Macchie Solari

MACCHIE SOLARI

AUTOPSY aka THE VICTIM

Italy 1975

D: Armando Crispino

P: Leonardo Pescardo//St & Sc: Armando Crispino, Lucio Battistrada//DP: Carlo Carlini//M: Ennio Morricone.

Cast: Mimsy Farmer, Ray Lovelock, Barry Primus, Massimo Serrato, Angela Goodwin, Gaby Wagner, Ernesto Colli.

All over Rome, people are committing suicide. Dr. Simona (Mimsy Farmer) is working on a method of study that will be able to determine whether a suicide was faked or not. When a neighbor of her's (who was also involved with her father, played by Massimo Serrato) is found dead on a local beach, a victim of suicide, Simona, along with her boyfriend Ed (Ray Lovelock), discover she was actually murdered. The victim's brother, Father Lennox (Barry Primus), is a creepy individual whom was a former race car driver. When his car spun out of control and killed a dozen people, he went temporarily crazy, only to become a priest after a  stay at an insane asylum. He becomes the main suspect as more and more people, including her father are done away with. By film's end, he will actually struggle with the real killer in an effort to save Simona from his clutches.

Farmer's performance can be likened to the sound made when dragging your fingernails across a blackboard. She's in a constant state of irritation and suffers from a bad case of frigidity (Ed refers to her as his "Little ice cube."). Ennio Morricone's score picks up on this as his constant use of a woman's voice to simulate an orgasm reinforces her state of mind. That said, when Mimsy does decide to do the nasty, she (and Crispino) cuts loose as the sex scenes are quite graphic. The gore is, as you might expect with a film centering around the exhumation of dead bodies, also no holds barred. In a perfect bit of type casting, my old favorite, Ernesto Colli (see the review of DEADLY INHERITANCE), plays Evo, the necrophiliac morgue worker to perfection. Finally, most reference books list the running time of this film as 120 minutes which I dispute. Although the version out here as AUTOPSY is cut at 83 minutes, the Euro- versions from France and Italy clock in at 100 and in my opinion are the full length ones. 

Film Dope #1

This is one of my favorite film magazines from my youth. A British publication, it listed filmmakers alphabetically and tried to include as complete a filmography as was possible at the time. Download the rare first issue here. Please note the first page is missing. This issue is currently selling for $39.95 on Amazon.com!

A Lizard in a Woman's skin

UNA LUCERTOLA CON LA PELLE DI DONNA

A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN

Italy 1971

D: Lucio Fulci.

P: Edmondo Amati for Atlantida Films, International Apollo, & Les Films Corona//St & Sc: Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti, Jose Martinez Molla, & André Tranche//DP: Luigi Kuveiller//E: Vincenzo Tomassi//M: Ennio Morricone//Art Direction: Maurizio Chiari//Makeup: Carlo Rambaldi

Cast: Florinda Bolkan, Stanley Baker, Jean Sorel, Alberto De Mendoza, Anita Strindberg, Jorge Rigaud, Leo Genn, Silvia Monti.

Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) tells her psychiatrist about her dream of murdering her next door neighbor Julia (Anita Strindberg). When the neighbor turns up dead and Carol's fur coat and dagger are found near the body, Inspector Corvin (Stanley Baker) arrests her. Her husband (Jean Sorel) and father (Leo Genn) are both lawyers and base their case on the testimony of Carol's psychiatrist (Jorge Rigaud), Dr. Kerr. It allows her to be released on bail where she is soon menaced by a red-haired hippie that also appeared in her dream. More deaths occur (including Carol's stepdaughter and father) before we discover the real reason behind the killings.

Stanley Baker's role as Corvin  redefines the term "wooden performance" with his appearance in this one. Geez, what a stiff!! Mostly known for its infamous dog "evisceration" scene by Carlo Rambaldi, the film features Fulci's truly paranoiac vision of how the Sixties generation screwed up. His laughably unenlightened view of what constitutes a bad LSD trip is comparable to REEFER MADNESS during the thirties. There are a lot of highlights anyway, including another fine score by Morricone and a superlative performance by Florinda Bolkan as the suspected murderess. Anita Strindberg as the lesbian/murder victim shows her adept at playing sluts, bitches, saints, murderess or victim. Fulci's shining moments as a director come during the dream sequences. They are quite effective in this topnotch Giallo by a director who went on to bigger, but not necessarily better things.

Libido

LIBIDO

Italy 1965

D: Ernesto Gastaldi & Vittorio Salerno.

P: Ernesto Gastaldi & Vittorio Salerno for Nucleo Film//Sc: Ernesto Gastaldi & Vittorio Salerno//DP: Romolo Garroni//E: George Money//M: Carlo Rustichelli.

Cast: Giancarlo Giannini, Mara Maryl(Maria Chianetta), Dominique Boschero, Alan Collins.

As a boy Christian sees his father murder his mistress. Twenty years later he takes his new bride Helene back to where the murder took place. His lawyer Paul (Alan Collins) and his wife Brigitte ( Mara Maryl) accompany them. Christian (Giannini) becomes convinced that Paul is trying to drive him insane so that he can take control of the inheritance. Too late, he discovers that actually Helene (Dominique Boschero) and Brigitte are the ones attempting to make him think he's insane.

Mara Maryl could almost be considered a co-auteur of this film as she wrote the story the film's based on and co-stars as Brigitte. Parts of this film  turned up almost twenty years later in Gastaldi's  & Salerno's NOTTORNO CON GRIDA. The footage was tinted and used in a completely different context. Stylish direction by Gastaldi & Salerno makes one wish they had done more work in that position, rather than concentrate on cranking out screenplays. Giancarlo Giannini was still a decade away from finding fame with Italian art-house fave director Lina Wertmuller, yet even here he hams it up for the camera. The B&W cinematography certainly helps to maintain the film's atmosphere  of insanity. Rustichelli's score is one of his better efforts with a special emphasis on using an organ and saxaphone to create tension. The fact that only 4 people appear in the film certainly indicates the low budget, however Gastaldi and Salerno use the exteriors surrounding the gothic-like abode well to offset this. With the financial failure of this film, it sent both co-directors back to the salt mines of screenplay writing which was a shame, based on the quality of the presentation here. Salerno (whose brother was famous actor Enrico Maria Salerno) resurfaced 8 years later with a duo of excellent thriller/sleaze affairs: NO, THE CASE IS HAPPILY RESOLVED and SAVAGE 3.

The Murder Clinic

LA LAMA NEL CORPO

THE MURDER CLINIC

Italy 1965

D: Lionello De Felice & Elio Scardamaglia

P: Elio & Francesco Scardamaglia for Leone Film//St & Sc: Ernesto Gastaldi, Luciano Martino//DP: Marcello Masciocchi//E: Richard Hartley//M: Francesco De Masi//Art D: Walter Patriarci//Costumes: Albert Miller//Makeup: Massimo Giustini.

Cast: William Berger, Francoise Prevost, Mary Young (Anna Maria Polani), Barbara Wilson, Delphine Maurin, Philippe Hersent, Harriet White, Massimo Righi, Patricia Carr, Ann Sherman, Germano Longo.

Mary is a new nurse at the Vance Clinic. The facility is run by Dr. Robert Vance and his wife Elizabeth and is home to several mentally ill patients. In the woods nearby, Claudine, a thief, escapes her captors and is taken into the clinic by a sympathetic Dr. Vance. As she stays there, she hears strange noises in the attic. Upon investigation, she discovers a disfigured woman. Claudine begins to suspect foul play occurring at the clinic and tries to bribe the good doctor. Patients are being terrorized by the disfigured woman and Claudine is found dead. Dr. Vance reveals that the woman upstairs is his wife's sister. He was to marry her when a jealous Elizabeth caused her to fall into a lime pit. A storm is raging outdoors as vengeance finally getting its reward that very night.

The film is very much a classic Gothic Giallo with both a fine performance by Berger and effective direction by Scardmaglia. The sad thing is Scardmaglia never directed another film due to his producing duties. Based on this film, fans of Italian horror were denied some potentially great works in the genre. Berger's performance is amazing, especially when you consider what a cad his character really is, yet by the film's conclusion you're rooting for him all the way. The fact that he dubbed his own voice really helps, a luxury not always afforded to those toiling in the low budget foreign horror field. The score by Francesco De Masi is a great improvement over the usual composers of Gothic Cinema, Aldo Piga and Roman Vlad. Their works harkens back to the old fashioned music found in the Universal films of the thirties and severely dates such films as I VAMPIRI and SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES. De Masi's melodies are beautiful to listen to and his suspense motifs, quite effective. Today this film is all but forgotten, no doubt partially due to the fact that its director never made another film and there being no legitimate DVD release. With no one to champion a body of work, it usually results in being ignored or forgotten.

The Fourth Victim

IN FONDO ALLA PISCINE

THE FOURTH VICTIM

Spain 1974

D: Eugenio Martin

P: Tritone Film Industria, Filmmayer Produccione, & Estudios Cinematograficos//St & Sc: Vicente Coello, Santiago Moncada, Sabatino Ciuffini//DP: Guglielmo Mancori//E: Enzo Alabiso//M: Piero Umiliani//Art D: Ramirez Gomez//Costumes: Giovanni Naitana//Makeup: Gianfranco Mecacci

Cast: Carroll Baker, Michael Craig, Marina Malfatti, Miranda Campa, Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez, Enzo Garinei, Philip Ross, Alberto Fernandez, Manuel Gallardo, Alberto Gonzales Espinosa.

Dr. Andersen's wife is found dead in their pool. It was his third wife to die under mysterious circumstances. When his housekeeper testifies that the late Mrs. Andersen had threatened suicide the night before her death, he is found "not guilty." He soon meets and falls in love with his neighbor, Julie Spencer, a beautiful blonde. She immediately starts to plan for their wedding and insists that the good doctor take out a large insurance policy on her life with him as the beneficiary. They get into a big fight and she disappears. The police explain that Ms Spencer is insane and killed her first husband. Meanwhile, a strange woman spies on Andersen and appears to be the key to the entire film's plot machinations, that is if he lives long enough to discover it.

You'll think you're watching an Umberto Lenzi film (and indeed, Carroll Baker and Michael Craig appeared together in Lenzi's THE KNIFE OF ICE) as the film unwinds.  The story is a rehash of so many Lenzi/Baker collaborations. Eugenio Martin was a prolific Spanish director who could either be very good (A CANDLE FOR THE DEVIL) or very bad (BAD MAN'S RIVER). Here, he falls on the poor side of things as he does nothing to rescue the hackneyed plot. British actor Craig is suitably menacing at the beginning, but is soon the poor misunderstood husband as Baker begins acting suspiciously. Had the film retained a Bluebeard-like plot line, things would have been much more interesting. The score by Piero Umiliani is the only thing of positive note as it's definitely in the kitschy mood he created for Bava's FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON. Too bad the film takes itself so seriously.

Giallo Mix MP3

Enjoy almost 2 hours of music from Italian thrillers courtesy of OTTO RIVERS

7 Notte in Giallo

Perfect Crime

Indagine Su Un Delitto Perfetto

Perfect Crime

Italy 1978

D: Aaron Leviathan (Giuseppe Rosati)

P: Ciat C.L.C.//St & Sc: Giuseppe Rosati//DP: Jerri Delaware//E: Frank Robertson//Music: Carlo Savina//Art D: Robert Frogs//Makeup: Gloria Gramati

Cast: Leonard Mann, Alida Valli, Anthony Steel, Janet Agren, Gloria Guida, Joseph Cotten, Paul Muller, Adolfo Celi, Franco Ressel, Antony Freeman, Elio Stefanizzi, Claudio Gora.

Industrialist Lord Selmer is killed in a mysterious plane crash and his successor is to be picked from among the board members. Practically overnight, they begin to die mysterious deaths. First, Paul is killed when the brakes on his car fail and he ends up going over the side of a mountain. Next, Arthur's pacemaker goes haywire, causing him to perform some impromptu surgery on his chest in a vain attempt to restart it. Too late as he dies from a heart attack. Just as we discover that Paul wasn't killed in the car wreck, Harold is shot at point blank range. The film ends as the murderer gets off scot free.

If you're a fan of this genre, look over the cast list and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven. Too bad the film is nothing more than an average time waster, centered around corporate politics. It's not that the film is terrible, after all, Gloria Guida does get undressed quite often, just a waste of the talent involved. The corporate assassin dresses up in typical Giallo fashion, wearing black gloves and mask. The score by Carlo Savina is certainly prime stuff, very close to the style forged by Bruno Nicolai in the early seventies. Unfortunately the murders are not flamboyant enough to distinguish the film from any other typical murder mystery. Plot has overtaken style which is NOT the reason I watch these films.

The Iguana with a Tongue of fire

L'IGUANA DALLA LINGUA DI FUOCO

THE IGUANA WITH A TONGUE OF FIRE

D: Willy Pareto (Riccardo Freda)

P: Alfonso Donati for Oceani, Les Films Corona, & Terra Filmkunst//Sc: Riccardo Freda,Gunther Ebert, Alessandro Continenza, André Tranche//DP: Silvano Ippoliti//E: Riccardo Freda//M: Stelvio Cipriani//Art D: Chevalier Mifsuo//Costumes: Nadia Vitali//Makeup: Lamberto Marini

Cast: Luigi Pistilli, Dagmar Lassander, Anton Diffring, Valentina Cortese, Dominique Boschero, Werner Pochath, Renato Romano, Arthur O'Sullivan, Sergio Doria, Ruth Durley.

The disfigured body of a young woman is found in the trunk of Ambassador Sobiesky's automobile. Due to the delicate nature of the Ambassador's standing (and his refusal to cooperate), the police assign Inspector Norton to go undercover and strike up an affair with Sobiesky's daughter, Helen. Norton (who has a history of police brutality) discovers the Sobiesky clan has a few skeletons in their familial closet. There is a son who is ostracized from the family, a wife who so hates her husband, she threatens him at every opportunity, numerous mistresses, and disgruntled servants. All of these people appear to have a motive for wanting Sobiesky dead. More murders occur (using a vial of acid and straight razor as weapons), before it's revealed that there were actually two murderers: one who so hated the Ambassador that he wanted to kill everyone associated with him and two, another who used the activities of the real killer, to knock off people he no longer had any use for.

I know Riccardo Freda is respected as the first modern day Italian horror filmmaker, but quite frankly, I find a lot of that ground-breaking work so restricted by the moral climate of the time, to be boring. Freda's films from the seventies are much more suited to my sensibilities. IGUANA is an entertaining thriller and it has a decidedly nasty edge to it at every plot turn. The killings are quite graphic and mean-spirited and the nudity on display reveals plenty (especially featuring Pistilli's nymphet-like daughter). It's a real pleasure to see Luigi Pistilli get an opportunity to play the lead role for a change.It's a shame he became despondent in his later years and committed suicide. He gets to ride a motorcycle and even has a nice nude lovemaking sequence with Dagmar Lassander. The film also pokes fun at genre conventions when, after viewing the film, you realize Freda told us who the killer was, 30 minutes into the film! Cipriani's use of strings in the musical score appears to make everyone a suspect at one time or another. Finally, I had to laugh when it was revealed that Anton Diffring's decidedly Germanic Ambassador has his clothes cleaned at "Swastika Cleaners!"

Hyena Of London

LA IENA DI LONDRA

1964

In the 1880s, serial killer Martin Bauer is hung for his many crimes. Soon after, his body disappears from its grave and the murders begin again. Dr. Dalton is convinced Bauer is responsible. Henry Quinn, an irresponsible young man returns to be with his love, Muriel, the daughter of Dr. Dalton. Dalton's alcoholic assistant, Anthony Finney, is secretly in love with Muriel and sets up Quinn as a suspect in the recent killings. He's arrested, but the murders continue to occur. When Muriel is found murdered on the grounds near her estate, the film's shocking storyline reveals a surprising mix of incestuous desires and brain grafts involving the corpse of Martin Bauer.

This is an obscure, B&W Italian horror film that saw only a small theatrical release in Rome before disappearing to the small screen. Often confused as part of the German Edgar Wallace films made during the same time, THE HYENA OF LONDON is a competent shocker with a gloomy and effective atmosphere. The story centers on the doomed relationships all the characters are involved in. The death of Muriel definitely comes as a shock as rarely was the female romantic lead killed off! The film's director, Luigi Mangini, made a few other B&W crime films (also starring Tony Kendall) before vanishing into obscurity. Luciano Pigozzi (aka Alan Collins), a familiar face to Italian horror films, has a small part as the doctor's manservant. It's interesting to note that all the female victim's of the killer are found with their dresses pulled up, suggesting they were raped too. A subtle reminder that Europeans had no qualms with going beyond the taboos of the time period.

Craving Desire

Graffiante Desiderio

Craving Desire

Italy 1993

D: Sergio Martino

P: Alessandro Loy Danà for Dania Film & Devon Cinematografica//St & Sc: Sergio Martino & Maurizio Rasio//DP: Giancarlo Ferrando//E: Eugenio Alabiso//M: Natale Massara//Art D: Stefano Massimi//Costumes: Silvio Laurenzi//Makeup: Giuseppe Ferranti, Francerco Napoli, & Gilberto Provenghi.

Cast: Vittorio Belvedere, Ron Nummi, Simona Borioni, Riccardo Perrotti, Viviani Polic, Barbara Cavallari, Serena Bennato, Antonio Ferrante, Alessia Franchini, Gabriella Barbuti, Hal Yamanouchi, Andrea Roncato, & Serena Grandi.

Luigi is a yuppie with everything going his way. He's successfully moving up the ladder at work and is about to marry Cinzia, a rich socialite from a successful family. That is until his cousin Sonia walks into his life. She has returned from living in Venezuela and looks to Luigi for comfort and guidance. Before long she succeeds in getting him into bed and having him call off his marriage to Cinzia. The next thing he knows, she has him participate in shoplifting, armed robbery and having sex with anonymous strangers. When one of those strangers turns up missing, Luigi begins to suspect there is something seriously wrong with his cousin. She causes him to lose his job, has an affair with his boss and generally makes life a living hell for the poor guy. When he discovers the body of the missing girl in the freezer, it's almost too late as Sonia knocks him out and begins to torture him. Will the police rescue him in time or will Luigi become another victim of the crazed Sonia?

Sergio Martino proves with this erotic thriller that not only can he compete with such U.S. fare as Adrian Lynn's FATAL ATTRACTION, he can surpass such lame affairs with ease. What a shame that today's audiences don't realize that what they are getting are warmed over plots from Italian thrillers made in the seventies. Martino has succeeded in today's American dominated marketplace, unlike most current Italian filmmakers, by producing (along with his brother Luciano) his own films. Because of this, he is able to stay active whereas talents such as Umberto Lenzi and others remain inactive. This film features a fine performance by Vittorio Belvedere as the cousin from Hell! She is erotic when she needs to be (such as seducing Ron Nummi's hapless character) and makes for a convincing killer when her secret (she murdered her own family) is about to be revealed. Nummi's character is a kindred spirit to Griffin Dunne's in Scorcese's AFTER HOURS. His precipitous fall from grace is quick and irrevocable, all because of a woman's seductive powers. Martino even kinks things up a bit by mixing in a little cannibalism to the plot. The look on Nummi's face when Sonia tells him he ate one of her victims in a meal she prepared earlier speaks volumes. I doubt you'll see that in an American thriller! Finally, Serena Grandi's erotic cameo as the boss' wife out to seduce Nummi is a welcome return by her to the screen. 

Day of Love on the Edge of a Razor

GIORNO D'AMORE SUL FILO DI UNA LAMA

Italy 1973

D: Giuseppe Pellegrini

P: Fausto Del Chicca//St & Sc: Camillo Fantacci, Giuseppe Pellegrini, & Dante Cesaretti//DP: Mario Vitale//E: Enzo Alabiso//M: Gianfranco & Felice Di Stefano

Cast: Peter Lee Lawrence, Erika Blanc, Ivana Novak, Silvano Tranquilli, Enzo Loglisci, Fausto Del Chicca.

Stefano, upon meeting Lidia, falls deeply in love with her. They carry on a torrid relationship until tragedy strikes Lidia when she is killed in a car wreck. Stefano remains depressed until he meets one of his client's daughter. Their relationship renews Stefano's zest for life. Soon after however, he sees a girl who looks exactly like Lidia. He becomes obsessed with finding her, to the detriment of his current relationship. Eventually he discovers just what happened to Lidia and ends up becoming involved in drug running. Lidia was never killed and is being used by a gang to secure Stefano's help in pulling off one last job.

Here's a thriller that deserves its obscure status as there is far too much sentimentality and not nearly enough murder and mayhem. The film's middle portion really bogs down as we become witness to Stefano's soap opera-style love life. The scenes of Peter Lee Lawrence and Erika Blanc falling in love utilizes all the cliches in the book—slow motion, soft focus and a syrupy score by the De Stefanos. Giuseppe Pellegrini only directed one other film (a Spaghetti Western) and it's easy to see why he wasn't given more opportunities as he appears to have no conception of how to direct a film. All he had to do was ripoff Hitchcock's VERTIGO (Lord knows the screenplay writer sure did) for 90 minutes and he would have been hailed as a genius (ie Brian De Palma's OBSESSION). 

Giallo A Venezia

GIALLO A VENEZIA

Director: Mario Landi.

P: Gabriele Crisanti for Elea Cinematografica//Sc: Aldo Serio//DP: Franco Villa//E: Mario Salvatori//M: Berto Pisano//Costumes: Itala Giardina//Makeup: Mauro Gavazzi

Cast: Gianni Dei, Gabriele Renzulio, Eolo Capri, Maria Angela Giordan,Vassili Amesinis, Giancarlo Del Duca.

The film's parallel story line involves a sadistic serial killer and a young couple involved in twisted sex games. Fabio (Gianni Dei) can only work up the desire for his wife, Flavia, if she is getting screwed by an outside party. Flavia is repeatedly humiliated until she has had enough and decides to do in both her husband and herself.

The only reason this film gets two stars is the presence of Maria Angela Giordan (THE SECT) and the over-the-top gore sequences. Since the serial killer is easily apprehended you begin to feel his sole reason for him being here at all was to provide the film it's most spectacularly nasty death sequence involving Ms. Giordan. Very little else in this stupid film deserves merit. This rancid piece of shit is a travesty of a film. Every character in this film, except poor Flavia, makes you sick to your stomach. Even the police inspector engages in the disgusting habit of cramming hard-boiled eggs down his gullet (but why?). Berto Pisano's score sounds like it belongs in an MGM musical. Did the director arbitrarily steal from another source and shove it in wherever he felt? This film is a turd floater of immense proportions. 

Murder for pleasure

IL GATTO A NOVE CODE

THE CAT O'NINE TAILS

D: Dario Argento

P: Salvatore Argento for Seda Spettacoli, Terra Filmkunst & Labrador Film//St & Sc: Dardano Sacchetti, Luigi Cozzi & Dario Argento//DP: Erico Menczer//E: Franco Fraticelli//M: Ennio Morricone//Art D: Carlo Leva

Cast: James Franciscus, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden, Pier Paolo Capponi, Horst Frank, Tino Carraro, Aldo Reggiani, Rada Rassimov, Carlo Alighiero, Vittorio Congia, Ugo Fangareggi, Tom Felleghy, Fulvio Mingozzi, Umberto Raho, Werner Pochat, Cinzia De Carolis

A robbery takes place at the Terzi Institute. The next day one of the scientists confides to his girlfriend, that he knows who the thief is and what he stole. Blind, ex-reporter Franco Arno visits Carlo Giordani and asks him to look into the "accidental" death of the scientist who knew too much. When Giordani discovers the photographer, who took a photo at the scene of the accident, is murdered, he and Franco realize a killer is on the loose and he's most likely one of the scientist at the Institute. More deaths occur before they discover who the killer is and what his motives were.

Most critics feel Argento's second film was a step in the wrong direction. They sight the needlessly complicated plot, his passion for bullshit scientific theory, and the poor chemistry between Franciscus and Spaak. I'm not a big fan of the film, but even luke warm Argento still puts 90% of the other directors toiling in Giallo field to shame. One of the film's greatest strengths is Argento's use of camera movement. He probes every corner of the set and you can definitely tell he was headed in a direction that culminated in the photographic artistry of DEEP RED. The genetics subplot is more timely today than when the film was made thanks to the overwhelming number of CSI crap on TV these days. And while I agree that Franciscus and Spaak generate  no heat in their scenes together, the growing friendship and concern dispayed by Franciscus and Malden is definitely a high point for an Argento film when it comes to his work with actors ( Finally, a rare use of comedy by Argento occurs when he lets a blindman be the lookout when two characters are rummaging around a crypt.). Even little Cinzia De Carolis (who matures into a sexy Lolita character seducing John Saxon in CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE) develops a very warm and touching relationship with Karl Malden's character. 

The Cat O'Nine Tails

IL GATTO A NOVE CODE

THE CAT O'NINE TAILS

D: Dario Argento

P: Salvatore Argento for Seda Spettacoli, Terra Filmkunst & Labrador Film//St & Sc: Dardano Sacchetti, Luigi Cozzi & Dario Argento//DP: Erico Menczer//E: Franco Fraticelli//M: Ennio Morricone//Art D: Carlo Leva

Cast: James Franciscus, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden, Pier Paolo Capponi, Horst Frank, Tino Carraro, Aldo Reggiani, Rada Rassimov, Carlo Alighiero, Vittorio Congia, Ugo Fangareggi, Tom Felleghy, Fulvio Mingozzi, Umberto Raho, Werner Pochat, Cinzia De Carolis

A robbery takes place at the Terzi Institute. The next day one of the scientists confides to his girlfriend, that he knows who the thief is and what he stole. Blind, ex-reporter Franco Arno visits Carlo Giordani and asks him to look into the "accidental" death of the scientist who knew too much. When Giordani discovers the photographer, who took a photo at the scene of the accident, is murdered, he and Franco realize a killer is on the loose and he's most likely one of the scientist at the Institute. More deaths occur before they discover who the killer is and what his motives were.

Most critics feel Argento's second film was a step in the wrong direction. They sight the needlessly complicated plot, his passion for bullshit scientific theory, and the poor chemistry between Franciscus and Spaak. I'm not a big fan of the film, but even luke warm Argento still puts 90% of the other directors toiling in Giallo field to shame. One of the film's greatest strengths is Argento's use of camera movement. He probes every corner of the set and you can definitely tell he was headed in a direction that culminated in the photographic artistry of DEEP RED. The genetics subplot is more timely today than when the film was made thanks to the overwhelming number of CSI crap on TV these days. And while I agree that Franciscus and Spaak generate  no heat in their scenes together, the growing friendship and concern dispayed by Franciscus and Malden is definitely a high point for an Argento film when it comes to his work with actors ( Finally, a rare use of comedy by Argento occurs when he lets a blindman be the lookout when two characters are rummaging around a crypt.). Even little Cinzia De Carolis (who matures into a sexy Lolita character seducing John Saxon in CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE) develops a very warm and touching relationship with Karl Malden's character. 

Eyeball

Gatti Rossi In Un Labirinto Di Vetro

Sales Title: Wide-Eyed in the Dark

US Video Title: Eyeball

Italy-Spain

D: Umberto Lenzi

P: José Maria Cunilles//St &Sc: Felix Tusell & Umberto Lenzi//DP: Antonio Millan//E: Amadeo Moriani//M: Bruno Nicolai//Art D: Jose Massague//Color

Cast: John Richardson, Martine Brochard, Inez Pellegrin, Silvia Solar, Jorge Rigaud, Martha May as Alma, Daniele Vargas, Andres Mejuto, Raf Baldassare, Jose Maria Blanco, John Bartha, Olga Pehar.

An eclectic group of Americans are touring Barcelona by bus. Before long, this diverse gathering (which includes a priest, executive with his mistress, a lesbian couple, a husband and wife who fight all the time and others) begin to be decimated by a maniac with penchant for removing his victim's eyeball. Each tourist seemingly has a reason for being the orb snatching killer, however blame finally rests on a person who lost his/her eye while playing doctor as a child. She is now psychotically trying to replace it by killing those around her.

The only misstep in Umberto Lenzi's prolific career in the genre, one has to believe the addition of graphic gore to his bag of tricks was not a welcome one (unlike Sergio Martino, whose Torso was both extremely violent and a taut thriller to boot). No doubt Lenzi was more comfortable making thrillers that relied on eroticism (the many films he made with Carroll Baker) rather than grue. He allows everyone to overact shamelessly which throws the entire mood of the movie off kilter. It becomes ludicrous after a while with every move someone makes framed as if he was the guilty party (a man can't even shave without coming across as a potential maniac). This mostly Spanish production boasts fine photography by Antonio Millan and a host of familiar faces—Jorge Rigaud, Silvia Solar and Mirta Miller from that country's film industry—but it's not enough to overcome the handicap of a poor script. Fortunately for Lenzi his career would rebound and head off into another genre, Crime Films, where he did his most interesting work.

Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion

Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Per Bene

The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion

Italy-Spain

D: Luciano Ercoli

P: Alberto Pugliese & Luciano Ercoli for Produzioni Cinematografica (Rome), Mediterrane (Rome), & CC Trebol Films (Madrid)//St & Sc: Ernesto gastaldi & Manuel Velasco//DP: Alejandro Ulloa//E: Luciano Ercoli//M: Ennio Morricone//Art D: Claudio Gianbanco//Costumes: Gloria Cardi//Color

Cast: Dagmar Lassander, Pier Paolo Capponi, Simon Andreu, Osvaldo gennazzani, Salvador Bugetti, Susan Scott (Nieves Navarro).

Minou is the high strung wife of an industrialist named Peter. He often travels leaving Minou by herself which stresses her out to the point where she drinks and takes pills to cope. One night, while out for a walk, she's attacked by a stranger who accuses her husband of murder. Obviously shaken up by the incident, she can't seem to get her best friend Dominique, to show much concern. The next time she meets up with the mystery assailant, he rapes her and threatens blackmail. Minou tells all of this to Peter, but when the police are called in to investigate, they find no clues. As the film builds to its climax, you can't be sure whether Minou is losing her mind or is someone close to her trying to drive her to suicide.

You can always tell a Luciano Ercoli directed thriller, it features his actress/wife Susan Scott in a prominent role (here as Dominique), and, the characters never shut up! While the appearance of Scott is always a big plus (although unfortunately she keeps her clothes on while appearing in her husband's films), it's the interminable talking that ultimately cause his thrillers to fall short of the mark. A prolific producer in the sixties, he was responsible for director Duccio Tessari's best work (ie the RINGO Spaghetti Westerns). Dagmar Lassander is quite stunning here, especially the opening bubble bath scene, as Minou and she manages to involve the audience with her character's rather desperate situation. The big casting mistake was using Pier Paolo Capponi in the role of her husband. As soon as you see him on screen, you can't help but feel he's an unsympathetic bastard, capable of anything. This certainly doesn't help the supposed surprise revelation at film's end. Finally, this was the time period when composer Ennio Morricone created some of his best work and he doesn't disappoint here.

Flowers with Steel Petals

Il Fiore Dai Petali D'Acciaio

Italy 1973

D: Gianfranco Piccioli

P: Riccardo Cerro for PAB Distribuzione & PARLA Cinematografica//St & Sc: Gianni Martucci & Gianfranco Piccioli//DP: Antonio Borghesi//E: Attilo Vincio (Asst: Maria Ciro)//M: Marcello Giombini//Costumes: Silvio Laurenti

Cast: Carroll Baker, Gianni Garko, Ivan Staccioli, Pilar Velazquez, Paola Senatore, Umberto Raho, Eleonora Morana, Angelo Bassi, Giuseppe Mattei, Alessandro Perrella, Alba Maiolini.

Doctor Adrian Valenti is a talented surgeon who returns home late one night after surgery to find an unwanted lover waiting in his bed for him. They fight and in a fit of temper, Valenti knocks her to the floor. When she doesn't respond to his taunts, he discovers she has landed on a sculptured flower made out of metal. One of the petals has stuck in her neck and killed her. Panicking, Valenti takes out his surgical tools and proceeds to dismember her. Placing the body parts into plastic bags, he drives to a deserted factory and throws the bags into a huge stone-wheeled mill. Soon after, Evelyne Giraldi accusses the doctor of killing her sister Danielia, who was one of the good doctor's lovers. Inspector Garrano soon begins to investigate the good doctor's background and discovers that he had his first wife committed to an insane asylum for being a nymphomaniac. She  was the daughter of a very influential surgeon and soon after she was out of the way, Doctor Valenti's career began to take off. Evelyne decides to look through Valenti's apartment for clues to her sister's whereabouts and is surprised by a killer wearing black gloves and coat. The Inspector arrives too late to save her but kills Valenti as he aimlessly walks along the rooftops. Unfortunately for the Inspector, he has shot the wrong person as Valenti's last words are, "I never killed anybody."

Director Piccioli's only foray into the genre (in fact he has only made 3 films in his entire career) is an impressive one and makes one wish he had been more prolific as a director (his main claim to fame is as a producer for Francesco Nuti). The plot is very convoluted and you really have to be paying attention at the end to catch what all happened, but it's worth the wait. The performances by both the principals and the supporting cast are excellent. Gianni Garko plays a slimy womanizer yet he isn't a killer. His past just catches up with him and he definitely ends up paying for all the times he abused the women in his life. Carroll Baker creates an uneasy character who appears to have more than the normal concern for her sister's well being. There's more than the hint of lesbianism in the opening sequence that comes to the forefront by the film's conclusion. Paola Senatore as Daniela performs her usual nude scene, but is also allowed to create a presence in this film (even though she all but disappears for most of the film's running time) that proves important to the overall plot. As Inspector Garrano, it's nice to see Ivano Staccioli play a good guy for a change. He even gets to project some tragedy into his character's part when he develops a relationship with Evelyne, only to discover her bloody body late in the film. The sense of loss he feels for her comes right out of his eyes and onto the screen. Marcello Giombini's score mixes electronics, jazz and a pounding drum beat to good effect. This film's obscurity is hardly justified.

The Bloodstained Butterfly

Una Farfalla Con Le Ali Insanguinate

The Bloodstained Butterfly

Italy 1973

D: Duccio Tessari

P:  ST & Sc: Gianfranco Clerici & Duccio Tessari//DP: Carlo Carlini//E: Antonio Proia//M: Gianni Ferrio//Art D: Elena Ricci//Costumes: Paola Nardi//Makeup: Raoul Ranieri//Color

Cast: Helmut Berger, Giancarlo Sbragia, Evelyn Stewart (Ida Gallieni), Silvano Tranquilli, Amendi D'Olive, Gunther Stoll, Lorella de Luca, Wolfgang Preiss, Peter Shepherd, Anna Zinneman, Dana Ghia, Federica Tessari, Carole André as Francoise.

LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW!!!

A young girl has her throat slashed in a wooded area during a heavy downpour. Though the killer escapes, there are quite a few witnesses who think they can identify him. Detailed crime scene analysis along with the eye witness testimony pegs the murderer as a sportscaster named Alessandro. Unfortunately for him,his wife (Evelyn Stewart) and lawyer are having an affair and are using the trial to get Alessandro out of the picture. He's found guilty and given life imprisonment. However the murders continue to occur in the same wooded area. This along with new evidence, causes Alessandro to be released. It turns out that the first victim was the girlfriend of piano virtuoso Giorgio (Helmut Berger). He discovered who the real murderer was and so committed two other killings just so he could have the pleasure of killing the real murderer.

In gathering the data for this project, it was rewarding to discover certain behind the scenes personnel who have been over looked in the past. Screenplay writer Gianfranco Clerici's main claim to fame (or infamy) was as the screenplay writer for Deodato's CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. In fact, he along with Ernesto Gastaldi can lay claim to be the best toiling in the Giallo salt-mines. The structure of this film, mixing both the present and the past is brilliant. Tessari also goes into great detail about the actual procedures used by crime labs and the technicians involved doing the work long before the torrent of CSI clones playing endlessly on TV today. Gianni Ferrio's use of Tchaikovsky's Thematic Concerto #1 for piano emphasizes Giorgio's torment and descent into madness. Interestingly, Francesco De Masi used this same piece of music (for comic effect) in THE WEEKEND MURDERS. Silvano Tranquilli plays the harried police inspector who spends the entire film trying to get a decent cup of coffee. Helmut Berger is not one of my favorite actors as he usually comes off as unfocused and stiff. I will give him credit for being able to carry out the requirements of the film's downbeat ending with aplomb as he makes you sympathize with his motivations, even though he has murdered two innocent people. One of the best.

The Etruscan Kills Again

L'Etrusco Uccide Ancora

Sales Title: The Etruscan Kills Again

US Title: The Dead Are Alive

1972 Italy-Yugoslavia-Germany

D: Armando Crispino

P: Camillo Teti for Mondial Film (Rome), Inex Film (Belgrade), & CGC Filmkunst (Berlin)//St & Sc: Armando Crispino & Lucio Battistrada//DP: Erico Menczer//E: Roberto Gallitti/M: Riz Ortolani//Art D: Benito Burchiellard//Costumes: Sabatelli//Color

Cast: Alex Cord, Samantha Eggar, John Marley, Horst Frank, Enzo Tarasci, Enzo Cerusica, Carlo De Mejo, Daniela Gurini, Vladn Milasinovi, Cristiane Von Blank, Nadja Tilley.

Professor Jason Porter and his crew have discovered an unknown Etruscan burial sight. Inside are paintings representing Tuchulcha, an ancient Etruscan demon. Nearby, a couple making love inside an archelogical exhibit are brutally murdered with a tool taken from Professor Porter's work area. Jason's project is being funded by Nikos Samarakis, a megalomaniac composer/conductor who, it just so happens, is living with Jason's ex-wife Myra. Another victim turns up with a pair of shoes from Samarakis' latest production, throwing suspicion his way. Samarakis' son Igor barely survives when the killer decides to attack him and his girlfriend (she was not so lucky). The police suspect Jason since he is an ex-alcoholic with a violent past (he beat Myra which is why she left him). Nikos dies from a heart attack and leaves behind a confession, but it's obvious he's protecting someone. Jason and Myra discover who the killer is but almost pay for it with their lives.

One thing can be said for films that try and disguise the fact that they are part of the Giallo tradition, they are all failures. THE ETRUSCAN KILLS AGAIN attempts to have you believe the killer is an ancient demon, returning from the dim past to wreck havoc on the living. What the film ends up accomplishing is upsetting the audience by misleading them. As if this weren't enough, the film suffers from many other problems. It's peopled with a bunch of unlikable people who spend the majority of the film acting like red herrings. The only character halfway sympathetic is the police inspector played by Enzo Tarascia (see THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE for a completely different type of performance by Tarasci). The film also leans too heavily on its soap opera type origins as each character suffers from emotional flaws and endlessly rehash these problems till we are sick of them. There are only so many times we want to hear about Porter's alcoholism. At times we feel like we're watching a propaganda film for Alcoholics Anonymous. The Etruscan burial grounds are impressively used as sights for the murders as DOP Erico Menczer helps Crispino breathe some life into the mostly dull surroundings. Crispino has proven with MACCHIE SOLARIE he knows how to make a successful Giallo. I have to believe the derailment of this film can be credited to it's over wordy script. The only other bright spot is Christiane (A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD) Von Blanc's nude scene.