So Sweet, So Dead-1972

So Sweet, So Dead aka Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile

directed by: Roberto Bianchi Montero

cast: Farley Granger,Sylva Koscina,Silvano Tranquilli,Annabella Incontrera, Chris Avram,Femi Benussi, Krista Nell,Susan Scott, Luciano Rossi: Gastone

A sleazefest filled to the brim with Eurocult regulars by Roberto Bianchi Montero. Pleasure guaranteed in spades here as this affair is of the same lineage as films like: French Sex Murders,Giallo a Venezia  and Strip nude for your Killer. Do you see a pattern here? Yes, I bet you do , Sex and promiscuity is the name of the game here.

Inspector Capuana investigates serial murders where the victims of unfaithful wives were get killed as they were having sex with their husbands. A naked woman is found murdered and mutilated in a prosperous small province town in Southern Italy. But who is murdering her? After a while, the killer who wears black fedora, gloves, and trench coat starts photographing unfaithful wives as they start having sex with their lovers and also killing them.

So here we have a storyline, where unscrupulous and corrupt ,bored wives of the upper class meet their maker. Some say it’s misogynist, well, I think that this is not misogynist and nihilistic in a New York Ripper vein ,but it’s rather a sarcastic commentary on the ill deeds of the Bourgeoisie. However ,rest assured Montero is no Marco Ferreri or Elio Petri. There is more focus on gratuitous nudity and brutal killings here .

As far as I’m concerned I feel that  “So Sweet so Dead” ,which also was released as “Penetration” with hardcore inserts, is a highly successful Giallo .It’s as polished and stylish as it could  ever be, definitely not bottom barrel like “Giallo a Venezia” and features so many stalwarts of Euro cult cinema that it is almost a paradox.

Mandatory addition to your Giallo collection.

Τζιαλλο κολοσσός από το Ρομπερτο Μπιανκι Μοντερο , ο οποίος σχεδόν παίζει το Τοrso του Sergio Martino στα ίσια ,αλλά λόγω διαφοράς μπατζετ καταλήγει να φιγουράρει στη μέση του βαθμολογικού πίνακα μαζί με άλλα υπερ-sleazy έπη όπως τα: French Sex Murders και Strip Nude for your Killer.

Tο Παρόν δεν χωρατεύει, είναι υπερβίαιο και κάνει και την ανατροπή με κοινωνικό σχόλιο για τη διαφθορά τις Ιταλικής Μπουρζουαζίας, αλλά μην τρελαθούμε Ο Μπιανκι Μοντερο δεν φιλοδοξεί να γίνει ο επόμενος Μπελόκιο αλλά να βγάλει το μεροκάματο και όχι μόνο τα καταφέρνει αλλά μάλλον παραδίδει κιόλας με το φιλμ αυτό την πιο πετυχημένη του προσπάθεια.

 

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids-1972

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids aka “Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso” 1972

directed by:Umberto Lenzi

cast:Antonio Sabàto ,Uschi Glas ,Pier Paolo Capponi ,Petra Schürmann ,Marisa Mell

A stylish Giallo coup de grâce by Umberto Lenzi, unfortunately hampered by a rather by-the-numbers storyline and a weak lead, in this case Antonio Sabato. Still this nice piece of vintage spaghetti mystery thriller delivers the goods and manages to satisfy the avid Eurocult fan.

A serial killer is on the loose, murdering certain women around the city. While travelling on a train on his honeymoon, Mario (Antonio Sabato) sees his wife brutally attacked aboard the train and after the killer gets away, the police accuse Mario of attacking his newlywed wife. The Police decide to hide the fact that Giulia (Uschi Glas), Mario’s wife is alive in order to protect her from the killer. Mario sets out to prove his innocence by attempting to solve the “Puzzle of the Silver Half Moons”

This film would pretty much justify the price of admission on the grounds of the first reel, Rosella Falk’s masterfully executed “bathtub” scene and then Marisa Mell’s gruesome murder .Other than that is a rather hit’ n ‘ miss affair characterized by a great cinematography and mise en scene . Truth be told Umberto Lenzi was responsible for a string of pretty successful Gialli but towards the 1970s, he began focusing his attention on poliziotteschi films and his contributions to making Gialli began to deteriorate. Other than that the score by Riz Ortolani is to die for.

Anyway Giallo fans should definitely  check this one out.

όμορφος τζιάλλο σινεμάς από το μαιτρ του κινηματογράφου είδους Ουμπερτο Λένζι.

Ο μέγας Ουμπέρτο φιλμαρει μερακλίδικα μια δυστυχώς μπαναλ ιστορία μυστηρίου που εμπλέκει έναν νεκρό Αμερικανό και εφτά γυναίκες,αλλά το τελικό αποτέλεσμα μάλλον δικαιώνει τους οπαδούς του Ιταλικού στυλιζαρισμένου pulp  θρίλερ.

Oι αρχική σεκάνς, η μουσική του Ριζ Ορτολάνι και μερικές αριστουργηματικά καμωμένες βίαιες σκηνές ,κάνουν το πικρό ποτήρι της άνευρης ερμηνείας του Αντόνιο Σαμπάτο και της αδιάφορης αφήγησης λίγο πιο υποφερτό.

Οι φανς του σκηνοθέτη και του Ευρωπαικού καλτ κινηματογράφου καλά θα κάνουν να τσεκάρουν όπως και να έχει.