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There's a long history behind
the origins of giallo films.
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00:00:24,107 --> 00:00:26,193
The name derives from the
yellow cover of
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00:00:26,527 --> 00:00:28,237
the crime novels published
by Mondadori.
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00:00:28,570 --> 00:00:30,781
Back in 1929, Mondadori,
who was and still is
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00:00:31,073 --> 00:00:33,617
a pretty important
publishing company,
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00:00:33,951 --> 00:00:36,453
started releasing a
series of crime novels
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00:00:36,828 --> 00:00:39,206
and detective stories.
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00:00:39,540 --> 00:00:41,875
These books had very
recognizable covers,
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they were colored
in yellow
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00:00:43,669 --> 00:00:46,838
with a circle in the middle
that featured a drawing
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00:00:47,172 --> 00:00:49,216
related to the plot or
the tone of the story
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00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:52,678
that people were
about to read.
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00:00:53,011 --> 00:00:57,432
This is to explain that the
usage of the term "giallo"
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00:00:57,724 --> 00:00:59,142
originates from literature.
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00:00:59,476 --> 00:01:01,270
It's not like it was
used all of a sudden.
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00:01:01,603 --> 00:01:04,940
The Italian public started
using it in the late 1920s,
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00:01:05,274 --> 00:01:07,109
when the country was still
under the Fascist regime,
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00:01:07,442 --> 00:01:08,777
and since then
they've gotten used to
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00:01:09,111 --> 00:01:10,862
calling every crime story
a "giallo",
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00:01:11,196 --> 00:01:13,156
every mystery,
or detective tale.
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00:01:13,490 --> 00:01:16,285
A giallo is like a
puzzle or a gamble.
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00:01:16,618 --> 00:01:21,748
Its plot has to
intrigue the reader,
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00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,043
and make him busy trying to
figure out
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00:01:25,377 --> 00:01:27,838
the identity of the culprit
before the writer
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00:01:28,171 --> 00:01:30,757
tells him at the end of
the book or film.
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00:01:31,174 --> 00:01:34,261
Of course, the writer
isn't allowed to cheat.
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00:01:34,595 --> 00:01:37,764
Otherwise, the story won't be
a giallo anymore,
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00:01:38,098 --> 00:01:41,059
but instead a tale
of suspense.
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00:01:41,727 --> 00:01:43,770
To call it a giallo, the
story must be logical.
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00:01:44,104 --> 00:01:46,773
No cheap solutions.
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00:01:47,316 --> 00:01:50,110
It's got to be made in a
certain way,
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00:01:50,444 --> 00:01:55,198
so anyone who goes through
it a second time
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00:01:55,532 --> 00:01:58,493
can notice all the clues
they missed the first time.
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00:01:59,036 --> 00:02:02,789
To solve the case
or find the culprit.
35
00:02:03,123 --> 00:02:06,960
My artistic education began with
American films of the 50s.
36
00:02:07,419 --> 00:02:09,588
I was a college student
back then,
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00:02:09,921 --> 00:02:12,507
before I attended the
National Film School.
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00:02:12,883 --> 00:02:15,677
I must have seen all the
masterpieces made by Fox,
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00:02:16,011 --> 00:02:18,347
Warner Brothers, and RKO.
40
00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,059
Even now, I still buy
those films on DVD.
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00:02:22,517 --> 00:02:26,647
Back then, I saw all of Elia
Kazan's early pictures
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00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:28,690
and Don Siegel's
early ones.
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00:02:29,024 --> 00:02:31,818
Or, let me think,
there were so many.
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00:02:32,152 --> 00:02:35,572
Raoul Walsh's and William
Dieterle's films too.
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00:02:35,906 --> 00:02:37,115
All those directors
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00:02:37,449 --> 00:02:38,950
who started out
in the 30s,
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00:02:39,284 --> 00:02:41,495
and made their best
films in the 40s.
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00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:44,706
They used black and white
in such a wonderful way.
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00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:46,833
The cinematographers back
then were people
50
00:02:47,167 --> 00:02:49,586
like Harry Stradling
or Nicholas Musuraca.
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00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:52,798
Their use of black and white
cinematography was amazing.
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00:02:53,465 --> 00:03:00,472
I was really impressed by those
giallos set in big cities
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00:03:00,847 --> 00:03:04,601
that were made between
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00:03:04,935 --> 00:03:08,188
Robert Siodmak was the
best at making those.
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00:03:08,522 --> 00:03:10,273
He directed
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE.
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00:03:10,607 --> 00:03:12,275
And the one with
the twins
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00:03:12,609 --> 00:03:14,820
that was called
THE DARK MIRROR.
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00:03:15,153 --> 00:03:17,823
It's the one where Olivia de
Havilland plays two characters.
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00:03:18,156 --> 00:03:22,077
A giallo must have a
precise mechanism.
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00:03:22,494 --> 00:03:25,122
The worst mistake a writer or
a director can make
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00:03:25,455 --> 00:03:27,290
is to cheat with
the plot.
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00:03:27,833 --> 00:03:29,710
Maybe I'm exaggerating
a little,
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00:03:30,043 --> 00:03:31,169
but my favorite example
of this is
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00:03:31,503 --> 00:03:34,756
in THE BIRD WITH THE
CRYSTAL PLUMAGE,
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00:03:35,090 --> 00:03:37,008
when the lead can't
remember a detalil.
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00:03:37,342 --> 00:03:39,386
That detail then becomes the
key to revealing
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00:03:39,678 --> 00:03:41,471
the identity of
the Killer.
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00:03:41,847 --> 00:03:45,100
It creates suspense,
you see.
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00:03:45,434 --> 00:03:49,062
And to create it you
don't need logic.
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00:03:49,396 --> 00:03:51,356
Suspense can start
from anything.
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00:03:53,316 --> 00:03:55,819
Sometimes even Agatha
Christie wasn't logical.
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00:03:56,153 --> 00:03:59,698
Take TEN LITTLE INDIANS. It's a
classic, but at some point
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00:04:00,031 --> 00:04:02,909
there's a character who fakes
his death, and that's illogical.
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00:04:03,243 --> 00:04:06,580
No one could have been
totally sure
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00:04:06,955 --> 00:04:08,874
the others wouldn't
find out.
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00:04:09,332 --> 00:04:12,210
This means that the
writer is cheating,
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00:04:12,544 --> 00:04:14,921
deciding what's logical
and what's not.
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00:04:15,255 --> 00:04:17,090
I don't have a problem with
that,
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00:04:17,424 --> 00:04:18,884
but then it's just
not a true giallo.
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00:04:19,217 --> 00:04:21,303
A true giallo shouldn't
use this kind of trick.
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00:04:21,636 --> 00:04:28,393
In reality, it would be hard
to fake your death like that
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00:04:28,769 --> 00:04:31,980
without being found out by
any of the other characters.
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00:04:32,314 --> 00:04:36,485
That's some suspension of
disbelief right there.
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00:04:36,860 --> 00:04:39,446
Even a classic like TEN LITTLE
INDIANS has it,
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00:04:39,738 --> 00:04:41,364
and we're talking
about a book
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00:04:41,782 --> 00:04:43,825
that's considered a
masterpiece of the genre.
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00:04:44,326 --> 00:04:49,414
One of the biggest influences
on Italian giallos
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00:04:49,748 --> 00:04:52,000
was the German
krimi films.
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00:04:52,334 --> 00:04:55,587
Most krimis were adaptations of
Edgar Wallace stories.
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00:04:55,921 --> 00:05:02,469
Germany began producing them
in the early 60s.
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00:05:02,886 --> 00:05:06,723
These even predate
Mario Bava's early thrillers.
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00:05:07,057 --> 00:05:11,353
When Mario Bava made his first
contemporary thriller in 1963,
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00:05:11,770 --> 00:05:14,773
and I'm referring to THE
GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.
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00:05:15,148 --> 00:05:18,443
Krimis had already been
around for a few years,
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00:05:18,860 --> 00:05:20,987
predating Italian thrillers.
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00:05:21,321 --> 00:05:26,535
Like their early Italian
counterparts, krimis balanced
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00:05:26,868 --> 00:05:34,125
very dramatic sequences,
and bursts of graphic violence,
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00:05:34,459 --> 00:05:37,546
with lighter comedic scenes.
For instance, think about
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00:05:37,879 --> 00:05:39,714
the parts Eddi Aren't
played,
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00:05:40,048 --> 00:05:42,008
and their function within
the plot.
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00:05:42,342 --> 00:05:44,845
He provided comic relief that
allowed the audience
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00:05:45,178 --> 00:05:47,180
to relax a little
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00:05:47,514 --> 00:05:51,101
until the next
explosion of violence.
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00:05:51,434 --> 00:05:54,354
German krimis play
a huge role
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00:05:54,729 --> 00:05:56,940
in the history of
Italian giallo.
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00:05:57,274 --> 00:06:00,318
Firstly, because those films
were distributed in Italy.
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00:06:00,652 --> 00:06:04,698
We could say that they were
preparing the public
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00:06:05,031 --> 00:06:10,328
for our own crime
films and thrillers.
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00:06:10,787 --> 00:06:14,082
When it comes to the
narrative structure,
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00:06:14,416 --> 00:06:19,713
krimis influenced basic
characteristics of giallos.
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00:06:20,088 --> 00:06:24,301
Krimis too had killers
whose faces we don't see.
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00:06:24,634 --> 00:06:28,013
The focus is mostly on their
hands and other details.
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00:06:28,346 --> 00:06:30,640
Krimis too had black-gloved
killers,
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00:06:30,974 --> 00:06:34,561
another essential element
of giallos.
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00:06:34,936 --> 00:06:40,275
The same goes for the peculiar
weapons used for the killings.
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00:06:40,609 --> 00:06:43,361
Unconventional ones,
at least compared
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00:06:43,695 --> 00:06:46,406
to those used in classic
crime films.
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00:06:46,740 --> 00:06:50,243
Krimis featured weapons
such as knives,
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00:06:50,619 --> 00:06:53,872
or even arrows, like in a
film titled THE GREEN ARCHER.
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00:06:54,205 --> 00:06:57,334
And so killers were depicted
in a new, unique way,
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00:06:57,667 --> 00:07:01,171
which was another important
element of Italian thrillers.
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00:07:01,463 --> 00:07:03,715
Murder was being shown
in a new way,
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00:07:04,049 --> 00:07:06,635
starting with the weapons
used to commit it.
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00:07:06,968 --> 00:07:12,140
This is one of the things that
giallos borrowed from Krimis.
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00:07:12,474 --> 00:07:18,313
And, as I said, krimis were
born from crime literature,
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00:07:18,647 --> 00:07:22,484
since most of them were
Edgar Wallace adaptations.
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00:07:22,817 --> 00:07:27,489
Edgar Wallace was also the
man who created King Kong.
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00:07:27,906 --> 00:07:33,078
Curiously, the early Italian
giallo writers were authors
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00:07:33,411 --> 00:07:36,331
like Francesco Mastriani or
Carolina Invernizio,
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00:07:36,665 --> 00:07:38,541
who were well known for
their serial fiction,
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00:07:38,875 --> 00:07:41,294
or stories published
in installments.
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00:07:41,586 --> 00:07:43,088
These works were sold
at newsstands,
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00:07:43,421 --> 00:07:45,715
or their equivalent
at the time.
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00:07:46,049 --> 00:07:51,346
This Kind of literature
was extremely popular,
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00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,141
even amongst
the lower classes.
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00:07:55,475 --> 00:08:04,234
This shows how popular Italian
giallos were back then.
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00:08:04,567 --> 00:08:07,988
Of course, we also had
some authors who
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00:08:08,321 --> 00:08:09,948
specialized in writing
giallos.
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00:08:10,281 --> 00:08:13,660
One of those was Augusto De
Angelis, in the 30s.
140
00:08:13,994 --> 00:08:22,002
His stories were set in Italy
and were often tales of murder.
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00:08:22,335 --> 00:08:26,923
This defied convention, of
the squeaky clean image
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00:08:27,382 --> 00:08:33,596
the regime imposed on
every story set in Italy.
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00:08:33,930 --> 00:08:36,725
Augusto De Angelis
himself was a victim
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00:08:37,058 --> 00:08:39,853
of the regime's
violence.
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00:08:40,228 --> 00:08:43,023
He was beaten to death
by a Fascist activist.
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00:08:43,356 --> 00:08:47,444
De Angelis was the first to
write murder tales set in Italy,
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00:08:47,777 --> 00:08:49,362
and he did it
under that regime.
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00:08:49,696 --> 00:08:54,284
His stories were never
adapted for the screen
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00:08:54,701 --> 00:08:57,495
because he was an
inconvenience to the regime.
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00:08:57,829 --> 00:09:02,625
After the war, another writer
continued De Angelis' legacy.
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00:09:02,959 --> 00:09:07,047
His name was
Giorgio Scerbanenco,
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00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:09,716
another great crime and
giallo author.
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00:09:10,008 --> 00:09:13,720
Some of his novels have been
adapted for the screen.
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00:09:14,054 --> 00:09:16,431
I'm going to go out on a limb
and say that Scerbanenco
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00:09:16,765 --> 00:09:21,728
was the greatest Italian
writer of mystery stories,
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00:09:22,062 --> 00:09:24,147
or giallos, if you prefer.
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00:09:24,731 --> 00:09:30,862
Genres aside, I must add that
he was quite a good writer.
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00:09:31,237 --> 00:09:34,532
I read some of his
non-crime stuff,
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00:09:34,866 --> 00:09:36,659
he did a lot of
different things.
160
00:09:36,993 --> 00:09:40,246
Personally, I don't care much
about his romance novels.
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00:09:40,622 --> 00:09:44,250
That's because I don't
like the genre.
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00:09:44,667 --> 00:09:51,091
I love his five novels with the
character of Duca Lamberti.
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00:09:51,466 --> 00:09:55,845
I also like his short stories,
some of them are great.
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00:09:56,179 --> 00:10:01,726
In particular, IL CENTODELITTI,
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00:10:02,102 --> 00:10:05,063
Italy only discovered, or
rediscovered him,
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00:10:05,396 --> 00:10:08,149
after he became famous
in France.
167
00:10:08,900 --> 00:10:13,113
Mario Bava is considered the
first Italian giallo director.
168
00:10:13,446 --> 00:10:18,827
Bava used different
approaches to his giallos.
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00:10:19,244 --> 00:10:23,790
A film like THE WHIP AND THE
BODY can be considered a giallo.
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00:10:24,124 --> 00:10:26,543
An atypical one, perhaps,
for its setting
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00:10:26,876 --> 00:10:28,962
and also because it is full
of the same gothic elements
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00:10:29,295 --> 00:10:33,049
that were present in Bava's
previous film, BLACK SUNDAY.
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00:10:33,341 --> 00:10:37,887
THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is
the first Italian giallo
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00:10:38,221 --> 00:10:40,390
in the "classic" sense.
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00:10:40,723 --> 00:10:45,478
The film was an inspiration for
Dario Argento when making
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00:10:45,812 --> 00:10:49,566
THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL
PLUMAGE.
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00:10:49,899 --> 00:10:54,571
Mario Bava's inspiration was
to set the story in Italy.
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00:10:54,904 --> 00:10:58,199
THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is
still a black and white film.
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00:10:58,575 --> 00:11:01,995
The colors that characterized
the genre were yet to come.
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00:11:02,495 --> 00:11:06,124
That's why one of Bava's next
films is considered to be
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00:11:06,457 --> 00:11:09,210
an even better example
of giallo cinema.
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00:11:09,544 --> 00:11:13,673
The film is BLOOD AND BLACK
LACE, and it features a killer
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00:11:14,007 --> 00:11:20,138
whose methodology set a
standard for every
184
00:11:20,471 --> 00:11:23,016
Italian giallo that
followed.
185
00:11:23,349 --> 00:11:27,645
The killer emerges from the
shadows, dressed in black.
186
00:11:27,979 --> 00:11:30,690
His gloves are black, too,
and he mostly uses blades.
187
00:11:31,024 --> 00:11:33,860
These elements were copied
by many giallos.
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00:11:34,194 --> 00:11:38,615
My father, and myself too, even
after all these years
189
00:11:38,948 --> 00:11:42,410
have a deep love for
BLOOD AND BLACK LACE.
190
00:11:42,869 --> 00:11:46,206
I believe it is a
genuine classic.
191
00:11:46,539 --> 00:11:52,962
Only a few moments aren't as
strong as the rest, I must say.
192
00:11:54,047 --> 00:11:58,468
It took me twenty or thirty
years to rewaich A BAY OF BLOOD.
193
00:11:58,801 --> 00:12:03,431
I stumbled upon it a few years
ago, I don't remember where.
194
00:12:03,765 --> 00:12:05,850
You know how it is, sometimes
you stumble upon
195
00:12:06,184 --> 00:12:07,602
a good copy being
screened.
196
00:12:08,061 --> 00:12:14,525
This cinema was showing the
film to a young audience.
197
00:12:14,859 --> 00:12:18,029
When the film ended, we all
agreed it felt so fresh,
198
00:12:18,363 --> 00:12:20,156
like it just came out.
199
00:12:20,490 --> 00:12:23,034
Compared to some other
films of the time,
200
00:12:23,368 --> 00:12:26,704
it's still incredibly modern.
201
00:12:27,121 --> 00:12:31,334
And we also noticed what a
ruthless film it still is.
202
00:12:31,834 --> 00:12:37,131
It even inspired a subgenre of the
American horror film.
203
00:12:37,632 --> 00:12:41,552
While FRIDAY THE 13th became
a worldwide phenomenon
204
00:12:41,844 --> 00:12:45,974
A BAY OF BLOOD
remained a cult film.
205
00:12:46,307 --> 00:12:49,811
My father had never been
that successful with films.
206
00:12:50,103 --> 00:12:54,399
With A BAY OF BLOOD, also
known as ECOLOGY OF CRIME,
207
00:12:54,732 --> 00:12:58,736
Bava approached the genre
in a totally different way.
208
00:12:59,070 --> 00:13:04,200
The film could be considered
the beginning of slasher cinema.
209
00:13:04,534 --> 00:13:08,454
It's a giallo, where the
violence is graphic, excessive.
210
00:13:08,788 --> 00:13:13,293
There's an overabundance of I,
especially compared to the plot.
211
00:13:13,668 --> 00:13:17,463
That's how Bava reinvigorated
the genre yet again.
212
00:13:17,797 --> 00:13:21,551
He did it in the 70s after
doing it in the 60s.
213
00:13:21,884 --> 00:13:25,930
Then, towards the end of his
career, he did a noir,
214
00:13:26,264 --> 00:13:27,265
RABID DOGS.
215
00:13:27,598 --> 00:13:30,518
The film had issues
with censorship.
216
00:13:30,852 --> 00:13:33,771
As it often is with
great innovators,
217
00:13:34,105 --> 00:13:39,694
Bava challenged the
convention of his time.
218
00:13:40,028 --> 00:13:45,033
You cannot think of
Italian giallos
219
00:13:45,366 --> 00:13:47,035
without considering
censorship.
220
00:13:47,368 --> 00:13:49,162
It had an influence on
the genre,
221
00:13:49,495 --> 00:13:51,247
at least until the early 60s.
222
00:13:51,581 --> 00:13:56,085
The situation improved
during the early 70s.
223
00:13:56,419 --> 00:13:58,087
All thanks to Pasolini.
224
00:13:58,421 --> 00:13:59,797
After the censors dealt
with the films
225
00:14:00,131 --> 00:14:05,136
he made in the 70s they were
more lenient towards giallos.
226
00:14:05,470 --> 00:14:09,807
He challenged the relentless
censorship of the time.
227
00:14:10,141 --> 00:14:15,521
As so his efforts helped other
directors work more freely,
228
00:14:16,022 --> 00:14:19,901
especially when it came
to showing violence or sex,
229
00:14:20,234 --> 00:14:22,111
unlike what had been the
norm before then.
230
00:14:22,445 --> 00:14:26,824
Therefore, we can say that Bava
is one of the originators
231
00:14:27,700 --> 00:14:29,035
of Italian giallo films.
232
00:14:29,369 --> 00:14:32,622
Bava had the aesthetic
understanding of a painter.
233
00:14:32,955 --> 00:14:35,792
He started out
as a cinematographer.
234
00:14:36,125 --> 00:14:41,672
That's why he was so invested
in visual structure.
235
00:14:41,964 --> 00:14:45,093
Before Argento, Bava was
perhaps the first director
236
00:14:45,426 --> 00:14:47,095
to favor visuals over plot.
237
00:14:47,428 --> 00:14:49,472
Bava's main goal was to
find the best visual way
238
00:14:49,806 --> 00:14:51,224
to show the murders.
239
00:14:51,557 --> 00:14:54,727
He found an aesthetic
for murder.
240
00:14:55,353 --> 00:14:59,941
That was more important to him
than having a tight plot
241
00:15:00,274 --> 00:15:02,652
like in a British giallo novel.
242
00:15:03,069 --> 00:15:05,071
Naturally, Bava's films were
crafted with
243
00:15:05,405 --> 00:15:07,949
a foreign audience in mind.
244
00:15:08,282 --> 00:15:12,453
His films were made for an
international audience.
245
00:15:12,787 --> 00:15:18,167
Right from the start,
Italian giallo directors
246
00:15:18,501 --> 00:15:23,631
hired well-known foreign
actors.
247
00:15:23,965 --> 00:15:28,010
Think about John Saxon in
THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.
248
00:15:28,344 --> 00:15:30,221
Saxon acted in several
giallos, including
249
00:15:30,555 --> 00:15:33,015
a late entry in
the genre.
250
00:15:33,349 --> 00:15:35,977
I'm referring to Dario Argento's
TENEBRAE, made in 1983.
251
00:15:36,310 --> 00:15:40,606
Giallos were past their prime, but
Argento kept making them
252
00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:42,859
well into the 80s
and 90s.
253
00:15:43,192 --> 00:15:46,571
2000s, too. He kept making them
well after the genre
254
00:15:46,863 --> 00:15:50,241
stopped being popular.
255
00:15:50,575 --> 00:15:55,580
The genre was past its
prime, after reaching
256
00:15:56,372 --> 00:16:00,126
its peak of popularity in the
early 70s, thanks to Mario Bava.
257
00:16:00,460 --> 00:16:03,796
Bava was, without a doubt, the
originator
258
00:16:04,130 --> 00:16:06,257
of the Italian giallo genre.
259
00:16:06,883 --> 00:16:09,385
Chronologically
speaking, after Bava,
260
00:16:09,719 --> 00:16:14,348
Dario Argento is the most
important giallo director.
261
00:16:14,682 --> 00:16:17,810
With THE BIRD WITH THE
CRYSTAL PLUMAGE,
262
00:16:18,144 --> 00:16:21,814
Argento introduced the
golden age of giallos.
263
00:16:22,106 --> 00:16:26,736
Bava can be considered
Argento's precursor,
264
00:16:27,236 --> 00:16:30,281
but his films, mainly
THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
265
00:16:30,615 --> 00:16:32,617
and BLOOD AND
BLACK LACE,
266
00:16:32,950 --> 00:16:35,870
didn't generate momentum
within the genre.
267
00:16:36,287 --> 00:16:43,836
That happened with THE BIRD
WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE,
268
00:16:44,170 --> 00:16:46,756
Argento followed in Bava's
footsteps,
269
00:16:47,048 --> 00:16:49,300
setting the film in Italy.
270
00:16:49,634 --> 00:16:52,637
He also staged unique murders,
with the body count
271
00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:56,349
growing throughout
the film.
272
00:16:56,682 --> 00:17:02,146
He orchestrated the murders
in a dreamlike way.
273
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,815
That broke with convention,
with the established
274
00:17:05,149 --> 00:17:07,652
rules of the genre,
275
00:17:08,069 --> 00:17:10,321
both narrative and
visual rules.
276
00:17:10,655 --> 00:17:14,408
It initiated a change
within the genre,
277
00:17:14,742 --> 00:17:16,869
and that's the reason so many
giallos were produced in Italy
278
00:17:17,161 --> 00:17:18,704
after Argento's first film.
279
00:17:19,205 --> 00:17:25,002
We screened the movie at
Titanus after wrapping it.
280
00:17:25,378 --> 00:17:29,966
Lombardo, the boss, was
there with his staff.
281
00:17:30,299 --> 00:17:31,425
My father was there, too.
282
00:17:31,759 --> 00:17:36,681
I didn't go, I was afraid it
would end badly.
283
00:17:37,431 --> 00:17:39,684
And that's just what
happened.
284
00:17:40,935 --> 00:17:45,606
They watched the film and really
disliked it,
285
00:17:45,940 --> 00:17:48,985
especially Lombardo.
286
00:17:49,860 --> 00:17:51,153
He just didn't like it.
287
00:17:51,487 --> 00:17:55,408
He declared the film was
neither giallo nor thriller.
288
00:17:55,908 --> 00:17:58,744
He said he didn't know
what genre it was.
289
00:17:59,370 --> 00:18:01,414
Lombardo kept saying that.
290
00:18:01,998 --> 00:18:06,752
I think he wasn't ready to watch
something as modern as my film.
291
00:18:07,086 --> 00:18:09,380
Especially given that
it was a giallo,
292
00:18:09,714 --> 00:18:15,970
my film had a new approach,
293
00:18:16,304 --> 00:18:21,434
both in terms of the visual
style. and in the storytelling.
294
00:18:21,809 --> 00:18:28,024
How it presented the
characters and the twists,
295
00:18:28,691 --> 00:18:30,318
and how it depicted
violence, too.
296
00:18:30,651 --> 00:18:32,653
It was a new approach.
297
00:18:33,487 --> 00:18:35,406
That's why Lombardo
didn't like it.
298
00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:37,908
He was even upset
with my father.
299
00:18:38,534 --> 00:18:40,578
They all stepped out of
the screening room,
300
00:18:40,911 --> 00:18:44,832
and Lombardo locked himself
and his staff in an office.
301
00:18:45,958 --> 00:18:50,588
My father waited outside the
room with Cesarina,
302
00:18:51,213 --> 00:18:53,841
Lombardo's longtime
secretary.
303
00:18:56,344 --> 00:19:01,140
It was around breakfast, and
she was eating a sandwich.
304
00:19:01,599 --> 00:19:06,062
She had watched the film, and
her hands were shaking
305
00:19:06,687 --> 00:19:09,440
as she held the sandwich.
306
00:19:09,774 --> 00:19:12,526
My father asked her if
something was wrong.
307
00:19:13,027 --> 00:19:16,697
She replied that the
film really scared her.
308
00:19:17,365 --> 00:19:21,077
She said she was still shocked.
309
00:19:21,827 --> 00:19:24,205
My father told Lombardo
to ask Cesarina,
310
00:19:24,538 --> 00:19:27,124
because she was part of
the audience.
311
00:19:28,584 --> 00:19:31,045
So he talked to her and,
312
00:19:31,671 --> 00:19:34,674
for a moment, it seemed
he might change his opinion.
313
00:19:35,007 --> 00:19:37,843
That didn't last long,
because he later said
314
00:19:38,177 --> 00:19:40,012
that he didn't
believe her.
315
00:19:40,971 --> 00:19:42,682
He said he didn't know what
could be done,
316
00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:44,975
as the film had been
already completed.
317
00:19:45,393 --> 00:19:49,063
He hoped that it would at least
appeal to a small audience.
318
00:19:50,147 --> 00:19:54,944
I must say that, at
least initially,
319
00:19:55,486 --> 00:20:01,784
the public didn't
like the film that much.
320
00:20:03,077 --> 00:20:07,790
I mean, it was my first film,
nobody knew my name.
321
00:20:08,124 --> 00:20:11,085
Musante was barely
more famous.
322
00:20:11,919 --> 00:20:17,341
It wasn't seen as a film that
could be successful.
323
00:20:17,675 --> 00:20:24,390
We had the first showings
In Milan and Turin,
324
00:20:24,849 --> 00:20:27,393
big and important
Italian cities.
325
00:20:27,852 --> 00:20:29,979
It went horribly.
326
00:20:30,438 --> 00:20:35,067
They started to pull
it out of theaters.
327
00:20:35,693 --> 00:20:38,487
My father stamped his feet
and asked
328
00:20:38,821 --> 00:20:41,574
to keep trying in
different cities.
329
00:20:42,158 --> 00:20:45,286
Cities such as
Florence or Naples.
330
00:20:45,953 --> 00:20:49,415
Those new cinemas started
showing it.
331
00:20:49,749 --> 00:20:52,042
Meanwhile, Lombardo wasn't
in Italy,
332
00:20:52,460 --> 00:20:53,753
he was on a business
trip.
333
00:20:54,295 --> 00:21:01,677
So, the film was being shown
in Florence and Naples.
334
00:21:02,344 --> 00:21:06,390
We went to Florence.
It was my last hope.
335
00:21:06,891 --> 00:21:09,977
Otherwise, I'd have gone
back to being a screenwriter.
336
00:21:10,603 --> 00:21:14,023
As we got closer to
the theater,
337
00:21:14,565 --> 00:21:16,817
we saw a lot of people
walking in the same direction.
338
00:21:17,151 --> 00:21:18,986
We asked ourselves what
was going on.
339
00:21:19,361 --> 00:21:21,572
They were all going to
see the film.
340
00:21:21,989 --> 00:21:26,327
Apparently, people
liked it
341
00:21:26,786 --> 00:21:29,580
and started spreading the
news around.
342
00:21:29,914 --> 00:21:31,874
Florence isn't that
big of a city.
343
00:21:32,416 --> 00:21:35,044
That last showing was
packed full of people.
344
00:21:35,377 --> 00:21:37,713
They even applauded
at the end.
345
00:21:38,547 --> 00:21:41,550
That filled our hearts
with joy.
346
00:21:41,884 --> 00:21:43,260
It didn't happen by chance.
347
00:21:43,594 --> 00:21:46,055
They didn't like the film in
the other cities
348
00:21:46,555 --> 00:21:50,267
because they didn't
understand it.
349
00:21:50,976 --> 00:21:54,647
The next day we went to
Naples and we learned that
350
00:21:54,980 --> 00:21:58,609
the same thing happened
there. The cinema was packed.
351
00:21:59,068 --> 00:22:03,155
The audience loved the
film and clapped.
352
00:22:03,781 --> 00:22:05,908
That's how the film
found its own way.
353
00:22:06,242 --> 00:22:09,829
It started to be a hit
everywhere, even in Rome.
354
00:22:11,288 --> 00:22:14,625
That's when I got a
call from Lombardo.
355
00:22:15,084 --> 00:22:20,756
He complimented me, said that
we hung in there, and in the end
356
00:22:21,257 --> 00:22:23,133
we had made a hit, and I was
getting the success I deserved.
357
00:22:23,467 --> 00:22:26,971
Then he asked me to start
working on the next film
358
00:22:27,263 --> 00:22:28,514
immediately.
359
00:22:29,265 --> 00:22:31,475
I guess there was some
hypocrisy on his part.
360
00:22:33,602 --> 00:22:35,354
"I'm starting to
fear that Italian."
361
00:22:36,230 --> 00:22:39,024
That's what Alfred Hitchcock,
the Master of Suspense,
362
00:22:39,358 --> 00:22:42,611
said after watching
Dario Argento's debut.
363
00:22:43,779 --> 00:22:45,573
And that masterpiece
was...
364
00:22:45,906 --> 00:22:48,576
THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL
PLUMAGE.
365
00:22:49,034 --> 00:22:51,245
A film made by Dario
Argento, the director
366
00:22:51,579 --> 00:22:55,624
who opened a new and
shocking dimension of fear.
367
00:22:55,958 --> 00:23:00,754
What new elements did Argento
add to the Italian giallo genre?
368
00:23:01,088 --> 00:23:03,215
Why do we say that his first
film was the model
369
00:23:03,549 --> 00:23:06,051
for every Italian giallo
that followed?
370
00:23:06,385 --> 00:23:09,638
In my opinion, we can say so
because Argento
371
00:23:09,972 --> 00:23:13,851
basically created a list
of elements
372
00:23:14,143 --> 00:23:19,356
and tropes that would define
the genre from that point on.
373
00:23:19,690 --> 00:23:21,609
As well as recreating
the giallo, he created
374
00:23:21,942 --> 00:23:24,612
a code for the others
to follow.
375
00:23:24,945 --> 00:23:27,197
Naturally, he also kept using
some of the elements
376
00:23:27,489 --> 00:23:29,033
established by Bava.
377
00:23:29,366 --> 00:23:33,621
There's a series of elements
that Argento
378
00:23:33,954 --> 00:23:36,373
started using in
his first film.
379
00:23:36,707 --> 00:23:38,792
First of all, the
look of the Killer.
380
00:23:39,126 --> 00:23:40,210
The killer is dressed
in all black:
381
00:23:40,669 --> 00:23:43,631
hat, trench coat and
gloves.
382
00:23:43,964 --> 00:23:45,549
He mostly uses blades
to kill his victims.
383
00:23:45,883 --> 00:23:47,635
Having a mysterious,
black-clad Killer
384
00:23:47,968 --> 00:23:49,345
that moves in the shadows would
become one of the most
385
00:23:49,678 --> 00:23:53,223
recognizable traits of
Italian giallos.
386
00:23:53,557 --> 00:23:56,143
That can also be said
for another element,
387
00:23:56,477 --> 00:24:00,105
which is the attention to
the staging of the murders.
388
00:24:00,439 --> 00:24:03,609
From that point on, all
Italian giallo murders
389
00:24:03,943 --> 00:24:05,402
would be choreographed.
Literally.
390
00:24:05,736 --> 00:24:08,197
Great care was devoted
to staging them.
391
00:24:08,530 --> 00:24:12,326
These murder scenes have
become pure visual elements.
392
00:24:12,660 --> 00:24:17,289
Beautiful artistic displays
detached from a realistic plot.
393
00:24:17,623 --> 00:24:20,626
Each one is an expressionistic
display of its own.
394
00:24:20,918 --> 00:24:25,089
Not only was the visual
aesthetic
395
00:24:25,589 --> 00:24:29,843
of the murders
changed,
396
00:24:30,552 --> 00:24:34,390
but they increased
In number as well.
397
00:24:34,723 --> 00:24:39,979
From that point on, Italian
giallos would always feature
398
00:24:40,396 --> 00:24:43,482
a substantial number of
killings committed
399
00:24:43,899 --> 00:24:44,942
by the culprits.
400
00:24:45,275 --> 00:24:47,486
That's a departure from
what happens
401
00:24:47,820 --> 00:24:49,780
in more traditional
films or books.
402
00:24:50,072 --> 00:24:51,323
The guilty parties are
often revealed to be the ones
403
00:24:51,657 --> 00:24:53,033
that the audience doesn't
expect.
404
00:24:53,367 --> 00:24:55,160
In THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL
PLUMAGE, for instance,
405
00:24:55,494 --> 00:24:57,579
the killer is a woman.
406
00:24:57,913 --> 00:25:01,583
This is one of the elements that
made the film so original
407
00:25:01,917 --> 00:25:05,796
in comparison to more
traditional genre pictures.
408
00:25:06,588 --> 00:25:10,884
Another element that was
introduced in the genre
409
00:25:11,218 --> 00:25:19,643
by Dario Argento's film is
showing the killer's P.O.V.
410
00:25:20,144 --> 00:25:24,773
It forces the viewer to see
what the killer sees.
411
00:25:25,107 --> 00:25:32,031
Before that, the technique
wasn't widely used in giallos.
412
00:25:32,406 --> 00:25:38,746
Argento introduced it
in order to show
413
00:25:39,079 --> 00:25:43,876
the story from more
angles.
414
00:25:44,460 --> 00:25:46,545
He also "fakes" some points
of view,
415
00:25:46,879 --> 00:25:48,964
in order to keep viewers on
their toes,
416
00:25:49,339 --> 00:25:50,883
and make them fear
that the killer
417
00:25:51,216 --> 00:25:54,053
will pop out from
anywhere.
418
00:25:54,344 --> 00:26:00,768
It's one of the hallmarks of
Argento's and other giallos.
419
00:26:01,101 --> 00:26:04,480
The Killer jumps out when
you least expect it.
420
00:26:04,813 --> 00:26:08,984
You could say for this reason
Argento's and other giallos
421
00:26:09,318 --> 00:26:11,904
aren't as rational
in terms of plot.
422
00:26:12,237 --> 00:26:14,448
But we're less interested in
plot holes than strong visuals
423
00:26:14,782 --> 00:26:17,117
when we watch Italian
giallos,
424
00:26:17,451 --> 00:26:19,912
especially in regards
to violence.
425
00:26:20,245 --> 00:26:25,876
This aesthetic of violence can
be seen in the murder scenes.
426
00:26:26,210 --> 00:26:29,213
Another important element
found in Italian giallos,
427
00:26:29,546 --> 00:26:32,883
one that was introduced
in Dario Argento's
428
00:26:33,258 --> 00:26:36,637
THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL
PLUMAGE, is the soundtrack.
429
00:26:36,970 --> 00:26:41,725
The soundtrack is no longer
just traditional film music,
430
00:26:42,101 --> 00:26:46,647
it becomes more than just
incidental,
431
00:26:46,980 --> 00:26:49,983
more than just accompaniment.
432
00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:55,197
It somehow makes silence
expressive.
433
00:26:55,572 --> 00:27:00,119
This new musical style also
makes innovative use of noise.
434
00:27:00,452 --> 00:27:04,206
Master composers like Morricone,
or Bruno Nicolali,
435
00:27:04,540 --> 00:27:09,837
exploited noises to
intensify the effect
436
00:27:10,170 --> 00:27:16,510
of their music to
create suspense.
437
00:27:17,010 --> 00:27:19,847
The music builds to
a crescendo of terror,
438
00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:22,516
which is essential to any
Italian giallo
439
00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:24,977
regardless of
whom the director is.
440
00:27:25,269 --> 00:27:28,605
And, in his first film,
Dario Argento managed
441
00:27:28,939 --> 00:27:34,236
to make the soundtrack yet
another expressive element,
442
00:27:34,570 --> 00:27:38,574
where even silence
speaks volumes.
443
00:27:38,907 --> 00:27:43,704
It was a radical break from
traditional scores.
444
00:27:44,037 --> 00:27:45,622
Another element
introduced in
445
00:27:45,956 --> 00:27:47,833
THE BIRD WITH THE
CRYSTAL PLUMAGE,
446
00:27:48,167 --> 00:27:50,085
this is something
Argento adopted
447
00:27:50,419 --> 00:27:53,630
from German krimis, is a bit
of comic relief.
448
00:27:54,173 --> 00:27:59,928
The presence of comedic or
light-hearted moments appear
449
00:28:00,262 --> 00:28:03,473
to make the violence seem
even more explosive.
450
00:28:03,807 --> 00:28:06,476
In THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL
PLUMAGE we have characters
451
00:28:06,810 --> 00:28:09,897
like Addio, the pimp,
played by Gildo Di Marco,
452
00:28:10,230 --> 00:28:14,276
or Berto Consalvi, the
painter, played by Mario Adorf,
453
00:28:14,610 --> 00:28:19,865
who add comedic elements
to the giallo.
454
00:28:20,199 --> 00:28:23,535
These elements lighten the
plot a bit,
455
00:28:23,911 --> 00:28:26,371
and are typical of
Italian cinema.
456
00:28:26,747 --> 00:28:30,626
It has been said that all our
films have comedy in them,
457
00:28:31,043 --> 00:28:33,462
even neorealist ones.
458
00:28:33,795 --> 00:28:36,632
Even a very dramatic film like
ROME, OPEN CITY
459
00:28:36,965 --> 00:28:38,842
has some lighter bits.
460
00:28:39,176 --> 00:28:42,888
As when Aldo Fabrizi hits a
bedridden old man
461
00:28:43,222 --> 00:28:46,516
on the head with
a pan
462
00:28:47,309 --> 00:28:49,394
because the fascists are
about to storm
463
00:28:49,728 --> 00:28:51,605
into the room they're in.
464
00:28:51,939 --> 00:28:56,985
So, the comedic moments
introduced in Argento's debut
465
00:28:57,319 --> 00:29:00,697
reappeared in many later
Italian thrillers.
466
00:29:01,031 --> 00:29:05,118
The other important element
introduced by Dario Argento
467
00:29:05,452 --> 00:29:08,830
is a nonlinear
narrative plot.
468
00:29:09,164 --> 00:29:13,418
Cause-and-effect relationships
aren't essential in giallos,
469
00:29:13,710 --> 00:29:16,546
at least compared
to traditional ones.
470
00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:23,136
Even the murders happen
in a nonlinear way.
471
00:29:23,470 --> 00:29:28,600
Ever since Argento's debut, when
we watch an Italian giallo
472
00:29:28,934 --> 00:29:33,563
we see a film where the
killer could come from anywhere.
473
00:29:33,897 --> 00:29:38,318
Even when we think that all is
safe and locked up tight.
474
00:29:38,652 --> 00:29:42,322
Even then, the Killer
could appear from anywhere!
475
00:29:42,656 --> 00:29:46,201
There's a constant feeling
of unease,
476
00:29:46,535 --> 00:29:49,997
a constant feeling
of helplessness.
477
00:29:50,330 --> 00:29:53,709
That is very typical
of Italian giallos.
478
00:29:54,042 --> 00:29:58,547
In an Italian giallo, you don't
feel safe even in your own home.
479
00:29:58,922 --> 00:30:02,509
The viewer knows that, and
that the killer
480
00:30:02,843 --> 00:30:05,220
might appear anytime.
481
00:30:05,679 --> 00:30:10,559
In the two films that followed,
Argento remained faithful to
482
00:30:10,892 --> 00:30:14,938
the conventions he
introduced In his debut.
483
00:30:15,272 --> 00:30:18,734
THE CAT O' NINE TAILS and
FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET.
484
00:30:19,067 --> 00:30:22,195
We could say that the former
has a more "classic" feel
485
00:30:22,529 --> 00:30:23,780
than Argento's debut.
486
00:30:24,114 --> 00:30:29,953
Whereas the latter is the
start of Argento's
487
00:30:30,287 --> 00:30:34,333
visionary horror phase.
488
00:30:34,666 --> 00:30:38,712
DEEP RED partially inaugurated
this new phase,
489
00:30:39,046 --> 00:30:40,756
which came to fruition
with SUSPIRIA.
490
00:30:41,089 --> 00:30:43,300
FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET has
an element of precognition
491
00:30:43,633 --> 00:30:45,427
which is typical of the
cinema of the fantastic.
492
00:30:45,761 --> 00:30:51,350
I'm talking about
foresight, or even
493
00:30:51,683 --> 00:30:56,271
the metamorphosis
of reality.
494
00:30:56,605 --> 00:30:59,024
After this first trilogy
of giallos,
495
00:30:59,358 --> 00:31:02,027
and we can call it a trilogy
496
00:31:02,361 --> 00:31:06,490
due to the use of animals
in the titles:
497
00:31:06,865 --> 00:31:09,993
the bird, the cat,
and the flies,
498
00:31:10,327 --> 00:31:12,079
after this trilogy.
I was saying,
499
00:31:12,412 --> 00:31:15,791
Argento transitioned to
horror films
500
00:31:16,124 --> 00:31:18,502
to films with more
fantastical elements,
501
00:31:18,835 --> 00:31:19,669
starting with DEEP RED.
502
00:31:20,003 --> 00:31:22,047
DEEP RED is an important
film
503
00:31:22,381 --> 00:31:23,965
in the history of Italian
cinema.
504
00:31:24,299 --> 00:31:27,677
It seems to encompass
our whole film tradition.
505
00:31:27,969 --> 00:31:32,015
It's no coincidence that it was
written by Bernardino Zapponi,
506
00:31:32,349 --> 00:31:37,270
who worked on
some Fellini films.
507
00:31:37,604 --> 00:31:41,066
Zapponi added his own layer of
the fantastic
508
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,318
to Argento's films.
509
00:31:43,652 --> 00:31:47,114
DEEP RED, of course, is
still a thriller.
510
00:31:47,447 --> 00:31:51,576
And so the murders must have
a logical explanation,
511
00:31:51,910 --> 00:31:53,995
despite the plot being
nonlinear compared
512
00:31:54,329 --> 00:31:56,164
to standard crime films.
513
00:31:56,498 --> 00:31:58,291
It was the perfect
screenplay.
514
00:31:58,625 --> 00:32:03,213
It had no downtime, and the
characters were fleshed out.
515
00:32:03,547 --> 00:32:10,011
That's not something you
find in every giallo.
516
00:32:10,345 --> 00:32:12,681
Giallo characters can
often be two-dimensional.
517
00:32:12,973 --> 00:32:14,307
In DEEP RED, they
were all developed.
518
00:32:14,641 --> 00:32:16,685
David Hemmings' character had
his own temperament,
519
00:32:17,018 --> 00:32:18,270
mine had another, and so on.
520
00:32:18,603 --> 00:32:23,400
At the time, when I
played a character,
521
00:32:23,817 --> 00:32:26,778
I took inspiration
from the director.
522
00:32:27,112 --> 00:32:31,450
I took inspiration
from Elio Petri
523
00:32:31,783 --> 00:32:36,121
when I made PROPERTY IS
NO LONGER A THEFT.
524
00:32:36,455 --> 00:32:38,457
Dario had me playing
a journalist,
525
00:32:38,790 --> 00:32:41,251
so he drew upon a time
when he was one himself.
526
00:32:41,585 --> 00:32:44,796
He kept waving his hands
frantically, like an elf,
527
00:32:45,130 --> 00:32:46,715
an inspiration for my
character from
528
00:32:47,048 --> 00:32:48,633
an existing woman
journalist,
529
00:32:48,967 --> 00:32:51,136
and also from Dario, who
moved like a neurotic.
530
00:33:01,521 --> 00:33:05,901
I created something like
complicity with my audience.
531
00:33:07,986 --> 00:33:14,367
I basically told them, right
from the start
532
00:33:15,243 --> 00:33:17,370
that they were about
to witness a series of
533
00:33:17,704 --> 00:33:21,208
scenes and situations
that are highly unlikely.
534
00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:28,965
Unlikely, because I was
channeling my nightmares
535
00:33:29,299 --> 00:33:31,801
and my imagination.
536
00:33:33,178 --> 00:33:34,888
The viewer was required to
enter my nightmares.
537
00:33:35,430 --> 00:33:37,516
That's what I told
my audience.
538
00:33:37,849 --> 00:33:42,020
And I also assured them
that they would like it.
539
00:33:51,321 --> 00:33:53,281
Everyone hated the
idea of the puppet.
540
00:33:53,823 --> 00:33:56,451
My father, my brother, and my
production designer
541
00:33:56,785 --> 00:33:57,994
all hated it.
542
00:33:58,453 --> 00:34:02,332
They all begged me to not
shoot the puppet scene.
543
00:34:03,166 --> 00:34:05,835
They said that the film
was good,
544
00:34:06,461 --> 00:34:07,879
that it was powerful stuff,
545
00:34:08,338 --> 00:34:12,175
but kept begging and begging
me to forget the puppet.
546
00:34:13,885 --> 00:34:20,058
But I persisted, and asked
the great Carlo Rambaldi.
547
00:34:20,433 --> 00:34:24,854
He won two Oscars later
on, working in the US.
548
00:34:25,188 --> 00:34:27,691
We're talking about the man
who created E.T.
549
00:34:28,817 --> 00:34:33,029
I asked him to create a puppet
capable of walking
550
00:34:33,363 --> 00:34:35,115
and moving its head.
551
00:34:35,448 --> 00:34:38,285
A sort of automaton.
552
00:34:38,868 --> 00:34:42,038
Rambaldi was a very talented
engineer and
553
00:34:42,706 --> 00:34:44,457
quite a cultured man.
He said "yes", and succeeded
554
00:34:44,916 --> 00:34:46,835
in building
this walking puppet
555
00:34:47,168 --> 00:34:49,671
that could move
its head.
556
00:35:02,809 --> 00:35:05,562
I always found great pleasure
in cinematic violence.
557
00:35:05,895 --> 00:35:06,730
It's a cathartic feeling.
558
00:35:07,063 --> 00:35:10,859
Compared to the horrible things
that happen in real life,
559
00:35:11,192 --> 00:35:13,737
or what you see
on the news,
560
00:35:14,571 --> 00:35:17,741
the aesthetic of murder
can give you great pleasure.
561
00:35:18,074 --> 00:35:19,868
Look at the fake blood.
562
00:35:20,201 --> 00:35:22,329
Everyone knows it's fake,
although not as obvious
563
00:35:22,662 --> 00:35:23,788
as tomato sauce.
564
00:35:24,122 --> 00:35:25,915
But it's a very expensive
nail polish
565
00:35:26,249 --> 00:35:29,711
made by Max Factor, that
you have to use according to
566
00:35:30,045 --> 00:35:32,964
the lights in order to
grade the tones of red.
567
00:35:33,590 --> 00:35:38,219
It creates a great,
interesting feeling.
568
00:35:38,678 --> 00:35:42,432
There must be something
special in my films.
569
00:35:43,099 --> 00:35:48,688
I guess my films have
nine lives, like cats.
570
00:35:49,648 --> 00:35:54,527
There must be something that
makes them unforgettable.
571
00:35:54,986 --> 00:35:59,532
And something too that
attracts new viewers.
572
00:36:00,075 --> 00:36:06,164
There have been some recent
screenings around the world.
573
00:36:06,873 --> 00:36:13,755
I went to Pisa, Italy, and the
theater was packed with people.
574
00:36:14,297 --> 00:36:17,384
So many people...
575
00:36:18,051 --> 00:36:20,053
And in America as well.
576
00:36:20,387 --> 00:36:26,351
And also some screenings
in other countries.
577
00:36:26,935 --> 00:36:29,896
The audience is very young.
578
00:36:31,022 --> 00:36:33,024
Some have watched my
films on DVD.
579
00:36:33,358 --> 00:36:36,403
For others it's the first time,
but they've heard of them.
580
00:36:36,820 --> 00:36:42,659
This new, younger audience
is an interesting lot.
581
00:36:43,284 --> 00:36:44,828
Very interesting...
582
00:36:45,245 --> 00:36:47,580
I don't know why my films
are still liked,
583
00:36:47,914 --> 00:36:49,416
like SUSPIRIA or OPERA.
584
00:36:49,958 --> 00:36:53,503
The audience continues to like
my films
585
00:36:53,837 --> 00:36:58,049
and find interest
in them.
586
00:36:58,925 --> 00:37:02,929
I mean, tastes change,
so I wonder what it is.
587
00:37:03,263 --> 00:37:10,895
Maybe because I tell stories
that come from deep inside me.
588
00:37:11,604 --> 00:37:15,608
I don't tell stories that
come from other sources,
589
00:37:16,109 --> 00:37:21,781
except for the occasional
homage to certain directors,
590
00:37:22,157 --> 00:37:26,161
or to certain old
films that I like, but
591
00:37:27,036 --> 00:37:32,000
I take inspiration
from within,
592
00:37:32,459 --> 00:37:35,044
from my subconscious,
593
00:37:35,420 --> 00:37:38,423
which guides me in what to
say and what story to tell.
594
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:43,845
When it happens, I don't know if
there's a meaning or symbolism.
595
00:37:44,179 --> 00:37:46,890
I don't immediately understand,
but
596
00:37:47,223 --> 00:37:49,893
it comes to me
gradually, in time.
597
00:37:50,643 --> 00:37:54,481
With SUSPIRIA and INFERNO,
Argento focused
598
00:37:54,814 --> 00:37:56,441
on fantastical themes.
599
00:37:56,775 --> 00:38:02,489
In 1983, with TENEBRAE, he
returned to the thriller genre.
600
00:38:02,822 --> 00:38:05,533
More recently, he directed
another thriller, GIALLO.
601
00:38:05,867 --> 00:38:10,955
Given that title, GIALLO,
it clearly follows in the steps
602
00:38:11,372 --> 00:38:14,876
of classic giallos
and thrillers.
603
00:38:15,210 --> 00:38:18,046
Naturally, over the years,
both Italian
604
00:38:18,338 --> 00:38:20,131
and international
cinema
605
00:38:20,465 --> 00:38:22,008
have undergone
profound changes,
606
00:38:22,342 --> 00:38:24,427
as has Dario Argento
himself.
607
00:38:24,803 --> 00:38:27,472
Therefore, the new,
revolutionary driving force
608
00:38:27,806 --> 00:38:32,101
behind his first films
has been inevitably lost.
609
00:38:32,435 --> 00:38:35,355
The Argento of today is a
very different director
610
00:38:35,730 --> 00:38:38,233
than the one he once was.
611
00:38:38,566 --> 00:38:42,987
He's still a great director,
and one still able to draw on
612
00:38:43,363 --> 00:38:47,200
with an extraordinary visionary
gift, and an ability
613
00:38:47,534 --> 00:38:51,704
to make a film in which
aesthetics prevail over
614
00:38:52,038 --> 00:38:54,123
traditional narrative
structure.
615
00:38:54,457 --> 00:38:57,627
He remains among the greats
of international cinema.
616
00:38:58,378 --> 00:39:01,631
Well, Argento doesn't like me,
though I don't understand why.
617
00:39:01,965 --> 00:39:03,383
It's an odd thing.
618
00:39:04,008 --> 00:39:06,553
Why doesn't he like me? I mean,
if he thinks I'm nothing
619
00:39:06,886 --> 00:39:08,471
then he shouldn't even
be talking about me.
620
00:39:08,805 --> 00:39:10,139
Instead, he hates my guts.
621
00:39:10,473 --> 00:39:11,766
Okay, he doesn't really
hate me.
622
00:39:12,100 --> 00:39:14,185
Argento doesn't hate anyone,
he just loves himself.
623
00:39:14,519 --> 00:39:18,523
I think that Argento is a
great craftsman,
624
00:39:18,857 --> 00:39:21,067
who believes he's
an artist.
625
00:39:21,401 --> 00:39:23,444
Hitchcock, on the other hand,
was an artist who believed
626
00:39:23,778 --> 00:39:24,988
he was a craftsman.
627
00:39:25,488 --> 00:39:28,533
That's why I think Argento will
do the same things forever.
628
00:39:28,867 --> 00:39:30,702
He's very good with
public relations.
629
00:39:30,994 --> 00:39:32,704
The young people like him.
630
00:39:33,204 --> 00:39:34,956
He also uses a certain kind of
music in his films
631
00:39:35,373 --> 00:39:36,916
that other horror
directors,
632
00:39:37,250 --> 00:39:40,253
including American
ones, would never use.
633
00:39:40,670 --> 00:39:46,342
I like modern music, I have
young kids,
634
00:39:46,676 --> 00:39:49,804
Argento's children are
younger than mine,
635
00:39:50,263 --> 00:39:53,141
but I believe that his use
of music is fake.
636
00:39:53,433 --> 00:39:55,351
He's the same with
other things.
637
00:39:55,685 --> 00:39:59,230
I think that he is a good
director and a terrible writer.
638
00:39:59,564 --> 00:40:01,357
People often say the opposite,
but I think
639
00:40:01,691 --> 00:40:03,443
he's a terrible writer.
640
00:40:03,860 --> 00:40:07,739
Among the most important Italian
directors that made giallo,
641
00:40:08,072 --> 00:40:09,490
we must remember
Lucio Fulci.
642
00:40:09,824 --> 00:40:13,286
He approached the genre before
Argento, with a film called
643
00:40:13,620 --> 00:40:15,163
ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER.
644
00:40:15,496 --> 00:40:18,041
Fulci realized his original
vision without
645
00:40:18,374 --> 00:40:20,835
being influenced by Argento.
646
00:40:21,252 --> 00:40:23,838
Argento's success with his
first film aided
647
00:40:24,172 --> 00:40:26,090
Fulci's subsequent films,
because
648
00:40:26,424 --> 00:40:28,593
after Argento's debut
was a hit,
649
00:40:28,927 --> 00:40:30,845
the genre became very
lucrative.
650
00:40:31,179 --> 00:40:34,015
The public demanded more
giallos, and wanted them
651
00:40:34,349 --> 00:40:36,142
to be set in our country.
652
00:40:36,476 --> 00:40:38,978
My first giallo was
ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER.
653
00:40:39,312 --> 00:40:41,147
The Producer chose
the title.
654
00:40:41,481 --> 00:40:44,025
Edmondo Amati was a good
producer,
655
00:40:44,359 --> 00:40:45,985
though he didn't know what
a giallo was.
656
00:40:46,319 --> 00:40:49,030
I consider mine to be the second
Italian giallo. The first was
657
00:40:49,364 --> 00:40:51,699
THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH,
directed by Romolo Guerrieri
658
00:40:52,075 --> 00:40:55,912
and produced by my
friend, Luciano Martino.
659
00:40:56,287 --> 00:40:59,791
He's always said we need to
do more giallos in Italy.
660
00:41:00,124 --> 00:41:02,752
He stopped making them, at
some point, but now he's back.
661
00:41:03,211 --> 00:41:06,798
ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER, also
known as PERVERSION STORY,
662
00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:12,553
is perhaps the first Italian
giallo with a studied mechanism.
663
00:41:13,304 --> 00:41:16,516
When the film came out,
everyone was scared
664
00:41:16,849 --> 00:41:21,229
of what would happen,
Amati included.
665
00:41:21,604 --> 00:41:26,401
They were scared because of the
way the film was constructed.
666
00:41:26,901 --> 00:41:28,361
Personally, I love
the script,
667
00:41:28,695 --> 00:41:29,946
which took eight months
to write.
668
00:41:30,279 --> 00:41:32,323
Originally, we had a deal to do
a comedy for this producer,
669
00:41:32,657 --> 00:41:33,908
but when our actor,
Ugo Tognazzi, backed out,
670
00:41:34,242 --> 00:41:35,535
we decided to do
a giallo instead.
671
00:41:35,868 --> 00:41:37,537
A lighter giallo, something
similar to
672
00:41:37,870 --> 00:41:39,330
THE SWEET BODY
OF DEBORAH.
673
00:41:39,664 --> 00:41:41,082
I never would have imagined
it would become
674
00:41:41,416 --> 00:41:44,168
an example of
screenwriting technique.
675
00:41:44,836 --> 00:41:47,755
We worked as hard as we could,
and we often made mistakes.
676
00:41:48,089 --> 00:41:49,882
I believe you could remake
the movie now,
677
00:41:50,174 --> 00:41:51,342
and avoid the mistakes
we made.
678
00:41:51,676 --> 00:41:53,428
The narrative mechanism
is still solid.
679
00:41:53,803 --> 00:41:59,142
For the first time, the police
aren't involved in the plot.
680
00:42:00,393 --> 00:42:03,062
Cops aren't that capable
in my films, they never
681
00:42:03,396 --> 00:42:05,648
manage to catch anyone.
682
00:42:06,274 --> 00:42:13,031
They always make bad mistakes,
like the Carabinieri policemen
683
00:42:13,364 --> 00:42:15,366
in DON'T TORTURE A
DUCKLING.
684
00:42:15,950 --> 00:42:18,619
In EROS PERVERSION, the real
enigma is within
685
00:42:18,953 --> 00:42:23,082
the protagonists and we
see it by what they do,
686
00:42:23,458 --> 00:42:28,588
by their attitudes and
their psychological gestures.
687
00:42:29,130 --> 00:42:31,049
Some of Argento's films
follow these rules, too.
688
00:42:31,507 --> 00:42:33,926
After ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER,
Lucio Fulci made
689
00:42:34,260 --> 00:42:37,221
a series of films that were
very different from each other.
690
00:42:37,555 --> 00:42:41,100
His giallos were, indeed, quite
different from each other.
691
00:42:41,434 --> 00:42:46,397
For instance, A LIZARD IN A
WOMAN'S SKIN was very dreamlike.
692
00:42:46,731 --> 00:42:51,152
Whereas, DON'T TORTURE A
DUCKLING was very realistic.
693
00:42:51,486 --> 00:42:54,822
Starting with the setting,
deep in southern Italy.
694
00:42:55,156 --> 00:42:57,408
These two films couldn't
be more different.
695
00:42:57,742 --> 00:43:02,580
In A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN
we have a female lead,
696
00:43:02,914 --> 00:43:05,416
played by Florinda Bolkan.
697
00:43:05,750 --> 00:43:07,877
We often have a number of
important female characters
698
00:43:08,211 --> 00:43:10,296
in Fulci's giallo films.
699
00:43:10,630 --> 00:43:13,174
Naturally, female characters
in giallos are often
700
00:43:13,508 --> 00:43:16,469
even more "exposed"
than their male counterparts
701
00:43:16,803 --> 00:43:19,931
to the violence
inflicted by the Killers.
702
00:43:20,473 --> 00:43:23,684
The success of my previous
giallo allowed me
703
00:43:24,060 --> 00:43:26,229
to do A LIZARD IN
A WOMAN'S SKIN.
704
00:43:26,562 --> 00:43:29,524
Amati trusted me to
do the film.
705
00:43:30,399 --> 00:43:37,115
Argento had already done what
were perhaps his best giallos
706
00:43:37,865 --> 00:43:39,575
THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL
PLUMAGE
707
00:43:39,909 --> 00:43:40,952
and THE CAT O' NINE TAILS.
708
00:43:41,285 --> 00:43:44,038
LIZARD and CAT were released
around the same time.
709
00:43:44,372 --> 00:43:46,249
People loved animal titles.
710
00:43:46,624 --> 00:43:48,751
LIZARD wasn't a hit. If I made
8 million in a theater,
711
00:43:49,085 --> 00:43:50,837
he made 12 in another.
712
00:43:51,754 --> 00:43:54,006
It was still good and, back
then the industry
713
00:43:54,340 --> 00:43:55,716
was a happier place.
714
00:43:56,050 --> 00:43:57,969
His film made more
because it was gorier.
715
00:43:58,302 --> 00:43:59,470
My film had only a couple
of strong scenes.
716
00:43:59,804 --> 00:44:01,597
Again, I preferred to focus
on the mechanism.
717
00:44:01,931 --> 00:44:03,516
It's one of my fixations.
718
00:44:04,016 --> 00:44:09,981
DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is
more of a psychoanalytic film.
719
00:44:10,273 --> 00:44:11,524
There's a theme of repression.
720
00:44:11,858 --> 00:44:14,735
After all, the murderer
repressing his guilt
721
00:44:15,069 --> 00:44:19,115
is one of the pivotal
elements of Italian giallos.
722
00:44:19,448 --> 00:44:22,034
DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING
was a huge hit.
723
00:44:22,410 --> 00:44:24,370
It even won an important
award.
724
00:44:24,787 --> 00:44:30,501
It was an attempt to create a
giallo in a rural setting.
725
00:44:31,002 --> 00:44:34,547
I told a similar theme in
my best film,
726
00:44:34,922 --> 00:44:36,757
THE CONSPIRACY OF TORTURE.
727
00:44:37,133 --> 00:44:40,970
Nobody remembers it, it's
not even on VHS.
728
00:44:41,304 --> 00:44:43,389
I'd pay you if you could
find me a copy.
729
00:44:44,015 --> 00:44:46,642
Anyway, in THE CONSPIRACY OF
TORTURE, I showed
730
00:44:46,976 --> 00:44:53,107
how papal power condemned a man to both
death and eternal damnation.
731
00:44:53,691 --> 00:44:56,277
In DUCKLING, the priest Kills
the kids because
732
00:44:57,028 --> 00:44:59,071
he wants them to go
to heaven.
733
00:44:59,405 --> 00:45:01,490
That's the theme that got me
the award I mentioned.
734
00:45:02,033 --> 00:45:03,618
I really love the film.
735
00:45:03,951 --> 00:45:05,286
There are many subtleties.
736
00:45:05,745 --> 00:45:07,288
At some point, I even reveal
the identity of the Killer.
737
00:45:07,622 --> 00:45:09,081
It's when the priest walks
with Milian,
738
00:45:09,415 --> 00:45:10,791
I might not remember
the exact scene.
739
00:45:11,334 --> 00:45:13,377
Anyway, the priest tells him
that he doesn't allow
740
00:45:13,711 --> 00:45:15,046
the sale of porn magazines,
and that he doesn't want
741
00:45:15,379 --> 00:45:16,464
the children to grow up.
742
00:45:17,131 --> 00:45:20,176
He wants them to remain pure
and innocent forever.
743
00:45:20,468 --> 00:45:23,638
That's why the film begins
with the bells ringing,
744
00:45:23,971 --> 00:45:25,806
the children at confession,
745
00:45:26,140 --> 00:45:31,771
and the modern highway that
divides this unreal land in two.
746
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:35,900
Concerning the character of the
local witch, believe it or not,
747
00:45:36,234 --> 00:45:38,611
I wanted to set
the film in Turin,
748
00:45:38,945 --> 00:45:42,657
where these southern
superstitions still exist.
749
00:45:43,241 --> 00:45:45,451
They still exist as
a matter of fact,
750
00:45:45,785 --> 00:45:47,912
in the big cities of the north,
among southern immigrants,
751
00:45:48,496 --> 00:45:51,457
I personally saw little
ceremonies of Italian voodoo
752
00:45:51,791 --> 00:45:52,458
taking place.
753
00:45:52,792 --> 00:45:53,793
They did them in grungy
courtyards and buildings,
754
00:45:54,126 --> 00:45:55,002
where the southern laborers
755
00:45:55,461 --> 00:45:56,712
that work for FIAT lived.
756
00:45:57,171 --> 00:46:03,261
It was the first film produced
by Medusa Film. They did well.
757
00:46:03,594 --> 00:46:05,554
It was my first thriller.
758
00:46:07,139 --> 00:46:14,230
I wanted to make something new
after so many comedies.
759
00:46:14,939 --> 00:46:19,819
I remember they made me
change the color of my hair.
760
00:46:20,152 --> 00:46:22,822
As you can see they dyed it
almost red,
761
00:46:23,197 --> 00:46:25,199
styled long and straight.
762
00:46:25,533 --> 00:46:32,707
So, this was my first
thriller and, thankfully,
763
00:46:33,874 --> 00:46:37,670
it became a big hit.
764
00:46:38,421 --> 00:46:41,090
Of course, DON'T TORTURE A
DUCKLING was
765
00:46:41,424 --> 00:46:43,050
very different from
a comedy.
766
00:46:44,302 --> 00:46:49,515
I was really trying to
diversify my range of roles,
767
00:46:49,849 --> 00:46:51,892
but it wasn't
always possible.
768
00:46:52,226 --> 00:46:55,604
DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING
was different,
769
00:46:55,938 --> 00:46:57,857
I also liked the cast.
770
00:46:58,190 --> 00:47:00,401
And I played the role.
771
00:47:09,744 --> 00:47:14,165
I liked the idea of working
with Tomas Milian,
772
00:47:14,498 --> 00:47:17,668
and with Irene Papas, who
I greatly admired.
773
00:47:18,169 --> 00:47:21,672
Also Florinda Bolkan, who
was at the top of her game then.
774
00:47:22,214 --> 00:47:25,843
I must say I didn't know
who Fulci was at first,
775
00:47:26,177 --> 00:47:28,888
I never knew who the
directors were.
776
00:47:29,221 --> 00:47:32,308
I was a foreigner working
in Italy.
777
00:47:33,893 --> 00:47:35,978
The only way I had to
determine if a project
778
00:47:36,354 --> 00:47:38,230
would be good was to look
at the script,
779
00:47:38,564 --> 00:47:39,815
or watch the directors'
previous films.
780
00:47:40,149 --> 00:47:41,442
Or trust my agent's word.
781
00:47:42,485 --> 00:47:44,320
Fulci was a little nutty.
782
00:47:47,073 --> 00:47:53,412
He was a bit grouchy.
783
00:47:54,747 --> 00:47:57,041
He had his moments of anger.
784
00:47:59,835 --> 00:48:03,047
I never had any problems
with him.
785
00:48:03,381 --> 00:48:07,009
He never got angry with me.
786
00:48:07,802 --> 00:48:11,013
I do remember my first few
days on the set.
787
00:48:11,347 --> 00:48:13,516
I got sick.
788
00:48:14,683 --> 00:48:19,230
I had to stay in bed. I'm about
to repeat some old gossip.
789
00:48:19,688 --> 00:48:23,109
A little film within the film.
790
00:48:25,403 --> 00:48:29,115
There was, I don't remember
well, I think
791
00:48:29,448 --> 00:48:31,909
it was the costume
designer who
792
00:48:32,201 --> 00:48:35,579
came into my room and
told me I had to
793
00:48:35,996 --> 00:48:39,041
to see something
outside.
794
00:48:41,043 --> 00:48:44,004
I was so weak, I said I would
see it the next day.
795
00:48:44,422 --> 00:48:47,925
She insisted that I had
to get up and go see.
796
00:48:49,051 --> 00:48:55,141
So I did, I got up out of bed.
Outside, by the pool,
797
00:48:55,474 --> 00:49:00,187
I saw this big,
muscular man.
798
00:49:00,521 --> 00:49:01,939
So handsome and tall.
799
00:49:02,314 --> 00:49:04,984
"Nice view," I said.
800
00:49:05,443 --> 00:49:09,321
"He came with Irene Papas,"
she told me.
801
00:49:09,655 --> 00:49:11,991
"Not bad," I said, and
that was it.
802
00:49:12,867 --> 00:49:19,707
A short time later, however,
I found out that Irene
803
00:49:20,374 --> 00:49:25,254
had developed a crush
on Tomas.
804
00:49:27,173 --> 00:49:29,467
Yes, Tomas...
805
00:49:29,967 --> 00:49:32,094
He had his wife with him.
806
00:49:32,678 --> 00:49:35,848
Irene had such a big crush
on him, that
807
00:49:36,265 --> 00:49:38,559
she dumped the
beefcake.
808
00:49:39,351 --> 00:49:41,770
So I stepped in and took
him for myself.
809
00:49:42,396 --> 00:49:47,276
He was free, she was busy with
Tomas. Finders keepers.
810
00:49:48,527 --> 00:49:51,280
I won that battle.
811
00:49:52,031 --> 00:49:56,494
Eventually, there were these
huge fights between
812
00:49:57,036 --> 00:50:01,290
Irene, Tomas, and his wife.
813
00:50:02,458 --> 00:50:08,047
So many fights, at the
hotel, at night...
814
00:50:08,839 --> 00:50:10,132
We kept ourselves busy.
815
00:50:10,466 --> 00:50:12,092
You said you've seen one of
my best, and.
816
00:50:12,426 --> 00:50:13,844
least successful films,
SETTE NOTE IN NERO.
817
00:50:14,178 --> 00:50:15,721
Its American title is
THE PSYCHIC.
818
00:50:16,430 --> 00:50:18,849
The French title is
L'EMMURE'E VIVANTE.
819
00:50:19,558 --> 00:50:23,062
It was such a painful
production for all of us.
820
00:50:23,395 --> 00:50:25,523
I even had some personal
troubles.
821
00:50:25,856 --> 00:50:27,608
It happened because I made a
film about challenging fate.
822
00:50:27,942 --> 00:50:28,817
You should never do that.
823
00:50:29,109 --> 00:50:31,487
Polanski once told me that,
while I challenged fate,
824
00:50:31,820 --> 00:50:34,532
he made a film that
challenged the Devil,
825
00:50:34,907 --> 00:50:37,826
another thing you should
never do.
826
00:50:38,202 --> 00:50:44,041
I'd shoot it again tomorrow.
I love a solid structure.
827
00:50:44,500 --> 00:50:49,296
The film came out, but
nobody cared.
828
00:50:50,256 --> 00:50:52,967
It was a great disappointment
for us all because,
829
00:50:53,300 --> 00:50:56,303
let's be honest... THE PSYCHIC
is a little gem of a giallo.
830
00:50:57,054 --> 00:51:00,182
I'm always thinking remake
potential,
831
00:51:00,516 --> 00:51:03,394
and I think you could build
some incredible films on
832
00:51:03,769 --> 00:51:05,771
that narrative framework.
833
00:51:06,105 --> 00:51:07,898
Because, really, the film is
essentially a modern take
834
00:51:08,232 --> 00:51:10,985
on Edgar Allan Poe's
THE TELL-TALE HEART.
835
00:51:11,402 --> 00:51:16,532
It uses a music box instead
of a heart,
836
00:51:16,865 --> 00:51:18,993
but the spirit of Poe
remains
837
00:51:19,326 --> 00:51:22,830
in the use of something
unusual to help uncover a crime.
838
00:51:23,163 --> 00:51:25,499
It's a classic device.
839
00:51:25,874 --> 00:51:31,130
It works because that device
is both simple,
840
00:51:31,463 --> 00:51:32,590
yet loaded with meaning.
841
00:51:32,923 --> 00:51:35,634
I love this film, it's probably
the best one I did with Lucio.
842
00:51:36,135 --> 00:51:39,888
That's what I think. Others
might beg to differ.
843
00:51:40,598 --> 00:51:45,894
I did 8 films with him, and
I think this is the only
844
00:51:46,353 --> 00:51:49,732
"round" one. It works
perfectly.
845
00:51:50,065 --> 00:51:51,817
The only one where it
all makes sense.
846
00:51:52,151 --> 00:51:53,861
The others aren't as perfect.
847
00:51:54,194 --> 00:51:56,822
They might have been more
successful or more exciting,
848
00:51:57,156 --> 00:51:58,866
but they're not
as "round".
849
00:51:59,241 --> 00:52:04,079
This film has also
something I really love,
850
00:52:04,913 --> 00:52:08,709
and it's a trace
of the supernatural.
851
00:52:09,793 --> 00:52:13,172
The movie starts off as a
traditional giallo,
852
00:52:13,505 --> 00:52:14,673
with a murder.
853
00:52:15,007 --> 00:52:20,137
There's nothing unusual, it's a
story just like any other.
854
00:52:20,679 --> 00:52:24,767
If anything, like many stories,
it might seem a bit prosaic,
855
00:52:25,392 --> 00:52:30,439
because, ultimately, it's
a meditation on human misery.
856
00:52:31,065 --> 00:52:37,571
Yet, the film has this
supernatural vibe, and it
857
00:52:37,946 --> 00:52:40,908
revolves around fate,
destiny, and so on.
858
00:52:41,241 --> 00:52:42,493
Different stuff than usual.
859
00:52:43,202 --> 00:52:45,454
This allows the plot to
transcend the limitations
860
00:52:45,788 --> 00:52:47,623
of common criminality.
861
00:52:47,956 --> 00:52:54,171
It also evokes a different set
of feelings about the murders.
862
00:52:54,505 --> 00:52:57,591
You know you're looking at
something different.
863
00:52:58,133 --> 00:53:01,970
I just loved that,
and Lucio knew it.
864
00:53:02,596 --> 00:53:06,892
THE PSYCHIC, which can
genuinely be defined as
865
00:53:07,226 --> 00:53:09,019
a truly great film.
866
00:53:09,353 --> 00:53:12,648
It marks an important
transition in Fulci's career.
867
00:53:12,981 --> 00:53:17,236
Sort of a rite of passage,
separating the realism
868
00:53:17,528 --> 00:53:24,910
of the giallos, from a cinema
that is more overtly horrific.
869
00:53:25,244 --> 00:53:29,248
As you know, after shooting
THE PSYCHIC in 1977,
870
00:53:29,581 --> 00:53:32,876
Fulci shifted to films
like ZOMBIE,
871
00:53:33,210 --> 00:53:36,130
CITY OF THE LIVING
DEAD, and THE BEYOND.
872
00:53:36,463 --> 00:53:41,051
THE PSYCHIC, despite
the giallo elements
873
00:53:41,427 --> 00:53:45,097
in the script written by
Gianviti and Sacchetti,
874
00:53:45,431 --> 00:53:48,892
was a sort of bridge
to more fantastical films.
875
00:53:49,184 --> 00:53:54,356
There's a female protagonist
in THE PSYCHIC,
876
00:53:54,815 --> 00:53:56,775
played by Jennifer O'Neill.
877
00:53:57,109 --> 00:53:59,069
She experiences visions of a
future that might
878
00:53:59,403 --> 00:54:02,114
actually be the past, or
both at the same time.
879
00:54:02,448 --> 00:54:06,785
Therefore, this intentionally
confusing narrative time frame
880
00:54:07,119 --> 00:54:10,748
could be defined as one of
the key elements of the film.
881
00:54:11,081 --> 00:54:14,293
The film explores more
fantastical territory,
882
00:54:14,626 --> 00:54:19,506
but it's still a giallo, even
if it's not as realistic
883
00:54:19,965 --> 00:54:22,843
as Fulci's previous work,
such as ONE ON TOP OF ANOTHER,
884
00:54:23,177 --> 00:54:27,181
A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN, and
DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING.
885
00:54:27,514 --> 00:54:30,768
Those films are examples of
Fulci's incredible
886
00:54:31,059 --> 00:54:32,519
visionary talent.
887
00:54:32,853 --> 00:54:35,189
As well as his willingness
to show the cruelty of
888
00:54:35,522 --> 00:54:38,609
the murders, which was
another key element
889
00:54:38,942 --> 00:54:44,072
of the whole Italian
giallo genre.
890
00:54:44,490 --> 00:54:48,535
Moreover, he retained certain
elements from previous films.
891
00:54:48,869 --> 00:54:51,747
Let's not forget that Fulci
worked in almost every genre,
892
00:54:52,080 --> 00:54:53,499
very much like
Sergio Martino
893
00:54:53,832 --> 00:54:55,209
and many Italian
genre directors,
894
00:54:55,542 --> 00:54:58,796
with the exception
of Dario Argento.
895
00:54:59,296 --> 00:55:06,720
Fulci started doing thrillers
after directing many comedies
896
00:55:07,095 --> 00:55:10,766
starring Italian comedians
Franco and Ciccio.
897
00:55:11,099 --> 00:55:14,061
We can say that he was
a mainstream director who,
898
00:55:14,353 --> 00:55:17,272
thanks to his unique vision,
created giallos
899
00:55:17,606 --> 00:55:20,567
that captivated
audiences by merging
900
00:55:20,901 --> 00:55:23,070
elements of genre with
those of mainstream cinema.
901
00:55:23,403 --> 00:55:28,826
Following these films, Fulci
refined his vision
902
00:55:29,159 --> 00:55:32,120
to create his
horror masterpieces,
903
00:55:32,454 --> 00:55:34,790
made in the late 70s
and 80s.
904
00:55:35,499 --> 00:55:37,918
There's something my daughter
says about MURDER-ROCK...
905
00:55:38,252 --> 00:55:40,295
I mean my older one, not the
one who works with me,
906
00:55:40,629 --> 00:55:43,882
and will probably become
a director soon.
907
00:55:45,175 --> 00:55:49,054
Anyway, she says that it feels
like a good American TV series.
908
00:55:49,388 --> 00:55:50,180
She's right.
909
00:55:50,514 --> 00:55:54,226
Yes, it feels like the end of
an era, and I knew I had
910
00:55:54,560 --> 00:55:58,730
to reinvent myself and
the things I was doing.
911
00:55:59,189 --> 00:56:02,526
I mean, times were changing.
912
00:56:03,694 --> 00:56:05,821
Like my daughter said, with
MURDER-ROCK I did something
913
00:56:06,113 --> 00:56:08,407
that looked like it was
an episode out of a
914
00:56:08,740 --> 00:56:10,617
good American crime series.
915
00:56:11,076 --> 00:56:13,036
She felt it was no more
than that,
916
00:56:13,370 --> 00:56:15,831
but I was trying to do
something different.
917
00:56:25,632 --> 00:56:28,886
There are some directors who
only made a few giallos.
918
00:56:29,219 --> 00:56:32,180
One of the most important
was Duccio Tessari.
919
00:56:32,556 --> 00:56:35,517
He made a film based on a novel
by Giorgio Scerbanenco,
920
00:56:35,851 --> 00:56:37,728
DEATH OCCURED LAST NIGHT.
921
00:56:43,066 --> 00:56:45,569
The novel was very
well-known.
922
00:56:45,986 --> 00:56:51,533
Its Italian title is I MILANESI
AMMAZZANO AL SABATO.
923
00:56:51,867 --> 00:56:54,494
Lombardo, who distributed the
film, feared that mentioning
924
00:56:54,828 --> 00:56:58,040
the Milanese people might
put off potential viewers
925
00:56:58,373 --> 00:57:00,375
from other regions.
926
00:57:01,335 --> 00:57:05,797
That's why the title was changed
to DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT.
927
00:57:06,548 --> 00:57:08,926
Tessari and I suggested it,
because it's
928
00:57:09,259 --> 00:57:11,470
a quote from the film.
929
00:57:12,012 --> 00:57:14,222
Given that we had to change
the title,
930
00:57:14,556 --> 00:57:17,142
it was the best possible choice.
931
00:57:17,893 --> 00:57:23,231
I'm happy that, in recent years,
most film critics and viewers
932
00:57:23,565 --> 00:57:27,986
have started to consider it
the best film adaptation
933
00:57:29,237 --> 00:57:32,282
from Scerbanenco's novels
with Duca Lamberti.
934
00:57:32,616 --> 00:57:37,871
Out of all the Italian
giallo directors,
935
00:57:38,372 --> 00:57:39,915
Luciano Ercoli was one
of the first.
936
00:57:40,248 --> 00:57:41,041
He was also a producer, and
when he started
937
00:57:41,375 --> 00:57:45,504
directing he had already
produced some interesting
938
00:57:45,837 --> 00:57:52,219
Italian Westerns directed
by Duccio Tessari.
939
00:57:52,552 --> 00:57:54,805
The films Ercoli directed are
elegant,
940
00:57:55,180 --> 00:57:57,849
and quite Hitchcockian in style.
941
00:57:58,308 --> 00:58:01,520
His style was refined and
his choice of music
942
00:58:01,937 --> 00:58:05,107
was equally sophisticated.
943
00:58:05,440 --> 00:58:10,696
We could say that his films
are "deluxe packages."
944
00:58:11,488 --> 00:58:13,323
Spanish actress Nieves Navarro was
the mainstay of these films.
945
00:58:13,657 --> 00:58:15,158
She usually adopted an
anglicized pseudonym,
946
00:58:15,492 --> 00:58:16,743
Susan Scott.
947
00:58:17,077 --> 00:58:18,328
Ercoli's films, DEATH WALKS AT
MIDNIGHT,
948
00:58:18,787 --> 00:58:20,372
DEATH WALKS ON HIGH
HEELS, and
949
00:58:20,706 --> 00:58:24,459
FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY
ABOVE SUSPICION,
950
00:58:24,876 --> 00:58:29,047
are very sophisticated
works.
951
00:58:29,381 --> 00:58:32,718
We could say that, as
a director,
952
00:58:33,051 --> 00:58:37,222
Ercoli marries Argento's
innovations
953
00:58:37,556 --> 00:58:42,269
with his own elegant and
stylized mise-en-scene.
954
00:58:42,602 --> 00:58:46,273
These films were also
quite successful.
955
00:58:46,606 --> 00:58:49,026
I always liked doing
thrillers.
956
00:58:49,359 --> 00:58:54,573
Crime films too, but I did
those after the thrillers.
957
00:58:55,032 --> 00:58:58,160
Thrillers were the
trend in those years.
958
00:58:58,493 --> 00:59:03,790
Especially after Dario
Argento's ascension.
959
00:59:04,249 --> 00:59:07,294
Many of us directors tried
to follow in his footsteps.
960
00:59:07,669 --> 00:59:15,385
That's how I started doing
thrillers, in my own little way.
961
00:59:20,766 --> 00:59:26,188
I found it a bit difficult.
It was my directorial debut.
962
00:59:26,605 --> 00:59:30,358
The script wasn't much help, and
the dialogue was very spare.
963
00:59:30,734 --> 00:59:34,446
I had to turn that into
an hour and forty minute film,
964
00:59:34,780 --> 00:59:39,493
so I wound up with
a lot of slow parts.
965
00:59:40,035 --> 00:59:43,163
I didn't have that problem
in my next film.
966
00:59:43,663 --> 00:59:46,583
I always liked noir films.
I really love them.
967
00:59:47,084 --> 00:59:51,129
From the old ones with Richard
Widmark and Orson Welles,
968
00:59:51,463 --> 00:59:52,964
to the new ones.
969
00:59:53,298 --> 00:59:58,220
Luciano gave me the script, I
read it, and loved my character.
970
00:59:59,054 --> 01:00:01,056
I found it funny, and really
interesting.
971
01:00:11,274 --> 01:00:13,777
I had already acted in some of
the films Luciano produced,
972
01:00:14,111 --> 01:00:16,822
but it was the first time I
worked in a film he directed.
973
01:00:18,281 --> 01:00:20,784
He was a very demanding
director, you know.
974
01:00:21,827 --> 01:00:26,998
Maybe he thought I was Ingrid
Bergman or someone like that.
975
01:00:27,374 --> 01:00:33,380
Even if I wasn't Ingrid Bergman,
he was still very demanding
976
01:00:33,713 --> 01:00:35,632
with me and
Dagmar Lassander.
977
01:00:36,174 --> 01:00:37,551
We didn't pay too much
attention to him,
978
01:00:37,884 --> 01:00:38,969
and just did the best
that we could.
979
01:00:39,302 --> 01:00:43,431
I had a good relationship with
Ernesto Gastaldi,
980
01:00:43,890 --> 01:00:45,308
the screenwriter.
981
01:00:45,684 --> 01:00:49,354
We had already worked together,
and I felt I could trust him.
982
01:00:49,646 --> 01:00:58,238
He wasn't a great writer, but
he had some good,
983
01:00:58,572 --> 01:01:02,951
even very good ideas when it
came to giallos or thrillers.
984
01:01:03,535 --> 01:01:08,874
The development wasn't
always as good.
985
01:01:09,416 --> 01:01:14,045
Yet, you could still see they
were proper giallos
986
01:01:14,379 --> 01:01:15,088
or thrillers.
987
01:01:15,463 --> 01:01:19,134
In addition to Ercoli, we
could mention Aldo Lado.
988
01:01:19,467 --> 01:01:21,386
Among other giallo
directors,
989
01:01:21,720 --> 01:01:24,514
Lado directed an atypical
giallo,
990
01:01:24,848 --> 01:01:26,850
SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS.
991
01:01:27,225 --> 01:01:29,477
The film is set in Prague,
a great location
992
01:01:29,811 --> 01:01:30,937
with an eerie, magical feeling.
993
01:01:31,271 --> 01:01:32,522
The lead character is
played by Jean Sorel.
994
01:01:32,856 --> 01:01:34,524
The film feels like a waking
nightmare.
995
01:01:34,816 --> 01:01:36,484
Its twist ending is somewhat
similar to
996
01:01:36,818 --> 01:01:39,154
the ending of Wilder's
Sunset Boulevard.
997
01:01:39,487 --> 01:01:42,908
And, maybe its beginning too,
an homage to Sunset Boulevard.
998
01:01:43,241 --> 01:01:48,830
Another giallo directed by
Lado is WHO SAW HER DIE?
999
01:01:49,164 --> 01:01:58,548
That film is set in Venice,
which is an ideal location
1000
01:01:58,882 --> 01:02:04,763
for that kind of thriller,
a city on water, one that feels
1001
01:02:05,263 --> 01:02:09,601
almost apart from the
rest of the world.
1002
01:02:09,935 --> 01:02:13,521
That film has such rich
atmosphere.
1003
01:02:13,855 --> 01:02:17,609
Its protagonist, George
Lazenby, had played 007 once,
1004
01:02:17,943 --> 01:02:20,320
although without great
success.
1005
01:02:20,737 --> 01:02:24,532
It's a film that shows Lado's
understanding
1006
01:02:24,824 --> 01:02:26,701
of the schematics of
the genre.
1007
01:02:27,035 --> 01:02:31,498
Giuliano Carnimeo was among
the one-time giallo directors.
1008
01:02:31,831 --> 01:02:34,459
He is best known for his
enjoyable westerns,
1009
01:02:34,751 --> 01:02:38,088
mostly starring
George Hilton.
1010
01:02:38,588 --> 01:02:42,050
Despite directing only one
giallo, Carnimeo's film
1011
01:02:42,509 --> 01:02:44,886
is considered to be one
of the best examples of
1012
01:02:45,220 --> 01:02:47,138
Italian giallo.
1013
01:02:47,472 --> 01:02:51,559
THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS
stars Edwige Fenech,
1014
01:02:51,893 --> 01:02:56,398
and it's a film where the
schematics of the
1015
01:02:56,731 --> 01:02:59,567
Italian giallo are
well-calibrated.
1016
01:02:59,859 --> 01:03:03,363
The soundtrack is
Incredible, too.
1017
01:03:03,697 --> 01:03:09,619
The film unifies all the
elements of Italian giallos.
1018
01:03:09,911 --> 01:03:14,082
Being a mainstream director,
Carnimeo is particularly adept
1019
01:03:14,416 --> 01:03:18,586
at tying all of those
elements together.
1020
01:03:18,920 --> 01:03:22,424
The orchestration of the murders
within that mise-en-scene,
1021
01:03:22,757 --> 01:03:25,844
makes this among the
most representative
1022
01:03:26,177 --> 01:03:29,681
examples of 70s
Italian giallo.
1023
01:04:08,887 --> 01:04:12,682
Sergio Martino was among the
first to attain success
1024
01:04:13,016 --> 01:04:15,685
by making giallos.
1025
01:04:16,019 --> 01:04:19,022
Martino's importance can be
attributed to many factors.
1026
01:04:19,356 --> 01:04:22,817
First of all, he's one of
Italian cinema's
1027
01:04:23,193 --> 01:04:25,028
most versatile
craftsmen.
1028
01:04:25,362 --> 01:04:28,865
His first film was a western,
and then between
1029
01:04:29,199 --> 01:04:30,450
the 70s and the 80s
1030
01:04:30,784 --> 01:04:32,118
he was one of the
preeminent
1031
01:04:32,452 --> 01:04:35,288
Italian comedy directors at
least in terms of box office.
1032
01:04:35,622 --> 01:04:37,582
He made films like SUGAR, HONEY,
AND PEPPER,
1033
01:04:37,916 --> 01:04:39,751
and DON'T PLAY WITH TIGERS.
1034
01:04:40,085 --> 01:04:43,630
With his film, THE STRANGE VICE
OF MRS. WARDH,
1035
01:04:43,963 --> 01:04:47,592
Martino created a successful
niche with giallos,
1036
01:04:47,926 --> 01:04:49,803
to which he brought
originality.
1037
01:04:50,136 --> 01:04:53,306
It didn't hurt that the film
was produced by his brother,
1038
01:04:53,640 --> 01:04:57,769
Luciano Martino, who only a few
years earlier had produced
1039
01:04:58,103 --> 01:05:01,231
Romolo Guerrieri's THE
SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH.
1040
01:05:01,564 --> 01:05:06,611
We could say that the Martino
"family tradition"
1041
01:05:06,945 --> 01:05:10,365
of making giallos predates
Argento's taking on the genre.
1042
01:05:10,698 --> 01:05:15,245
THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH
was the first giallo
1043
01:05:15,578 --> 01:05:17,455
produced by Luciano
Martino after LIBIDO.
1044
01:05:17,789 --> 01:05:22,585
LIBIDO was a gamble made by
Mino Loy and Luciano Martino.
1045
01:05:23,211 --> 01:05:24,921
They each put five
million lire into it.
1046
01:05:25,255 --> 01:05:27,173
A small investment to
make the film.
1047
01:05:27,632 --> 01:05:30,677
One half of the film was
mine and Vittorio Salerno's.
1048
01:05:31,010 --> 01:05:34,389
By that I mean that
we worked for free.
1049
01:05:34,889 --> 01:05:37,642
My wife Mara acted for free,
and we
1050
01:05:38,017 --> 01:05:39,853
only paid Giancarlo Giannini
1051
01:05:40,186 --> 01:05:41,980
Actually, I still owe him 20K.
1052
01:05:42,397 --> 01:05:45,275
If I remember correctly,
Dominique Boschero
1053
01:05:45,608 --> 01:05:48,653
got one million. She
was our lead actress.
1054
01:05:49,070 --> 01:05:51,823
Again, the film was a gamble.
1055
01:05:52,157 --> 01:05:54,868
There was no guarantee we
would make a profit.
1056
01:05:55,201 --> 01:06:00,081
In Italy, we only earned 123
or 153 million.
1057
01:06:00,582 --> 01:06:04,002
The budget was 26 million.
1058
01:06:04,544 --> 01:06:06,838
So it wasn't bad, but
it wasn't much.
1059
01:06:07,172 --> 01:06:09,632
Then, suddenly, on the
foreign market,
1060
01:06:09,966 --> 01:06:13,219
and I don't know how, but the
distributors managed
1061
01:06:13,553 --> 01:06:16,681
to sell LIBIDO everywhere.
1062
01:06:17,307 --> 01:06:18,975
They sold it for big money,
too.
1063
01:06:19,309 --> 01:06:24,939
At that point, Loy and Martino
made an English-dubbed version.
1064
01:06:25,315 --> 01:06:28,985
When they sold it to the
US market for
1065
01:06:29,319 --> 01:06:31,237
35 or 40 thousand dollars,
1066
01:06:31,571 --> 01:06:36,576
it wasn't much at the time, but
more than the film's budget,
1067
01:06:36,910 --> 01:06:40,747
the Americans didn't
want the dubbed version.
1068
01:06:41,206 --> 01:06:43,708
They said that it sounded like a
character was
1069
01:06:44,042 --> 01:06:45,418
dubbed in Sicilian.
1070
01:06:45,752 --> 01:06:48,254
And the character's child in
Milanese.
1071
01:06:48,588 --> 01:06:51,132
We didn't understand that you
can't have a guy from Alabama
1072
01:06:51,466 --> 01:06:53,343
dubbing a character whose
child is dubbed
1073
01:06:53,676 --> 01:06:54,844
by someone from Boston.
1074
01:06:55,178 --> 01:06:58,681
The film had to be redubbed,
but this time the Americans
1075
01:06:59,015 --> 01:07:00,517
did it themselves.
1076
01:07:00,850 --> 01:07:03,353
It was one of the few times
they dubbed a foreign film.
1077
01:07:03,686 --> 01:07:05,230
They tend to use subtitles.
The film did great and
1078
01:07:05,563 --> 01:07:06,773
they sold it worldwide.
1079
01:07:07,106 --> 01:07:08,650
The bottom line is, out of a
26 million lire budget,
1080
01:07:08,983 --> 01:07:10,401
this little film
earned 400 million.
1081
01:07:11,444 --> 01:07:14,656
And then Luciano, who wasn't a
stupid man at all,
1082
01:07:15,073 --> 01:07:16,699
had a bright idea.
1083
01:07:17,116 --> 01:07:21,204
"Giallo is the way", he said,
"let's do more of them, pronto"...
1084
01:07:21,538 --> 01:07:25,291
So THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH
was the first giallo
1085
01:07:25,625 --> 01:07:27,919
of the long-running series
produced by Luciano.
1086
01:07:28,253 --> 01:07:30,421
Ernesto Gastaldi can be
considered the top
1087
01:07:30,755 --> 01:07:33,383
screenwriter of giallo
cinema.
1088
01:07:33,716 --> 01:07:35,343
He wrote several solid
screenplays
1089
01:07:35,677 --> 01:07:37,387
for the giallos made in
those years.
1090
01:07:37,720 --> 01:07:39,222
The various directors turned
those stories into
1091
01:07:39,556 --> 01:07:40,765
more elaborate films.
1092
01:07:41,099 --> 01:07:43,810
Nevertheless, all
those scripts written
1093
01:07:44,143 --> 01:07:47,021
by Gastaldi were strong.
1094
01:07:47,355 --> 01:07:50,942
Those films were often full of
visual inventions,
1095
01:07:51,276 --> 01:07:56,698
and that's why they always
needed good scripts,
1096
01:07:57,031 --> 01:08:02,996
like the ones Ernesto
Gastaldi wrote.
1097
01:08:03,663 --> 01:08:05,748
"We're all descendants of
an uninterrupted
1098
01:08:06,082 --> 01:08:08,793
chain of murderers,
whose love to Kill
1099
01:08:09,127 --> 01:08:10,503
was instilled in their
blood, just as it could
1100
01:08:10,837 --> 01:08:12,880
be within us too."
- Sigmund Freud
1101
01:08:13,214 --> 01:08:16,884
From its very start, THE
STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH
1102
01:08:17,343 --> 01:08:23,016
differs from Argento's films
in its emphasis on the sexual,
1103
01:08:23,349 --> 01:08:28,855
psychological, and dreamlike
elements.
1104
01:08:29,188 --> 01:08:32,150
These elements recur throughout
the films of Sergio Martino.
1105
01:08:32,483 --> 01:08:34,902
In those years, the director
frequently worked with
1106
01:08:35,236 --> 01:08:39,282
Edwige Fenech, an actress
whose strong physicality
1107
01:08:39,616 --> 01:08:45,496
defined the difference
between Martino's
1108
01:08:45,830 --> 01:08:47,373
and Argento's films in
those days.
1109
01:08:47,707 --> 01:08:52,587
I was the first to meet Edwige
when she came into our office,
1110
01:08:52,920 --> 01:08:57,717
which was also used as a
dubbing studio.
1111
01:08:58,217 --> 01:09:02,805
She was gorgeous, in black
leather pants that were
1112
01:09:03,139 --> 01:09:04,932
unusual back then.
1113
01:09:05,266 --> 01:09:08,186
| told my brother about this
gorgeous girl,
1114
01:09:08,519 --> 01:09:11,522
and he hired her to do a
film called
1115
01:09:11,856 --> 01:09:15,652
THE SINS OF MADAME BOVARY,
which was a collaboration
1116
01:09:15,985 --> 01:09:18,905
between Luciano and another
producer, Alabiso.
1117
01:09:19,280 --> 01:09:22,825
After this film, I believe
she felt grateful
1118
01:09:23,159 --> 01:09:26,496
to Luciano and eventually
got to know him better,
1119
01:09:27,038 --> 01:09:30,416
in the biblical sense.
1120
01:09:30,792 --> 01:09:35,588
She became his partner, and she
became more and more successful.
1121
01:09:35,922 --> 01:09:43,721
Edwige was a buxom,full-figured
girl, and she was working
1122
01:09:44,055 --> 01:09:47,809
in Italy at a time when...
Let me digress a little,
1123
01:09:48,142 --> 01:09:52,689
even seeing a girl showing her
bosoms was almost an event.
1124
01:09:53,022 --> 01:09:55,316
I remember that every time we
went to Paris for a film,
1125
01:09:55,650 --> 01:09:57,735
the first thing the crew did
was buy a copy of Playboy.
1126
01:09:58,111 --> 01:10:02,490
You have to think in the
context of the time.
1127
01:10:02,824 --> 01:10:06,327
In those days, censorship was
finally slightly less
1128
01:10:06,661 --> 01:10:09,372
vicious than it had been.
1129
01:10:09,706 --> 01:10:13,584
Edwige became successful, and
I think she was
1130
01:10:13,918 --> 01:10:18,005
a very good actress in my films,
even if she didn't have
1131
01:10:18,339 --> 01:10:21,551
the physique du role, like the
French say, to play
1132
01:10:21,884 --> 01:10:24,971
the part of a frail-looking,
emaciated girl.
1133
01:10:25,304 --> 01:10:27,724
Maybe I need to escape
from myself.
1134
01:10:28,057 --> 01:10:33,146
These thrillers were often
very interesting films.
1135
01:10:33,646 --> 01:10:39,026
Made with not much money,
but a lot of good will.
1136
01:10:39,485 --> 01:10:43,114
And what came out
was our love for them.
1137
01:10:43,948 --> 01:10:49,704
In the end, they were very
good films that had
1138
01:10:50,121 --> 01:10:57,128
great success, not just
in Italy, but abroad too.
1139
01:10:57,712 --> 01:11:01,591
We were always greatly
surprised by that, because
1140
01:11:01,883 --> 01:11:05,636
we didn't have the means
of big budget films.
1141
01:11:05,970 --> 01:11:11,726
We knew we weren't
actors with big names,
1142
01:11:12,101 --> 01:11:18,399
but our films were seen
both in and outside of Italy.
1143
01:11:18,816 --> 01:11:24,572
I first met Edwige Fenech,
when we were in Tirrenia.
1144
01:11:24,906 --> 01:11:27,116
She was doing a film with
Rosalba Neri,
1145
01:11:27,450 --> 01:11:30,745
and we were staying at
the same hotel.
1146
01:11:31,078 --> 01:11:35,833
I was doing IL BACO DA SETA,
a film with Nadja Tiller.
1147
01:11:36,751 --> 01:11:41,881
We met in the hotel lobby.
1148
01:11:42,632 --> 01:11:45,718
She greeted me and
introduced herself.
1149
01:11:46,302 --> 01:11:51,432
In talking, we learned that we
lived near one another in Rome.
1150
01:11:52,517 --> 01:11:56,521
We became friends, and started
to hang out together.
1151
01:11:57,230 --> 01:12:00,566
I met her family, she met mine.
1152
01:12:03,194 --> 01:12:08,950
Then, one day, Luciano Martino
told me he was crazy about her.
1153
01:12:09,909 --> 01:12:12,870
He begged me to introduce
him to her in exchange
1154
01:12:13,329 --> 01:12:14,455
for doing a film together.
1155
01:12:14,789 --> 01:12:16,833
He promised I'd have had carte
blanche to do a film
1156
01:12:17,166 --> 01:12:18,292
with her in it.
1157
01:12:18,709 --> 01:12:21,420
And that promise became THE
STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH.
1158
01:12:21,838 --> 01:12:24,423
I was in charge of hiring her,
but I had to introduce them.
1159
01:12:24,924 --> 01:12:28,094
So I had them meet during a
dinner and we all read
1160
01:12:29,011 --> 01:12:32,557
the script that he brought.
1161
01:12:33,182 --> 01:12:36,018
And that's how they
started working together.
1162
01:12:36,686 --> 01:12:38,396
I think she was great
in those films.
1163
01:12:38,729 --> 01:12:41,274
I made several
films with Hilton.
1164
01:12:42,066 --> 01:12:52,076
And I became friends
with him, his family.
1165
01:12:52,535 --> 01:12:59,166
His wife came with him,
and then his children.
1166
01:12:59,625 --> 01:13:03,045
We were all a big
family, all together.
1167
01:13:03,379 --> 01:13:05,923
I have fond memories of George.
1168
01:13:06,299 --> 01:13:08,426
He's a funny man.
1169
01:13:08,718 --> 01:13:13,973
Edwige Fenech was
every man's dream.
1170
01:13:14,307 --> 01:13:16,893
I had people stopping me in the
streets, telling me how lucky
1171
01:13:17,184 --> 01:13:19,729
I was to do all those
love scenes with her.
1172
01:13:20,104 --> 01:13:25,276
She drove men crazy. Her beauty
was in a class of its own.
1173
01:13:25,776 --> 01:13:28,321
She was fantastic, and
so Sexy.
1174
01:13:29,030 --> 01:13:31,157
I remember her as an amazing
woman to which
1175
01:13:31,490 --> 01:13:32,909
I had this great friendship.
1176
01:13:33,910 --> 01:13:40,416
I think Edwige was able to not
feel "naked" when she was
1177
01:13:40,750 --> 01:13:42,835
doing nude scenes.
1178
01:13:43,419 --> 01:13:48,299
I must add that, despite
being a gorgeous woman,
1179
01:13:48,966 --> 01:13:50,843
and no matter how many
people asked me
1180
01:13:51,177 --> 01:13:53,220
what she looked like naked,
1181
01:13:53,846 --> 01:13:55,222
I always saw her as a
sister, perhaps because
1182
01:13:55,556 --> 01:13:56,641
she was my brother's
partner.
1183
01:13:56,974 --> 01:13:59,435
Therefore, I never got a sexual
charge from anything she did.
1184
01:13:59,769 --> 01:14:05,399
A few times, when we were
making a film,
1185
01:14:06,192 --> 01:14:10,696
in order to give the censors
something
1186
01:14:11,113 --> 01:14:15,993
they could cut, without
hurting our picture,
1187
01:14:16,327 --> 01:14:21,624
we shot some more
explicit erotic scenes.
1188
01:14:21,958 --> 01:14:24,418
But this is another matter.
1189
01:14:24,877 --> 01:14:30,383
I always asked to have as few
nude scenes as possible.
1190
01:14:31,008 --> 01:14:33,803
But it seemed as though we
couldn't sell my films
1191
01:14:34,136 --> 01:14:36,055
without a scene of me
taking a shower.
1192
01:14:37,014 --> 01:14:42,645
Most of all, I wanted to
avoid doing love scenes,
1193
01:14:42,979 --> 01:14:47,108
they were what worried
me the most.
1194
01:14:47,441 --> 01:14:50,277
She never had that sort
of problem,
1195
01:14:50,611 --> 01:14:53,114
at least in the films we
made together.
1196
01:14:53,531 --> 01:15:01,122
Her body was so beautiful, and
she showed it on film.
1197
01:15:01,455 --> 01:15:03,457
Everyone knew that people
flocked to
1198
01:15:03,791 --> 01:15:05,376
the theaters to see
her movies.
1199
01:15:05,710 --> 01:15:07,169
They always gave her
a shower scene.
1200
01:15:07,503 --> 01:15:10,423
Love scenes, too.
That's how it was.
1201
01:15:10,756 --> 01:15:14,010
She was and still is a
gorgeous woman.
1202
01:15:14,635 --> 01:15:18,681
It's hard to do a love scene
with a friend.
1203
01:15:19,265 --> 01:15:23,060
We were actually naked
when we did our scenes.
1204
01:15:26,439 --> 01:15:31,444
We always covered our
private parts, of course.
1205
01:15:32,486 --> 01:15:34,905
They put some tape on them.
1206
01:15:35,948 --> 01:15:37,867
Those were good scenes.
1207
01:15:38,200 --> 01:15:43,789
When you act, you think you're
really making love.
1208
01:15:44,123 --> 01:15:48,085
But it was just acting, they
weren't real love scenes.
1209
01:15:48,794 --> 01:15:53,340
Yet, we did our best to make
it look as real as possible.
1210
01:15:53,924 --> 01:15:58,929
THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS.
WARDH was my first giallo.
1211
01:15:59,972 --> 01:16:05,019
The plot was, for the most part,
similar to other giallos.
1212
01:16:05,436 --> 01:16:09,065
Perhaps, not many people
realize it,
1213
01:16:09,398 --> 01:16:12,359
but with his film
LES DIABOLIQUES,
1214
01:16:12,693 --> 01:16:15,112
Henri-Georges Clouzot became
a great source of inspiration.
1215
01:16:15,446 --> 01:16:18,949
I foolishly didn't co-sign
the screenplay of my film.
1216
01:16:19,283 --> 01:16:24,872
This happened a lot in my career
and consequently, I lost money.
1217
01:16:26,999 --> 01:16:32,463
I tried to give it a unique
introduction to make it feel
1218
01:16:32,797 --> 01:16:35,591
less like a TV film, and to
infuse it with more energy.
1219
01:16:36,008 --> 01:16:39,970
To do so, I made up a
parallel story about
1220
01:16:40,304 --> 01:16:47,144
a maniac on the loose
in Vienna killing women.
1221
01:16:47,645 --> 01:16:51,690
Using this tactic to boost
the tension by showing
1222
01:16:52,024 --> 01:16:57,113
murders more frequently
allowed us to avoid
1223
01:16:57,446 --> 01:17:02,076
involving the police
trying to find the Killer.
1224
01:17:02,493 --> 01:17:06,413
Writing a book on giallos,
I discovered that
1225
01:17:06,747 --> 01:17:10,376
at least 2000 articles, and
books have been written about
1226
01:17:10,668 --> 01:17:14,130
how to commit a murder
inside a locked room.
1227
01:17:17,091 --> 01:17:19,426
In THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS.
WARDH, I created
1228
01:17:19,802 --> 01:17:22,096
the perfect murder in a
locked room
1229
01:17:22,388 --> 01:17:24,473
using an iced cube!
1230
01:17:24,807 --> 01:17:27,810
It melts, the door locks
itself, and appears
1231
01:17:28,144 --> 01:17:30,312
to have been locked
from the inside.
1232
01:17:30,646 --> 01:17:32,148
The water dries and that's that.
1233
01:17:32,439 --> 01:17:35,734
I've read quite a few murder
scenarios dreamed up
1234
01:17:36,110 --> 01:17:37,194
by other writers.
1235
01:17:37,528 --> 01:17:40,322
Hidden snakes and other
crazy ideas.
1236
01:17:40,948 --> 01:17:44,160
Anyway, that's what giallo is.
1237
01:17:44,702 --> 01:17:49,165
It's about creating a mystery
that people can solve
1238
01:17:49,498 --> 01:17:51,417
if they pay attention.
1239
01:17:51,792 --> 01:17:52,960
Without cheating, of course.
1240
01:17:53,294 --> 01:17:55,045
Sergio Martino directed a
series of very
1241
01:17:55,379 --> 01:17:57,631
successful and stylish
giallos, such as
1242
01:17:57,965 --> 01:18:00,217
THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS.
WARDH, his first, and
1243
01:18:00,593 --> 01:18:03,470
ALL THE COLORS OF
THE DARK.
1244
01:18:03,804 --> 01:18:06,223
As well as YOUR VICE IS
A LOCKED ROOM
1245
01:18:06,640 --> 01:18:10,060
AND ONLY I HAVE
THE KEY before 1973,
1246
01:18:10,394 --> 01:18:14,940
when he directed what he
calls his giallo masterpiece.
1247
01:18:15,274 --> 01:18:20,196
We're talking about an extremely
violent film that even compared
1248
01:18:20,529 --> 01:18:22,072
to today's standards
represents a watershed
1249
01:18:22,406 --> 01:18:23,365
for Italian cinema.
1250
01:18:23,699 --> 01:18:27,870
In 1973, never before had an
Italian film been so violent,
1251
01:18:28,204 --> 01:18:34,376
and then came Sergio
Martino's TORSO.
1252
01:18:34,710 --> 01:18:38,589
TORSO has all the elements of
the Sergio Martino style.
1253
01:18:38,923 --> 01:18:41,550
His cinema speaks a universal
language and appeals
1254
01:18:41,884 --> 01:18:45,262
to an international
audience.
1255
01:18:45,596 --> 01:18:47,932
Martino's films have no borders,
and his specialty
1256
01:18:48,265 --> 01:18:50,601
is to create a world in
which it isn't important to
1257
01:18:50,935 --> 01:18:52,978
pinpoint the exact location.
1258
01:18:53,312 --> 01:18:56,899
His films are mostly
set in Italy.
1259
01:18:57,316 --> 01:18:59,902
TORSO is set in the town
of Perugia.
1260
01:19:00,236 --> 01:19:03,113
Which is an international
environment,
1261
01:19:03,447 --> 01:19:04,990
the University for
Foreigners,
1262
01:19:05,324 --> 01:19:07,785
which is perhaps the most
important cultural
1263
01:19:08,118 --> 01:19:09,662
institution in town.
1264
01:19:09,995 --> 01:19:12,873
In this film, all the elements
that define
1265
01:19:13,207 --> 01:19:20,214
Martino's flmmaking style
are present and very explicit.
1266
01:19:20,589 --> 01:19:25,219
Explicit as the sexuality we
see throughout the film,
1267
01:19:25,552 --> 01:19:29,139
and its emphasis on
graphic violence.
1268
01:19:29,473 --> 01:19:32,518
These elements are filtered
through Martino's
1269
01:19:32,851 --> 01:19:35,604
signature cinematic style.
1270
01:19:35,938 --> 01:19:39,233
As usual in his films, Martino
makes use of a hand-held camera,
1271
01:19:39,566 --> 01:19:40,818
in order to simulate the
frenzied movements
1272
01:19:41,151 --> 01:19:41,819
of the Killer.
1273
01:19:42,152 --> 01:19:43,821
In addition to his hand-held
camera,
1274
01:19:44,154 --> 01:19:49,076
we know it's a Martino film
by the visuals, and
1275
01:19:49,410 --> 01:19:54,206
that specific mise-en
scene that defines his style.
1276
01:19:54,540 --> 01:19:58,585
This framing allows his
giallo audience
1277
01:19:58,919 --> 01:20:04,883
to feel a different physical
sensation in every set piece.
1278
01:20:05,259 --> 01:20:09,263
Martino, like Dario Argento,
doesn't offer his viewers
1279
01:20:09,596 --> 01:20:10,514
any guarantees.
1280
01:20:10,848 --> 01:20:12,182
In his films, as with
Guerrieri's
1281
01:20:12,516 --> 01:20:14,143
THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH,
1282
01:20:14,476 --> 01:20:18,689
we experience several
twists, and follow false trails,
1283
01:20:19,148 --> 01:20:24,403
the latter a recurring element
common to giallos back then.
1284
01:20:24,737 --> 01:20:27,698
It's like saying that anyone
could be the killer,
1285
01:20:28,157 --> 01:20:31,035
is the person you least expect.
1286
01:20:31,368 --> 01:20:32,661
A university professor
or a woman are
1287
01:20:32,995 --> 01:20:36,206
another element that
characterizes all
1288
01:20:36,540 --> 01:20:39,585
Italian giallos, not
just Martino's films.
1289
01:20:39,918 --> 01:20:44,673
These elements tear at the
fabric of social convention.
1290
01:20:45,007 --> 01:20:49,303
There's not an anthropological
or sociological
1291
01:20:49,636 --> 01:20:51,138
explanation for murder.
1292
01:20:51,472 --> 01:20:53,849
These giallos are detached from
reality, and detached
1293
01:20:54,183 --> 01:20:58,729
also because they never
gave the viewer
1294
01:20:59,063 --> 01:21:02,566
any certainty over how the
identity of the Killer
1295
01:21:02,900 --> 01:21:04,193
will be revealed.
1296
01:21:04,526 --> 01:21:06,236
A Killer who may be the least
likely suspect.
1297
01:21:13,619 --> 01:21:16,914
One of the most important
Italian giallo directors
1298
01:21:17,247 --> 01:21:19,333
is undoubtedly Umberto Lenzi.
1299
01:21:19,750 --> 01:21:25,672
His first films were aimed at
an international audience,
1300
01:21:26,006 --> 01:21:27,716
and he was one of the
few directors,
1301
01:21:28,050 --> 01:21:32,221
in the 60s, who made Italian
films palatable, you could say
1302
01:21:32,554 --> 01:21:35,140
to a foreign audience.
1303
01:21:35,474 --> 01:21:39,686
Lenzi's actors were often
real international stars
1304
01:21:40,020 --> 01:21:44,983
such as Carroll Baker, who
made Elia Kazan's BABY DOLL,
1305
01:21:45,317 --> 01:21:48,028
or Jean-Louis Trintignant,
one of the most important
1306
01:21:48,362 --> 01:21:49,405
French actors.
1307
01:21:49,738 --> 01:21:53,117
With SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE,
Lenzi created
1308
01:21:53,450 --> 01:21:56,370
what he called his
"uptown giallos".
1309
01:21:56,703 --> 01:22:02,126
These were giallos that were
set in the milieu
1310
01:22:02,459 --> 01:22:05,546
of the upper class.
1311
01:22:05,838 --> 01:22:09,174
These films are often
characterized by a certain
1312
01:22:09,550 --> 01:22:12,052
morbid quality that was
more suggested than shown.
1313
01:22:12,386 --> 01:22:17,558
An obvious example is the way
that Carroll Baker played
1314
01:22:17,891 --> 01:22:19,143
her characters.
1315
01:22:19,476 --> 01:22:23,605
After SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE,
Lenzi made a series
1316
01:22:23,939 --> 01:22:27,651
of similar giallos, such as
PARANOIA, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL,
1317
01:22:27,985 --> 01:22:30,863
SPASMO, and KNIFE OF ICE,
which is
1318
01:22:31,196 --> 01:22:34,032
more Hitchcockian in style
than those other films.
1319
01:22:34,366 --> 01:22:39,371
Then Lenzi made a more
Argentian giallo with EYEBALL.
1320
01:22:39,705 --> 01:22:44,001
He was a great director, who was
never afraid to experiment
1321
01:22:44,293 --> 01:22:46,628
with different kinds
of giallos.
1322
01:22:46,962 --> 01:22:50,090
I've always been an avid
reader of giallo literature.
1323
01:22:50,507 --> 01:22:51,967
Take a look at my library, and
you'll see it's almost
1324
01:22:52,301 --> 01:22:53,093
all giallos.
1325
01:22:53,427 --> 01:22:57,681
I particularly love
Georges Simenon,
1326
01:22:58,015 --> 01:23:00,225
and American hard boiled
writers.
1327
01:23:00,559 --> 01:23:03,437
I mean Raymond Chandler,
and the other famous one.
1328
01:23:03,979 --> 01:23:06,482
I took inspiration from this
style, and used it to
1329
01:23:06,815 --> 01:23:08,525
write my own stuff.
1330
01:23:08,901 --> 01:23:16,867
Naturally, the giallos I made
reflect my stylistic taste.
1331
01:23:17,451 --> 01:23:22,164
My giallos are set in the world
of VIPs, very important persons.
1332
01:23:22,498 --> 01:23:24,374
The upper crust.
1333
01:23:24,791 --> 01:23:28,086
It's a world rife with feelings
of hatred and perverted
1334
01:23:28,420 --> 01:23:29,922
sexual practices.
1335
01:23:30,255 --> 01:23:35,260
Therefore, my "trilogy of VIPs,"
consisting of PARANOIA
1336
01:23:35,677 --> 01:23:37,513
SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE,
1337
01:23:37,971 --> 01:23:39,723
and A QUIET PLACE TO KILL
comes with a very potent
1338
01:23:40,057 --> 01:23:42,267
social message. One that
I've emphasized.
1339
01:23:53,862 --> 01:23:57,241
I wrote the original story for
PARANOIA and adapted
1340
01:23:57,741 --> 01:24:01,411
it as a script with help from
Ugo Moretti,
1341
01:24:01,745 --> 01:24:04,456
a great screenwriter and
novelist.
1342
01:24:04,873 --> 01:24:07,334
Being a co-production, I also
worked with a French writer,
1343
01:24:07,668 --> 01:24:09,169
Marie Claire Solleville.
1344
01:24:09,962 --> 01:24:14,091
We wrote the script and I shot
the film as PARANOIA,
1345
01:24:14,424 --> 01:24:18,095
which was my original title.
1346
01:24:19,054 --> 01:24:23,559
The leading lady was
Carroll Baker,
1347
01:24:23,892 --> 01:24:26,645
a great Hollywood star who was
a very good and professional
1348
01:24:26,979 --> 01:24:29,606
actress and a friend with
whom I kept in touch
1349
01:24:29,940 --> 01:24:30,857
until a few years ago.
1350
01:24:31,149 --> 01:24:33,527
The male lead was a foreign
actor working in Italy,
1351
01:24:33,860 --> 01:24:35,529
Lou Castel.
1352
01:24:35,862 --> 01:24:38,740
The two leads were excellent,
but the supporting cast
1353
01:24:39,074 --> 01:24:43,829
was no less strong with
names like Lilia Brignone
1354
01:24:44,329 --> 01:24:46,081
and Tino Carraro.
1355
01:24:46,498 --> 01:24:51,628
We also had a young French
actress I discovered,
1356
01:24:51,962 --> 01:24:54,047
Colette Descombes.
1357
01:24:54,381 --> 01:24:59,595
She was the plot's pivotal
character.
1358
01:25:00,095 --> 01:25:02,180
Pretending to be Castel's
sister,
1359
01:25:02,514 --> 01:25:05,642
with the two staging these
sexual encounters
1360
01:25:05,976 --> 01:25:08,812
in order to degrade Baker's
character and eventually
1361
01:25:09,146 --> 01:25:11,648
drive her to suicide.
1362
01:25:12,566 --> 01:25:16,069
When the film was screened in
New York and other
1363
01:25:16,403 --> 01:25:20,449
American cities in the
summer of 1969,
1364
01:25:20,866 --> 01:25:22,701
it became a roaring
success.
1365
01:25:23,160 --> 01:25:27,581
The American major who bought
the rights was about to go bust,
1366
01:25:27,998 --> 01:25:31,877
but they made a handsome profit
from my picture and
1367
01:25:32,461 --> 01:25:34,212
subsequentially produced
my war film,
1368
01:25:34,546 --> 01:25:38,258
BATTLE OF THE COMMANDOS
starring Jack Palance.
1369
01:25:40,260 --> 01:25:42,512
When the film was about to be
released here,
1370
01:25:42,846 --> 01:25:46,975
the distributors, who are often
dimwits, said that the title
1371
01:25:47,601 --> 01:25:50,145
"PARANOIA" made them think
of "noia", Italian for "boredom”,
1372
01:25:50,479 --> 01:25:53,315
and that a new title was
necessary to attract
1373
01:25:53,649 --> 01:25:55,150
viewers to see the film.
1374
01:25:55,567 --> 01:25:57,944
Sexy films were all the rage
back then, so
1375
01:25:58,278 --> 01:26:00,864
the producer said to
rename it ORGASMO
1376
01:26:01,239 --> 01:26:03,283
as a reflection of the
sexual tension in the film.
1377
01:26:03,617 --> 01:26:05,744
I didn't like it, but
they did it anyway.
1378
01:26:06,328 --> 01:26:08,955
Basically, this act
mutilated the film.
1379
01:26:09,373 --> 01:26:11,875
When it was revived at the
Fiamma Cinema in Rome,
1380
01:26:12,334 --> 01:26:14,252
I think in February...
1381
01:26:14,628 --> 01:26:17,089
It was a huge success. The
people gave us
1382
01:26:17,422 --> 01:26:21,510
a standing ovation during
the last scene.
1383
01:26:21,843 --> 01:26:24,763
A standing ovation. I'm
telling the truth.
1384
01:26:25,097 --> 01:26:27,766
All due to a final twist, no
one saw coming.
1385
01:26:28,100 --> 01:26:32,813
The same happened when it was
shown at the
1386
01:26:33,438 --> 01:26:36,900
Venice Film Festival.
1387
01:26:37,567 --> 01:26:39,236
This was 27 years after the film
was made and nobody
1388
01:26:39,528 --> 01:26:42,155
in the audience guessed the
unthinkable twist that happened.
1389
01:26:42,864 --> 01:26:46,159
The film's success in Italy
drove Paramount
1390
01:26:46,493 --> 01:26:47,994
to buy the rights.
1391
01:26:48,328 --> 01:26:50,997
Not Paramount, sorry, I meant
Commonwealth United.
1392
01:26:51,331 --> 01:26:54,501
Anyway, the film became very
successful in America, too.
1393
01:26:54,835 --> 01:26:56,670
But the Americans released it
under its original title,
1394
01:26:57,003 --> 01:27:00,132
PARANOIA, because when it comes
to cinema they're more
1395
01:27:00,465 --> 01:27:02,175
cunning than we are.
1396
01:27:02,843 --> 01:27:06,138
PARANOIA, they just
loved that film.
1397
01:27:06,680 --> 01:27:09,891
That's when Italian producers
decided to make a film
1398
01:27:10,225 --> 01:27:12,519
with the same title.
1399
01:27:13,186 --> 01:27:16,940
They asked me to write a new
film, starring Carroll Baker,
1400
01:27:17,274 --> 01:27:18,275
to be called PARANOIA.
1401
01:27:18,608 --> 01:27:20,694
That's why I made a film titled
ORGASMO that's also known as
1402
01:27:21,027 --> 01:27:22,821
PARANOIA, and a film titled
PARANOIA that was released
1403
01:27:23,155 --> 01:27:25,407
as A QUIET PLACE TOKILL in
the US
1404
01:27:25,782 --> 01:27:28,952
because they couldn't call
it PARANOIA like the other one.
1405
01:27:29,327 --> 01:27:32,748
Carroll Baker gets so confused
about this every time
1406
01:27:33,081 --> 01:27:36,168
they interviewed her about the
films that we made together.
1407
01:27:36,501 --> 01:27:38,587
She can't remember which is
which.
1408
01:27:39,171 --> 01:27:43,133
After directing some of the
most important Italian giallos,
1409
01:27:43,467 --> 01:27:46,845
Umberto Lenzi started to write
more and more.
1410
01:27:47,179 --> 01:27:49,306
Especially in the last few
years,
1411
01:27:49,639 --> 01:27:51,641
with the crisis of Italian
genre cinema, and
1412
01:27:51,975 --> 01:27:55,228
fewer and fewer valid
examples of it.
1413
01:27:55,645 --> 01:27:57,522
Lenzi decided
to become a writer.
1414
01:27:57,856 --> 01:28:01,318
He wrote successful giallos
such as DELITTIA CINECITTA,
1415
01:28:01,651 --> 01:28:03,612
and TERRORE AD HARLEM,
1416
01:28:03,945 --> 01:28:07,032
even if these stories are
not meant to be watched
1417
01:28:07,407 --> 01:28:10,577
onscreen, but to be read on
paper, they still have
1418
01:28:10,911 --> 01:28:14,664
Lenzi's uncanny ability as a
storyteller.
1419
01:28:15,582 --> 01:28:18,877
Subtitled by
Francesco Massaccesi
117481
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