Five Dolls for an August Moon Blu-ray Review

The 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation of "Five Dolls for an August Moon" garners commendation for its faithful transfer, preserving the original filmic essence while embracing the inherent signs of age that lend authenticity. Kino-Lorber's release, sourced from a 35mm print, delivers a 1080p/AVC-encoded visual that maintains the film's grain and avoids unwelcome digital intrusions such as edge enhancement or overt filtering. Despite minor blemishes like white specks, an occasional stray hair, or infrequent vertical scratches, the print's overall condition impresses, particularly in its clarity and detail. This detail is so refined that viewers can discern previously indiscernible elements, such as text on a check in one scene, attributable to the enhanced resolution over prior standard-definition incarnations. Color reproduction strikes a balanced chord—vivid yet not oversaturated—with consistent black levels and well-managed highlights, ensuring a visually pleasing experience.

Mastered in HD from the 35mm negative of the English language version, the transfer exhibits a layer of grain that contributes to a warm, "lived-in" atmosphere, despite slightly hampering finer details and textures. Notwithstanding these artifacts of age, the presentation shines with a luminous quality that brings to fore Mario Bava's meticulous attention to color and composition. The film's chromatic vibrancy enhances every frame, evoking thematic depth through its palette choices. While fine details may not always be pristine, the transfer achieves a commendable level of texture in close-ups, balancing out minor imperfections.

Contrast levels are consistently high throughout "Five Dolls for an August Moon," contributing to deep blacks and controlled whites without allowing overexposure. This meticulous balance, coupled with seamless gradation between light and shadow, ensures the absence of digital distortions like banding or noise. Although not flawless, this transfer surpasses previous releases in both brightness and color fidelity, reflecting a significant improvement that celebrates the film’s visual heritage. As such, this release represents a notable achievement in bringing an obscure classic to life with a richness and clarity befitting its cinematic value.

Kino's release of "Five Dolls for an August Moon" on 4K UHD Blu-ray brings to audiences an English version with an uncompressed Linear PCM 2.0 mono track, perfectly capturing the film's sonic essence while navigating the typical age-related audio anomalies such as light hissing and occasional pops and crackles. These minor distractions do not detract from the overall listening experience, thanks primarily to Piero Umiliani's groovy, mood-setting score that features organ and guitar compositions. This score, alongside clearly understandable dubbed English dialogue, ensures that the film's audio presentation maintains a high level of clarity and engagement for the viewer, despite a low-budget production's limitations.

The audio mix, though presenting itself without the dynamic range of more contemporary tracks, excels in delivering clean, easily understandable dialogue and a musical score that, while showing signs of tinniness in places, largely retains its intended impact and quality. Sound effects, appearing to have been added in post-production, possess a certain charming artifice, blending well with the overall audio mix without striving for realism. This preservation of balance between dialogue, music, and sound effects contributes to a cohesive and satisfying auditory experience.

However, it's important to note the absence of the original Italian mix, which may disappoint purists or those seeking the most authentic experience. Moreover, occasional audio degradation, including scratches and jumps, though not pervasive, does slightly mar the presentation. Nevertheless, considering the audio's age and the film's budgetary constraints, these issues are relatively minor. The restoration team has evidently put commendable effort into ensuring that "Five Dolls for an August Moon" sounds as good as it possibly can under these circumstances, highlighting the resilience and timeless appeal of Piero Umiliani's engaging score amidst technical challenges.

The extra presentation of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray for "Five Dolls for an August Moon" offers viewers a richly detailed exploration of Mario Bava's cinematic genius. Tim Lucas, a renowned film critic and author, provides two insightful audio commentaries that delve deep into the film's production nuances, Bava's unique directing style, and hidden details that enrich the viewing experience immensely. These commentaries are both educational and engaging, appealing to both new fans and seasoned Bava enthusiasts. Additionally, the collection includes a series of Mario Bava trailers presented in HD by Kino-Lorber, showcasing the breadth of Bava’s work, and a selection of trailers for other Bava films, albeit in standard definition, which add value for collectors interested in the broader context of Bava’s influential career in Italian genre cinema.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary by Tim Lucas: Insightful exploration of the film's production and Bava's directorial nuances.
• Mario Bava Trailers (HD): Collection of HD trailers for Bava releases from Kino-Lorber.
• Black Sunday Trailer: Standard definition trailer for "Black Sunday."
• A Bay of Blood Trailer: Standard definition trailer for "A Bay of Blood" (aka Carnage).
• Baron Blood Trailer: Standard definition trailer for "Baron Blood."
• Lisa and the Devil Trailer: Standard definition trailer for "Lisa and the Devil."
• The House of Exorcism Trailer: Standard definition trailer for "The House of Exorcism."

"Five Dolls for an August Moon" isn't just a film, but a curious artifact in the cultural canon of Italian cinema, marking a distinctive yet divisive entry in Mario Bava's oeuvre. Released in 1970 and serving as an idiosyncratic passage in the evolution of the slasher genre, this film encapsulates a unique blend of Bava’s pioneering aesthetics with an unorthodox approach to narrative storytelling. While not universally acclaimed and somewhat ostracized by Bava himself, the film uncomfortably resides within the liminal space of homage and critique, particularly of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians". Despite its standing as one of the less revered works of Bava's career, it emerges as an object of fascination for its eschewal of conventional thriller tropes - notably, its stark minimization of on-screen violence and suspense, opting for a more subdued exploration of human depravity and materialism.

Characterized by its distinct mood over explicit gore, the film intriguingly sidelines explicit murder sequences and overt horror elements for a focussed lens on character dynamics and thematic exposition. This deliberate choice reflects Bava’s professional disdain yet underscores his capability to weave complexity through visual storytelling, evidenced by his illustrious background in cinematography. The narrative, superficial in its assembly yet rich in subtextual layers, juxtaposes opulent lifestyle aspirations against a backdrop of moral vacuity, encapsulating a critique on human nature's predisposition towards greed. The lackluster engagement with its source material not only demarcates Bava's creative disgruntlement but also signals his adept manipulation of cinematic language—leveraging nonverbal cues and camera wizardry to convey a narrative steeped in cynicism.

The integration of a subdued approach to traditional thriller expectations with Bava’s visual flair gives "Five Dolls for an August Moon" an unintended complexity and allure. The culmination of these elements affirms the film's status as a nuanced yet problematic stalwart within the broader context of slasher and giallo cinema. Despite its tepid reception and Bava’s own reservations, the film remains a pivotal exploration of thematic depth over surface-level sensationalism. Thus, while it may not captivate through fear or suspense, it intrigues through its commentary on the human condition, making it an essential, albeit contentious, inclusion in discussions on the evolution of the genre and Bava's cinematic legacy.

"Five Dolls for an August Moon" may not be Mario Bava's most celebrated work, yet this 4K UHD Blu-ray release by Kino-Lorber makes a compelling case for its reassessment. Known more for its aesthetic allure and hypnotic ambiance than for shocking violence, the film intriguingly prefigures elements of the slasher genre with its sequential murders, despite Bava’s own reservations about its quality. This release is distinguished by its exceptional high-definition transfer and lossless audio quality, complemented by an invaluable commentary track from Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog. These features render the film not just a visually appealing artefact of '60s/'70s Italian cinema but also an essential piece for enthusiasts eager to delve into the intricacies of giallo films or appreciate the craft behind low-budget filmmaking.

The presentation of "Five Dolls for an August Moon" in this format serves both as a preservation of Mario Bava's unique style and as an educational resource, thanks in large part to Tim Lucas' insightful commentary. His explanations lend much-needed context and depth, transforming what might seem like a minor entry in Bava’s oeuvre into a fascinating study of genre development and directorial effort. While it would have benefitted from a more extensive restoration and additional special features, this release stands out for bringing an underappreciated film back into the spotlight, offering a visually and sonically pleasing experience that might change perceptions of Bava’s work among new audiences and seasoned cinephiles alike.

In conclusion, this Kino-Lorber release of "Five Dolls for an August Moon" on 4K UHD Blu-ray is a significant contribution to the rediscovery and appreciation of Mario Bava's cinematic legacy. Though the film itself may not achieve masterpiece status, the quality of the presentation and the depth of the commentary provide a rich, immersive experience. This edition not only elevates the film within Bava’s body of work but also celebrates its place in the evolution of genre cinema, making it a must-have for collectors and fans of Italian genre films.