The Double

The “Antonioni effect” is on full display in 1971’s The Double, a decidedly non-linear pseudo-giallo that ends where it begins and challenges the audience to sort out everything in-between. Even though Blow Up was five years in the rear-view mirror, Italian cinema was still hopped up on artistic pretensions, most of which would be swapped out for exported box-office appeal in the coming decade. But director Romolo Guerrieri’s film is still somewhat essential viewing for fans with that “gotta-watch-em-all” mentality.

A selfish, trust-fund playboy, Frank (Jean Sorel) is second-guessing his marriage to Lucia (Eva Aulin) when her mother, Nora (Lucia Bose) enters the scene. Instantly infatuated, Frank’s oedipal impulses wreak havoc during their trip to Morrocco and the troubles follow them home to Rome, where a free-wheeling hippie acquaintance creates a dangerous love triangle.

Following the structure of a jet-set gialli but leaning far more towards psychological angst, The Double’s complicated narrative structure is a blessing in disguise. The film inserts Frank’s murderous and lustful day dreams without warning, keeping the audience in suspense as to what’s real and what’s fantasy. And the insistent cross-cutting turns what would have been a fairly boring vacation slide show into a semi-incestuous free-for-all complete with the requisite heavy-petting and “justifiable” sexual assaults.

Frank himself makes for a terrible protagonist, despite being embodied by one of the most traditionally handsome actors of the era. And The Double doesn’t really attempt to smooth his rough edges, waiting until the final act to add a dead body that’s not part of his sick wish-fulfillment. It’s at that point that Guerrieri’s film decides to circle back to the opening scene, explaining its rather inconsequential twist and embracing the carnal violence of Italian cinema to come.

Making its world Blu-ray premiere, Radiance presents the film in a 4K restoration that never looks anything less than exquisite. Extras include a savvy commentary from Tim Lucas, archival interview with director Romolo Guerreiri, video appreciation by Stephen Thrower, Italian and English audio tracks (the English dub is a bit muffled, best to stick to the subtitles) plus collectors booklet.

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