As I mentioned when I reviewed another documentary
about the giallo genre - Yellow Fever - The Rise and Fall of Giallo - I am
not particularly fond of giallo films. Too violent, too graphic, too misogynistic
for my taste but I have to admit they are fever dreams visually with their
use of color, stunning women and photography. They make murder look spectacular
like nowhere else in cinema. I am always open to exploring most any kind
of cinema - especially one which has so many ardent fans. My thinking has
always been that if there are a lot of people who love a genre, a film, a
film industry - it is worth at least giving it a good try. That is how I
discovered Bollywood and Hong Kong film. After I finished the other documentary,
I told myself that I would dig in a little more - and of course didn't. There
are just so many films I want to watch - that won't scare the hell out of
me. But again, as this film played by, I kept a list of the films they discuss
and this time for sure I will watch some of them. This is nearly a class
in Giallo films - talking about the influences such as the mystery novels
of the 20s and 30s with the yellow cover, the American noir films of the
40s and 50s and the Krimi films of the 60s. Then the main speaker goes director
by director and talks at some length about him and his films. Here is a list
for myself to refer to.
Bava - said to be the first giallo director
- The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Blood and Black Lace, A Bay of Blood.
Argento - set the tone and tropes of giallos
that followed- Bird with Crystal Plumage, Cat O Nine Tails, Four Flies on
Grey Velvet, Deep Red, Suspira.
Lucio Fulci - who says Argento hates him
and had little good to say about Argento - One on Top of the Other, A Lizard
in a Woman's Skin, Don't Torture a Duckling, Conspiracy of Torture, Seven
Notes in Black aka The Psychic, Murder Rock.
Duccio Tessari - The Bloodstained Butterfly,
Death Occurred Last Night.
Giuilano Carnimeo - The Case of the Bloody
Iris
Sergio Martino - The Case of the Scorpion's
Tail, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, All the Colors of the Dark, Your Vice
in a Locked Room, only I have the Keys, Torso - with a sidebar on Edwige
Fenech.
Umberto Lenzi - So Sweet, So Perverse, Paranoia,
Spasmo, Knife of Ice, Eyeball.
That sort of does it. It is in Italian with
subs. A few clips of course and from time to time it leaves the main speaker
to go to a few of the directors of these films. Argento goes into a long
story about the release of his first film, Bird with the Crystal Plumage,
and how it was initially hated. 90-minutes and very informative.
