I know it is not the done thing to discuss bootlegs but these are two films out of circulation, so what does one do? Pretend they don't exist?
No picture as there is nothing worth seeing!
Too Beautiful to Die
I bought the big box Colourbox VHS of this as an ex rental out of curiosity amongst a much larger load of tapes at a closing down sale at a video library. At the time I barely knew of the
giallo as a genre beyond Argento, Bava and Fulci, so it was recognising the elements in this film I bought because of the cover that made it "click" in my mind that there was something worth investigating here that existed beyond the mid 70s.
A follow up to
Nothing Underneath (which I didn't know for years later), the UK VHS was decent pic and sound quality, but cut by almost 2 minutes and full screen (though this did not affect the framing badly at all).
I threw it away with hundreds of other videotapes (filled over ½ a large skip with them) thinking it would be easy to replace on DVD soon enough.
Well, still waiting over 6 years later, so I have bought a DVD-R of the old Dutch rental VHS, inspired by revisiting
Nothing Underneath the other night. The Dutch subs are chunky and mildly intrusive, the picture is overly dark and it has worn VHS issues. But it is uncut and letterboxed to 1.66:1!
And more to the point, the opening scenes gave me a lovely shiver of nostalgia and remembrance.
Happy to have it again, sad I cannot get a proper, good quality release.
La Marge
I may have mentioned that I consider Walerian Borowczyk a genius. I didn't have high hopes for this film when the UK VHS was released - Joe Dallesandro and Sylvia Kristel? But it was a glorious package, it was a Borowczyk film and the film actually turned out to a superbly made and photographed sex drama in which the two stars give very decent performances (even Joe seems OK dubbed into French!
). A really overlooked gem in Borowczyk's oeuvre, I think.
I remember as I threw away the VHS I got it back out of the skip and nearly kept it. But I was doing a catharsis thing I won't go into, and so I ended up dumping it. Besides, a director as talented and important as Borowczyk would soon have his canon on DVD...
...er...
...no.
To add insult to injury, the few releases of La Marge that have (barely) emerged around the world have not been English friendly. So, bootleg it is. The picture quality is amazing, and the fansubs) seems excellent (and reside in the letterboxing leaving the image uncovered).
Again though, a film that needs a rediscovery, remaster and re-release. As do all of the master's films. There is not a single Borowczyk film on Blu-ray anywhere around the world, not even in France or Poland, not even
La Bête.