Director – Vincente Aranda (The Blood Splattered Bride, If They Tell You I Fell)
Starring – Teresa Gimpera (The Tunnel, The Long Winter), Marianne Benet (The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Out of the Unknown), and Marcos Marti (BiBiCi Story, Sol de Verano)
Release Date – 1966
Rating – 2/5
Blu Release – 3/5
I absolutely adore all the boutique labels that are currently releasing films on blu and UHD, especially if they are working on titles that not a lot of us have seen before. While I love the films, I’m tired of double and triple dipping on the same titles like Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead, and so on.
Mondo Macabro is one of the few boutique labels right now that is constantly releasing obscure and not so well known titles on blu for the first time ever. Not too long ago they released the 1966 Spanish drama/thriller Left-Handed Fate under it’s alternate title Fata Morgana. I was lucky enough to get a copy for review and I would like to thank my friends over at MM for sending this one my way!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a famous model who longs for a man she can never have and a professor who is infatuated with serial killers are tossed in the mix when a real serial killer targets the model. **Spopiler Alert**
I went into Fata Morgana with an open mind and very curious as to how this one would play out. Sadly, it was one that I struggled to finish. I really did give this one a chance but it wasn’t for me. The acting for this one is solid by the entire cast. There was a few scenes that was a bit awkward but I would only assume it was due to the language barrier.
The story for this one had some interesting ideas but it failed to pull them all together into a coherent and solidly paced film. A professor studying serial killers helping a model who is being hunted by a serial killer should be everything a horror and true crime fan would love. However, the editing and pacing made the film extremely dull and difficult to follow. Some serious editing would have made this one so much more enjoyable.
Finally, those looking for some blood and guts will be very disappointed. However, if a slow paced drama is more your speed then you are in luck. Overall, Fata Morgana is one that I seriously wanted to like but I couldn’t bring myself to enjoying any aspect of the film. This one was not for me.
Special Features:
Region Free
Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
Spanish audio with optional English subtitles
Interview with actress Teresa Gimpera
Interview with Angel Sala, director of the Sitges Film Festival
Audio commentary by Eurocult expert Rachael Nisbet
Alternative opening sequence
