right Reserved. 2008. ©

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