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Saturday, June 6, 2015

FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET

QUATTRO MOSCHE DI VELLUTO GRIGIO
4 FLIES ON GRAY VELVET
Italy 197
D: Dario Argento.
P: Salvatore Argento for Seda Spettacoli & Universal Prod.//St & Sc: Luigi Cozzi, Dario Argento Mario Foglietti//DP: E: Francoise Bonnot//M: Ennio Morricone//Art D: Enrico Sabbatini
Cast: Michael Brandon, Mimsy Farmer, Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli), Jean-Pierre Marielle, Aldo Bufilandi, Calisto Calisti, Marisa Fabbri, Oreste Lionello, Fabrizio Moroni, Corrado Olmi, Stefano Satta Flores, Costanza Spada, Francine Racette.





A musician named Robert Tobias (Michael Brandon), is being followed by a mysterious stranger whom he accidently kills. During the altercation he sees someone up above taking photographs. At first he thinks blackmail is the photographer's motive, however he soon realizes that it's much more serious. His wife Nina (Mimsy Farmer) leaves him after their maid is killed. As more and more people around him die, Robert discovers from the police the last image seen by his recently deceased new girlfriend. Going home he finds Nina has returned and wearing a pendant containing 4 flies. Just as she is about to kill him (he reminded her of the father she grew to hate), Robert's friend God (the aptly titled ex-Italian Olympic champion, Bud Spencer) arrives and saves him. Nina ends up getting decapitated in a car accident.


There isn't much left to say about Argento these days as he's now been accepted into the critical mainstream. This film still holds up and is a good indicator that more ambitious work (ie PROFUNDO ROSSO) was just around the corner. Michael Brandon has been criticized (and rightly so) for his rather bland portrayal, however Mimsy Farmer has NOT received near enough credit for her role. Her screaming, raging psycho-freak-out at the climax is Scream Queening at its finest!

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