In The Folds Of The Flesh

Nelle Piegle Della Carne

Folds of the Flesh

Italian-Spanish 1970

D: Sergio Bergonzelli

P: Sergio Bergonzelli for M.B.G (Rome) & Talia Films (Spain//St & Sc: Fabio De Agostini, Sergio Bergonzelli & Mario Caiano//DP: Mario Pacheco//E: Donatella Baslivo//M: Jesus Villa Rojo//Makeup: Fernando de Rossi//Color

Cast: Ana Maria Pier Angeli, Eleonora Rossi-Drago, Fernando Sancho, Alfredo Mayo, Maria Rosa Schlauza.

The film opens with the quote " And then a sudden violent shock that left a deep impression on the mind and damagen (sic) it permanently," followed by a severed head bouncing onto the floor. Lucille has killed her second husband Andre, an underworld figure. Their daughter Falesse, witnessed the crime and has been mentally unbalanced ever since. A criminal on the run appears and takes over the household in a most violent manner. Before the film ends, we discover that none of the characters (including the returning Andre) are who they say they are and many more murders occur (or do they?). For a film like this, no plot synopsis could do it justice!!

I have a certain fondness for Grade Z films and Folds of the Flesh certainly covers all the exploitable items the thriller genre has to offer. There are large dollops of nudity and gore, along with the usual howlers heard during the dubbing process. Actress Pier Angeli unfortunately went from appearing in mainstream Hollywood films to low budget affairs such as this (and Octaman) which no doubt precipatated her tragic suicide. The plot to this film could almost be referred to as The Big Sleep of Gialli as the damn thing refuses to make sense the first time through. Character actor Fernando Sancho snarls his way through one of his all-time great roles. He gets to rape a few women, beat up Lucille's wimpy son Colin (who, before the film's end we discover was involved in an incestuous relationship with his sister) and reveal his great flabby butt in a bathtub scene (perhaps this is where the film's title originated from?). Based on this film, it's no surprise to learn that Bergonzelli made his name in the sexploitation market place. The man has no shame as he even includes a Nazi flashback death camp scene just as an excuse to fill the screen with more naked women! The musical score by Villa Rojo is strident in the extreme, using piercing horns and strings to signal each and every plot twist, but no real themes emerge (which in this film's case, is not a negative). Makeup effects by Di Rossi are fake looking, especially in the recreation of decapitated heads and severed body parts. Flesh-eating vultures and Etruscan burial grounds are all smokescreen subplots that have no validity in an already overcrowded scenario. Folds won't replace the films of Dario Argento on anyone's list of greats, but compared to most of the crap appearing nowadays, you could do a lot worse.

Death Occurred Last Night

LA MORTE RISALE A IERI SERA

DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT

Italy 1970

D: Duccio Tessari.

P: Giuseppe Tortorella for CCC Filmkunst, Lombard Films and Slogan Films//St & Sc: Duccio Tessari, Biagio Proietta, Arthur Brauner//DP: Lamberto Caimi//E: Mario Morra//M: Gianni Ferrio//Art D: Enrico Tovaglieri//Makeup: Franco Palombi.

Cast: Raf Vallone, Frank Wolff, Gabriele Tinti, Beryl Cunningham, Eva Renzi,Gill Bray, Gigi Rizzi, Vilma Casagrande, Marco Moriani, Nicky Zuccola, Helga Machaty, Riccardo De Stefanis.

A father keeps his teenage daughter locked up in their apartment because she is mentally challenged. Unfortunately she has a curiosity about sex and is kidnapped by a local pimp. She was killed when her mental condition was discovered. The cop assigned to the case (Frank Wolff, who never gave a poor performance in any of his films) is also trying to locate the murderers before the father. The dad tracks them down and brutally kills them. By the film's conclusion there are no winners here, only losers.

Director Duccio Tessari is one of the better Italo-genre directors. He usually specialized in Westerns (the RINGO films with Giuliano Gemma) though his two thrillers (see also UNA FARFALLA CON LE ALI INSANGUINATE) show he could have just as easily specialized in this genre. Gianni Ferrio's score is one of the best. Black actress Beryl Cunningham made numerous appearances throughout the sixties and seventies, most notably starring in two films by Piero (SATANIK) Vivarelli, BLACK DECAMERON & IL DIO SERPENTE. And of course Frank Wolff's character has to be suffering from some type of misery (here it's sinus problems) in an effort to humanize him. Unhappiness, obsession and loneliness are the themes that stand out in this thoughtful variation. Without a doubt, Raf Vallone as the victim's father gives the kind of performance that transcends the genre, and yet the poor guy received no acting accolades for it. Rarely allowed to show a sensitive side in his many performances, Vallone proves that great actors never take any part for granted. He certainly didn't here. 

Death Laid an Egg

LA MORTE HA FATTO L'UOVO

DEATH LAID AN EGG aka PLUCKED aka A CURIOUS WAY TO LOVE

Italy 1967

D: Giulio Questi

P: Sergio Merolle for Summa Cinematografica & Cine Azimut//St & Sc: Giulio Questi, Franco Arcalli//DP: Dario Di Palma//E: Franco Arcalli//M: Bruno Maderna//Art D: Sergio Canevari//Costumes: Marilú Carteny//Makeup: Lamberto Marini

Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Gina Lollobrigida, Ewa Aulin, Jean Sobieski,Vittorio Andre, Cleofe Del Cile, Giulio Donnini, Monica Millesi.

Marco (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is a chicken breeder who is married to the strong-willed Anna (Gina Lollobrigida). When her niece Gabriela (Ewa Aulin) comes to stay, Marco instantly falls for her. They plot Anna's death but unbeknownst to Marco, Gabriela is secretly in love with Mondaini, who along with Gabriela, plans to murder both Marco and Anna. They succeed in knocking off Anna, but before they can set up Marco for the crime, he discovers the body and disposes of it. Unfortunately for Marco, he accidentally falls into the pulverizing machine. The police arrive, convinced that Gabriela and Mondaini (Jean Sobieski) have killed Marco and so set about to look for the body.

My favorite Euro-trash film ever. I have watched it dozens of times and have yet to ever tire of the many twists and turns served up by the film's labyrinthine plot. The opening montage of characters and incidents in and around a high rise hotel displays the talent editor Franco Arcalli brought to the package.  The cast has never been better, especially Trintignant who gives a performance that keeps you in the dark as to his true intentions. Lollobrigida's subtle lesbian attraction for Aulin helps to explain why her character has liitle or no use for her husband and spends most of the time belittling. Brilliantly directed and edited, the film's score will drive you nuts (yet it's appropriate). I'll always remember that when I went to MIFED (a film buyers Expo in Milan), Claudio Fuiano gave me the soundtrack album by Bruno Maderna. That's the kind of person Fuiano (the king of Italian soundtracks) is. No way any plot synopsis could ever do this film justice. This film was discussed in the book CLUCK, the only reference work on chickens in the cinema.

Death Walks on High Heels

LA MORTE CAMMINA CON I TACCHI ALTI

DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS

Director: Luciano Ercoli. Sc: Velasco, Ernesto Gastaldi,Verde. Music: Stelvio Cipriani. Cast: Susan Scott (Nieves Navarro), Frank Wolff, Simon Andreu, Jorge Rigaud.

Susan Scott is an exotic dancer (ie stripper) who has a relationship with a very violent boyfriend, played by Simon Andreu. Frank Wolff is an eye surgeon who becomes infatuated with Scott (even though he's married). After spending lavish amounts of money on her for a new wardrobe she begins to take him more seriously. Meanwhile, she is receiving threatening phone calls which culminate in the maniac entering her bedroom and sticking a knife to her throat. The only distinguishing feature of the madman is his piercing blue eyes (he was first seen killing a one-eyed man on a train). The surprise comes half way into the film when Scott is indeed killed (quite anticlimactically, as she is smothered to death with a pillow). From there, the police must narrow the field of suspects, setting a trap that finally results in the capture of the blue-eyed maniac.

A spectacularly talky film (and like all of Ercoli's thrillers, well over 100 minutes) that is saved by the twists and turns of its plot. Even at the halfway point, there is still a lot of plot left to slug through including diamond thieves and a transvestite.  As you might can ascertain from the above, the visual motif of Frank Wolff's profession gives director Ercoli a field day. At one point Wolff is seen filming one of Scott's performances with a movie camera. Blind patients and a set of blue-colored contact lenses also figure into the scenario. Simon Andreu gives a fine performance as the brutal boyfriend who is all too obvious as the red-herring of the cast. Stelvio Cipriani's score is a disappointment. I have to think he was overwhelmed by all that damn dialogue. 

Death Walks at Midnight

LA MORTE ACCAREZZA A MEZZANOTTE

CRY OUT IN TERROR

Italy 197

D: Luciano Ercoli

P: Luciano Ercoli & Alberto Pugliese for Cinecompany S.R.L. & C.B. Films Produccion S.A//St & Sc: Sergio Corbucci, Ernesto Gastaldi & May Velasco//DP: Fernando Arribas//E: Angelo Curi//M: Gianni Ferrio//Art D: Francisco Di Stefano & Juan Alberto//Costumes: Barbara Pugliese//Makeup: Irma Bacciardi

Cast: Susan Scott, Simon Andreu, Peter Martell, Ivan Staccioli, Carlo Gentili, Luciano Rossi, Claudie Lange, Claudio Pellegrini, Fabrizio Moresco, Alessandro Perrella, Elio Veller.

Valentina agrees to take a new hallucinogenic drug so her boyfriend, reporter Giovanni Baldi, can do a story on its effects for his paper. During the experience, Valentina "witnesses" a brutal murder. Once the story is published, her reputation is ruined and she's fired from her job. A former love, Stefano, shows up and saves her from the man she saw as the murderer during her drug hallucinations. It turns out that a murder did take place where Valentina claims she saw it, but it happened six months earlier. Valentina realizes this wasn't the crime she witnessed as the victim was not the same person. When that woman turns up dead, killed in a drug deal gone sour, the mystery deepens even more. Finally, with the help of Giovanni, Valentina discovers Stefano'r real reason for returning to her place and what part she is to play in the murders.

This film could be referred to as a "Just say no" Giallo since it involves drug trafficking and the ill effects such illegal substances have on their victim's lives. We even get a lecture from the police commissionar about the evils of narcotics. The film suffers from being too talky and with a minimum of exploitable staples, such as nudity (there is none) and gore (a few splashes of blood), one could quickly deem this film as unworthy. There must have been a heavy influence exerted on the film by its Spanish producers as this is one of the tamer entries in the Genre by director Luciano Ercoli. When you watch Ercoli's DEATH WALKS IN HIGH HEELS you know he has no qualms when it comes to nudity and gore. If you can overlook these flaws however, you're in for a real treat in other ways. Susan Scott (Nieves Navarro), the wife of director Ercoli, gives a Hell of a performance, probably the best of her career. She's on screen for almost every minute of the film's running time and never once wears out her welcome. Surrounded by non-believers, led on wild goose chases, hit on by creepy truck drivers; you name it. Scott has to work overtime to overcome her incompetant lover, dimwitted police men and psycho drug dealers (check out Luciano Rossi's non-verbal crazy, he's the king of creeps when it comes to Italian genre cinema. The amazing Kier-la Janisse even wrote a short softcover book devoted to this singular unique actor!)) to solve the crime. It's a whirlwind performance that deserves a better film. If you're in the mood for a strong role model to meet the demands of your feminist significant other, here it is.

ETC Special #1 The Legendary Jess Franco Interview!

OK Folks, here's another rare item from the ETC vaults. The longest english language interview ever printed of the controversial filmmaker, Jesus Franco. This 40 page issue was conducted by Kevin Collins who went on to forge a relationship with Franco that led to One-Shot productions. This in turn led to Collins' producing Jess Franco films in the 90s. Conducted in March of 1996, it covers the his entire career from early beginnings to the then present day. Franco also goes off on a wide variety of filmic subjects besides his own career. Lina Romay also participates as well, filling in gaps when needed. The price is $15 which includes postage (Foreign postage adds an extra $5). Not available on the website, here's your chance. I also need to point out that both special issues of ETC featured brilliant cover design by Tim and Donna Lucas.

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You'll Die at Midnight

MORIRAI A MEZZANOTTE

YOU'LL DIE AT MIDNIGHT

Italy 1986

D: Lamberto Bava Sc: John Old Jr. (Lamberto Bava),

Dardano Sacchetti. Music: Claudio Simonetti. Cast: Valeria D'Obici, Leonardo Treviglio, Lea Martino, Eliana Hoppe, Paolo Marco, Lara Wendel.

Nicola (who is a cop) and his rich/bitch wife are fighting again only this time, she turns up dead (killed, once again in a shower, with an icepick thrust through the curtain and into her torso). Nicola (Leonardo Treviglio) is the prime suspect and one of his co-workers, Inspector Pierro Terzi (Paolo Marco) is assigned to the case. Anna (Valeria D'Obici) is a criminal psychiatrist who is a friend of both men. She refuses to believe that Nicola is guilty, instead, she postulates that the killer is really Tribbo, a madman supposedly killed several years ago in a hospital fire where she worked. Even after Nicola is killed (he was involved in a scuffle with Anna), the murders continue, lending credence to Anna's theories. Terzi's daughter Carol (Lea Martino) is threatened by the killer and so she and two school friends head to an abandoned hotel for safety. The killer follows the girls and after killing all but Carol, Paolo arrives in time to blow the murderer away.

Lamberto Bava continues to get a raw deal in the fan press for his TV movies (of which this is one). It's true that THE OGRE and GRAVEYARD SHIFT aren't exactly masterpieces, but they and especially this film, put 90 % of the horror TV movies in this country to shame.  While Bava and Sacchetti have brought nothing new to the genre with their script, it is Bava's camera placement and technique (along with yet another excellent score by Simonetti) that save the day. The last third of the film owes a lot to Sergio Martino's TORSO when the three girls isolate them-selves at the abandoned hotel. It slackens the pace considerably as we wait for the killer to stalk his victims. Bava casts the crucial part of Anna with an androgynous actress that helps to sell the fact that she dresses as a man whenever the act of murder occurs. Look for Lamberto in a swift cameo as the police photographer who appears in the background at the scene of the first murder.