Crimes of the Black Cat (1972)
More moggies in this classy giallo from Sergio Pastore. This time without reference to Poe and the cat actually does commit murder. The cat's claws are dipped in curure and death is silent and instant when the skin is broken, leaving the police clueless. Blind pianist, Anthony Steffen, overhears a conversation with what seems to be the murderer of fashion models. Together with the help of Sylva Koscina and Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Steffen attempts to solve the crimes of the black cat...being giallo, nothing's ever that simple though.
I really like Crimes of the Black Cat. It's reasonably pacy, slightly sleazy, has a great cast and well written dialogue, not to mention one of the finest razor murders in the genre. It's that final kill in the shower, reminiscent of Psycho (1960), that stays with you long after the credits roll. It's nasty and savage and dares to take English actress Shirley Corrigan to places that Hitchcock feared to take Janet Leigh in a blood thirsty orgy of brutal gore.
The Hitchcock comparison suggests that Crimes of the Black Cat is derivative. It isn't even though it uses elements of more famous Gialli such as the fashion house back drop from Blood and Black Lace (1964) and the blind hero which seems to be lifted from Argento's The Cat O'Nine Tails from the previous year. Perhaps controversially i find this a superior film to Dario's effort.
Director Pastore makes Crimes of the Black Cat a superior genre piece thanks to the plot twists and genuinely odd moments, and indeed characters such as Giovanna Lenzi's Susan. A woman who practically floats around in her white hooded cape almost in direct contrast to the usual giallo murderer dressed all in black.
Crimes of the Black Cat is an excellent example of giallo film making. Recommended.
Footnote. The dvd i have is from the Italian company Dagored, more famous for music releases. The picture is widescreen and seems vhs sourced and is at times of poor quality in some longer shots. Overall it's quite watchable though. Where the film lacks in picture quality it makes up for in subtitles. They are perhaps the finest i've seen in an Italian genre film. Proper detailed conversations rather than the usual shorthand translations we generally get.
The release also comes with a nice fold out poster of the original artwork.
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