MovieChat Forums > 4 mosche di velluto grigio (1972) Discussion > Why has this film never been released on...

Why has this film never been released on VHS/DVD

posted 20 years ago by Tbeer
22 replies | jump to latest

Dispite a couple of comments from people claimimg to have seen low quality
copies of this film,the fact remains that this is the one and only film of Dario Argento's large output of Gallio and other horror films NEVER to be released
anywhere in the world in a legitiment form by a major releasing co...VHS,BETA,LASERDISK OR DVD. There must be a reason for this films absence
in spite of it being not only directed by a popular director, but part of his
so called Animal trilogy, along with BIRD WITH THE CRYSAL PLUMAGE and THE CAT OF NINE TAILS.
It was also released by Paramount Pictures not an obscure releasing co.

[–] JEL66 20 years ago

A good source for info is at http://www.darkdreams.org/darkdreams.html. The people there stay well informed about Dario, new projects, new releases, etc. They've been discussing Four Flies lately on their forum. If there are any developments, that site will post them.

Apparently, one person (not Dario) holds the rights to the film and hasn't chosen to release it. Blue Underground has been trying to land the rights to a Region 1 release for some time now, and aren't giving up.

[–] Gordon-M 20 years ago

There was a reasonable letterboxed VHS with French subtitles available in France back in the 90s. I'm surprised that this tape hasn't shown up as a DVD-r on Ebay, etc.

Paramount own the U.S. right, but the uncut camera negative is stored in Rome. I doubt that Paramount will ever get around to releasing it but Blue Underground might just pull off a miracle some day...

"Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must remain silent." - Ludwig Wittgenstein

[–] HitneyBlau 20 years ago

'Luminous Film & Video Works' has released a VHS without subtitles. But the video and audio suck so hard it's amazing.

Love the movie btw!! It's a very beautiful movie.

[–] gax007-1 20 years ago

i got it on dvd and vhs but both versions or taken from the same dark and is the cut us version. dont get riped off all copys at the moment from same print. you can get it uncut from dairo argentos shop in rome but no english lang or subs so i havent ill wait, it aint that good anyway

[–] HitneyBlau 19 years ago

"it aint that good anyway"?! This movie is GREAT!!

[–] gax007-1 19 years ago

its not that good compeared to Profondo Rosso or even cat o'nine tails the story is weak with no gore,its easy to figure out who the killer is, watch stendhal syndrome and you havent got a clue till right at the very end. Argento himself dosent like this movie

[–] HitneyBlau 19 years ago

First of all Stendhal Syndrome is not that good and I did actually see who the murderer was quite some time before the ending, to me it was quite obvious. Second, I am NOT comparing this to Profondo Rosso which in my opinion is his greatest achievement.

In four flies I was guessing who the killer might be but there was no way one could no for sure until the revelation scene. As for the lack of gore, you can't seriously mean that you thought the movie was bad beacuse of that? That would just be prepostrous. I thought the ending scene was very beautiful and kind of poetic.

I have only seen this movie one time and would love to see it more times, if they only would release it in good condition. And it's atleast in Dario's top five I'd say, though I have yet to see his western movies :)

[–] gax007-1 19 years ago

as fan who has all of his work including 5 days of milan and his early westerns its not alack of gore its the fact that the story is very slow and not very intresting but it is better than phenoma ,truma and the awful phantom of the opera
lets hope the third 3 mothers movie will show his tallent as the last good movie he made was tenebrae he was once the king of horror movies he is now just another so-so directer who has lost his spark trying to get the usa on side. we need less story more style more like suspira/inferno not murder she wrote

[–] grantch 19 years ago

I was fortunate enough to see this movie during its original release. I immediately recognized the Argento style as I had been delighted and chilled by The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat o'Nine Tails. I had a crush on Mimsey Farmer as she was also in another very cool thriller, The Road to Salina. Anyway, the denouement stuck in my memory for decades, as did the vision of the lights coming up in the balcony and the "puppet mask" photographing the action below. I liked this flick and have long used it as an example of what a well-made thriller should be. Now, will someone make Paramount an offer they can't refuse, so we can have 4 Flies in a pristine copy?

[–] MovieCriticMarvelfan 19 years ago

It's a very good movie, well acted, of course it's supposed
to be slow, most of Argento's movies start out slow, he's not
one to deliver all the goods all at once.

"I'am laughing on the outside, crying on the inside"

[–] ravenous_freak 19 years ago

The copy i have is fully uncut in widescreen. The quality is actually pretty decent. It looks like you're watching an older VHS tape. i was pretty impressed when i watched it.

Damn, I spilled my Big Gulp!

[–] midnight_wanderer 19 years ago

No, it really is one of Dario's least good films. Something was missing. It just wasn't as adventurous as the others. I also think the main guy hiring the detective instead of investigating himself was a mistake because the audience of course follows the main guy but on this movie he never left home except for the studio. We didn't see much of the city or the environment like in the others. Something just didn't work like in the others.

Don't wander into abandoned churches for Czakyr will grab you from underneath the watery grave.

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[–] bdollarb 18 years ago

you can get it uncut from dairo argentos shop in rome

No, you can't. Not unless they've started selling illegal bootlegs.

[–] exploitation1950-1 18 years ago

you can download it from limewire type in Dario argento and it will come upn as T-728682496-(DivxIta) Quattro mosche di velluto grigio (Dario Argento) along with some other of his films

[–] Nestor-4 18 years ago

Four Flies on Grey Velvet was released on VHS in the eighties in Greece - the copy in question was in French with Greek subtitles, but the quality of the print is probably the best around.

We picked up a copy from a Greek trader in the mid-90's, and even though lousy quality bootlegs have turned up (most from the same appalling print, though we HAVE seen worse than the Luminous Films copy), the Greek VHS copy is still lovely to look at.

[–] exploitation1950-1 18 years ago

http://www.profondorossostore.com/shop/store.htm
it says here they sell it in his store

[–] Stuntrocker 18 years ago

I heard that a Japanese film collector has a pristine 35mm print, but was really stingy with his collection.....the man has recently passed away, so maybe Blue Underground can fenagle the print from the mans family.

[–] HitneyBlau 17 years ago

Yes, let's please do some fenagling.

[–] 17 years ago

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