MORBO (1972)
Label: Mondo Macabro
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 91 Minutes 13 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1)
Director: Gonzalo Suarez
Cast: Ana Belén, Victor Manuel, Michael J. Pollard
In Morbo (1972), directed by Gonzalo Suarez (Aoom), young newlyweds Diego (Victor Manuel) and Alicia (Ana Belen, The Creature) set off after their wedding on a camping honeymoon, towing a camper behind their car. They pull off the main road in search of a secluded spot in the countryside to set-up camp, looking to spend some time alone together. They decide on a clearing in a remote forest they set-up camp, complete with cool inflatable furniture, and consummating their marriage. It's a fun time initially, they are enjoying the peace and quiet and each other's company, making love in the woods and relaxing in the sun, but soon enough an unease begins to creep into the relationship, as the couple quarrel about having enough drinkable water, with Alicia becomes obsessed with a crumbling cottage located deeper in the woods that Alicia says she saw. She also starts to feel they are being watched while they make love at night by someone or something peering in from the woods. They start to notice things go missing around their campsite, including her wedding dress, and items seem disturbed, or altered in subtle ways. An even more ominous vibe creeps in when one of the couple's pet hamsters gruesomely chews the head off its mate.
The atmosphere is heavy and dripping with ominous dread, as the couple's happy marriage slowly starts to fracture with mistrust, they begin to argue about that strange house in the woods, with Alicia demanding that Diego go to the house and draw drinking water from it's well, instead of sourcing it from a nearby stream, but Diego is oddly against visiting the house, telling her that it doesn't actually exist, that he only agreed that it existed to make her less nervous about being in such an isolated location. She does not believe him and when the water rations are depleted Alicia insists that Diego go to the house in the woods to look for a well. When he refuses Alicia decides to search for the cottage herself, finding the eerie abode and entering it, where she experiences a macabre and deadly encounter that results in the death of one of it's inhabitants. We also have a threat by way of the male stranger who has been stalking their campsite, who it seems has been secretly sabotaging their honeymoon, played by Michael J. Pollard (Night Visitor), who is also a resident of the mysterious cottage, and thsi encounter also ends in death.
The film is a delirious arthouse psychological thriller that has the eco-terror leanings of something like Long Weekend, wherein nature itself seems to play a role in the disintegration of the couple's relationship, adding a creepy element to the proceedings. The film is very well lensed by Juan Amorós (Far from the Trees), and it looks terrific, the visual style is both gorgeous and creates an unease, even early on during the happier moments before the darkness creeps in.
While I found the slow-burn disintegration of the relationship rather fascinating I could see this being a bit slow or even tedious for others, but the quiet menace that permeates it really tickled by brain. I loved the countryside creepiness of it, and the overall vibe, which at times felt kindred to something like Messiah of Evil.
Audio/Video: Mondo Macabro offers up Morbo (1972) with a brand new 4K restoration from the original negative, presented on region-free Blu-ray in 1080p HD framed in 1.37:1 widescreen. The transfer looks terrific, a light layer of grain is present throughout, detail looks pleasing in close-ups, and the colors appear accurate, skin tones are warm, primaries like reds and yellows are vivid, and the greenery of the forest is convincing. Audio comes by way of Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. The track is clean with clear dialogue, and the score by Jacques Denjean sounds just fine as well.
Extras kick-off with an Audio Commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast. As usual the boys deliver a terrific and informative tracks, offering insight into the main cast, director and score, the striking visual sense of the film, and censorship of the film during the Franco regime, and how that lead to multiple versions of the film. We also get the 46-min Ana Belen: A Committed Woman - Profile on the career of Ana Belen with Film Historian Xavi Sanchez Pons who offers a deep-dive into the life and career of the singer/actress, her place in Spanish pop-culture, and marriage to co-star Víctor Manuel. Last but certainly not least is the 24-min Interview with Sitges Film Festival director Angel Sala about the film and the career of director
Gonzalo Suarez, his place in Spanish cinema, and talking about the unique aspects of this film in particular.
The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided wrap with striking new artwork by artist Justin Cofee.
Special Features:
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative.
- Ana Belen: A Committed Woman - Profile on the career of Ana Belen (46:31)
- Interview with Sitges Film Festival director Angel Sala about the film. (24:14)
- Audio Commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast.
Screenshots from the Mondo Macabro Blu-ray:
Extras:
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