Written by: Michael Den Boer on August 3rd, 2010
Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1992
Director: Sergio Martino
Writers: Sergio Martino, Piero Regnoli
Cast: Deborah Caprioglio, Steve Bond, Sharon Twomey, Leonardo Treviglio, Pedro Loeb, Raffaella Offidani, Raffaele Mottola, Martín Coria, Roberto Ricci
DVD released: August 31st, 2010
Approximate running time: 99 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English, Dolby Digital Stereo Italian
Subtitles: N/A
DVD Release: Mya Communication
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $24.95
Synopsis: While hiding out in Buenos Aires and working as a hit man. A disgraced Miami police officer gets involved with the girlfriend of a gangster. Has he found the happiness that has alluded him since his wife and son were murdered or is he heading for another heartbreak?
Naked Obsession was co-written and directed by Sergio Martino, who’s other notable films include The Strange vice of Mrs. Wardh, Your Vice is a Closed Room and Only I Have a Key, Torso, All the Colors of the Dark, Giovannona Long-Thigh and Sex with a Smile. The screenplay for Naked Obession was co-written by Piero Regnoli, who’s other notable credits as a screenwriter include Patrick Still Lives, Nightmare City and Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror. The cinematographer on Naked Obession was Giancarlo Ferrando who frequently worked with director Sergio Martino. Some of their notable collaborations include All the Colors of the Dark, Your vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, Torso, Violent Professionals, The Suspicious Death of a Minor and Scorpion with Two Tails. The score for Naked Obsession was composed by Luigi Ceccarelli (Hanna D: The Girl from Vondel Park, Rats: Night of Terror).
What starts off as a thriller quickly turns into a soft core romp with the bulk of the film spent following the disgraced cop pursuing the woman next door, a gangsters girlfriend. This evolving romance tends to drag at times. Despite this shift in tone, this film does wrap things up nicely with a very satisfying twist ending. The real meat of this film are scenes which involve the disgraced cop’s search for revenge against those who killed his wife and son. The film’s use of flashback while effect at first. It does quickly become redundant. Without a doubt this film’s greatest and most alluring asset is its voluptuous leading lady Deborah Caprioglio (Paprika). Ultimately Naked Obsession is an indecisive thriller that is virtually devoid of tension.
The DVD:
Naked Obsession is presented in an anamorphic widescreen that retains the film’s original aspect ratio. The image looks crisp, colors and flesh tones look accurate and black levels look strong throughout. There are some very minor instances of print debris and edge enhancement is kept in check.
This release comes with two audio options, Dolby Digital Stereo English and Dolby Digital Stereo Italian. The English audio mix is in good shape as dialog is clear throughout. There are some mild instances of background noise. The Italian audio mix sounds similar quality wise with the main differences being the audio sounds muffled at times and there are some instances where the audio sounds distorted. It should be noted that even though the DVD box art lists English subtitles. There are no English subtitles on this release.
Extras for this release include a trailer for the film (2 minutes 8 seconds – anamorphic widescreen, in Italian with no English subtitles) and a image gallery with stills, posters and covers for various home video releases of the film. Overall Naked Obsession gets a well rounded audio /video presentation from Mya Communication, that is on par with their DVD release for Craving Desire.