Slick entry, with some location shooting in NYC, at the time attacked for extreme gore and general misogyny, neither of which charge holds up too much now- more Hitchcock homage than usual while picking away at Crystal Plumage leftovers- Memorable melodrama score (from composer of Non Guardare Adesso) funkless,no overloud/inappropriate stuff, a couple subtle “Ooh ooh” refrains though. And the rest…
…
Respectable 15 points.
Very good
Probably Michael Caine’s only appearance in this thread!
The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire (Riccardo Freda using the pseudonym Willy Pareto, 1971)
A disfigured corpse is found in the boot of the Rolls Royce used by the Swiss Ambassador to The Republic of Ireland (Anton Diffring). Ex-police inspector John Norton (Luigi Pistilli), sacked for brutality in hunting down his wife’s murderer and who conveniently rides a Norton motorcycle, is put on the case by the regular Garda, and takes up with the ambassador’s daughter in the course of his investigation. That particular development would be easier to believe had the director succeeded in casting the pre-Bond Roger Moore. Freda seems to have not liked his own film as he took his real name off it, but I found it to be entertaining throughout, as long as you’re not expecting all the loose ends to be tied up.
Funky music - not really, just very loungey, with a very distinctive and repetitive stinger Twist ending - yes Witness of murder - not by a character Striptease - naw Killer’s POV - yes Man slaps woman - yes, oh wait, no Overloud or inappropriate music - no: Stelvio does a good job on it, catchy and distinctive Outrageous title - yes, another Argento wannabe title with the most tenuous link to the film (and was probably meant to be a chameleon anyway!) J&B bottle - disappointingly not Naked woman - yes, a couple of them Death by stabbing - not stabbing, no Red herring - absolutely stuffed with them, from characters that appear once and never again, to dialogue that sounds important but isn’t, to camera shots that the director (also editor) left in apparently because he liked them regardless of their lack of significance Black-gloved killer - yes Goofy police inspector - no, just pretty useless, both the actual Garda inspector and his less conventional proxy Important picture - no Woman takes bath or shower - no, filthy lot Blackmail - yes Gay/lesbian character - yes, but not overtly Important memory - no Random scene in Italian - no. On this point, I generally prefer to watch gialli in Italian with subtitles, but then you can’t discern this aberration. TG, taking one for the team. Ooh ooh music - yes, but not too much Death by Razor - my word, yes Childhood trauma - there’s a ridiculous child in it briefly, whom some trauma should be all, but alas not Killer’s footsteps - yes
Bingo score: a moderate 11.
I believe this is the only giallo set in Dublin - Luigi Pistilli with an Irish accent! Tuco’s brother! There’s a careless bit of production design in the shape of a sign stuck in a flowerbed out front of the alleged police station that reads “Police Headquaters”(sic). The special effects are risible, with low budget effigies taking the acid in the face and razor slashes.
The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive (Francesco Mazzei, 1972)
An intriguing blend of giallo, police procedural and nunspoitation, this film doesn’t have a large body count, but has quite a lot to say about the Catholic Church. A horny (and self-flagellating) priest is murdered in his own church, and the film is subsequently a whodunnit. Inspectorial duties are split between the likeable Commissario Boito (looking like a chubby Steven Gerrard) and the rather buffoonish Morriconi - yes, really!
Funky music - no, De Masi’s score is generally subdued and liturgical Twist ending - not really Witness of murder - yes Striptease - no Killer’s POV - no Man slaps woman - no Overloud or inappropriate music - no Outrageous title - no (damn it, is this a giallo or not?) J&B bottle - yes (grazie Dio for that) Naked woman - yes Death by stabbing - yes, offscreen and on Red herring - yes Black-gloved killer - no Goofy police inspector - yes, see above Important picture - no Woman takes bath or shower - yes, several nuns Blackmail - yes Gay/lesbian character - no Important memory - no Random scene in Italian - the whole film is in Italian with no English dub, so I have to say no Ooh ooh music - can’t bring myself to say yes to this although there’s chanting from time to time that could qualify Death by Razor - no Childhood trauma - no (nothing deep-seated here, just all out lust Killer’s footsteps - no
A mere 8 giallo bingo points, but actually an interesting example.
Knife of Ice (1972) Decent euro cast and Carroll Baker
Funky music= not really Twist ending= I think so, I've seen it before and still got it wrong Witness of murder=yes, in a way Striptease= not a sniff Killer’s POV= no Man slaps woman=no, Overloud or inappropriate music= the main title was ( accompanying a quite horrid, rel m bullfight) Outrageous title= yes, if you think a knife made of ice is fkn useless. J&B bottle= not sure, the camera swooped, quickly, past.the drinks table. There was a red topped bottle but no label visible. Naked woman= again not a sniff!! Death by stabbing= yes, one method Red herring= I would say so. For the first hour and 10 you think it's some fella ,then it isn't. The cast thought so, too. Black gloved killer= yes, though they must have been warm coz they took them off, later. Goofy police inspector= no, though it was the Dr who explained the outcome to said coppa. Important picture =no Woman takes bath or shower = no, they all stunk Blackmail= no Gay/lesbian character= if only Important memory=possible a bit important Random scene in Italian= nope Ooh ooh music= no, no panting in earshot Death by razor= possible but off screen. A throat was cut and it wasn't with a spoon Childhood trauma= yes. The main thread of the story, though not overly referenced Killer’s footsteps = yes, unless he was wearing slippers.
Is the 1972 Olivia Hussey film The Summertime Killer considered to be a giallo? I'm thinking of watching it for this thread, but not if it's a "normal" crime movie.
Is the 1972 Olivia Hussey film The Summertime Killer considered to be a giallo? I'm thinking of watching it for this thread, but not if it's a "normal" crime movie.
Honestly, it looks more poliziotesschi than giallo, but that may not be a bad thing. From the trailer I don’t see it racking up many GB points. Not a bad pedigree though on the face of it: Malden, Hussey, Auger, Mitchum. Too bad it’s Chris and not Robert.
What Have They Done to Your Daughters (1974) A bot more police action here but still enough to qualify, I think. And.its a quite.decent entry.
Funky music= not really Twist ending= nope Witness of murder=nope Striptease= maybe, if you count just whipping your kit off. Killer’s POV= didn't notice Man slaps woman=no , but maybe heard on tape recording but woman slapped daughter Overloud or inappropriate music=no but some might say repetitive - I prefer obsessive Outrageous title÷ not really, though it's a pla on the earlier Solange J&B bottle= not a sniff. Its becoming like rocking horse shit. Naked woman= enough Death by stabbing= yes , though meat cleaver was weapon off choice. Red herring= no Black gloved killer= yes Goofy police inspector= no all quite competent Important picture= no but tape recording Woman takes bath or shower=no Blackmail= not really Gay/lesbian character= nothing obvious Important memory= can't remembert really Random scene in Italian= yup, first one for me Ooh ooh music=no not a groan Death by razor=not even a nick while shaving Childhood trauma= no Killer’s footsteps= no
“The Telephone” from Il Tre Volta della Paura/ Black Sabbath (1963)
Just a vignette perhaps (I will admit a personal bias in favor of Bava in general and this film in particular- for me this is the horror equivalent of a The Good the Bad and the Ugly or Where Eagles Dare etc), but maybe relevant here as Cinematic Giallo#2 and the first in color- Briefly, the tale of hot party chick Rosy, who is being terrorized by increasingly threatening calls from ex-lover/escaped criminal Frank; she turns to ex-lover (busy gal) Mary, who knows more about what’s going on than Rosy, and is ready to use the situation to get back together- but Mary hasn’t reckoned with the actual threat that Frank represents.. Please note, this only applies to the original Italian version, as the AIP one is slightly re-edited and dubbed to be a cleaned-up ghost story! Also has two musical scores, original by Roberto Nicolosi (smooth jazz with a little suspense flavor) and next by Les Baxter (with slightly more aggressive jazz more in the 50’s Elmer/Sweet Smell of Success vein) neither of which score any bingo points! Only points for Stabbing, Black gloves(not really on killer, but when they appear clutching a gleaming knife, it’s like a giallo postcard), Red herring, Lesbians, and killer footsteps. Five bingo points for 25 minutes, not bad.
And my apologies, I’ve realized that in the time it took you to read that rambling screed, you could have watched the whole fkn part of the film. Don’t get me started on the other two parts of it!
And my apologies, I’ve realized that in the time it took you to read that rambling screed, you could have watched the whole fkn part of the film. Don’t get me started on the other two parts of it!
Interesting - a portmanteau film introduced by Boris Karloff, according to IMDB. Hadn’t heard of it. Giallo or not, I’d like to track it down.
Man, that’s a little surprising, I thought everyone had seen this old “chestnut” by now. Love to hear what your fresh opinion on it would be if you get around to it. Check out the Italian version first; it’s a more elegant, if that’s the word, version that gets “scarier” as it goes along. The original score is very good, the only thing you’ll miss is Karloff’s real voice (which is unfortunate, as he is compelling). I’m going on again. Know that this has the freakiest fkn ghost in all cinema.
I have it but it's been a while since watched. I read, somewhere, that Boris died not long after this one. And Bava felt a bit guilty coz he made him sit in the ' rain' for long periods and caught cold( I think that what I read).
Man, that’s a little surprising, I thought everyone had seen this old “chestnut” by now. Love to hear what your fresh opinion on it would be if you get around to it. Check out the Italian version first; it’s a more elegant, if that’s the word, version that gets “scarier” as it goes along. The original score is very good, the only thing you’ll miss is Karloff’s real voice (which is unfortunate, as he is compelling). I’m going on again. Know that this has the freakiest fkn ghost in all cinema.
Who Saw Her Die - Chi L’Ha Vista Morire (Aldo Lado, 1972)
I had a stroke of luck and found this (on dvd but you can’t have everything) in a CEX in Liverpool yesterday while on business, and watched it this morning.
Prince Damian has already scored it at 13 GBPs, so I’m not going to go through it point by point. I didn’t quite get up to 13, but in the spirit of VAR I’m not going to challenge it as a clear and obvious error. I will however use it as an excuse to talk about the film a bit.
This is the giallo that pits Thunderball’s Largo against OHMSS’s Bond, and a hirsute, skeletal Lazenby it is, too. Still manages to bed two lovelies, one of them while his little girl is busy getting herself murdered, oops.
It pre-figures two prominent later films, one of them the obvious (even says it on the cover) Don’t Look Now. Misty Venetian settings, stabby deaths, persons of restricted growth … sorry, they’re children in fact, but similar size.
The other is less obvious, but it struck me this morning that whenever you get the black-gloved killer’s POV (there’s two GB points!) you also hear a particular musical extract, the choir singing one of the tracks, a particularly creepy one, with what sounds to me like a slightly distorted tape delay or doubling effect, very distinctive. You get that every time. However, there’s a scene with a red herring (there’s another!) where you see some black gloves that in fact DON’T belong to the murderer, but you could guess it because the eerie chanting music isn’t played.
So which shark-based film that was made a few years later does THAT remind you of?
This has become one of my favourite Morricone scores over the past couple of years. A shout out to R Donga, esq, for tracking down the expanded version for me recently, which elevates an already brilliant (if damaged-sounding in places) LP. This could absolutely do with cleaning up and re-mastering. It features a manic-sounding children’s choir singing rondos (rondi?) and chants, some plaintive, some vicious, backed by lovely Venetian-style pieces written by Ennio.
I know one or two EM fans for which this score doesn’t do anything. Me, I love it.
Also Mrs. Morricone wrote some of the lyrics. Others were children's songs, I think I quoted one. Also, the fun in Giallo Bingo, is it can be a bit subjective There were a couple of things you mentioned that I don't think I noticed.
Also Mrs. Morricone wrote some of the lyrics. Others were children's songs, I think I quoted one. Also, the fun in Giallo Bingo, is it can be a bit subjective There were a couple of things you mentioned that I don't think I noticed.
7 Blood Stained Orchids(1972) With Antonio Sabato and Uschi Glass Fairly decent.effort and not too outrageous.
Funky music= no, more groovy Twist ending= if by being someone other than you thought, then yes Witness of murder=no , must be shy Striptease= no Killer’s POV= yes , from the off Man slaps woman= yes Overloud or inappropriate music = nada Outrageous title= could be, with flowers instead of animals J&B bottle=not a sniff. Though, oddly, there was a.bottle of what looked like white horse, instead Naked woman= no but nearly and often Death by stabbing= as soon as the credit finished Red herring= don't think so Black gloved killer= yup Goofy police inspector= no but sabato did more investigating Important picture= no Woman takes bath or shower= yes bur not by choice after killer ran it for her Blackmail=no Gay/lesbian character= a few though not dwelt on Important memory= there were.a few ' oh, I remember now' but nothing mega Random scene in Italian= no, though if I'd watched with the Italian track, then there would have been one random scene in english( a class are learning English!) Ooh ooh music= not a throb Death by razor=no but lecky drill, piece of wood, phone chord and drowning all had their day Childhood trauma= nope Killer’s footsteps= no , hwore hush puppies, I think
