By MICHAEL GINGOLD
For its 40th anniversary, the Italian maestro’s giallo masterpiece is coming in a disc release like none before–including the American re-edit!
Synapse Films, in conjunction with Arrow Video, will release Dario Argento’s 1982 shocker TENEBRAE in a three-disc limited-edition region-free 4K UHD/Blu-ray set July 26. Anthony Franciosa stars as an American author of violent mysteries who becomes embroiled in a string of murders in Rome that mirror the crimes in his latest novel, and the cast also includes John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi and John Steiner. There will be 6,000 units released with new slipcover art by Wes Benscoter (available for pre-order here), along with an additional 2,000 copies with a variant slipcover/booklet cover (the classic Renato Casaro poster art) available only at the Synapse Films website and from DiabolikDVD. The centerpiece is a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, and this edition will also feature the first-ever disc release of the heavily edited U.S. theatrical cut titled UNSANE.
The discs will be packaged with an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by filmmaker Peter Strickland and Argento biographer Alan Jones, an interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli and a new, in-depth analysis of the film by critic Ashley Lane; a fold-out double-sided poster featuring original Italian and Japanese poster art; and six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards. The complete disc specs are:
Disc 1 (4K UHD)–Original Version
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original Italian and English front and end titles and insert shots
- Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
- English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Audio commentary by authors and critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman
- Audio commentary by Argento expert Thomas Rostock
- Audio commentary by Maitland McDonagh, author of BROKEN MIRRORS/BROKEN MINDS: THE DARK DREAMS OF DARIO ARGENTO
- YELLOW FEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GIALLO, a feature-length documentary charting the genre from its beginnings to its influence on the modern slasher film, featuring interviews with Dario Argento, Umberto Lenzi, Luigi Cozzi and more
- Being the Villain, a newly edited archival interview with actor John Steiner
- Out of the Shadows, an archival interview with Maitland McDonagh
- Voices of the Unsane, an archival featurette containing interviews with writer/director Dario Argento, actresses Daria Nicolodi and Eva Robins, cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, composer Claudio Simonetti and assistant director Lamberto Bava
- Screaming Queen, an archival interview with Daria Nicolodi
- The Unsane World of TENEBRAE, an archival interview with Dario Argento
- A Composition for Carnage, an archival interview with Claudio Simonetti
- Archival introduction by Daria Nicolodi
- International theatrical trailer
- Japanese SHADOW theatrical trailer
- Alternate opening credits sequence
- Image galleries
Disc 2 (4K UHD)–UNSANE Version
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- The re-edited 90-minute U.S. version, specially recreated for this release from the new 4K restoration of the full-length 101-minute version, exclusive to UHD
- Two audio options: a recreation of the original theatrical experience, complete with jump cuts and sudden audio shifts, and a new, more seamless edit created for this release, both in restored lossless English mono
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Original “Take Me Tonight” stereo EP recording, performed by Kim Wilde
Disc 3 (Blu-ray)–Original Version
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- All the same content as Disc 1
