These Gialli are the films that came out in the years following THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE’s massive success in 1970. They are almost as well-regarded as the CLASSIC GIALLI by fans, and are often just as good. However, because they came after the floodgates were opened by those ground-breaking movies, they sit a little lower in the hierarchy. Just a little, though…
As with the CLASSIC GIALLI entries, our HONORABLE MENTION GIALLI are listed chronologically below:
# 1. GIORNATE NERA PER L'ARIETE (1971)
ENGLISH TITLE: THE FIFTH CORD
CAST: Franco Nero, Silvia Monti, Pamela Tiffin, Wolfgang Preiss, Ira Von Furstenberg, Agostina Belli, Edmund Purdom, Guido Alberti, Renato Romano.
DIRECTOR: Luigi Bazzoni
IT'S LIKE THIS: Studmuffin journalist Andreas Bild (FRANCO NERO) finds himself drawn into a series of murders not long after the Christmas holidays. As he follows up various leads, he slowly realizes that the victims were all attendees of the New Year's Eve party that he boogied down at recently. What's even more disturbing is that he knew all the victims in one way or another. Soon, he determines that the killer is framing him for the crimes - and, before you know it, he has become the prime suspect.
Not one to go down without a fight, though, Andreas turns the tables on the killer and digs deep to uncover the common link between the victims – to find out just what the fuck is going on here. And, maybe - just maybe - he might also win back the love of his ex-wife, Helene (Silvia Monti). That is, if the killer doesn't get to her first. Hmmmmmm.....
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: Quite simply, THE FIFTH CORD is the most beautifully-shot, visually-striking Giallo ever made. Famed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (who would go on to win an Oscar for his visuals for APOCALYPSE NOW) bathes this movie in such gorgeous light and compositions that you find yourself wanting to hit the pause button to admire certain scenes. Storaro also worked on THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, which revved up the Giallo Sub-Genre the year before in 1970. However, as terrific as that landmark Giallo is, it somehow doesn't look as pristine and sleek as THE FIFTH CORD.
I suspect that part of credit for this movie's gorgeous look is director Luigi Bazzoni's stylish command of the camera - which seems to supersedes even that of Dario Argento. I know that this is almost sacrilegious to say. The fact remains, however, that all Gialli from the 1960s/1970s, no matter how high the budget, always seem to have some "grittiness" to their aesthetics. THE FIFTH CORD is the only exception: this film has the modern, ultra-polished look of a movie from the 1990s/2000s. It is really quite remarkable how Storaro and Bazzoni managed this exceedingly sleek look for a film from 1971.
The characters of THE FIFTH CORD are also refreshingly layered and atypical. Franco Nero as Andreas Bild is a dynamic presence. Nero is an early example of the Russell Crowe-type of male lead: masculine, formidable, principled, and doesn't suffer fools gladly. He owns the screen every time he is on it. And when he isn't, you can't wait for him to show up again. Nero was a top star of Italian cinema for decades - and with his potent blend of charisma and talent, it's not hard to see why. Also surprisingly compelling is his tentative relationship with his ex-wife Helene, played with sultry grace by Silvia Monti. Their scenes are well-written and have a ring of authenticity – something that is often missing from the central relationships of many Gialli. All in all, THE FIFTH CORD is a true near-classic.
BEST SCENE: Andreas standing his ground (and standing up for himself) against the cops who think he may be the killer. And the final confrontation between Andreas and the killer at his wife's house – but it doesn’t play out like you think…
TRIVIA: In interviews about this film, Franco Nero says he enjoyed Gialli very much - and wishes he would have starred in more of them after THE FIFTH CORD. Also, Luigi Bazzoni unfortunately never directed another Gialli after this one - which is too bad, because with his stylish "eye" and firm grasp on cinematic thrillertechnique, he might have equaled (or even eclipsed) Dario Argento - the Italian Hitchcock, himself.
# 2. LA TARANTOLA DAL VENTRE NERO (1971)
ENGLISH TITLE: THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA
CAST: Giancarlo Giannini, Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, Rosella Falk, Stefania Sandrelli, Barbara Bach, Silvano Tranquili.
DIRECTOR: Paolo Cavara
IT'S LIKE THIS: Inspector Tellini (Giancarlo Giannini) has been assigned a very puzzling case: there have been a series of murders where people are paralyzed by poisoned needle - then are vivisected (read: cut open and gutted) while they are still conscious. Altogether now: yuck. Anyhow, Tellini's sleuthing soon takes him to the doorstep of a shady spa run by the shady Laura (Claudine Auger).
Soon, he finds himself neck-deep in a mystery filled with smuggled drugs, beautiful women, secret sex parties, voyeurism, and even more murders. And then, as if that isn't bad enough, the killer targets his own wife, Anna (Stefania Sandrelli). Just to really liven things up.
What is up with the killer's particularly vicious modus operandi? And what is the common link between all the victims? How will all this end? Does he have a boner for spiders or something? Hmmmmmm…..
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: Compared to Dario Argento's colorful and labyrinthine Gialli, THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA is a more straightforward affair. In fact, it plays with the Gialli template, somewhat. Instead of a foreign tourist or expatriate as the protagonist, the hero here is an Italian cop. This tweak gives the film more of a police procedural feel along the lines of later films like SEVEN and KISS THE GIRLS – two examples of American Gialli (more on them in our AMERICAN GIALLI section later ). Director Paolo Cavara handles everything with a confident hand, and while the film isn't as polished and timelessly sleek as THE FIFTH CORD, it comes close and is miles ahead of the gritty, dated aesthetics of most other Gialli.
The main reason THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA makes the list, however, is because of its talented lead, Giancarlo Giannini. Just like Franco Nero and his outspoken journalist hero Andrea Bild in THE FIFTH CORD, Giannini takes ownership of his role and turns Inspector Tellini into a very likable lead we can get behind. Giannini would go on and cross over to Hollywood and star in such hits as MIMIC, HANNIBAL, CASINO ROYALE, and QUANTUM OF SOLACE - proof of his versatility.
BEST SCENE: An extended rooftop chase scene where Tellini runs down a suspect in the killings.
TRIVIA: This film features two Bond Girls: a past Bond Girl, Claudine Auger, from THUNDERBALL(1966) and a future Bond Girl, Barbara Bach, from THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977).
#3. SETTE ORCHIDEE MACCHIATE DI ROSSO (1972)
ENGLISH TITLE: SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS
CAST: Antonio Sabato, Uschi Glas, Pier Paolo Capponi, Rossella Falk, Marina Malfati, Renato Romano, Claudio Gora, Gabriella Giorgello, Petra Schurman.
DIRECTOR: Umberto Lenzi
IT’S LIKE THIS: Lovely Italian chick Giulia (Uschi Glas) is getting ready for her upcoming marriage to her fashion designer fiancée, Mario (Antonio Sabato). Unfortunately, she lets him see her in her wedding dress (which he designed, by the way) before the wedding day – and sure enough, something bad happens. Really bad. As in, someone tries to kill her in her train compartment during a pre-nuptials honeymoon with Mario. Fortunately, Mario and the conductor chase off the baddie, who does a swan dive out the compartment window like he’s Superman or something. But not before wounding our Giulia, though.
Fortunately, Giulia survives. However, to keep an ace up their sleeve that they can play, the cops tell the press that she died – so the killer will think he got away with it and let his guard down. At the hospital, Mario and our lovely survivor Giulia are told by Inspector Vismara (Pier Paolo Capponi) that there have been two murders of other women lately – and at both crime scenes, the killer left a mysterious half-moon locket. And a similar half-moon locket was sent to the funeral home where Giulia’s fake memorial was held. Clearly, she was supposed to be the third victim. But why?
Mario, being your typical macho Italian male, decides to investigate, with Giulia tagging along because, well, what the hell else is she supposed to do? She’s supposed to be laying low and pretending to be dead, remember? And that can get boring. Anyhow, she and Mario soon unearth a common link between her, the two women who were killed, and four other women who have yet to be targeted by the killer: all seven of them stayed at a resort on the Adriatic coast three years ago – the same day a man was killed in a hit-and-run accident.
What is going on here? Why have Giulia and the six other women been targeted? Was one or more of them involved in the accident? Will the killer get to the other four women before Mario and Giulia question them? And how long can Giulia pretend to be dead before the killer catches on – and comes after her again? Hmmmmmmmmm….
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: Unlike most of the Gialli in our sampler which I watched growing up, I didn’t see SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS until I was actually already living Italy in back in 2002. I remembered being surprised about how different it was from a lot of its cinematic brethren. Mainly, it’s a lot faster-paced. While Gialli, as a general rule, are not exactly slow and draggy, most of them still often like to take a little time setting up the story and characters in a way that feels leisurely. I suppose this is part of their Italian charm.
SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS, however, moves like a bullet and is one zippy, efficient little thriller. I had to watch it a couple more times after that first viewing to get used to it its all-business, cut-to-the-chase, no-nonsense approach to telling its story – which seems more American than Italian. Once I did, I realized what a nicely atypical addition it is to the Giallo sub-genre. It may not be as flamboyant or colorful as others of its ilk, but it definitely hold your attention and keeps you wondering what will happen next. Italian heartthrob Antonio Sabato and German actress Uschi Glas make a great-looking couple, and their characters, Mario & Giulia, form a solid investigative team.
An added plus is the intriguing mystery at the heart of the story, which comes together quickly, but still manages to save its most surprising twists for the last twenty minutes. Speaking of the third act, this movie has one of the best climactic chase scenes of all Gialli – and a final battle between hero, heroine, and killer that is the textbook definition of suspense.
BEST SCENE: That final chase scene – and the ensuing “manni e manni” in a darkened swimming pool.
TRIVIA: Italian star Antonio Sabato is the father of Italian-American GENERAL HOSPITAL star and Calvin Klein model, Antonio Sabato, Jr.
#4. IL CORPI PRESENTANO TRACCE DI VIOLENZA CARNALE (1973)
ENGLISH TITLE: TORSO
CAST: Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda, John Richardson, Roberto Bisacco, Angela Covello, Carla Brait, Patrizia Auditori, Conchita Airoldi, Ernesto Colli.
DIRECTOR: Sergio Martino
IT’S LIKE THIS: If today were 1973, and you were planning to do the tourist thing in Perugia, this movie would probably change your mind. Because there is a killer stalking the streets, you see, and he ain’t lookin’ for Italian chocolate, know what I’m sayin’? Nope, our baddie likes to slice and dice beautiful coeds from the local international university. The shit first hits the fan when hot German chick Florence Heineken (Patrizia Auditori) and her Italian boyfriend Giovanni (Fausto Di Bella) both get filleted somethin’ fierce while making out under a bridge. Should’ve just gotten a room, dipshits.
Next to bite it – hard - is American student Carol Petersen (Conchita Airoldi), who decides that going for a walk, completelely stoned & alone, through the dark, foggy woods is the safest way to relax when your best friend and her boy-toy have just been gutted the day before. I don’t have to tell you that another student body spot opens up at that school before too long. Stupid, stupid cow.
Shaken by the deaths of their friends, Italian good girl Dani (Tina Aumont) and sassy American girl Jane (Suzy Kendall) decide to round up their lesbian buddies, African chick Ursula (Carla Brait) & Spanish dish Katia (Angela Covello), and jump on the next train to Dani’s uncle’s gorgeous villa deep in the Italian countryside. Seems like it would make sense, right? I mean, a killer is loose in the city, so you get the fuck out of the city, si? No, signore. Wrong-0. You see, our not-so-friendly killer has also jumped on the same train - and tailed our quartet of hot college chicks to the isolated villa where, I’m guessing, he’s not going to ask them to play a nice, harmless round of Monopoly.
So... who is the killer? The handsome British professor, Franz (John Richardson), who has a crush on Jane? The creepy Italian freak, Stefano (Roberto Bisacco), who has been stalking, er, courting Dani? The mysterious Spanish dude, Roberto (Luc Merenda), who always seems to show up just when someone gets killed? One of Ursula and Katia’s boyfriends? Oh, wait... that’s right - they’re lesbians. Hmmmmmmmm.....
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: Of all the early 70s Gialli, TORSO is one of the more straightforward ones. While most of the trademark Giallo elements are here (the foreign protagonists, the black-gloved killer, the elaborate suspense setpieces), the overall mystery surrounding them is a fairly uncomplicated one. Another departure from the formula is the fact that our heroines Dani and Jane don’t really do much sleuthing. They simply fret about the murders decimating their friends around them - before deciding to take a vacation to that isolated villa, where the killer terrorizes them, along with Ursula and Katia. Even with these tweaks, though, TORSO is still an engaging ride because of its well-drawn leads and their colorful supporting cast.
However, the primary reason TORSO gets an honorable mention is because of a bravura sequence towards the end of the movie, wherein the sole surviving lady (not telling who) must creep quietly around the huge Villa to keep the killer from realizing that he has overlooked someone – and that there is someone still alive inside the house. This setpiece alone is reason enough to see TORSO. Gialli setpieces are often intrinsically Italian in nature: colorful, daring, and full of flair. This one, however, is muted and subtle – relying more on silent suspense and dread than loud shocks or action. We are on the edge of our seats as our “Final Girl” must play a terrifyingly quiet game of cat-and-mouse with the baddie – to avoid ending up like her friends. Great sequence that both Argento (and Hitchcock) would be proud of.
TRIVIA: The original Italian title’s translation into English is actually: THE BODIES BEAR TRACES OF CARNAL VIOLENCE. But the foreign distributors decided to just title the film TORSO outside Italy. The actual translation would have been striking as a title, but also probably a little controversial. Which is a shame, since much of the violence in this film is merely implied. Thank goodness – because unlike a lot of Gialli fans, I am fine with minimal red stuff. I prefer solid suspense – and TORSO has that, especially in that awesome final setpiece.
ADDITIONAL TRIVIA: Suzy Kendall, who plays one of our two heroines in TORSO, was also the female lead in the landmark Giallo that launched the whole craze three years before in 1970: Dario Argento’s classic, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE. She also had a cameo role in BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, the recent tribute/homage to Gialli. Go, girl.
#5. TENEBRE (1982)
ENGLISH TITLE: UNSANE
CAST: Anthony Franciosa, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner, Giuliano Gemma, Veronica Lario, Mirella D’Angelo, Christian Borromeo, Carola Stagnaro, Lara Wendel, Mirella Banti.
DIRECTOR: Dario Argento
IT’S LIKE THIS: Best-selling novelist Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) is having an interesting year. On one hand, his latest thriller novel, “Tenebre”, is topping the charts. On the other hand, though, he is having a messy break-up with his gal pal, Jane McKerrow (Veronica Lario). Then to make matters even more, uh, interesting he goes to Rome as part of an overseas publicity tour to promote “Tenebre” – only to discover from the local Italian cops that someone has been killing folks in the exact same way the characters in “Tenebre” were killed.
Before you know it, what should have been a laid-back press junket in Bella Italia turns nasty when the killer begins phoning Peter and threatening not only him, but also those around him. Soon, Peter’s friends and associates start turning up dead. True to mystery-writer form, he decides to help the cops investigate – and find out who is behind the whole fucked-up thing. Even worse, he starts to suspect the killer is actually somoene within his social circle...
And let’s just say that there is no shortage of suspects. Is it Anne (Daria Nicolodi), Peter’s loyal secretary? Or Bulmer (John Saxon), Peter’s whackjob agent with a huge boner for Fedoras (ahem)? Or maybe Gianni (Christian Borromeo), the eager-beaver intern who adores and idolizes Peter? Or perhaps even Tilde (Mirella D’Angelo), Peter’s lesbian protégé who objects against the violence and perceived misogyny in his books? Or maybe it’s just been Jane, that crazed banshee ex-girlfriend, this whole time? Who is the nutjob taking the plot of “Tenebre” one step too far?
One word, folks: hhhmmmmmmmmmmmm…..
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: After the massive success of PROFONDO ROSSO/DEEP RED in 1975, Dario Argento (AKA: The Italian Hitchcock) decided to explore a different area of the Horror and Thriller Genres. His next two films, SUSPIRIA (1977) & INFERNO (1980), took the typical Giallo template (a foreign protagonist, a sinister mystery, vicious murders, stylish execution) and grafted them onto plots that had overtly paranormal and supernatural leanings. He was already showing this proclivity for the unexplained in DEEP RED, with its central premise of a psychic medium who detects a mad killer in the audience during a parapsychology conference – and is killed because of it. The rest of DEEP RED also had glimmers of the supernatural with its “haunted house” plot thread. Ultimately, though, DEEP RED's central mystery was rooted primarily in the natural and normal - and not the supernatural and paranormal, which were more like sub-plots.
With SUSPIRIA and INFERNO, though, Argento dove completely into the unexplained. These two films comprised the first two installments of "The Three Mothers Trilogy" - a triad of Supernatural Gialli that would be completed with the long-awaited LA TERZA MADRE/MOTHER OF TEARS in 2006. Back in 1980, though, following the release of INFERNO, Argento fans expected him to complete the trilogy with his next film, which was announced to be released in 1982, and rumored to be titled TENEBRE.
It turned out, however, that Argento was leaving the supernatural behind and returning to the traditional Giallo formula along the lines of THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE: a mad killer on the loose and an innocent protagonist who is pulled into the fray. Argento also brought a new to look to TENEBRE that had not been seen in his oeuvre until that point: a sleek, stark, bright look that felt more "Los Angeles" than "Rome."
Indeed, the plot for TENEBRE was inspired when a deranged fan began stalking Argento while on a press tour in California. TENEBRE's look and feel echoes this: gone are the deep reds and brooding blacks of Argento's previous Gialli that painted a more operatic and baroque Italian atmosphere. In TENEBRE, they are replaced by bright whites, silvers, light blues, and golds that seem more American. This movie has an almost clinical and futuristic feel to it - completely appropriate to a story that seeks to expand and evolve the Giallo formula.
While TENEBRE is not as good as THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE or DEEP RED, it is still a strong Giallo and a unique Argento entry. Interestingly, it is also the film from his entire body of work that we feel is most suited for an American remake. I feels very "American," featuring a more linear but no less engrossing mystery - with a final twist that, like THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, is brilliant and unforeseeable. With all the recent talk of remaking SUSPIRIA and DEEP RED, we would like to humbly propose to the powers-that-be in Hollywood that TENEBRE be considered for the same treatment. The original Italian version is fine - but it would be great to see an American interpretation.
BEST SCENES: The killer attacking Tilde and Marion (Mirella Banti) at their sprawling home. And the extended chase sequence between Maria (Lara Wendel), the killer, and a unstoppable Doberman Pinscher - you'll see. And, of course, the last five minutes with that humdinger of a twist.
TRIVIA: This movie uses a Sherlock Holmes quote that would also be used 11 years later in the 1993 Sean Connery thriller RISING SUN: "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth..." Peter Neal quotes this to Inspector Germani (Giuliano Gemma) when they discuss who the killer might be. And let's just say that the quote is very much apropos to the solution of this mystery. Ahem.
ADDITIONAL TRIVIA: the word "tenebre" is latin for "shadows" or "darkness" - which is ironic considering this films is probably Dario Argento's most (intentionally) over-lit film.
Please expect Parts 3-5 of our GIALLI SAMPLER to post throughout the next week:
PART 3: SUPERNATURAL GIALLI
PART 4: WTF? GIALLI
PART 5: AMERICAN GIALLI
Have a wonderful weekend, folks....
Viva Italia!
