Exclusive NSFW OPERA MORTEM Trailer Surfaces After Being Lost For Over Four Decades
Alright, buckle in readers as this is a weird one and I’m not done digging to find out more information. Hence, be prepared for the word “supposedly” to show up once or twice. But let’s go with what we have, shall we?
Above is a NSFW trailer for a film called Opera Mortem, which is supposedly a long-lost movie that played just one time at the Nottingham Odeon Theatre in 1973. Supposedly shot over a 10-year period on Super 8mm as well as VHS, the movie is the brainchild of English painter David Fleas, for whom I can find pretty much nothing about, aside from this IMDb page. Then, a few years ago, it was discovered in an old case at a market by Italian “adventurer” Giovanni Mele, who acquired the rights from Fleas’ son and heir. It has now been remastered and restored in 2K with the expectation that it will be ready in January. We’re told that it is extremely graphic and obscene when it comes to the content, including sexual acts and loads of gore.
We’ve also been told the Mele’s team contacted an expert to decipher some symbols used within the film. It was explained to them that the video, “…is a kind of metaphorical transposition of a black magic ritual.” Spooky!
Now, we’re not dummies here at Dread Central and there are certainly questions that need to be answered. For example, we’re told that it was shot on both Super 8mm as well as VHS BUT the latter format wasn’t released or popularized until the late ’70s, meaning that shooting on it in the late 60’s/early ’70s seems pretty unbelievable. Additionally, some of the quality of shots in the trailer seem like they weren’t done on either of those two formats. For that, we did get a potential explanation from the person who is assisting in the release of the film.
Here is what we were told (cleaned up a bit as English is not their first language):
“It’s Super 8 and VHS, plus also Video 8 and Digital Remastering of old film in VHS as what we understand from the notes left by Fleas. Probably the sense of “new” is caused by the high quality of the cleaning done on the whole film, plus some additional new footage inserted to substitute for damaged scenes (10%).”
We’ve also been told that one of the conditions for the film’s restoration is that Fleas’ son would like some privacy and doesn’t want too much revealed about his family or the full story.
Sounds like a rather interesting story might be lurking here, although my skepticism is rather high. That being said, there’s no denying that the trailer suggests a rather intense experimental experience, something along the lines of Luis Buñuel’s Un Chien Andalou. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see once it comes out!
Categorized:News