International The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Mario Bava) (1 Viewer)

Just pre ordered this one and having never seen it I was wondering which cut to go with as the release contains the Italian and API versions?

I thought THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH starred Adam West and Nancy Kwan and was directed by Francis Lyon.
Turns out that the Bava film I know as THE EVIL EYE, the title under which it ran on TV years ago and starred John Saxon and Letitia Roman, is now called THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.
I guess I'm The Guy Who Knew...Too Little.

Vic Pardo said:

I thought THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH starred Adam West and Nancy Kwan and was directed by Francis Lyon.
Turns out that the Bava film I know as THE EVIL EYE, the title under which it ran on TV years ago and starred John Saxon and Letitia Roman, is now called THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.
I guess I'm The Guy Who Knew...Too Little.

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Yes both versions are included in this release the Italian "The Girl Who Knew To Much and the API release " The Evil Eye "

Since American International Pictures distributed THE EVIL EYE, I think you meant AIP.

As I recall, there are differences of tone between the Italian and American versions -- both have comedic elements but the Italian is a bit darker and the American a bit lighter.

Roberto Nicolosi did the music for the Italian version -- Les Baxter the American. Both versions have their champions -- I first saw the film as the Americanized "The Evil Eye" so that is the version for which I feel a bit more love -- if I had to choose. But it is awesome that both versions are now available to be compared and argued over! Also, although I may be wrong about this, isn't the American version one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films?

I thought the AIP versions would never show up again, so I'm pleased to hear that at least this one is on disc! Now if only we could get them for the old Toho films. But with their notoriously difficult legalese, I doubt it.

Review (and comparison) up on DVDBeaver:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_64/girl_who_knew_too_much_blu-ray.htm

MERCY! My eyes can't take it anymore!!!

In the name of all that's holy, will someone please correct the wrong word in the thread title??? Thanks in advance.

Right? It's like calling the new sequel Dumb and Dumber Too.

Watched both last night. The American, for me, works a bit better as it keeps several comedic elements at the start of the film and the narrator in the US version is the leading lady, rather than a disembodied male voice in the Italian. Les Baxter's score gets a little heavy on the muzak elements, but Nicolosi has never been a favorite film composer of mine. This is one of the only instances where AIP actually reinstated footage rather than cutting it.

I'm a bit surprised that for all of Arrow and its fans shouting to the high heavens about their mighty restoration efforts, to find cue marks on the American along with loud audio splice bumps at every reel change. I cannot tell you how quickly and easily cue marks can be removed as well as the audio bumps. Otherwise, the American looks fine.

The Italian has a very rough and washed out opening credits sequence (along with a horrid emulsion scratch that comes and goes quickly - again, easy to have fixed), and then it settles down. It's much darker than the US transfer and that's not always a good thing. So, all in all, the small transfer issues would have been easy to clean up, but apparently this is one where they just took what they were given and put it on disc, and while I'm happy to have it, it's not one of my favorite Bava's, although the American version is a lot of fun for its first half.

I watched the AIP version last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's nice to see it turn out as well as it did. That being said, I was surprised by the amount of warping that was present, as well as the splices, audio pops, and cue marks (for some companies, this wouldn't be an issue at all; from Arrow, I'm a little surprised they didn't fix these -- I can live with it, but just caught off guard by that).

It might be worth you guys giving the Italian version a go, from what I can see nearly a different film all together. I will be watching the API version soon, but it does look much softer with less grain etc.

tele1962 said:

It might be worth you guys giving the Italian version a go, from what I can see nearly a different film all together. I will be watching the API version soon, but it does look much softer with less grain etc.

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Well, no it's not really softer at all, but I actually watched it. The detail is just fine throughout. And I prefer it to the much darker looking Italian transfer.

haineshisway said:

Well, no it's not really softer at all, but I actually watched it. The detail is just fine throughout. And I prefer it to the much darker looking Italian transfer.

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As I said I only watched the intro scene and it certainly did look softer and brighter with noticeably less grain, but hey ho horses for courses.

Charles Smith said:

MERCY! My eyes can't take it anymore!!!

In the name of all that's holy, will someone please correct the wrong word in the thread title??? Thanks in advance.

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??

tele1962 said:

??

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It should be The Girl Who Knew Too Much, not The Girl Who Knew To Much.

Worth said:

It should be The Girl Who Knew Too Much, not The Girl Who Knew To Much.

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Ah unfortunately grammar is a weakness of mine, but you get the idea.

(mods please correct the title)

haineshisway said:

I'm a bit surprised that for all of Arrow and its fans shouting to the high heavens about their mighty restoration efforts, to find cue marks on the American along with loud audio splice bumps at every reel change. I cannot tell you how quickly and easily cue marks can be removed as well as the audio bumps. Otherwise, the American looks fine.

The Italian has a very rough and washed out opening credits sequence (along with a horrid emulsion scratch that comes and goes quickly - again, easy to have fixed), and then it settles down. It's much darker than the US transfer and that's not always a good thing. So, all in all, the small transfer issues would have been easy to clean up, but apparently this is one where they just took what they were given and put it on disc, and while I'm happy to have it, it's not one of my favorite Bava's, although the American version is a lot of fun for its first half.

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When we shout about Arrows "restoration" efforts we're talking about transfers they did themselves, which are listed here:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/334942-arrow-video-launching-in-the-us/page-12

When it comes to licensed transfers I don't feel they deserve any more praise than the other high calibre labels. Though in the case of The Girl Who Knew Too Much, the Italian version (which is the main feature on the disc) looks to be fantastic anyway. The US version clearly comes from a lesser source, but since it's included more as a supplement to the Italian version, rather than being given equal standing, it's best not to expect too much of it. After all, it could have been much worse: the Italian version of A Bay of Blood was included in a terrible looking SD transfer!

Though in the case of The Girl Who Knew Too Much, the Italian version (which is the main feature on the disc) looks to be fantastic anyway.

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It is.

DVD Compare on The Girl Who Knew Too Much:

http://dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=3488