Thursday, April 11, 2019

Beware of THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE - Now available on Blu-ray Disc!


RICCARDO FREDA'S OBSCURE GIALLO GETS A NEW 2K RESTORATION AND EXTRAS COURTESY OF ARROW VIDEO!

I am a neophyte when it comes to giallo films, but I'm always willing to give them a watch. (Argento's DEEP RED remains my all-time favorite, just in case you were wondering.) That being said, THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE (which is a totally bad-ass movie title) sounds like something I'd love to see! And thanks to Arrow Video, we can all experience this oft-forgotten giallo for the first time in crystal clear HD!

Synopsis: One of several 'animal-in-the-title' cash-ins released in the wake of Dario Argento's box-office smash THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE is a gloriously excessive giallo that boasts a rogues gallery of perverse characters; violent, fetishized murders, and one of the genre's most nonsensical, red-herring laden plots (which sees almost every incidental character hinted at potentially being the killer).

Set in Dublin (a rather surprising giallo setting), IGUANA opens audaciously with an acid-throwing, razor-wielding maniac brutally slaying a woman in her own home. The victim's mangled corpse is discovered in a limousine owned by Swiss Ambassador Sobiesky (Anton Diffring - WHERE EAGLES DARE) and a police investigation is launched, but when the murdering continues and the ambassador claims diplomatic immunity, tough ex-cop John Norton (Luigi Pistilli - A BAY OF BLOOD) is brought in to find the killer…

Benefiting from a sumptuous score by Stelvio Cipriani (NIGHTMARE CITY, DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS) and exuberant supporting performances from Valentina Cortese (THE POSSESSED, THIEVES' HIGHWAY), and Dagmar Lassander (THE FRIGHTENED WOMAN, THE BLACK CAT), THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE is a luridly over-the-top latter-day entry in the filmography of acclaimed director Riccardo Freda (CALTIKI: THE IMMORTAL MONSTER, MURDER OBSESSION). An archetypal giallo from the genre's heyday, Freda's film is presented here in a stunning new restoration with a host of newly produced extras!

Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 96 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - English & Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Mono


Extras:
  • NEW! 2K RESTORATION FROM THE 35MM CAMERA NEGATIVE!
  • Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits.
  • NEW! Audio commentary by giallo connoisseurs Adrian J. Smith and David Flint!
  • NEW! Of Chameleons and Iguanas - A newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic Richard Dyer!
  • NEW! Considering Cipriani - A new appreciation of the composer Stelvio Cipriani and his score to The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire by DJ and soundtrack collector Lovely Jon!
  • NEW! The Cutting Game - A new interview with Iguana's assistant editor Bruno Micheli!
  • The Red Queen of Hearts - A career-spanning interview with the actress Dagmar Lassander!
  • Original Italian and international theatrical trailers!
  • Image gallery
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys!
  • First pressing only: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andreas Ehrenreich.
THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE has gotten a new lease on life, and to celebrate you should snap up a copy ASAP! This Arrow Video title should cost between $24 - $28 and is easily obtainable from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from ARROW VIDEO'S online store!



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