Giallo

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ChiO
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Re: Giallo

Post by ChiO »

Ahhhh...Murder and the dance:

[youtube][/youtube]

[youtube][/youtube]
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
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Mr. Arkadin
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Re: Giallo

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Types and shadows of the genre to come. More proof that these stories all come from a single thread and are variations on a timeless theme.
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Re: Giallo

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As I said before probably the most interesting part of the Fulci movie was the stolen dream sequence from The Red Queen Kills Seven Times AKA The Lady in Red Kills Seven Times (1972). The film was OOP for years, but then issued in a double boxed set (with The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave [1971]). Unfortunately, that pressing also went out of circulation. The whole film is now available on youtube, but is in Italian--there might be a subtitled version, but I haven't found it yet . This is a fun giallo--nothing deep here, but very enjoyable with a nice mixture of gothic and modern overtones--something attempted in a lot of movies, but the results are rarely as successful as they are here.

Trailer:

[youtube][/youtube]
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CineMaven
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Re: Giallo

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When I went to the Giallo festival last year here in NY, I had no idea that the actress who was in "Deep Red" was the same young woman in "Ossessione." And you know what's funny...as I watched "Deep Red" I kept looking at Calamai thinking...she must be somebody. Her bearing...something. I wrote it about it then, and you confirmed it Mr. A.:
[u]MR. ARKADIN[/u] wrote:Incidentally, did you notice the Sunset Blvd. homage when Marc meets Carlo's mother at her apartment for the first time? That's Clara Calamai from Visconti's Ossessione (1943) and the photos are from her acting career! So is Deep Red an expanded chapter from the Wilder and Aldrich ( Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? [1962] ) book of deranged stardom?
Image

Just thinking about her because of the brief conversation over at the SSO FB page. 8)
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Mr. Arkadin
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Re: Giallo

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Great actress and two great films. When you see these movies, one of the fun things is finding famous people from other genres, another is seeing the homages to other films and inside jokes that the directors use to point (or poke fun) at other movies.

I mentioned My Dear Killer (1971) a couple of posts back. Here is the full movie. At the 41:12 mark, a young school teacher is about to become a victim and sits alone watching Corbucci's Django (1966) on TV, where a woman is whipped and beaten across the back (foreshadowing an attack with a buzz saw drill across her own back). She opens the door to the killer, remarking she has been watching an "terrible western"! Tonino Valeri was also a director of Spaghetti westerns (Day of Anger [1967], My Name is Nobody [1973]). Is he poking fun at Corbucci, one of the originators of that genre, paying homage, or saying that western era is over and giallo is the new modern violence?

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Re: Giallo

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Mr. A., I know you know this film. ( Click foto for review ) -

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Re: Giallo

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Yes! This is my second favorite Bava film (Kidnapped AKA Rabid Dogs [1974]) is my#1). Beautifully shot and lit, with incredible colors. I have this on DVD, but KINO is putting out a version as well?

I don't really consider this a true giallo, although there is a definite mystery aspect about it. Like his other film, Kill, Baby Kill (1966), The Whip and the Body is something of a hybrid. Most gialli films have situations where it might seem that the killer is a ghost, or has supernatural abilities, but we later discover that they are all too human. In these two films, that suggestion actually carries weight because evidence of such is never disputed, but we are also confronted with a human solution, so there is room for interpretation and the films create more questions than answers.

S&M with a ghost?

[youtube][/youtube]

Oddly enough, perhaps the one supernatural trait that is common in giallo belongs not to the murderer, but the protagonist and that is the ability of second sight. All the Colors of the Dark (1972), The Psychic aka Seven Notes in Black (1977) and Spirits of Death (1972) all play with this idea to one degree or another, but gift has definite limits with the characters and we must sleuth along with them to sort out the fragmented puzzle.
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Re: Giallo

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What the hey...is this "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"?? Thank you for the feedback, Mr.A. If I printed up this entire thread, I'd have a pretty good study of the Giallo genre. Not that this applies but do you have any plans to see Spike Lee's remake of "0LD BOY"?
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Re: Giallo

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CineMaven wrote:What the hey...is this "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"??
Similar and different at the same time. We often repeat the same stories in writing, theatre, and film. It's the twists that are added that make the stories different and Whip certainly has that going for it. Have you seen it yet?

CineMaven wrote:Thank you for the feedback, Mr.A. If I printed up this entire thread, I'd have a pretty good study of the Giallo genre.


I don't know about that. I figured when I started this thread, there would be little interaction, so I kind of think about it like a blog, or journal that I add to from time to time. To be honest, I was very tired of finding nothing on the internet about the genre except exploitation. Some of the films do have that just as noir does (1958's Cop Hater anyone?), but that is only one aspect--often used to sell the film to moviegoers (Think of what Godard was forced to do with Bardot in the opening frames of Contempt [1963]). Giallo is kind of like a seven layer cake--the deeper you go into the films, the more layers and flavors you find.

It helps quite a bit when others post because I discover things from other that I did not see, and am forced to think more deeply about what I do find in these movies. Also, when I have friends who are interested in this, it's easier to refer them to something they can read at their leisure. Often, they will come with the notion that these works are like the late 70's/early 80's American slasher films that they inspired, which turns a lot of folks (including myself) off. One of my tiny goals in life is to change that perception, but it's really difficult when some are frightened of what they might see and don't give the genre a chance.

CineMaven wrote:Not that this applies but do you have any plans to see Spike Lee's remake of "0LD BOY"?
I liked Lee's early work, but I haven't seen anything from him in years. I liked Old Boy and think it would be hard to improve on what is already there, but if I see it on DVD, I'll give it a go. I have not been in a movie theater since 1991.
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Re: Giallo

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What the hey...is this "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"??
Mr. Arkadin wrote:Similar and different at the same time. We often repeat the same stories in writing, theatre, and film. It's the twists that are added that make the stories different and Whip certainly has that going for it. Have you seen it yet?

No I haven't. But I like Dahlia Lavi, and Christopher Lee. ( Curious to see how Lavi explains those marks on her back. )

* * * *

Thank you for the feedback, Mr.A. If I printed up this entire thread, I'd have a pretty good study of the Giallo genre.
I don't know about that. I figured when I started this thread, there would be little interaction, so I kind of think about it like a blog, or journal that I add to from time to time. To be honest, I was very tired of finding nothing on the internet about the genre except exploitation. Some of the films do have that just as noir does (1958's Cop Hater anyone?), but that is only one aspect--often used to sell the film to moviegoers (Think of what Godard was forced to do with Bardot in the opening frames of Contempt [1963]). Giallo is kind of like a seven layer cake--the deeper you go into the films, the more layers and flavors you find.
I like cake. ( :lol: ) Discourse is always great, but if it doesn't happen, at least you have a place to formally post your thoughts. As I've said before. I want to one day, someday, sit down with this thread and the movies and sort of make it my own personal on-line course. I've discovered a lot of Edgar G. Ulmer on YouTube and I might do that "course" first, especially after I go see his retrospective starting today up at Lincoln Center.

* * * *
It helps quite a bit when others post because I discover things from other that I did not see, and am forced to think more deeply about what I do find in these movies. Also, when I have friends who are interested in this, it's easier to refer them to something they can read at their leisure. Often, they will come with the notion that these works are like the late 70's/early 80's American slasher films that they inspired, which turns a lot of folks (including myself) off. One of my tiny goals in life is to change that perception, but it's really difficult when some are frightened of what they might see and don't give the genre a chance.
ACK! I know what you mean. It would be good if they gave the genre a chance. There's sooo much there...underneath. We might do things bigger in Hollywood...maybe glossier...splashier. But not necessarily better. See the genre that is the genesis of what Hollywood did later.

* * * *

Not that this applies but do you have any plans to see Spike Lee's remake of "0LD BOY"?
I liked Lee's early work, but I haven't seen anything from him in years. I liked Old Boy and think it would be hard to improve on what is already there, but if I see it on DVD, I'll give it a go. I have not been in a movie theater since 1991.
1991?! Lawdy lawdy, Miss Claudie! So YOU'RE the one that's single-handedly bringing down movie sales by not going out to the Sin-ayyy-mahhhh. Tsk! Tsk! You've got to see at least one big budget blockbuster at your local multiplex. Egads man! What would Mario Bava say?

{Pssst! I don't have high hopes for Lee's re-make myself. Folks that didn't see the original may like the new film. Click foto for trailer. }


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Mr. Arkadin
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Re: Giallo

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CineMaven wrote: Lawdy lawdy, Miss Claudie! So YOU'RE the one that's single-handedly bringing down movie sales by not going out to the Sin-ayyy-mahhhh. Tsk! Tsk! You've got to see at least one big budget blockbuster at your local multiplex. Egads man! What would Mario Bava say?
I just got tired of spending good money and having my experience ruined by people who would not shut up or created other distractions. With the new megaplexes and smartphones, I imagine it's even worse. Going to some kind of a festival where people were appreciative and quiet would be different, but I just don't have the time. I've said this before, but it bears repeating--I rarely have time to watch a film all the way through. I generally watch in segments like chapters in a book.
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ChiO
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Re: Giallo

Post by ChiO »

Here I am, minding my own business, when all of a sudden --
I was very tired of finding nothing on the internet about the genre except exploitation. Some of the films do have that just as noir does (1958's Cop Hater anyone?)
Hey, hey, HEY! Don't go dragging one of my favorite examples of the cinematic art into this sleaze-fest!
One of my tiny goals in life is to change that perception, but it's really difficult when some are frightened of what they might see and don't give the genre a chance.
You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking...you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here.

All just because blades TOTALLY FREAK ME OUT!

Excuse me now. Have to go pop in PEEPING TOM.
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
Mr. Arkadin
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Re: Giallo

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ChiO wrote:You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking...you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here.

All just because blades TOTALLY FREAK ME OUT!

Excuse me now. Have to go pop in PEEPING TOM.
I wasn't thinking of you in particular, but if the fedora fits... :P
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Re: Giallo

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Mr. A., what's your favorite film? What's your favorite film from each genre:

* Giallo
* Comedy
* Drama
* Musical
* Western
* Film Noir
* Romance

And why?

I just want to get a general sense of you.

One good thing about being retired. I go to the movies when mostly everyone is at work or school and soon I'll get a reduced price, being a Senior. Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! :lol: I think. What am I saying...I'm freakin' old now! :cry:

* * * * *

I'll betcha ChiO would look GREAT in a fedora.
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Mr. Arkadin
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Re: Giallo

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You don't have a sense of me by now? 8)

Hard to pick a single film to define a genre. My tastes change with the weather, so my favorite today might not be the same tomorrow. Probably the best assessment I could give would be from a post we had some years back where we could choose two movies for a desert island scenario. My picks were Out of the Past (1947) and Mon Oncle (1958) because they tell everything about life and the world in which we live that a person needs to know.
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