What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Is anyone else a fan of Crimes of the Black Cat?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Is anyone else a fan of Crimes of the Black Cat?

I remember very little about it, because it's been a while – probably years – since I saw it last, but thought very highly of it when I did see it. I have the DVD with the original Italian title, probably the same one you have.

[Mojo]

I have the Dagored release too. Watched it ages ago and enjoyed it, although the pq was quite poor, as I remember. A nice remastered blu ray would be very welcome.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

More Euro-fever:

Sex of the Devil (Il Sesso Del Diavolo) (1971)



Weird multi-genre melting pot Sex of the Devil is an extremely difficult film to pin down, not least of all because it is the epitome of style over substance, and is perhaps best described as an esoteric psychological thriller drama tinged giallo.

Filmed in Turkey the film deals with an impotent surgeon questioning his worth who flees to Istanbul with his young wife and medical assistant where he rents a villa which was once occupied by a French sculptress who apparently committed suicide. Oh, and the housekeeper of the villa practices witchcraft in her spare time too. Complimenting all this there is also an odd Cipriani score which shifts from subtle to in your face 'boing-ing', plenty of gratuitous nudity and some rather random dialogue coupled to a story that rarely makes sense - although I guess it doesn't have to.

A real curio for sure.



62/100


Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why? (Terza ipotesi su un caso di perfetta strategia criminale) (1972)



A pretty run-of the mill politically focused mediocre giallo that sees a photographer and his model girlfriend witness a murder that's dressed up to look like an accident. The photographer takes pictures as the crime unfolds and then, after finding out that the victim was a crusading prosecutor for the Republic, tries to raise interest and a little cash by attempting to take the photos to the Mafia and an unscrupulous scandal sheet journalist. However, a black gloved killer shows up and after dispatching the murderers, starts to work their way through everyone else who is connected with the photos.



58/100

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Great write ups B_E.

Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why? sounds rather good actually.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why? sounds rather good actually.

It's very talky. Certainly worth a watch though.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

It's very talky. Certainly worth a watch though.

I definitely haven't seen it but i do think i've heard of it.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

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.

I thought this was enjoyable. I think I have the same release as the quality on mine wasn't great. All the folk who complain about crushed blacks ect would probably drop dead from an anurism watching it so it probably should come with a health warning.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Death Carries a Cane (1973)

A photographer, played by Nieves Navarro, witnesses the murder of a woman through a tourist telescope. Unable to get a clear sight of the killer she informs the police as one by one all witnesses to the killers escape wind up dead.

Directed by Maurizio Pradeaux, and one of only two gialli he made out of a rather tiny seven film career, the other being 1977's Death Steps in the Dark. Death Carries a Cane is promising but on the whole meanders about a little too much for my liking. Despite having a high sleaze quota with frequent nudity and some graphic razor murders, the in between stuff just isn't that involving. However the finale with Navarro being stalked by the killer in a darkened greenhouse (i think) is suspensefully executed.

The dialogue, albeit dubbed on this release from Full Moon, (Under the title Tormentor) is uninspired as is Pradeaux's camera work, although none of this is helped by the out of his control pan and scan hatchet job on the film. There are numerous scenes of dialogue which are so badly handled, especially across desks,as in the police station, that none of the actors are on screen whilst speaking, with the camera seemingly focused on inanimate objects in the centre of the original widescreen print. It is distracting and does harm the film's overall impact.

Despite this obvious problem the film possesses some nice touches, the typical giallo killer - black hat, coat and gloves, being one. I also like the idea of the cane. The killer holds his victims down using the cane handle before slashing their throats with the razor. Yes it's practically a cliched idea but it's one that works for me in a film with practically no clues as to the killers identity.

Death Carries a Cane is unremarkable but still more than watchable example of the giallo thriller despite it's woeful pan and scan print and despite it's flaws is still worth picking up for anyone wanting a less expensive release than the German one.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I've decided February is definitely giallo month for me.