Cult UK label Shameless Screen Entertainment has detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of Dario Argento's Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio a.k.a Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), starring Mimsy Farmer, Michael Brandon, Jean-Pierre Marielle, and Bud Spencer. Street date is January 30th.
This special 40th Anniversary Edition has been fully remastered in HD from the original negative and includes four inserts of previously missing footage known amongst Argento fans as the legendary "missing forty seconds". Additionally, the original pristine English audio has been remastered exclusively for this Shameless release from the original magnetic soundtrack and is being made available for the first time since the film's initial theatrical release in the 1970s.
Special Features:
Introduction to the film by Luigi Cozzi.
New, exclusive and extensive recent interview on the making of Four Flies On Grey Velvet with writer and assistant director Luigi Cozzi.
Original English audio remastered in HD exclusively for this Shameless release from the original magnetic soundtrack and available for the first time since the film's original theatrical opening in the 1970s.
Shameless re-build edit of the complete version of the film including four inserts of previously missing footage known amongst Argento fans as the legendary "missing forty seconds" (the inserts are in Standard-Definition quality). The Blu-ray will allow for seamless branching of the four inserts giving viewers two versions of the film: one all HD without the re-inserted scenes and one longer version including the inserts.
Restoration of all individual damaged frames, most notably with respect to the removal of the black diagonal frame line (caused by the film jumping the high speed camera gate) in the final car crash sequence.
Optional Italian audio version in HD with English subtitles.
Blue Undergound don't have any tie up with Shameless unlike their partnership with the U.Ks Arrow video, so i doubt any BU release will be the same as this one.
This one might be my favorite Argento. Pretty excited about this one, hoping it's region free. Glad that seemless branching is being used for the bits that are from inferior sources. The cover art isn't bad but I would have preferred poster art.
Can't wait to finally see this. Argento is one of my all time favorites and this is the only film left in his classic archive that I haven't seen. Plus, it will complete the "animal trilogy" on blu ray. Should also be region free. I have their release of cannibal holocaust and it is region free.
Been dying to see this Argento film. Passed on the Mya dvd since I heard the audio got screwed up. Day 1. I purchased CRYSTAL PLUMAGE on Ebay shortly after it went OOP for $32. Thank God cause it's going for about $100 bucks now.
I hope they did their homework on this and include the missing 53 seconds (not 40 seconds) and also fix the additional missing dialogue from the Professor (bible quote).
I wish Paramount would spend the money to do a proper restoration on this so we can get these missing pieces back into the film in HD. Shameless is too small a company and doesn't have the resources.
