1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:20,501 --> 00:00:23,796 There's a long history behind the origins of giallo films. 4 00:00:24,130 --> 00:00:26,257 The name derives from the yellow cover of 5 00:00:26,549 --> 00:00:28,301 the crime novels published by Mondadori. 6 00:00:28,593 --> 00:00:30,803 Back in 1929, Mondadori, who was and still is 7 00:00:31,095 --> 00:00:33,681 a pretty important publishing company, 8 00:00:33,973 --> 00:00:36,476 started releasing a series of crime novels 9 00:00:36,851 --> 00:00:39,228 and detective stories. 10 00:00:39,562 --> 00:00:41,898 These books had very recognizable covers, 11 00:00:42,190 --> 00:00:43,357 they were colored in yellow 12 00:00:43,649 --> 00:00:46,819 with a circle in the middle that featured a drawing 13 00:00:47,153 --> 00:00:49,197 related to the plot or the tone of the story 14 00:00:49,530 --> 00:00:52,700 that people were about to read. 15 00:00:52,992 --> 00:00:57,413 This is to explain that the usage of the term "giallo" 16 00:00:57,705 --> 00:00:59,165 originates from literature. 17 00:00:59,457 --> 00:01:01,292 It's not like it was used all of a sudden. 18 00:01:01,584 --> 00:01:05,004 The Italian public started using it in the late 1920s, 19 00:01:05,296 --> 00:01:07,173 when the country was still under the Fascist regime, 20 00:01:07,465 --> 00:01:08,841 and since then they've gotten used to 21 00:01:09,133 --> 00:01:10,927 calling every crime story a "giallo", 22 00:01:11,219 --> 00:01:13,221 every mystery, or detective tale. 23 00:01:13,513 --> 00:01:16,349 A giallo is like a puzzle or a gamble. 24 00:01:16,641 --> 00:01:21,771 Its plot has to intrigue the reader, 25 00:01:22,063 --> 00:01:25,066 and make him busy trying to figure out 26 00:01:25,358 --> 00:01:27,860 the identity of the culprit before the writer 27 00:01:28,152 --> 00:01:30,738 tells him at the end of the book or film. 28 00:01:31,155 --> 00:01:34,242 Of course, the writer isn't allowed to cheat. 29 00:01:34,575 --> 00:01:37,745 Otherwise, the story won't be a giallo anymore, 30 00:01:38,079 --> 00:01:41,040 but instead a tale of suspense. 31 00:01:41,707 --> 00:01:43,793 To call it a giallo, the story must be logical. 32 00:01:44,085 --> 00:01:46,796 No cheap solutions. 33 00:01:47,338 --> 00:01:50,174 It's got to be made in a certain way, 34 00:01:50,466 --> 00:01:55,263 so anyone who goes through it a second time 35 00:01:55,555 --> 00:01:58,516 can notice all the clues they missed the first time. 36 00:01:59,058 --> 00:02:02,854 To solve the case or find the culprit. 37 00:02:03,145 --> 00:02:06,941 My artistic education began with American films of the 50s. 38 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:09,569 I was a college student back then, 39 00:02:09,902 --> 00:02:12,488 before I attended the National Film School. 40 00:02:12,864 --> 00:02:15,700 I must have seen all the masterpieces made by Fox, 41 00:02:15,992 --> 00:02:18,369 Warner Brothers, and RKO. 42 00:02:18,661 --> 00:02:22,039 Even now, I still buy those films on DVD. 43 00:02:22,498 --> 00:02:26,627 Back then, I saw all of Elia Kazan's early pictures 44 00:02:26,961 --> 00:02:28,713 and Don Siegel's early ones. 45 00:02:29,046 --> 00:02:31,883 Or, let me think, there were so many. 46 00:02:32,174 --> 00:02:35,636 Raoul Walsh's and William Dieterle's films too. 47 00:02:35,928 --> 00:02:37,138 All those directors 48 00:02:37,430 --> 00:02:38,973 who started out in the 30s, 49 00:02:39,265 --> 00:02:41,517 and made their best films in the 40s. 50 00:02:42,143 --> 00:02:44,770 They used black and white in such a wonderful way. 51 00:02:45,062 --> 00:02:46,856 The cinematographers back then were people 52 00:02:47,148 --> 00:02:49,609 like Harry Stradling or Nicholas Musuraca. 53 00:02:49,901 --> 00:02:52,778 Their use of black and white cinematography was amazing. 54 00:02:53,446 --> 00:03:00,453 I was really impressed by those giallos set in big cities 55 00:03:00,828 --> 00:03:04,624 that were made between 1945 and 1950. 56 00:03:04,916 --> 00:03:08,210 Robert Siodmak was the best at making those. 57 00:03:08,502 --> 00:03:10,338 He directed THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE. 58 00:03:10,630 --> 00:03:12,298 And the one with the twins 59 00:03:12,632 --> 00:03:14,842 that was called THE DARK MIRROR. 60 00:03:15,176 --> 00:03:17,887 It's the one where Olivia de Havilland plays two characters. 61 00:03:18,179 --> 00:03:22,099 A giallo must have a precise mechanism. 62 00:03:22,516 --> 00:03:25,186 The worst mistake a writer or a director can make 63 00:03:25,478 --> 00:03:27,313 is to cheat with the plot. 64 00:03:27,855 --> 00:03:29,732 Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, 65 00:03:30,024 --> 00:03:31,192 but my favorite example of this is 66 00:03:31,484 --> 00:03:34,737 in THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, 67 00:03:35,071 --> 00:03:37,031 when the lead can't remember a detail. 68 00:03:37,323 --> 00:03:39,367 That detail then becomes the key to revealing 69 00:03:39,659 --> 00:03:41,452 the identity of the killer. 70 00:03:41,827 --> 00:03:45,081 It creates suspense, you see. 71 00:03:45,414 --> 00:03:49,085 And to create it you don't need logic. 72 00:03:49,377 --> 00:03:51,379 Suspense can start from anything. 73 00:03:53,339 --> 00:03:55,841 Sometimes even Agatha Christie wasn't logical. 74 00:03:56,175 --> 00:03:59,762 Take TEN LITTLE INDIANS. It's a classic, but at some point 75 00:04:00,054 --> 00:04:02,932 there's a character who fakes his death, and that's illogical. 76 00:04:03,265 --> 00:04:06,602 No one could have been totally sure 77 00:04:06,978 --> 00:04:08,896 the others wouldn't find out. 78 00:04:09,355 --> 00:04:12,233 This means that the writer is cheating, 79 00:04:12,525 --> 00:04:14,944 deciding what's logical and what's not. 80 00:04:15,236 --> 00:04:17,071 I don't have a problem with that, 81 00:04:17,363 --> 00:04:18,906 but then it's just not a true giallo. 82 00:04:19,198 --> 00:04:21,325 A true giallo shouldn't use this kind of trick. 83 00:04:21,617 --> 00:04:28,374 In reality, it would be hard to fake your death like that 84 00:04:28,749 --> 00:04:31,961 without being found out by any of the other characters. 85 00:04:32,336 --> 00:04:36,507 That's some suspension of disbelief right there. 86 00:04:36,882 --> 00:04:39,468 Even a classic like TEN LITTLE INDIANS has it, 87 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:41,387 and we're talking about a book 88 00:04:41,804 --> 00:04:43,848 that's considered a masterpiece of the genre. 89 00:04:44,348 --> 00:04:49,478 One of the biggest influences on Italian giallos 90 00:04:49,770 --> 00:04:52,023 was the German krimi films. 91 00:04:52,314 --> 00:04:55,609 Most krimis were adaptations of Edgar Wallace stories. 92 00:04:55,901 --> 00:05:02,450 Germany began producing them in the early 60s. 93 00:05:02,867 --> 00:05:06,746 These even predate Mario Bava's early thrillers. 94 00:05:07,038 --> 00:05:11,333 When Mario Bava made his first contemporary thriller in 1963, 95 00:05:11,751 --> 00:05:14,795 and I'm referring to THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. 96 00:05:15,171 --> 00:05:18,466 Krimis had already been around for a few years, 97 00:05:18,883 --> 00:05:21,052 predating Italian thrillers. 98 00:05:21,343 --> 00:05:26,599 Like their early Italian counterparts, krimis balanced 99 00:05:26,891 --> 00:05:34,148 very dramatic sequences, and bursts of graphic violence, 100 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:37,526 with lighter comedic scenes. For instance, think about 101 00:05:37,860 --> 00:05:39,737 the parts Eddi Arent played, 102 00:05:40,029 --> 00:05:42,031 and their function within the plot. 103 00:05:42,323 --> 00:05:44,867 He provided comic relief that allowed the audience 104 00:05:45,159 --> 00:05:47,161 to relax a little 105 00:05:47,453 --> 00:05:51,123 until the next explosion of violence. 106 00:05:51,415 --> 00:05:54,335 German krimis play a huge role 107 00:05:54,710 --> 00:05:57,004 in the history of Italian giallo. 108 00:05:57,296 --> 00:06:00,382 Firstly, because those films were distributed in Italy. 109 00:06:00,674 --> 00:06:04,762 We could say that they were preparing the public 110 00:06:05,054 --> 00:06:10,351 for our own crime films and thrillers. 111 00:06:10,810 --> 00:06:14,146 When it comes to the narrative structure, 112 00:06:14,438 --> 00:06:19,693 krimis influenced basic characteristics of giallos. 113 00:06:20,069 --> 00:06:24,281 Krimis too had killers whose faces we don't see. 114 00:06:24,573 --> 00:06:28,035 The focus is mostly on their hands and other details. 115 00:06:28,327 --> 00:06:30,663 Krimis too had black-gloved killers, 116 00:06:30,955 --> 00:06:34,542 another essential element of giallos. 117 00:06:34,917 --> 00:06:40,339 The same goes for the peculiar weapons used for the killings. 118 00:06:40,631 --> 00:06:43,384 Unconventional ones, at least compared 119 00:06:43,717 --> 00:06:46,470 to those used in classic crime films. 120 00:06:46,762 --> 00:06:50,266 Krimis featured weapons such as knives, 121 00:06:50,641 --> 00:06:53,936 or even arrows, like in a film titled THE GREEN ARCHER. 122 00:06:54,228 --> 00:06:57,356 And so killers were depicted in a new, unique way, 123 00:06:57,648 --> 00:07:01,152 which was another important element of Italian thrillers. 124 00:07:01,443 --> 00:07:03,737 Murder was being shown in a new way, 125 00:07:04,029 --> 00:07:06,657 starting with the weapons used to commit it. 126 00:07:06,949 --> 00:07:12,163 This is one of the things that giallos borrowed from krimis. 127 00:07:12,454 --> 00:07:18,294 And, as I said, krimis were born from crime literature, 128 00:07:18,627 --> 00:07:22,548 since most of them were Edgar Wallace adaptations. 129 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:27,511 Edgar Wallace was also the man who created King Kong. 130 00:07:27,928 --> 00:07:33,142 Curiously, the early Italian giallo writers were authors 131 00:07:33,434 --> 00:07:36,395 like Francesco Mastriani or Carolina Invernizio, 132 00:07:36,687 --> 00:07:38,564 who were well known for their serial fiction, 133 00:07:38,856 --> 00:07:41,275 or stories published in installments. 134 00:07:41,567 --> 00:07:43,110 These works were sold at newsstands, 135 00:07:43,402 --> 00:07:45,738 or their equivalent at the time. 136 00:07:46,030 --> 00:07:51,368 This kind of literature was extremely popular, 137 00:07:51,660 --> 00:07:55,164 even amongst the lower classes. 138 00:07:55,456 --> 00:08:04,256 This shows how popular Italian giallos were back then. 139 00:08:04,590 --> 00:08:08,052 Of course, we also had some authors who 140 00:08:08,344 --> 00:08:10,012 specialized in writing giallos. 141 00:08:10,304 --> 00:08:13,724 One of those was Augusto De Angelis, in the 30s. 142 00:08:14,016 --> 00:08:22,024 His stories were set in Italy and were often tales of murder. 143 00:08:22,316 --> 00:08:26,904 This defied convention, of the squeaky clean image 144 00:08:27,363 --> 00:08:33,577 the regime imposed on every story set in Italy. 145 00:08:33,911 --> 00:08:36,747 Augusto De Angelis himself was a victim 146 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:39,833 of the regime's violence. 147 00:08:40,209 --> 00:08:43,087 He was beaten to death by a Fascist activist. 148 00:08:43,379 --> 00:08:47,508 De Angelis was the first to write murder tales set in Italy, 149 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:49,385 and he did it under that regime. 150 00:08:49,677 --> 00:08:54,306 His stories were never adapted for the screen 151 00:08:54,723 --> 00:08:57,559 because he was an inconvenience to the regime. 152 00:08:57,851 --> 00:09:02,606 After the war, another writer continued De Angelis' legacy. 153 00:09:02,940 --> 00:09:07,069 His name was Giorgio Scerbanenco, 154 00:09:07,361 --> 00:09:09,697 another great crime and giallo author. 155 00:09:09,989 --> 00:09:13,742 Some of his novels have been adapted for the screen. 156 00:09:14,034 --> 00:09:16,453 I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Scerbanenco 157 00:09:16,745 --> 00:09:21,750 was the greatest Italian writer of mystery stories, 158 00:09:22,042 --> 00:09:24,169 or giallos, if you prefer. 159 00:09:24,753 --> 00:09:30,884 Genres aside, I must add that he was quite a good writer. 160 00:09:31,260 --> 00:09:34,596 I read some of his non-crime stuff, 161 00:09:34,888 --> 00:09:36,724 he did a lot of different things. 162 00:09:37,016 --> 00:09:40,269 Personally, I don't care much about his romance novels. 163 00:09:40,644 --> 00:09:44,231 That's because I don't like the genre. 164 00:09:44,648 --> 00:09:51,071 I love his five novels with the character of Duca Lamberti. 165 00:09:51,447 --> 00:09:55,868 I also like his short stories, some of them are great. 166 00:09:56,160 --> 00:10:01,707 In particular, IL CENTODELITTI, 167 00:10:02,082 --> 00:10:05,127 Italy only discovered, or rediscovered him, 168 00:10:05,419 --> 00:10:08,172 after he became famous in France. 169 00:10:08,922 --> 00:10:13,177 Mario Bava is considered the first Italian giallo director. 170 00:10:13,469 --> 00:10:18,849 Bava used different approaches to his giallos. 171 00:10:19,266 --> 00:10:23,854 A film like THE WHIP AND THE BODY can be considered a giallo. 172 00:10:24,146 --> 00:10:26,565 An atypical one, perhaps, for its setting 173 00:10:26,857 --> 00:10:28,984 and also because it is full of the same gothic elements 174 00:10:29,276 --> 00:10:33,030 that were present in Bava's previous film, BLACK SUNDAY. 175 00:10:33,322 --> 00:10:37,910 THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is the first Italian giallo 176 00:10:38,202 --> 00:10:40,412 in the "classic" sense. 177 00:10:40,704 --> 00:10:45,501 The film was an inspiration for Dario Argento when making 178 00:10:45,793 --> 00:10:49,630 THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE. 179 00:10:49,922 --> 00:10:54,635 Mario Bava's inspiration was to set the story in Italy. 180 00:10:54,927 --> 00:10:58,222 THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is still a black and white film. 181 00:10:58,597 --> 00:11:02,017 The colors that characterized the genre were yet to come. 182 00:11:02,518 --> 00:11:06,188 That's why one of Bava's next films is considered to be 183 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,191 an even better example of giallo cinema. 184 00:11:09,483 --> 00:11:13,695 The film is BLOOD AND BLACK LACE, and it features a killer 185 00:11:13,987 --> 00:11:20,160 whose methodology set a standard for every 186 00:11:20,452 --> 00:11:23,038 Italian giallo that followed. 187 00:11:23,330 --> 00:11:27,626 The killer emerges from the shadows, dressed in black. 188 00:11:27,918 --> 00:11:30,754 His gloves are black, too, and he mostly uses blades. 189 00:11:31,046 --> 00:11:33,924 These elements were copied by many giallos. 190 00:11:34,216 --> 00:11:38,637 My father, and myself too, even after all these years 191 00:11:38,971 --> 00:11:42,433 have a deep love for BLOOD AND BLACK LACE. 192 00:11:42,891 --> 00:11:46,228 I believe it is a genuine classic. 193 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:52,943 Only a few moments aren't as strong as the rest, I must say. 194 00:11:54,027 --> 00:11:58,490 It took me twenty or thirty years to rewatch A BAY OF BLOOD. 195 00:11:58,782 --> 00:12:03,454 I stumbled upon it a few years ago, I don't remember where. 196 00:12:03,745 --> 00:12:05,873 You know how it is, sometimes you stumble upon 197 00:12:06,165 --> 00:12:07,583 a good copy being screened. 198 00:12:08,041 --> 00:12:14,548 This cinema was showing the film to a young audience. 199 00:12:14,882 --> 00:12:18,093 When the film ended, we all agreed it felt so fresh, 200 00:12:18,385 --> 00:12:20,220 like it just came out. 201 00:12:20,512 --> 00:12:23,098 Compared to some other films of the time, 202 00:12:23,390 --> 00:12:26,727 it's still incredibly modern. 203 00:12:27,144 --> 00:12:31,315 And we also noticed what a ruthless film it still is. 204 00:12:31,815 --> 00:12:37,112 It even inspired a subgenre of the American horror film. 205 00:12:37,613 --> 00:12:41,533 While FRIDAY THE 13th became a worldwide phenomenon 206 00:12:41,825 --> 00:12:45,954 A BAY OF BLOOD remained a cult film. 207 00:12:46,288 --> 00:12:49,791 My father had never been that successful with films. 208 00:12:50,083 --> 00:12:54,463 With A BAY OF BLOOD, also known as ECOLOGY OF CRIME, 209 00:12:54,755 --> 00:12:58,759 Bava approached the genre in a totally different way. 210 00:12:59,092 --> 00:13:04,264 The film could be considered the beginning of slasher cinema. 211 00:13:04,556 --> 00:13:08,519 It's a giallo, where the violence is graphic, excessive. 212 00:13:08,810 --> 00:13:13,273 There's an overabundance of it, especially compared to the plot. 213 00:13:13,649 --> 00:13:17,444 That's how Bava reinvigorated the genre yet again. 214 00:13:17,778 --> 00:13:21,573 He did it in the 70s after doing it in the 60s. 215 00:13:21,865 --> 00:13:25,953 Then, towards the end of his career, he did a noir, 216 00:13:26,245 --> 00:13:27,287 RABID DOGS. 217 00:13:27,579 --> 00:13:30,541 The film had issues with censorship. 218 00:13:30,832 --> 00:13:33,794 As it often is with great innovators, 219 00:13:34,127 --> 00:13:39,716 Bava challenged the convention of his time. 220 00:13:40,050 --> 00:13:45,097 You cannot think of Italian giallos 221 00:13:45,389 --> 00:13:47,099 without considering censorship. 222 00:13:47,391 --> 00:13:49,226 It had an influence on the genre, 223 00:13:49,518 --> 00:13:51,311 at least until the early 60s. 224 00:13:51,603 --> 00:13:56,108 The situation improved during the early 70s. 225 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:58,110 All thanks to Pasolini. 226 00:13:58,402 --> 00:13:59,820 After the censors dealt with the films 227 00:14:00,112 --> 00:14:05,117 he made in the 70s they were more lenient towards giallos. 228 00:14:05,450 --> 00:14:09,830 He challenged the relentless censorship of the time. 229 00:14:10,122 --> 00:14:15,502 As so his efforts helped other directors work more freely, 230 00:14:16,003 --> 00:14:19,965 especially when it came to showing violence or sex, 231 00:14:20,257 --> 00:14:22,175 unlike what had been the norm before then. 232 00:14:22,467 --> 00:14:26,847 Therefore, we can say that Bava is one of the originators 233 00:14:27,723 --> 00:14:29,099 of Italian giallo films. 234 00:14:29,391 --> 00:14:32,686 Bava had the aesthetic understanding of a painter. 235 00:14:32,978 --> 00:14:35,814 He started out as a cinematographer. 236 00:14:36,106 --> 00:14:41,653 That's why he was so invested in visual structure. 237 00:14:41,945 --> 00:14:45,115 Before Argento, Bava was perhaps the first director 238 00:14:45,407 --> 00:14:47,075 to favor visuals over plot. 239 00:14:47,409 --> 00:14:49,494 Bava's main goal was to find the best visual way 240 00:14:49,786 --> 00:14:51,246 to show the murders. 241 00:14:51,538 --> 00:14:54,708 He found an aesthetic for murder. 242 00:14:55,334 --> 00:15:00,005 That was more important to him than having a tight plot 243 00:15:00,297 --> 00:15:02,674 like in a British giallo novel. 244 00:15:03,091 --> 00:15:05,135 Naturally, Bava's films were crafted with 245 00:15:05,427 --> 00:15:08,013 a foreign audience in mind. 246 00:15:08,305 --> 00:15:12,517 His films were made for an international audience. 247 00:15:12,809 --> 00:15:18,148 Right from the start, Italian giallo directors 248 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:23,654 hired well-known foreign actors. 249 00:15:23,945 --> 00:15:27,991 Think about John Saxon in THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. 250 00:15:28,283 --> 00:15:30,243 Saxon acted in several giallos, including 251 00:15:30,535 --> 00:15:33,038 a late entry in the genre. 252 00:15:33,330 --> 00:15:35,999 I'm referring to Dario Argento's TENEBRAE, made in 1983. 253 00:15:36,291 --> 00:15:40,671 Giallos were past their prime, but Argento kept making them 254 00:15:40,962 --> 00:15:42,881 well into the 80s and 90s. 255 00:15:43,173 --> 00:15:46,593 2000s, too. He kept making them well after the genre 256 00:15:46,885 --> 00:15:50,305 stopped being popular. 257 00:15:50,597 --> 00:15:55,602 The genre was past its prime, after reaching 258 00:15:56,395 --> 00:16:00,148 its peak of popularity in the early 70s, thanks to Mario Bava. 259 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,819 Bava was, without a doubt, the originator 260 00:16:04,111 --> 00:16:06,238 of the Italian giallo genre. 261 00:16:06,863 --> 00:16:09,408 Chronologically speaking, after Bava, 262 00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:14,371 Dario Argento is the most important giallo director. 263 00:16:14,663 --> 00:16:17,833 With THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, 264 00:16:18,125 --> 00:16:21,837 Argento introduced the golden age of giallos. 265 00:16:22,129 --> 00:16:26,758 Bava can be considered Argento's precursor, 266 00:16:27,259 --> 00:16:30,303 but his films, mainly THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH 267 00:16:30,637 --> 00:16:32,681 and BLOOD AND BLACK LACE, 268 00:16:32,973 --> 00:16:35,892 didn't generate momentum within the genre. 269 00:16:36,309 --> 00:16:43,817 That happened with THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, 270 00:16:44,151 --> 00:16:46,737 Argento followed in Bava's footsteps, 271 00:16:47,028 --> 00:16:49,281 setting the film in Italy. 272 00:16:49,614 --> 00:16:52,659 He also staged unique murders, with the body count 273 00:16:52,951 --> 00:16:56,371 growing throughout the film. 274 00:16:56,663 --> 00:17:02,169 He orchestrated the murders in a dreamlike way. 275 00:17:02,461 --> 00:17:04,838 That broke with convention, with the established 276 00:17:05,130 --> 00:17:07,674 rules of the genre, 277 00:17:08,091 --> 00:17:10,385 both narrative and visual rules. 278 00:17:10,677 --> 00:17:14,473 It initiated a change within the genre, 279 00:17:14,765 --> 00:17:16,892 and that's the reason so many giallos were produced in Italy 280 00:17:17,184 --> 00:17:18,727 after Argento's first film. 281 00:17:19,227 --> 00:17:24,983 We screened the movie at Titanus after wrapping it. 282 00:17:25,358 --> 00:17:29,988 Lombardo, the boss, was there with his staff. 283 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:31,406 My father was there, too. 284 00:17:31,698 --> 00:17:36,661 I didn't go, I was afraid it would end badly. 285 00:17:37,412 --> 00:17:39,664 And that's just what happened. 286 00:17:40,916 --> 00:17:45,670 They watched the film and really disliked it, 287 00:17:45,962 --> 00:17:49,007 especially Lombardo. 288 00:17:49,883 --> 00:17:51,218 He just didn't like it. 289 00:17:51,510 --> 00:17:55,430 He declared the film was neither giallo nor thriller. 290 00:17:55,931 --> 00:17:58,767 He said he didn't know what genre it was. 291 00:17:59,392 --> 00:18:01,436 Lombardo kept saying that. 292 00:18:02,020 --> 00:18:06,775 I think he wasn't ready to watch something as modern as my film. 293 00:18:07,067 --> 00:18:09,361 Especially given that it was a giallo, 294 00:18:09,694 --> 00:18:15,992 my film had a new approach, 295 00:18:16,284 --> 00:18:21,414 both in terms of the visual style. and in the storytelling. 296 00:18:21,790 --> 00:18:28,046 How it presented the characters and the twists, 297 00:18:28,713 --> 00:18:30,340 and how it depicted violence, too. 298 00:18:30,674 --> 00:18:32,676 It was a new approach. 299 00:18:33,510 --> 00:18:35,470 That's why Lombardo didn't like it. 300 00:18:35,762 --> 00:18:37,931 He was even upset with my father. 301 00:18:38,557 --> 00:18:40,642 They all stepped out of the screening room, 302 00:18:40,934 --> 00:18:44,855 and Lombardo locked himself and his staff in an office. 303 00:18:45,939 --> 00:18:50,569 My father waited outside the room with Cesarina, 304 00:18:51,194 --> 00:18:53,822 Lombardo's longtime secretary. 305 00:18:56,324 --> 00:19:01,121 It was around breakfast, and she was eating a sandwich. 306 00:19:01,580 --> 00:19:06,042 She had watched the film, and her hands were shaking 307 00:19:06,668 --> 00:19:09,504 as she held the sandwich. 308 00:19:09,796 --> 00:19:12,549 My father asked her if something was wrong. 309 00:19:13,049 --> 00:19:16,720 She replied that the film really scared her. 310 00:19:17,387 --> 00:19:21,099 She said she was still shocked. 311 00:19:21,850 --> 00:19:24,269 My father told Lombardo to ask Cesarina, 312 00:19:24,561 --> 00:19:27,105 because she was part of the audience. 313 00:19:28,565 --> 00:19:31,026 So he talked to her and, 314 00:19:31,651 --> 00:19:34,654 for a moment, it seemed he might change his opinion. 315 00:19:34,988 --> 00:19:37,866 That didn't last long, because he later said 316 00:19:38,158 --> 00:19:39,993 that he didn't believe her. 317 00:19:40,952 --> 00:19:42,704 He said he didn't know what could be done, 318 00:19:42,996 --> 00:19:44,956 as the film had been already completed. 319 00:19:45,373 --> 00:19:49,044 He hoped that it would at least appeal to a small audience. 320 00:19:50,170 --> 00:19:54,966 I must say that, at least initially, 321 00:19:55,508 --> 00:20:01,806 the public didn't like the film that much. 322 00:20:03,099 --> 00:20:07,854 I mean, it was my first film, nobody knew my name. 323 00:20:08,146 --> 00:20:11,066 Musante was barely more famous. 324 00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:17,364 It wasn't seen as a film that could be successful. 325 00:20:17,656 --> 00:20:24,371 We had the first showings in Milan and Turin, 326 00:20:24,829 --> 00:20:27,374 big and important Italian cities. 327 00:20:27,832 --> 00:20:29,960 It went horribly. 328 00:20:30,418 --> 00:20:35,090 They started to pull it out of theaters. 329 00:20:35,715 --> 00:20:38,551 My father stamped his feet and asked 330 00:20:38,843 --> 00:20:41,596 to keep trying in different cities. 331 00:20:42,180 --> 00:20:45,308 Cities such as Florence or Naples. 332 00:20:45,976 --> 00:20:49,437 Those new cinemas started showing it. 333 00:20:49,771 --> 00:20:52,023 Meanwhile, Lombardo wasn't in Italy, 334 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:53,733 he was on a business trip. 335 00:20:54,275 --> 00:21:01,658 So, the film was being shown in Florence and Naples. 336 00:21:02,325 --> 00:21:06,371 We went to Florence. It was my last hope. 337 00:21:06,871 --> 00:21:09,958 Otherwise, I'd have gone back to being a screenwriter. 338 00:21:10,583 --> 00:21:14,045 As we got closer to the theater, 339 00:21:14,587 --> 00:21:16,881 we saw a lot of people walking in the same direction. 340 00:21:17,173 --> 00:21:19,009 We asked ourselves what was going on. 341 00:21:19,384 --> 00:21:21,594 They were all going to see the film. 342 00:21:22,012 --> 00:21:26,349 Apparently, people liked it 343 00:21:26,808 --> 00:21:29,644 and started spreading the news around. 344 00:21:29,936 --> 00:21:31,855 Florence isn't that big of a city. 345 00:21:32,397 --> 00:21:35,066 That last showing was packed full of people. 346 00:21:35,358 --> 00:21:37,694 They even applauded at the end. 347 00:21:38,528 --> 00:21:41,573 That filled our hearts with joy. 348 00:21:41,865 --> 00:21:43,283 It didn't happen by chance. 349 00:21:43,575 --> 00:21:46,036 They didn't like the film in the other cities 350 00:21:46,536 --> 00:21:50,248 because they didn't understand it. 351 00:21:50,957 --> 00:21:54,669 The next day we went to Naples and we learned that 352 00:21:54,961 --> 00:21:58,631 the same thing happened there. The cinema was packed. 353 00:21:59,090 --> 00:22:03,178 The audience loved the film and clapped. 354 00:22:03,803 --> 00:22:05,972 That's how the film found its own way. 355 00:22:06,264 --> 00:22:09,851 It started to be a hit everywhere, even in Rome. 356 00:22:11,311 --> 00:22:14,606 That's when I got a call from Lombardo. 357 00:22:15,065 --> 00:22:20,737 He complimented me, said that we hung in there, and in the end 358 00:22:21,237 --> 00:22:23,156 we had made a hit, and I was getting the success I deserved. 359 00:22:23,448 --> 00:22:26,951 Then he asked me to start working on the next film 360 00:22:27,243 --> 00:22:28,495 immediately. 361 00:22:29,245 --> 00:22:31,456 I guess there was some hypocrisy on his part. 362 00:22:33,583 --> 00:22:35,335 "I'm starting to fear that Italian." 363 00:22:36,252 --> 00:22:39,089 That's what Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense, 364 00:22:39,380 --> 00:22:42,634 said after watching Dario Argento's debut. 365 00:22:43,802 --> 00:22:45,595 And that masterpiece was... 366 00:22:45,929 --> 00:22:48,598 THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE. 367 00:22:49,057 --> 00:22:51,309 A film made by Dario Argento, the director 368 00:22:51,601 --> 00:22:55,647 who opened a new and shocking dimension of fear. 369 00:22:55,939 --> 00:23:00,777 What new elements did Argento add to the Italian giallo genre? 370 00:23:01,069 --> 00:23:03,238 Why do we say that his first film was the model 371 00:23:03,530 --> 00:23:06,032 for every Italian giallo that followed? 372 00:23:06,366 --> 00:23:09,661 In my opinion, we can say so because Argento 373 00:23:09,953 --> 00:23:13,832 basically created a list of elements 374 00:23:14,124 --> 00:23:19,420 and tropes that would define the genre from that point on. 375 00:23:19,712 --> 00:23:21,673 As well as recreating the giallo, he created 376 00:23:21,965 --> 00:23:24,634 a code for the others to follow. 377 00:23:24,968 --> 00:23:27,220 Naturally, he also kept using some of the elements 378 00:23:27,512 --> 00:23:29,097 established by Bava. 379 00:23:29,389 --> 00:23:33,685 There's a series of elements that Argento 380 00:23:33,977 --> 00:23:36,396 started using in his first film. 381 00:23:36,729 --> 00:23:38,815 First of all, the look of the killer. 382 00:23:39,107 --> 00:23:40,191 The killer is dressed in all black: 383 00:23:40,650 --> 00:23:43,611 hat, trenchcoat and gloves. 384 00:23:43,903 --> 00:23:45,572 He mostly uses blades to kill his victims. 385 00:23:45,864 --> 00:23:47,657 Having a mysterious, black-clad killer 386 00:23:47,949 --> 00:23:49,367 that moves in the shadows would become one of the most 387 00:23:49,659 --> 00:23:53,246 recognizable traits of Italian giallos. 388 00:23:53,538 --> 00:23:56,166 That can also be said for another element, 389 00:23:56,457 --> 00:24:00,170 which is the attention to the staging of the murders. 390 00:24:00,461 --> 00:24:03,673 From that point on, all Italian giallo murders 391 00:24:03,965 --> 00:24:05,466 would be choreographed. Literally. 392 00:24:05,758 --> 00:24:08,219 Great care was devoted to staging them. 393 00:24:08,553 --> 00:24:12,390 These murder scenes have become pure visual elements. 394 00:24:12,682 --> 00:24:17,353 Beautiful artistic displays detached from a realistic plot. 395 00:24:17,645 --> 00:24:20,607 Each one is an expressionistic display of its own. 396 00:24:20,899 --> 00:24:25,069 Not only was the visual aesthetic 397 00:24:25,570 --> 00:24:29,824 of the murders changed, 398 00:24:30,533 --> 00:24:34,412 but they increased in number as well. 399 00:24:34,704 --> 00:24:39,959 From that point on, Italian giallos would always feature 400 00:24:40,376 --> 00:24:43,504 a substantial number of killings committed 401 00:24:43,922 --> 00:24:45,006 by the culprits. 402 00:24:45,298 --> 00:24:47,550 That's a departure from what happens 403 00:24:47,842 --> 00:24:49,802 in more traditional films or books. 404 00:24:50,094 --> 00:24:51,387 The guilty parties are often revealed to be the ones 405 00:24:51,679 --> 00:24:53,097 that the audience doesn't expect. 406 00:24:53,389 --> 00:24:55,225 In THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, for instance, 407 00:24:55,516 --> 00:24:57,644 the killer is a woman. 408 00:24:57,936 --> 00:25:01,606 This is one of the elements that made the film so original 409 00:25:01,898 --> 00:25:05,777 in comparison to more traditional genre pictures. 410 00:25:06,569 --> 00:25:10,907 Another element that was introduced in the genre 411 00:25:11,199 --> 00:25:19,624 by Dario Argento's film is showing the killer's P.O.V. 412 00:25:20,124 --> 00:25:24,796 It forces the viewer to see what the killer sees. 413 00:25:25,129 --> 00:25:32,053 Before that, the technique wasn't widely used in giallos. 414 00:25:32,428 --> 00:25:38,768 Argento introduced it in order to show 415 00:25:39,102 --> 00:25:43,856 the story from more angles. 416 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,567 He also "fakes" some points of view, 417 00:25:46,859 --> 00:25:48,945 in order to keep viewers on their toes, 418 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:50,905 and make them fear that the killer 419 00:25:51,197 --> 00:25:54,033 will pop out from anywhere. 420 00:25:54,325 --> 00:26:00,790 It's one of the hallmarks of Argento's and other giallos. 421 00:26:01,082 --> 00:26:04,460 The killer jumps out when you least expect it. 422 00:26:04,794 --> 00:26:09,048 You could say for this reason Argento's and other giallos 423 00:26:09,340 --> 00:26:11,968 aren't as rational in terms of plot. 424 00:26:12,260 --> 00:26:14,512 But we're less interested in plot holes than strong visuals 425 00:26:14,804 --> 00:26:17,181 when we watch Italian giallos, 426 00:26:17,473 --> 00:26:19,976 especially in regards to violence. 427 00:26:20,268 --> 00:26:25,857 This aesthetic of violence can be seen in the murder scenes. 428 00:26:26,190 --> 00:26:29,235 Another important element found in Italian giallos, 429 00:26:29,527 --> 00:26:32,864 one that was introduced in Dario Argento's 430 00:26:33,239 --> 00:26:36,659 THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, is the soundtrack. 431 00:26:36,951 --> 00:26:41,706 The soundtrack is no longer just traditional film music, 432 00:26:42,081 --> 00:26:46,669 it becomes more than just incidental, 433 00:26:46,961 --> 00:26:50,006 more than just accompaniment. 434 00:26:50,381 --> 00:26:55,219 It somehow makes silence expressive. 435 00:26:55,595 --> 00:27:00,183 This new musical style also makes innovative use of noise. 436 00:27:00,475 --> 00:27:04,270 Master composers like Morricone, or Bruno Nicolai, 437 00:27:04,562 --> 00:27:09,859 exploited noises to intensify the effect 438 00:27:10,151 --> 00:27:16,491 of their music to create suspense. 439 00:27:16,991 --> 00:27:19,869 The music builds to a crescendo of terror, 440 00:27:20,161 --> 00:27:22,538 which is essential to any Italian giallo 441 00:27:22,830 --> 00:27:24,957 regardless of whom the director is. 442 00:27:25,249 --> 00:27:28,628 And, in his first film, Dario Argento managed 443 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:34,300 to make the soundtrack yet another expressive element, 444 00:27:34,592 --> 00:27:38,638 where even silence speaks volumes. 445 00:27:38,930 --> 00:27:43,768 It was a radical break from traditional scores. 446 00:27:44,060 --> 00:27:45,686 Another element introduced in 447 00:27:45,978 --> 00:27:47,855 THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, 448 00:27:48,147 --> 00:27:50,108 this is something Argento adopted 449 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:53,611 from German krimis, is a bit of comic relief. 450 00:27:54,153 --> 00:27:59,909 The presence of comedic or light-hearted moments appear 451 00:28:00,243 --> 00:28:03,496 to make the violence seem even more explosive. 452 00:28:03,788 --> 00:28:06,457 In THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE we have characters 453 00:28:06,791 --> 00:28:09,961 like Addio, the pimp, played by Gildo Di Marco, 454 00:28:10,253 --> 00:28:14,340 or Berto Consalvi, the painter, played by Mario Adorf, 455 00:28:14,632 --> 00:28:19,929 who add comedic elements to the giallo. 456 00:28:20,221 --> 00:28:23,558 These elements lighten the plot a bit, 457 00:28:23,933 --> 00:28:26,394 and are typical of Italian cinema. 458 00:28:26,769 --> 00:28:30,606 It has been said that all our films have comedy in them, 459 00:28:31,023 --> 00:28:33,484 even neorealist ones. 460 00:28:33,776 --> 00:28:36,654 Even a very dramatic film like ROME, OPEN CITY 461 00:28:36,946 --> 00:28:38,865 has some lighter bits. 462 00:28:39,157 --> 00:28:42,910 As when Aldo Fabrizi hits a bedridden old man 463 00:28:43,202 --> 00:28:46,497 on the head with a pan 464 00:28:47,290 --> 00:28:49,417 because the fascists are about to storm 465 00:28:49,709 --> 00:28:51,627 into the room they're in. 466 00:28:51,919 --> 00:28:57,008 So, the comedic moments introduced in Argento's debut 467 00:28:57,300 --> 00:29:00,761 reappeared in many later Italian thrillers. 468 00:29:01,053 --> 00:29:05,183 The other important element introduced by Dario Argento 469 00:29:05,475 --> 00:29:08,853 is a nonlinear narrative plot. 470 00:29:09,145 --> 00:29:13,399 Cause-and-effect relationships aren't essential in giallos, 471 00:29:13,691 --> 00:29:16,569 at least compared to traditional ones. 472 00:29:16,861 --> 00:29:23,159 Even the murders happen in a nonlinear way. 473 00:29:23,451 --> 00:29:28,581 Ever since Argento's debut, when we watch an Italian giallo 474 00:29:28,873 --> 00:29:33,628 we see a film where the killer could come from anywhere. 475 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:38,382 Even when we think that all is safe and locked up tight. 476 00:29:38,674 --> 00:29:42,345 Even then, the killer could appear from anywhere! 477 00:29:42,637 --> 00:29:46,265 There's a constant feeling of unease, 478 00:29:46,557 --> 00:29:50,061 a constant feeling of helplessness. 479 00:29:50,353 --> 00:29:53,731 That is very typical of Italian giallos. 480 00:29:54,023 --> 00:29:58,528 In an Italian giallo, you don't feel safe even in your own home. 481 00:29:58,903 --> 00:30:02,532 The viewer knows that, and that the killer 482 00:30:02,823 --> 00:30:05,201 might appear anytime. 483 00:30:05,660 --> 00:30:10,540 In the two films that followed, Argento remained faithful to 484 00:30:10,873 --> 00:30:14,961 the conventions he introduced in his debut. 485 00:30:15,294 --> 00:30:18,756 THE CAT O' NINE TAILS and FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET. 486 00:30:19,048 --> 00:30:22,260 We could say that the former has a more "classic" feel 487 00:30:22,552 --> 00:30:23,844 than Argento's debut. 488 00:30:24,136 --> 00:30:30,017 Whereas the latter is the start of Argento's 489 00:30:30,309 --> 00:30:34,355 visionary horror phase. 490 00:30:34,647 --> 00:30:38,734 DEEP RED partially inaugurated this new phase, 491 00:30:39,026 --> 00:30:40,778 which came to fruition with SUSPIRIA. 492 00:30:41,070 --> 00:30:43,322 FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET has an element of precognition 493 00:30:43,614 --> 00:30:45,449 which is typical of the cinema of the fantastic. 494 00:30:45,741 --> 00:30:51,330 I'm talking about foresight, or even 495 00:30:51,664 --> 00:30:56,252 the metamorphosis of reality. 496 00:30:56,586 --> 00:30:59,088 After this first trilogy of giallos, 497 00:30:59,380 --> 00:31:02,091 and we can call it a trilogy 498 00:31:02,383 --> 00:31:06,512 due to the use of animals in the titles: 499 00:31:06,887 --> 00:31:10,016 the bird, the cat, and the flies, 500 00:31:10,349 --> 00:31:12,143 after this trilogy. I was saying, 501 00:31:12,435 --> 00:31:15,771 Argento transitioned to horror films 502 00:31:16,063 --> 00:31:18,482 to films with more fantastical elements, 503 00:31:18,816 --> 00:31:19,692 starting with DEEP RED. 504 00:31:19,984 --> 00:31:22,069 DEEP RED is an important film 505 00:31:22,361 --> 00:31:23,946 in the history of Italian cinema. 506 00:31:24,238 --> 00:31:27,658 It seems to encompass our whole film tradition. 507 00:31:27,950 --> 00:31:32,038 It's no coincidence that it was written by Bernardino Zapponi, 508 00:31:32,330 --> 00:31:37,293 who worked on some Fellini films. 509 00:31:37,585 --> 00:31:41,130 Zapponi added his own layer of the fantastic 510 00:31:41,422 --> 00:31:43,382 to Argento's films. 511 00:31:43,674 --> 00:31:47,136 DEEP RED, of course, is still a thriller. 512 00:31:47,470 --> 00:31:51,641 And so the murders must have a logical explanation, 513 00:31:51,932 --> 00:31:54,060 despite the plot being nonlinear compared 514 00:31:54,352 --> 00:31:56,228 to standard crime films. 515 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,314 It was the perfect screenplay. 516 00:31:58,606 --> 00:32:03,235 It had no downtime, and the characters were fleshed out. 517 00:32:03,527 --> 00:32:10,034 That's not something you find in every giallo. 518 00:32:10,326 --> 00:32:12,662 Giallo characters can often be two-dimensional. 519 00:32:12,953 --> 00:32:14,330 In DEEP RED, they were all developed. 520 00:32:14,622 --> 00:32:16,707 David Hemmings' character had his own temperament, 521 00:32:16,999 --> 00:32:18,292 mine had another, and so on. 522 00:32:18,584 --> 00:32:23,422 At the time, when I played a character, 523 00:32:23,839 --> 00:32:26,842 I took inspiration from the director. 524 00:32:27,134 --> 00:32:31,514 I took inspiration from Elio Petri 525 00:32:31,806 --> 00:32:36,185 when I made PROPERTY IS NO LONGER A THEFT. 526 00:32:36,477 --> 00:32:38,479 Dario had me playing a journalist, 527 00:32:38,771 --> 00:32:41,273 so he drew upon a time when he was one himself. 528 00:32:41,565 --> 00:32:44,819 He kept waving his hands frantically, like an elf, 529 00:32:45,111 --> 00:32:46,737 an inspiration for my character from 530 00:32:47,029 --> 00:32:48,656 .an existing woman journalist, 531 00:32:48,948 --> 00:32:51,117 and also from Dario, who moved like a neurotic. 532 00:33:01,502 --> 00:33:05,923 I created something like complicity with my audience. 533 00:33:08,008 --> 00:33:14,390 I basically told them, right from the start 534 00:33:15,266 --> 00:33:17,435 that they were about to witness a series of 535 00:33:17,727 --> 00:33:21,188 scenes and situations that are highly unlikely. 536 00:33:22,648 --> 00:33:28,946 Unlikely, because I was channeling my nightmares 537 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:31,782 and my imagination. 538 00:33:33,159 --> 00:33:34,869 The viewer was required to enter my nightmares. 539 00:33:35,411 --> 00:33:37,538 That's what I told my audience. 540 00:33:37,830 --> 00:33:42,001 And I also assured them that they would like it. 541 00:33:51,343 --> 00:33:53,304 Everyone hated the idea of the puppet. 542 00:33:53,846 --> 00:33:56,515 My father, my brother, and my production designer 543 00:33:56,807 --> 00:33:58,017 all hated it. 544 00:33:58,476 --> 00:34:02,313 They all begged me to not shoot the puppet scene. 545 00:34:03,147 --> 00:34:05,816 They said that the film was good, 546 00:34:06,442 --> 00:34:07,860 that it was powerful stuff, 547 00:34:08,319 --> 00:34:12,156 but kept begging and begging me to forget the puppet. 548 00:34:13,866 --> 00:34:20,039 But I persisted, and asked the great Carlo Rambaldi. 549 00:34:20,414 --> 00:34:24,919 He won two Oscars later on, working in the US. 550 00:34:25,211 --> 00:34:27,713 We're talking about the man who created E.T. 551 00:34:28,839 --> 00:34:33,093 I asked him to create a puppet capable of walking 552 00:34:33,385 --> 00:34:35,179 and moving its head. 553 00:34:35,471 --> 00:34:38,307 A sort of automaton. 554 00:34:38,891 --> 00:34:42,061 Rambaldi was a very talented engineer and 555 00:34:42,728 --> 00:34:44,438 quite a cultured man. He said "yes", and succeeded 556 00:34:44,897 --> 00:34:46,857 in building this walking puppet 557 00:34:47,149 --> 00:34:49,652 that could move its head. 558 00:35:02,790 --> 00:35:05,584 I always found great pleasure in cinematic violence. 559 00:35:05,876 --> 00:35:06,752 It's a cathartic feeling. 560 00:35:07,044 --> 00:35:10,881 Compared to the horrible things that happen in real life, 561 00:35:11,215 --> 00:35:13,759 or what you see on the news, 562 00:35:14,593 --> 00:35:17,805 the aesthetic of murder can give you great pleasure. 563 00:35:18,097 --> 00:35:19,932 Look at the fake blood. 564 00:35:20,224 --> 00:35:22,393 Everyone knows it's fake, although not as obvious 565 00:35:22,685 --> 00:35:23,853 as tomato sauce. 566 00:35:24,144 --> 00:35:25,896 But it's a very expensive nail polish 567 00:35:26,188 --> 00:35:29,692 made by Max Factor, that you have to use according to 568 00:35:30,025 --> 00:35:32,945 the lights in order to grade the tones of red. 569 00:35:33,571 --> 00:35:38,200 It creates a great, interesting feeling. 570 00:35:38,659 --> 00:35:42,413 There must be something special in my films. 571 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:48,669 I guess my films have nine lives, like cats. 572 00:35:49,670 --> 00:35:54,550 There must be something that makes them unforgettable. 573 00:35:55,009 --> 00:35:59,555 And something too that attracts new viewers. 574 00:36:00,097 --> 00:36:06,186 There have been some recent screenings around the world. 575 00:36:06,854 --> 00:36:13,736 I went to Pisa, Italy, and the theater was packed with people. 576 00:36:14,278 --> 00:36:17,364 So many people... 577 00:36:18,032 --> 00:36:20,075 And in America as well. 578 00:36:20,367 --> 00:36:26,332 And also some screenings in other countries. 579 00:36:26,916 --> 00:36:29,877 The audience is very young. 580 00:36:31,003 --> 00:36:33,088 Some have watched my films on DVD. 581 00:36:33,380 --> 00:36:36,425 For others it's the first time, but they've heard of them. 582 00:36:36,842 --> 00:36:42,681 This new, younger audience is an interesting lot. 583 00:36:43,307 --> 00:36:44,850 Very interesting... 584 00:36:45,267 --> 00:36:47,645 I don't know why my films are still liked, 585 00:36:47,937 --> 00:36:49,396 like SUSPIRIA or OPERA. 586 00:36:49,939 --> 00:36:53,525 The audience continues to like my films 587 00:36:53,817 --> 00:36:58,030 and find interest in them. 588 00:36:58,906 --> 00:37:02,952 I mean, tastes change, so I wonder what it is. 589 00:37:03,243 --> 00:37:10,876 Maybe because I tell stories that come from deep inside me. 590 00:37:11,585 --> 00:37:15,631 I don't tell stories that come from other sources, 591 00:37:16,131 --> 00:37:21,804 except for the occasional homage to certain directors, 592 00:37:22,179 --> 00:37:26,183 or to certain old films that I like, but 593 00:37:27,059 --> 00:37:31,981 I take inspiration from within, 594 00:37:32,439 --> 00:37:35,025 from my subconscious, 595 00:37:35,401 --> 00:37:38,404 which guides me in what to say and what story to tell. 596 00:37:38,821 --> 00:37:43,867 When it happens, I don't know if there's a meaning or symbolism. 597 00:37:44,159 --> 00:37:46,912 I don't immediately understand, but 598 00:37:47,204 --> 00:37:49,873 it comes to me gradually, in time. 599 00:37:50,624 --> 00:37:54,545 With SUSPIRIA and INFERNO, Argento focused 600 00:37:54,837 --> 00:37:56,505 on fantastical themes. 601 00:37:56,797 --> 00:38:02,553 In 1983, with TENEBRAE, he returned to the thriller genre. 602 00:38:02,845 --> 00:38:05,597 More recently, he directed another thriller, GIALLO. 603 00:38:05,889 --> 00:38:10,978 Given that title, GIALLO, it clearly follows in the steps 604 00:38:11,395 --> 00:38:14,898 of classic giallos and thrillers. 605 00:38:15,190 --> 00:38:18,027 Naturally, over the years, both Italian 606 00:38:18,318 --> 00:38:20,154 and international cinema 607 00:38:20,446 --> 00:38:22,031 have undergone profound changes, 608 00:38:22,322 --> 00:38:24,408 as has Dario Argento himself. 609 00:38:24,783 --> 00:38:27,494 Therefore, the new, revolutionary driving force 610 00:38:27,786 --> 00:38:32,082 behind his first films has been inevitably lost. 611 00:38:32,416 --> 00:38:35,335 The Argento of today is a very different director 612 00:38:35,711 --> 00:38:38,297 than the one he once was. 613 00:38:38,589 --> 00:38:43,010 He's still a great director, and one still able to draw on 614 00:38:43,385 --> 00:38:47,264 with an extraordinary visionary gift, and an ability 615 00:38:47,556 --> 00:38:51,769 to make a film in which aesthetics prevail over 616 00:38:52,061 --> 00:38:54,104 traditional narrative structure. 617 00:38:54,396 --> 00:38:57,608 He remains among the greats of international cinema. 618 00:38:58,358 --> 00:39:01,653 Well, Argento doesn't like me, though I don't understand why. 619 00:39:01,945 --> 00:39:03,363 It's an odd thing. 620 00:39:03,989 --> 00:39:06,575 Why doesn't he like me? I mean, if he thinks I'm nothing 621 00:39:06,867 --> 00:39:08,494 then he shouldn't even be talking about me. 622 00:39:08,786 --> 00:39:10,162 Instead, he hates my guts. 623 00:39:10,454 --> 00:39:11,789 Okay, he doesn't really hate me. 624 00:39:12,081 --> 00:39:14,208 Argento doesn't hate anyone, he just loves himself. 625 00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:18,587 I think that Argento is a great craftsman, 626 00:39:18,879 --> 00:39:21,090 who believes he's an artist. 627 00:39:21,423 --> 00:39:23,509 Hitchcock, on the other hand, was an artist who believed 628 00:39:23,801 --> 00:39:25,010 he was a craftsman. 629 00:39:25,511 --> 00:39:28,597 That's why I think Argento will do the same things forever. 630 00:39:28,889 --> 00:39:30,724 He's very good with public relations. 631 00:39:31,016 --> 00:39:32,726 The young people like him. 632 00:39:33,227 --> 00:39:34,978 He also uses a certain kind of music in his films 633 00:39:35,354 --> 00:39:36,939 that other horror directors, 634 00:39:37,231 --> 00:39:40,234 including American ones, would never use. 635 00:39:40,651 --> 00:39:46,365 I like modern music, I have young kids, 636 00:39:46,657 --> 00:39:49,785 Argento's children are younger than mine, 637 00:39:50,244 --> 00:39:53,122 but I believe that his use of music is fake. 638 00:39:53,413 --> 00:39:55,332 He's the same with other things. 639 00:39:55,666 --> 00:39:59,253 I think that he is a good director and a terrible writer. 640 00:39:59,545 --> 00:40:01,421 People often say the opposite, but I think 641 00:40:01,713 --> 00:40:03,465 he's a terrible writer. 642 00:40:03,882 --> 00:40:07,803 Among the most important Italian directors that made giallo, 643 00:40:08,095 --> 00:40:09,555 we must remember Lucio Fulci. 644 00:40:09,847 --> 00:40:13,350 He approached the genre before Argento, with a film called 645 00:40:13,642 --> 00:40:15,227 ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER. 646 00:40:15,519 --> 00:40:18,063 Fulci realized his original vision without 647 00:40:18,355 --> 00:40:20,816 being influenced by Argento. 648 00:40:21,233 --> 00:40:23,861 Argento's success with his first film aided 649 00:40:24,153 --> 00:40:26,071 Fulci's subsequent films, because 650 00:40:26,363 --> 00:40:28,615 after Argento's debut was a hit, 651 00:40:28,907 --> 00:40:30,868 the genre became very lucrative. 652 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:34,037 The public demanded more giallos, and wanted them 653 00:40:34,329 --> 00:40:36,165 to be set in our country. 654 00:40:36,456 --> 00:40:39,001 My first giallo was ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER. 655 00:40:39,293 --> 00:40:41,211 The Producer chose the title. 656 00:40:41,503 --> 00:40:44,089 Edmondo Amati was a good producer, 657 00:40:44,381 --> 00:40:46,008 though he didn't know what a giallo was. 658 00:40:46,300 --> 00:40:49,094 I consider mine to be the second Italian giallo. The first was 659 00:40:49,386 --> 00:40:51,722 THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH, directed by Romolo Guerrieri 660 00:40:52,097 --> 00:40:55,934 and produced by my friend, Luciano Martino. 661 00:40:56,310 --> 00:40:59,813 He's always said we need to do more giallos in Italy. 662 00:41:00,105 --> 00:41:02,733 He stopped making them, at some point, but now he's back. 663 00:41:03,192 --> 00:41:06,778 ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER, also known as PERVERSION STORY, 664 00:41:07,821 --> 00:41:12,534 is perhaps the first Italian giallo with a studied mechanism. 665 00:41:13,285 --> 00:41:16,538 When the film came out, everyone was scared 666 00:41:16,830 --> 00:41:21,210 of what would happen, Amati included. 667 00:41:21,585 --> 00:41:26,423 They were scared because of the way the film was constructed. 668 00:41:26,924 --> 00:41:28,425 Personally, I love the script, 669 00:41:28,717 --> 00:41:30,010 which took eight months to write. 670 00:41:30,302 --> 00:41:32,387 Originally, we had a deal to do a comedy for this producer, 671 00:41:32,679 --> 00:41:33,972 but when our actor, Ugo Tognazzi, backed out, 672 00:41:34,264 --> 00:41:35,599 we decided to do a giallo instead. 673 00:41:35,891 --> 00:41:37,601 A lighter giallo, something similar to 674 00:41:37,893 --> 00:41:39,353 THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH. 675 00:41:39,645 --> 00:41:41,063 I never would have imagined it would become 676 00:41:41,396 --> 00:41:44,149 an example of screenwriting technique. 677 00:41:44,816 --> 00:41:47,778 We worked as hard as we could, and we often made mistakes. 678 00:41:48,070 --> 00:41:49,863 I believe you could remake the movie now, 679 00:41:50,155 --> 00:41:51,365 and avoid the mistakes we made. 680 00:41:51,657 --> 00:41:53,408 The narrative mechanism is still solid. 681 00:41:53,784 --> 00:41:59,122 For the first time, the police aren't involved in the plot. 682 00:42:00,374 --> 00:42:03,085 Cops aren't that capable in my films, they never 683 00:42:03,377 --> 00:42:05,671 manage to catch anyone. 684 00:42:06,296 --> 00:42:13,053 They always make bad mistakes, like the Carabinieri policemen 685 00:42:13,345 --> 00:42:15,389 in DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING. 686 00:42:15,973 --> 00:42:18,684 In EROS PERVERSION, the real enigma is within 687 00:42:18,976 --> 00:42:23,063 the protagonists and we see it by what they do, 688 00:42:23,438 --> 00:42:28,568 by their attitudes and their psychological gestures. 689 00:42:29,111 --> 00:42:31,029 Some of Argento's films follow these rules, too. 690 00:42:31,488 --> 00:42:33,907 After ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER, Lucio Fulci made 691 00:42:34,241 --> 00:42:37,244 a series of films that were very different from each other. 692 00:42:37,536 --> 00:42:41,081 His giallos were, indeed, quite different from each other. 693 00:42:41,373 --> 00:42:46,461 For instance, A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN was very dreamlike. 694 00:42:46,753 --> 00:42:51,216 Whereas, DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING was very realistic. 695 00:42:51,508 --> 00:42:54,886 Starting with the setting, deep in southern Italy. 696 00:42:55,178 --> 00:42:57,472 These two films couldn't be more different. 697 00:42:57,764 --> 00:43:02,602 In A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN we have a female lead, 698 00:43:02,936 --> 00:43:05,397 played by Florinda Bolkan. 699 00:43:05,731 --> 00:43:07,899 We often have a number of important female characters 700 00:43:08,191 --> 00:43:10,277 in Fulci's giallo films. 701 00:43:10,610 --> 00:43:13,196 Naturally, female characters in giallos are often 702 00:43:13,488 --> 00:43:16,450 even more "exposed" than their male counterparts 703 00:43:16,742 --> 00:43:19,911 to the violence inflicted by the killers. 704 00:43:20,454 --> 00:43:23,665 The success of my previous giallo allowed me 705 00:43:24,041 --> 00:43:26,251 to do A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN. 706 00:43:26,543 --> 00:43:29,546 Amati trusted me to do the film. 707 00:43:30,422 --> 00:43:37,137 Argento had already done what were perhaps his best giallos 708 00:43:37,888 --> 00:43:39,598 THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE 709 00:43:39,890 --> 00:43:41,016 and THE CAT O' NINE TAILS. 710 00:43:41,308 --> 00:43:44,102 LIZARD and CAT were released around the same time. 711 00:43:44,394 --> 00:43:46,229 People loved animal titles. 712 00:43:46,605 --> 00:43:48,774 LIZARD wasn't a hit. If I made eight million in a theater, 713 00:43:49,066 --> 00:43:50,817 he made 12 in another. 714 00:43:51,735 --> 00:43:54,029 It was still good and, back then the industry 715 00:43:54,321 --> 00:43:55,739 was a happier place. 716 00:43:56,031 --> 00:43:57,991 His film made more because it was gorier. 717 00:43:58,283 --> 00:43:59,451 My film had only a couple of strong scenes. 718 00:43:59,743 --> 00:44:01,620 Again, I preferred to focus on the mechanism. 719 00:44:01,912 --> 00:44:03,497 It's one of my fixations. 720 00:44:03,997 --> 00:44:10,003 DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is more of a psychoanalytic film. 721 00:44:10,295 --> 00:44:11,588 There's a theme of repression. 722 00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:14,800 After all, the murderer repressing his guilt 723 00:44:15,092 --> 00:44:19,179 is one of the pivotal elements of Italian giallos. 724 00:44:19,471 --> 00:44:22,057 DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING was a huge hit. 725 00:44:22,432 --> 00:44:24,393 It even won an important award. 726 00:44:24,810 --> 00:44:30,482 It was an attempt to create a giallo in a rural setting. 727 00:44:30,982 --> 00:44:34,528 I told a similar theme in my best film, 728 00:44:34,903 --> 00:44:36,738 THE CONSPIRACY OF TORTURE. 729 00:44:37,114 --> 00:44:40,992 Nobody remembers it, it's not even on VHS. 730 00:44:41,284 --> 00:44:43,370 I'd pay you if you could find me a copy. 731 00:44:43,995 --> 00:44:46,665 Anyway, in THE CONSPIRACY OF TORTURE, I showed 732 00:44:46,957 --> 00:44:53,130 how papal power condemned a man to both death and eternal damnation. 733 00:44:53,713 --> 00:44:56,299 In DUCKLING, the priest kills the kids because 734 00:44:57,050 --> 00:44:59,136 he wants them to go to heaven. 735 00:44:59,428 --> 00:45:01,513 That's the theme that got me the award I mentioned. 736 00:45:02,055 --> 00:45:03,682 I really love the film. 737 00:45:03,974 --> 00:45:05,308 There are many subtleties. 738 00:45:05,767 --> 00:45:07,352 At some point, I even reveal the identity of the killer. 739 00:45:07,644 --> 00:45:09,104 It's when the priest walks with Milian, 740 00:45:09,396 --> 00:45:10,772 I might not remember the exact scene. 741 00:45:11,314 --> 00:45:13,400 Anyway, the priest tells him that he doesn't allow 742 00:45:13,692 --> 00:45:15,068 the sale of porn magazines, and that he doesn't want 743 00:45:15,360 --> 00:45:16,445 the children to grow up. 744 00:45:17,112 --> 00:45:20,157 He wants them to remain pure and innocent forever. 745 00:45:20,449 --> 00:45:23,660 That's why the film begins with the bells ringing, 746 00:45:23,952 --> 00:45:25,829 the children at confession, 747 00:45:26,121 --> 00:45:31,751 and the modern highway that divides this unreal land in two. 748 00:45:32,461 --> 00:45:35,964 Concerning the character of the local witch, believe it or not, 749 00:45:36,256 --> 00:45:38,633 I wanted to set the film in Turin, 750 00:45:38,967 --> 00:45:42,679 where these southern superstitions still exist. 751 00:45:43,263 --> 00:45:45,515 They still exist as a matter of fact, 752 00:45:45,807 --> 00:45:47,934 in the big cities of the north, among southern immigrants, 753 00:45:48,518 --> 00:45:51,480 I personally saw little ceremonies of Italian voodoo 754 00:45:51,771 --> 00:45:52,481 taking place. 755 00:45:52,772 --> 00:45:53,815 They did them in grungy courtyards and buildings, 756 00:45:54,107 --> 00:45:54,983 where the southern laborers 757 00:45:55,442 --> 00:45:56,693 that work for FIAT lived. 758 00:45:57,152 --> 00:46:03,241 It was the first film produced by Medusa Film. They did well. 759 00:46:03,575 --> 00:46:05,535 It was my first thriller. 760 00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:14,211 I wanted to make something new after so many comedies. 761 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:19,883 I remember they made me change the color of my hair. 762 00:46:20,175 --> 00:46:22,844 As you can see they dyed it almost red, 763 00:46:23,220 --> 00:46:25,263 styled long and straight. 764 00:46:25,555 --> 00:46:32,687 So, this was my first thriller and, thankfully, 765 00:46:33,855 --> 00:46:37,651 it became a big hit. 766 00:46:38,401 --> 00:46:41,112 Of course, DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING was 767 00:46:41,404 --> 00:46:43,031 very different from a comedy. 768 00:46:44,282 --> 00:46:49,538 I was really trying to diversify my range of roles, 769 00:46:49,829 --> 00:46:51,915 but it wasn't always possible. 770 00:46:52,207 --> 00:46:55,627 DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING was different, 771 00:46:55,919 --> 00:46:57,921 I also liked the cast. 772 00:46:58,213 --> 00:47:00,423 And I played the role. 773 00:47:09,766 --> 00:47:14,145 I liked the idea of working with Tomas Milian, 774 00:47:14,479 --> 00:47:17,649 and with Irene Papas, who I greatly admired. 775 00:47:18,149 --> 00:47:21,653 Also Florinda Bolkan, who was at the top of her game then. 776 00:47:22,195 --> 00:47:25,865 I must say I didn't know who Fulci was at first, 777 00:47:26,157 --> 00:47:28,910 I never knew who the directors were. 778 00:47:29,202 --> 00:47:32,289 I was a foreigner working in Italy. 779 00:47:33,873 --> 00:47:35,959 The only way I had to determine if a project 780 00:47:36,334 --> 00:47:38,253 would be good was to look at the script, 781 00:47:38,545 --> 00:47:39,838 or watch the directors' previous films. 782 00:47:40,130 --> 00:47:41,464 Or trust my agent's word. 783 00:47:42,507 --> 00:47:44,342 Fulci was a little nutty. 784 00:47:47,095 --> 00:47:53,435 He was a bit grouchy. 785 00:47:54,769 --> 00:47:57,022 He had his moments of anger. 786 00:47:59,816 --> 00:48:03,069 I never had any problems with him. 787 00:48:03,361 --> 00:48:06,990 He never got angry with me. 788 00:48:07,782 --> 00:48:11,036 I do remember my first few days on the set. 789 00:48:11,328 --> 00:48:13,496 I got sick. 790 00:48:14,664 --> 00:48:19,210 I had to stay in bed. I'm about to repeat some old gossip. 791 00:48:19,711 --> 00:48:23,131 A little film within the film. 792 00:48:25,425 --> 00:48:29,179 There was, I don't remember well, I think 793 00:48:29,471 --> 00:48:31,931 it was the costume designer who 794 00:48:32,223 --> 00:48:35,602 came into my room and told me I had to 795 00:48:36,019 --> 00:48:39,022 to see something outside. 796 00:48:41,024 --> 00:48:43,985 I was so weak, I said I would see it the next day. 797 00:48:44,402 --> 00:48:47,906 She insisted that I had to get up and go see. 798 00:48:49,032 --> 00:48:55,163 So I did, I got up out of bed. Outside, by the pool, 799 00:48:55,455 --> 00:49:00,168 I saw this big, muscular man. 800 00:49:00,502 --> 00:49:01,961 So handsome and tall. 801 00:49:02,337 --> 00:49:05,006 "Nice view," I said. 802 00:49:05,465 --> 00:49:09,386 "He came with Irene Papas," she told me. 803 00:49:09,678 --> 00:49:12,013 "Not bad," I said, and that was it. 804 00:49:12,889 --> 00:49:19,688 A short time later, however, I found out that Irene 805 00:49:20,355 --> 00:49:25,235 had developed a crush on Tomas. 806 00:49:27,153 --> 00:49:29,447 Yes, Tomas... 807 00:49:29,948 --> 00:49:32,075 He had his wife with him. 808 00:49:32,659 --> 00:49:35,829 Irene had such a big crush on him, that 809 00:49:36,246 --> 00:49:38,540 she dumped the beefcake. 810 00:49:39,332 --> 00:49:41,751 So I stepped in and took him for myself. 811 00:49:42,377 --> 00:49:47,298 He was free, she was busy with Tomas. Finders keepers. 812 00:49:48,550 --> 00:49:51,302 I won that battle. 813 00:49:52,053 --> 00:49:56,516 Eventually, there were these huge fights between 814 00:49:57,058 --> 00:50:01,271 Irene, Tomas, and his wife. 815 00:50:02,439 --> 00:50:08,027 So many fights, at the hotel, at night... 816 00:50:08,820 --> 00:50:10,155 We kept ourselves busy. 817 00:50:10,447 --> 00:50:12,115 You said you've seen one of my best, and. 818 00:50:12,407 --> 00:50:13,867 Least successful films, SETTE NOTE IN NERO. 819 00:50:14,159 --> 00:50:15,702 Its American title is THE PSYCHIC. 820 00:50:16,411 --> 00:50:18,830 The French title is L'EMMURE'E VIVANTE. 821 00:50:19,539 --> 00:50:23,084 It was such a painful production for all of us. 822 00:50:23,376 --> 00:50:25,587 I even had some personal troubles. 823 00:50:25,879 --> 00:50:27,672 It happened because I made a film about challenging fate. 824 00:50:27,964 --> 00:50:28,840 You should never do that. 825 00:50:29,132 --> 00:50:31,551 Polanski once told me that, while I challenged fate, 826 00:50:31,843 --> 00:50:34,554 he made a film that challenged the Devil, 827 00:50:34,929 --> 00:50:37,849 another thing you should never do. 828 00:50:38,224 --> 00:50:44,022 I'd shoot it again tomorrow. I love a solid structure. 829 00:50:44,481 --> 00:50:49,277 The film came out, but nobody cared. 830 00:50:50,236 --> 00:50:52,989 It was a great disappointment for us all because, 831 00:50:53,281 --> 00:50:56,284 let's be honest... THE PSYCHIC is a little gem of a giallo. 832 00:50:57,035 --> 00:51:00,205 I'm always thinking remake potential, 833 00:51:00,497 --> 00:51:03,374 and I think you could build some incredible films on 834 00:51:03,750 --> 00:51:05,794 that narrative framework. 835 00:51:06,085 --> 00:51:07,962 Because, really, the film is essentially a modern take 836 00:51:08,254 --> 00:51:11,007 on Edgar Allan Poe's THE TELL-TALE HEART. 837 00:51:11,424 --> 00:51:16,596 It uses a music box instead of a heart, 838 00:51:16,888 --> 00:51:19,057 but the spirit of Poe remains 839 00:51:19,349 --> 00:51:22,852 in the use of something unusual to help uncover a crime. 840 00:51:23,186 --> 00:51:25,480 It's a classic device. 841 00:51:25,855 --> 00:51:31,152 It works because that device is both simple, 842 00:51:31,444 --> 00:51:32,612 yet loaded with meaning. 843 00:51:32,904 --> 00:51:35,615 I love this film, it's probably the best one I did with Lucio. 844 00:51:36,115 --> 00:51:39,869 That's what I think. Others might beg to differ. 845 00:51:40,578 --> 00:51:45,875 I did 8 films with him, and I think this is the only 846 00:51:46,334 --> 00:51:49,796 "round" one. It works perfectly. 847 00:51:50,088 --> 00:51:51,881 The only one where it all makes sense. 848 00:51:52,173 --> 00:51:53,925 The others aren't as perfect. 849 00:51:54,217 --> 00:51:56,845 They might have been more successful or more exciting, 850 00:51:57,178 --> 00:51:58,888 but they're not as "round". 851 00:51:59,264 --> 00:52:04,102 This film has also something I really love, 852 00:52:04,936 --> 00:52:08,690 and it's a trace of the supernatural. 853 00:52:09,774 --> 00:52:13,194 The movie starts off as a traditional giallo, 854 00:52:13,486 --> 00:52:14,696 with a murder. 855 00:52:14,988 --> 00:52:20,118 There's nothing unusual, it's a story just like any other. 856 00:52:20,660 --> 00:52:24,747 If anything, like many stories, it might seem a bit prosaic, 857 00:52:25,373 --> 00:52:30,461 because, ultimately, it's a meditation on human misery. 858 00:52:31,087 --> 00:52:37,594 Yet, the film has this supernatural vibe, and it 859 00:52:37,969 --> 00:52:40,972 revolves around fate, destiny, and so on. 860 00:52:41,264 --> 00:52:42,515 Different stuff than usual. 861 00:52:43,224 --> 00:52:45,518 This allows the plot to transcend the limitations 862 00:52:45,810 --> 00:52:47,604 of common criminality. 863 00:52:47,937 --> 00:52:54,193 It also evokes a different set of feelings about the murders. 864 00:52:54,485 --> 00:52:57,572 You know you're looking at something different. 865 00:52:58,114 --> 00:53:01,951 I just loved that, and Lucio knew it. 866 00:53:02,577 --> 00:53:06,873 THE PSYCHIC, which can genuinely be defined as 867 00:53:07,206 --> 00:53:09,042 a truly great film. 868 00:53:09,334 --> 00:53:12,712 It marks an important transition in Fulci's career. 869 00:53:13,004 --> 00:53:17,258 Sort of a rite of passage, separating the realism 870 00:53:17,550 --> 00:53:24,974 of the giallos, from a cinema that is more overtly horrific. 871 00:53:25,266 --> 00:53:29,270 As you know, after shooting THE PSYCHIC in 1977, 872 00:53:29,562 --> 00:53:32,899 Fulci shifted to films like ZOMBIE, 873 00:53:33,191 --> 00:53:36,152 CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, and THE BEYOND. 874 00:53:36,444 --> 00:53:41,032 THE PSYCHIC, despite the giallo elements 875 00:53:41,407 --> 00:53:45,119 in the script written by Gianviti and Sacchetti, 876 00:53:45,411 --> 00:53:48,873 was a sort of bridge to more fantastical films. 877 00:53:49,165 --> 00:53:54,379 There's a female protagonist in THE PSYCHIC, 878 00:53:54,837 --> 00:53:56,839 played by Jennifer O'Neill. 879 00:53:57,131 --> 00:53:59,133 She experiences visions of a future that might 880 00:53:59,425 --> 00:54:02,136 actually be the past, or both at the same time. 881 00:54:02,428 --> 00:54:06,849 Therefore, this intentionally confusing narrative timeframe 882 00:54:07,141 --> 00:54:10,770 could be defined as one of the key elements of the film. 883 00:54:11,062 --> 00:54:14,315 The film explores more fantastical territory, 884 00:54:14,607 --> 00:54:19,487 but it's still a giallo, even if it's not as realistic 885 00:54:19,946 --> 00:54:22,865 as Fulci's previous work, such as ONE ON TOP OF ANOTHER, 886 00:54:23,157 --> 00:54:27,203 A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN, and DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING. 887 00:54:27,495 --> 00:54:30,748 Those films are examples of Fulci's incredible 888 00:54:31,040 --> 00:54:32,542 visionary talent. 889 00:54:32,834 --> 00:54:35,253 As well as his willingness to show the cruelty of 890 00:54:35,545 --> 00:54:38,673 the murders, which was another key element 891 00:54:38,965 --> 00:54:44,095 of the whole Italian giallo genre. 892 00:54:44,512 --> 00:54:48,599 Moreover, he retained certain elements from previous films. 893 00:54:48,891 --> 00:54:51,769 Let's not forget that Fulci worked in almost every genre, 894 00:54:52,061 --> 00:54:53,521 very much like Sergio Martino 895 00:54:53,813 --> 00:54:55,231 and many Italian genre directors, 896 00:54:55,523 --> 00:54:58,776 with the exception of Dario Argento. 897 00:54:59,277 --> 00:55:06,701 Fulci started doing thrillers after directing many comedies 898 00:55:07,076 --> 00:55:10,788 starring Italian comedians Franco and Ciccio. 899 00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:14,042 We can say that he was a mainstream director who, 900 00:55:14,333 --> 00:55:17,336 thanks to his unique vision, created giallos 901 00:55:17,628 --> 00:55:20,590 that captivated audiences by merging 902 00:55:20,882 --> 00:55:23,134 elements of genre with those of mainstream cinema. 903 00:55:23,426 --> 00:55:28,848 Following these films, Fulci refined his vision 904 00:55:29,140 --> 00:55:32,143 to create his horror masterpieces, 905 00:55:32,435 --> 00:55:34,771 made in the late 70s and 80s. 906 00:55:35,480 --> 00:55:37,940 There's something my daughter says about MURDER-ROCK... 907 00:55:38,232 --> 00:55:40,276 I mean my older one, not the one who works with me, 908 00:55:40,568 --> 00:55:43,863 and will probably become a director soon. 909 00:55:45,156 --> 00:55:49,077 Anyway, she says that it feels like a good American TV series. 910 00:55:49,368 --> 00:55:50,203 She's right. 911 00:55:50,495 --> 00:55:54,248 Yes, it feels like the end of an era, and I knew I had 912 00:55:54,540 --> 00:55:58,753 to reinvent myself and the things I was doing. 913 00:55:59,212 --> 00:56:02,548 I mean, times were changing. 914 00:56:03,716 --> 00:56:05,843 Like my daughter said, with MURDER-ROCK I did something 915 00:56:06,135 --> 00:56:08,471 that looked like it was an episode out of a 916 00:56:08,763 --> 00:56:10,640 good American crime series. 917 00:56:11,099 --> 00:56:13,101 She felt it was no more than that, 918 00:56:13,392 --> 00:56:15,812 but I was trying to do something different. 919 00:56:25,613 --> 00:56:28,866 There are some directors who only made a few giallos. 920 00:56:29,158 --> 00:56:32,161 One of the most important was Duccio Tessari. 921 00:56:32,537 --> 00:56:35,540 He made a film based on a novel by Giorgio Scerbanenco, 922 00:56:35,832 --> 00:56:37,708 DEATH OCCURED LAST NIGHT. 923 00:56:43,089 --> 00:56:45,591 The novel was very well-known. 924 00:56:46,008 --> 00:56:51,597 Its Italian title is I MILANESI AMMAZZANO AL SABATO. 925 00:56:51,889 --> 00:56:54,559 Lombardo, who distributed the film, feared that mentioning 926 00:56:54,851 --> 00:56:58,062 the Milanese people might put off potential viewers 927 00:56:58,354 --> 00:57:00,356 from other regions. 928 00:57:01,315 --> 00:57:05,778 That's why the title was changed to DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT. 929 00:57:06,529 --> 00:57:08,948 Tessari and I suggested it, because it's 930 00:57:09,240 --> 00:57:11,450 a quote from the film. 931 00:57:11,993 --> 00:57:14,245 Given that we had to change the title, 932 00:57:14,537 --> 00:57:17,123 it was the best possible choice. 933 00:57:17,874 --> 00:57:23,296 I'm happy that, in recent years, most film critics and viewers 934 00:57:23,588 --> 00:57:28,009 have started to consider it the best film adaptation 935 00:57:29,260 --> 00:57:32,346 from Scerbanenco's novels with Duca Lamberti. 936 00:57:32,638 --> 00:57:37,894 Out of all the Italian giallo directors, 937 00:57:38,394 --> 00:57:39,937 Luciano Ercoli was one of the first. 938 00:57:40,229 --> 00:57:41,063 He was also a producer, and when he started 939 00:57:41,355 --> 00:57:45,484 directing he had already produced some interesting 940 00:57:45,776 --> 00:57:52,241 Italian Westerns directed by Duccio Tessari. 941 00:57:52,533 --> 00:57:54,785 The films Ercoli directed are elegant, 942 00:57:55,161 --> 00:57:57,830 and quite Hitchcockian in style. 943 00:57:58,289 --> 00:58:01,500 His style was refined and his choice of music 944 00:58:01,918 --> 00:58:05,171 was equally sophisticated. 945 00:58:05,463 --> 00:58:10,718 We could say that his films are "deluxe packages." 946 00:58:11,510 --> 00:58:13,387 Spanish actress Nieves Navarro was the mainstay of these films. 947 00:58:13,679 --> 00:58:15,223 She usually adopted an anglicized pseudonym, 948 00:58:15,514 --> 00:58:16,766 Susan Scott. 949 00:58:17,099 --> 00:58:18,351 Ercoli's films, DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT, 950 00:58:18,809 --> 00:58:20,394 DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS, and 951 00:58:20,686 --> 00:58:24,440 FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION, 952 00:58:24,857 --> 00:58:29,028 are very sophisticated works. 953 00:58:29,362 --> 00:58:32,740 We could say that, as a director, 954 00:58:33,032 --> 00:58:37,203 Ercoli marries Argento's innovations 955 00:58:37,536 --> 00:58:42,291 with his own elegant and stylized mise-en-scene. 956 00:58:42,583 --> 00:58:46,337 These films were also quite successful. 957 00:58:46,629 --> 00:58:49,048 I always liked doing thrillers. 958 00:58:49,340 --> 00:58:54,595 Crime films too, but I did those after the thrillers. 959 00:58:55,054 --> 00:58:58,182 Thrillers were the trend in those years. 960 00:58:58,516 --> 00:59:03,771 Especially after Dario Argento's ascension. 961 00:59:04,230 --> 00:59:07,275 Many of us directors tried to follow in his footsteps. 962 00:59:07,650 --> 00:59:15,366 That's how I started doing thrillers, in my own little way. 963 00:59:20,746 --> 00:59:26,168 I found it a bit difficult. It was my directorial debut. 964 00:59:26,585 --> 00:59:30,381 The script wasn't much help, and the dialogue was very spare. 965 00:59:30,756 --> 00:59:34,510 I had to turn that into an hour and forty minute film, 966 00:59:34,802 --> 00:59:39,515 so I wound up with a lot of slow parts. 967 00:59:40,057 --> 00:59:43,185 I didn't have that problem in my next film. 968 00:59:43,644 --> 00:59:46,564 I always liked noir films. I really love them. 969 00:59:47,064 --> 00:59:51,152 From the old ones with Richard Widmark and Orson Welles, 970 00:59:51,444 --> 00:59:52,945 to the new ones. 971 00:59:53,279 --> 00:59:58,200 Luciano gave me the script, I read it, and loved my character. 972 00:59:59,035 --> 01:00:01,037 I found it funny, and really interesting. 973 01:00:11,297 --> 01:00:13,841 I had already acted in some of the films Luciano produced, 974 01:00:14,133 --> 01:00:16,844 but it was the first time I worked in a film he directed. 975 01:00:18,304 --> 01:00:20,806 He was a very demanding director, you know. 976 01:00:21,849 --> 01:00:26,979 Maybe he thought I was Ingrid Bergman or someone like that. 977 01:00:27,355 --> 01:00:33,402 Even if I wasn't Ingrid Bergman, he was still very demanding 978 01:00:33,694 --> 01:00:35,613 with me and Dagmar Lassander. 979 01:00:36,155 --> 01:00:37,573 We didn't pay too much attention to him, 980 01:00:37,865 --> 01:00:38,991 and just did the best that we could. 981 01:00:39,283 --> 01:00:43,412 I had a good relationship with Ernesto Gastaldi, 982 01:00:43,871 --> 01:00:45,289 the screenwriter. 983 01:00:45,664 --> 01:00:49,335 We had already worked together, and I felt I could trust him. 984 01:00:49,627 --> 01:00:58,302 He wasn't a great writer, but he had some good, 985 01:00:58,594 --> 01:01:02,973 even very good ideas when it came to giallos or thrillers. 986 01:01:03,557 --> 01:01:08,854 The development wasn't always as good. 987 01:01:09,397 --> 01:01:14,068 Yet, you could still see they were proper giallos 988 01:01:14,360 --> 01:01:15,069 or thrillers. 989 01:01:15,444 --> 01:01:19,156 In addition to Ercoli, we could mention Aldo Lado. 990 01:01:19,448 --> 01:01:21,409 Among other giallo directors, 991 01:01:21,700 --> 01:01:24,537 Lado directed an atypical giallo, 992 01:01:24,829 --> 01:01:26,831 SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS. 993 01:01:27,206 --> 01:01:29,500 The film is set in Prague, a great location 994 01:01:29,792 --> 01:01:30,960 with an eerie, magical feeling. 995 01:01:31,252 --> 01:01:32,545 The lead character is played by Jean Sorel. 996 01:01:32,837 --> 01:01:34,547 The film feels like a waking nightmare. 997 01:01:34,839 --> 01:01:36,549 Its twist ending is somewhat similar to 998 01:01:36,841 --> 01:01:39,176 the ending of Wilder's Sunset Boulevard. 999 01:01:39,510 --> 01:01:42,972 And, maybe its beginning too, an homage to Sunset Boulevard. 1000 01:01:43,264 --> 01:01:48,811 Another giallo directed by Lado is WHO SAW HER DIE? 1001 01:01:49,145 --> 01:01:58,529 That film is set in Venice, which is an ideal location 1002 01:01:58,863 --> 01:02:04,743 for that kind of thriller, a city on water, one that feels 1003 01:02:05,244 --> 01:02:09,623 almost apart from the rest of the world. 1004 01:02:09,915 --> 01:02:13,544 That film has such rich atmosphere. 1005 01:02:13,836 --> 01:02:17,673 Its protagonist, George Lazenby, had played 007 once, 1006 01:02:17,965 --> 01:02:20,342 although without great success. 1007 01:02:20,759 --> 01:02:24,555 It's a film that shows Lado's understanding 1008 01:02:24,847 --> 01:02:26,765 of the schematics of the genre. 1009 01:02:27,057 --> 01:02:31,520 Giuliano Carnimeo was among the one-time giallo directors. 1010 01:02:31,812 --> 01:02:34,440 He is best known for his enjoyable westerns, 1011 01:02:34,732 --> 01:02:38,068 mostly starring George Hilton. 1012 01:02:38,569 --> 01:02:42,031 Despite directing only one giallo, Carnimeo's film 1013 01:02:42,490 --> 01:02:44,909 is considered to be one of the best examples of 1014 01:02:45,201 --> 01:02:47,161 Italian giallo. 1015 01:02:47,453 --> 01:02:51,582 THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS stars Edwige Fenech, 1016 01:02:51,874 --> 01:02:56,462 and it's a film where the schematics of the 1017 01:02:56,754 --> 01:02:59,590 Italian giallo are well-calibrated. 1018 01:02:59,882 --> 01:03:03,427 The soundtrack is incredible, too. 1019 01:03:03,719 --> 01:03:09,642 The film unifies all the elements of Italian giallos. 1020 01:03:09,934 --> 01:03:14,104 Being a mainstream director, Carnimeo is particularly adept 1021 01:03:14,396 --> 01:03:18,609 at tying all of those elements together. 1022 01:03:18,901 --> 01:03:22,446 The orchestration of the murders within that mise-en-scene, 1023 01:03:22,738 --> 01:03:25,866 makes this among the most representative 1024 01:03:26,158 --> 01:03:29,662 examples of 70s Italian giallo. 1025 01:04:08,867 --> 01:04:12,705 Sergio Martino was among the first to attain success 1026 01:04:12,997 --> 01:04:15,708 by making giallos. 1027 01:04:16,000 --> 01:04:19,086 Martino's importance can be attributed to many factors. 1028 01:04:19,378 --> 01:04:22,840 First of all, he's one of Italian cinema's 1029 01:04:23,215 --> 01:04:25,092 most versatile craftsmen. 1030 01:04:25,384 --> 01:04:28,929 His first film was a western, and then between 1031 01:04:29,221 --> 01:04:30,514 the 70s and the 80s 1032 01:04:30,806 --> 01:04:32,182 he was one of the preeminent 1033 01:04:32,474 --> 01:04:35,311 Italian comedy directors at least in terms of box office. 1034 01:04:35,603 --> 01:04:37,605 He made films like SUGAR, HONEY, AND PEPPER, 1035 01:04:37,896 --> 01:04:39,732 and DON'T PLAY WITH TIGERS. 1036 01:04:40,065 --> 01:04:43,652 With his film, THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH, 1037 01:04:43,944 --> 01:04:47,615 Martino created a successful niche with giallos, 1038 01:04:47,906 --> 01:04:49,825 to which he brought originality. 1039 01:04:50,117 --> 01:04:53,329 It didn't hurt that the film was produced by his brother, 1040 01:04:53,621 --> 01:04:57,750 Luciano Martino, who only a few years earlier had produced 1041 01:04:58,083 --> 01:05:01,295 Romolo Guerrieri's THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH. 1042 01:05:01,587 --> 01:05:06,675 We could say that the Martino "family tradition" 1043 01:05:06,967 --> 01:05:10,429 of making giallos predates Argento's taking on the genre. 1044 01:05:10,721 --> 01:05:15,309 THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH was the first giallo 1045 01:05:15,601 --> 01:05:17,478 produced by Luciano Martino after LIBIDO. 1046 01:05:17,770 --> 01:05:22,566 LIBIDO was a gamble made by Mino Loy and Luciano Martino. 1047 01:05:23,192 --> 01:05:24,943 They each put five million lire into it. 1048 01:05:25,235 --> 01:05:27,154 A small investment to make the film. 1049 01:05:27,613 --> 01:05:30,699 One half of the film was mine and Vittorio Salerno's. 1050 01:05:30,991 --> 01:05:34,370 By that I mean that we worked for free. 1051 01:05:34,870 --> 01:05:37,623 My wife Mara acted for free, and we 1052 01:05:37,998 --> 01:05:39,833 only paid Giancarlo Giannini 1053 01:05:40,167 --> 01:05:41,960 Actually, I still owe him 20K. 1054 01:05:42,419 --> 01:05:45,339 If I remember correctly, Dominique Boschero 1055 01:05:45,631 --> 01:05:48,676 got one million. She was our lead actress. 1056 01:05:49,093 --> 01:05:51,887 Again, the film was a gamble. 1057 01:05:52,179 --> 01:05:54,932 There was no guarantee we would make a profit. 1058 01:05:55,224 --> 01:06:00,062 In Italy, we only earned 123 or 153 million. 1059 01:06:00,562 --> 01:06:03,982 The budget was 26 million. 1060 01:06:04,525 --> 01:06:06,860 So it wasn't bad, but it wasn't much. 1061 01:06:07,152 --> 01:06:09,655 Then, suddenly, on the foreign market, 1062 01:06:09,947 --> 01:06:13,200 and I don't know how, but the distributors managed 1063 01:06:13,534 --> 01:06:16,662 to sell LIBIDO everywhere. 1064 01:06:17,287 --> 01:06:18,997 They sold it for big money, too. 1065 01:06:19,289 --> 01:06:24,962 At that point, Loy and Martino made an English-dubbed version. 1066 01:06:25,337 --> 01:06:29,049 When they sold it to the US market for 1067 01:06:29,341 --> 01:06:31,260 35 or 40 thousand dollars, 1068 01:06:31,552 --> 01:06:36,640 it wasn't much at the time, but more than the film's budget, 1069 01:06:36,932 --> 01:06:40,728 the Americans didn't want the dubbed version. 1070 01:06:41,186 --> 01:06:43,731 They said that it sounded like a character was 1071 01:06:44,022 --> 01:06:45,441 dubbed in Sicilian. 1072 01:06:45,733 --> 01:06:48,277 And the character's child in Milanese. 1073 01:06:48,569 --> 01:06:51,155 We didn't understand that you can't have a guy from Alabama 1074 01:06:51,447 --> 01:06:53,365 dubbing a character whose child is dubbed 1075 01:06:53,657 --> 01:06:54,867 by someone from Boston. 1076 01:06:55,159 --> 01:06:58,704 The film had to be redubbed, but this time the Americans 1077 01:06:58,996 --> 01:07:00,539 did it themselves. 1078 01:07:00,831 --> 01:07:03,375 It was one of the few times they dubbed a foreign film. 1079 01:07:03,667 --> 01:07:05,252 They tend to use subtitles. The film did great and 1080 01:07:05,544 --> 01:07:06,837 they sold it worldwide. 1081 01:07:07,129 --> 01:07:08,714 The bottom line is, out of a 26 million lire budget, 1082 01:07:09,006 --> 01:07:10,424 this little film earned 400 million. 1083 01:07:11,467 --> 01:07:14,678 And then Luciano, who wasn't a stupid man at all, 1084 01:07:15,095 --> 01:07:16,722 had a bright idea. 1085 01:07:17,139 --> 01:07:21,268 "Giallo is the way", he said, "let's do more of them, pronto"... 1086 01:07:21,560 --> 01:07:25,314 So THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH was the first giallo 1087 01:07:25,606 --> 01:07:27,900 of the long-running series produced by Luciano. 1088 01:07:28,192 --> 01:07:30,444 Ernesto Gastaldi can be considered the top 1089 01:07:30,736 --> 01:07:33,405 screenwriter of giallo cinema. 1090 01:07:33,697 --> 01:07:35,365 He wrote several solid screenplays 1091 01:07:35,657 --> 01:07:37,409 for the giallos made in those years. 1092 01:07:37,701 --> 01:07:39,203 The various directors turned those stories into 1093 01:07:39,536 --> 01:07:40,788 more elaborate films. 1094 01:07:41,079 --> 01:07:43,832 Nevertheless, all those scripts written 1095 01:07:44,124 --> 01:07:47,044 by Gastaldi were strong. 1096 01:07:47,336 --> 01:07:51,006 Those films were often full of visual inventions, 1097 01:07:51,298 --> 01:07:56,720 and that's why they always needed good scripts, 1098 01:07:57,054 --> 01:08:03,018 like the ones Ernesto Gastaldi wrote. 1099 01:08:03,644 --> 01:08:05,771 "We're all descendants of an uninterrupted 1100 01:08:06,063 --> 01:08:08,816 chain of murderers, whose love to kill 1101 01:08:09,107 --> 01:08:10,526 was instilled in their blood, just as it could 1102 01:08:10,818 --> 01:08:12,861 be within us too." - Sigmund Freud 1103 01:08:13,153 --> 01:08:16,865 From its very start, THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH 1104 01:08:17,324 --> 01:08:22,996 differs from Argento's films in its emphasis on the sexual, 1105 01:08:23,288 --> 01:08:28,877 psychological, and dreamlike elements. 1106 01:08:29,169 --> 01:08:32,214 These elements recur throughout the films of Sergio Martino. 1107 01:08:32,506 --> 01:08:34,967 In those years, the director frequently worked with 1108 01:08:35,259 --> 01:08:39,346 Edwige Fenech, an actress whose strong physicality 1109 01:08:39,638 --> 01:08:45,519 defined the difference between Martino's 1110 01:08:45,811 --> 01:08:47,354 and Argento's films in those days. 1111 01:08:47,688 --> 01:08:52,609 I was the first to meet Edwige when she came into our office, 1112 01:08:52,901 --> 01:08:57,698 which was also used as a dubbing studio. 1113 01:08:58,198 --> 01:09:02,786 She was gorgeous, in black leather pants that were 1114 01:09:03,078 --> 01:09:04,955 unusual back then. 1115 01:09:05,247 --> 01:09:08,208 I told my brother about this gorgeous girl, 1116 01:09:08,500 --> 01:09:11,587 and he hired her to do a film called 1117 01:09:11,879 --> 01:09:15,716 THE SINS OF MADAME BOVARY, which was a collaboration 1118 01:09:16,008 --> 01:09:18,927 between Luciano and another producer, Alabiso. 1119 01:09:19,303 --> 01:09:22,890 After this film, I believe she felt grateful 1120 01:09:23,181 --> 01:09:26,518 to Luciano and eventually got to know him better, 1121 01:09:27,019 --> 01:09:30,397 in the biblical sense. 1122 01:09:30,772 --> 01:09:35,611 She became his partner, and she became more and more successful. 1123 01:09:35,903 --> 01:09:43,744 Edwige was a buxom,full-figured girl, and she was working 1124 01:09:44,036 --> 01:09:47,831 in Italy at a time when... Let me digress a little, 1125 01:09:48,123 --> 01:09:52,669 even seeing a girl showing her bosoms was almost an event. 1126 01:09:53,003 --> 01:09:55,380 I remember that every time we went to Paris for a film, 1127 01:09:55,672 --> 01:09:57,758 the first thing the crew did was buy a copy of Playboy. 1128 01:09:58,133 --> 01:10:02,554 You have to think in the context of the time. 1129 01:10:02,846 --> 01:10:06,350 In those days, censorship was finally slightly less 1130 01:10:06,683 --> 01:10:09,394 vicious than it had been. 1131 01:10:09,686 --> 01:10:13,607 Edwige became successful, and I think she was 1132 01:10:13,899 --> 01:10:18,028 a very good actress in my films, even if she didn't have 1133 01:10:18,320 --> 01:10:21,573 the physique du role, like the French say, to play 1134 01:10:21,865 --> 01:10:24,993 the part of a frail-looking, emaciated girl. 1135 01:10:25,285 --> 01:10:27,746 Maybe I need to escape from myself. 1136 01:10:28,038 --> 01:10:33,126 These thrillers were often very interesting films. 1137 01:10:33,627 --> 01:10:39,049 Made with not much money, but a lot of good will. 1138 01:10:39,508 --> 01:10:43,136 And what came out was our love for them. 1139 01:10:43,971 --> 01:10:49,726 In the end, they were very good films that had 1140 01:10:50,102 --> 01:10:57,109 great success, not just in Italy, but abroad too. 1141 01:10:57,693 --> 01:11:01,571 We were always greatly surprised by that, because 1142 01:11:01,863 --> 01:11:05,659 we didn't have the means of big budget films. 1143 01:11:05,951 --> 01:11:11,707 We knew we weren't actors with big names, 1144 01:11:12,082 --> 01:11:18,422 but our films were seen both in and outside of Italy. 1145 01:11:18,839 --> 01:11:24,594 I first met Edwige Fenech, when we were in Tirrenia. 1146 01:11:24,928 --> 01:11:27,180 She was doing a film with Rosalba Neri, 1147 01:11:27,472 --> 01:11:30,767 and we were staying at the same hotel. 1148 01:11:31,101 --> 01:11:35,814 I was doing IL BACO DA SETA, a film with Nadja Tiller. 1149 01:11:36,732 --> 01:11:41,862 We met in the hotel lobby. 1150 01:11:42,612 --> 01:11:45,699 She greeted me and introduced herself. 1151 01:11:46,283 --> 01:11:51,413 In talking, we learned that we lived near one another in Rome. 1152 01:11:52,497 --> 01:11:56,501 We became friends, and started to hang out together. 1153 01:11:57,252 --> 01:12:00,589 I met her family, she met mine. 1154 01:12:03,216 --> 01:12:08,972 Then, one day, Luciano Martino told me he was crazy about her. 1155 01:12:09,931 --> 01:12:12,893 He begged me to introduce him to her in exchange 1156 01:12:13,351 --> 01:12:14,478 for doing a film together. 1157 01:12:14,770 --> 01:12:16,855 He promised I'd have had carte blanche to do a film 1158 01:12:17,147 --> 01:12:18,273 with her in it. 1159 01:12:18,690 --> 01:12:21,401 And that promise became THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH. 1160 01:12:21,818 --> 01:12:24,404 I was in charge of hiring her, but I had to introduce them. 1161 01:12:24,905 --> 01:12:28,075 So I had them meet during a dinner and we all read 1162 01:12:28,992 --> 01:12:32,537 the script that he brought. 1163 01:12:33,163 --> 01:12:35,999 And that's how they started working together. 1164 01:12:36,666 --> 01:12:38,418 I think she was great in those films. 1165 01:12:38,710 --> 01:12:41,296 I made several films with Hilton. 1166 01:12:42,089 --> 01:12:52,099 And I became friends with him, his family. 1167 01:12:52,557 --> 01:12:59,147 His wife came with him, and then his children. 1168 01:12:59,606 --> 01:13:03,026 We were all a big family, all together. 1169 01:13:03,360 --> 01:13:05,904 I have fond memories of George. 1170 01:13:06,279 --> 01:13:08,406 He's a funny man. 1171 01:13:08,698 --> 01:13:13,995 Edwige Fenech was every man's dream. 1172 01:13:14,287 --> 01:13:16,873 I had people stopping me in the streets, telling me how lucky 1173 01:13:17,165 --> 01:13:19,709 I was to do all those love scenes with her. 1174 01:13:20,085 --> 01:13:25,298 She drove men crazy. Her beauty was in a class of its own. 1175 01:13:25,799 --> 01:13:28,343 She was fantastic, and so sexy. 1176 01:13:29,052 --> 01:13:31,221 I remember her as an amazing woman to which 1177 01:13:31,513 --> 01:13:32,931 I had this great friendship. 1178 01:13:33,932 --> 01:13:40,438 I think Edwige was able to not feel "naked" when she was 1179 01:13:40,730 --> 01:13:42,816 doing nude scenes. 1180 01:13:43,400 --> 01:13:48,280 I must add that, despite being a gorgeous woman, 1181 01:13:48,947 --> 01:13:50,866 and no matter how many people asked me 1182 01:13:51,158 --> 01:13:53,201 what she looked like naked, 1183 01:13:53,827 --> 01:13:55,245 I always saw her as a sister, perhaps because 1184 01:13:55,537 --> 01:13:56,663 she was my brother's partner. 1185 01:13:56,955 --> 01:13:59,457 Therefore, I never got a sexual charge from anything she did. 1186 01:13:59,749 --> 01:14:05,422 A few times, when we were making a film, 1187 01:14:06,214 --> 01:14:10,719 in order to give the censors something 1188 01:14:11,136 --> 01:14:16,057 they could cut, without hurting our picture, 1189 01:14:16,349 --> 01:14:21,646 we shot some more explicit erotic scenes. 1190 01:14:21,938 --> 01:14:24,399 But this is another matter. 1191 01:14:24,858 --> 01:14:30,363 I always asked to have as few nude scenes as possible. 1192 01:14:30,989 --> 01:14:33,825 But it seemed as though we couldn't sell my films 1193 01:14:34,117 --> 01:14:36,036 without a scene of me taking a shower. 1194 01:14:36,995 --> 01:14:42,667 Most of all, I wanted to avoid doing love scenes, 1195 01:14:42,959 --> 01:14:47,172 they were what worried me the most. 1196 01:14:47,464 --> 01:14:50,300 She never had that sort of problem, 1197 01:14:50,634 --> 01:14:53,136 at least in the films we made together. 1198 01:14:53,553 --> 01:15:01,144 Her body was so beautiful, and she showed it on film. 1199 01:15:01,436 --> 01:15:03,438 Everyone knew that people flocked to 1200 01:15:03,772 --> 01:15:05,398 the theaters to see her movies. 1201 01:15:05,690 --> 01:15:07,192 They always gave her a shower scene. 1202 01:15:07,484 --> 01:15:10,445 Love scenes, too. That's how it was. 1203 01:15:10,737 --> 01:15:13,990 She was and still is a gorgeous woman. 1204 01:15:14,616 --> 01:15:18,662 It's hard to do a love scene with a friend. 1205 01:15:19,246 --> 01:15:23,041 We were actually naked when we did our scenes. 1206 01:15:26,461 --> 01:15:31,466 We always covered our private parts, of course. 1207 01:15:32,509 --> 01:15:34,928 They put some tape on them. 1208 01:15:35,971 --> 01:15:37,931 Those were good scenes. 1209 01:15:38,223 --> 01:15:43,812 When you act, you think you're really making love. 1210 01:15:44,104 --> 01:15:48,066 But it was just acting, they weren't real love scenes. 1211 01:15:48,775 --> 01:15:53,321 Yet, we did our best to make it look as real as possible. 1212 01:15:53,905 --> 01:15:58,910 THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH was my first giallo. 1213 01:15:59,953 --> 01:16:05,000 The plot was, for the most part, similar to other giallos. 1214 01:16:05,417 --> 01:16:09,129 Perhaps, not many people realize it, 1215 01:16:09,421 --> 01:16:12,424 but with his film LES DIABOLIQUES, 1216 01:16:12,716 --> 01:16:15,176 Henri-Georges Clouzot became a great source of inspiration. 1217 01:16:15,468 --> 01:16:19,014 I foolishly didn't co-sign the screenplay of my film. 1218 01:16:19,306 --> 01:16:24,853 This happened a lot in my career and consequently, I lost money. 1219 01:16:26,980 --> 01:16:32,485 I tried to give it a unique introduction to make it feel 1220 01:16:32,777 --> 01:16:35,572 less like a TV film, and to infuse it with more energy. 1221 01:16:35,989 --> 01:16:39,993 To do so, I made up a parallel story about 1222 01:16:40,285 --> 01:16:47,125 a maniac on the loose in Vienna killing women. 1223 01:16:47,625 --> 01:16:51,713 Using this tactic to boost the tension by showing 1224 01:16:52,005 --> 01:16:57,177 murders more frequently allowed us to avoid 1225 01:16:57,469 --> 01:17:02,098 involving the police trying to find the killer. 1226 01:17:02,515 --> 01:17:06,436 Writing a book on giallos, I discovered that 1227 01:17:06,728 --> 01:17:10,357 at least 2000 articles, and books have been written about 1228 01:17:10,648 --> 01:17:14,110 how to commit a murder inside a locked room. 1229 01:17:17,072 --> 01:17:19,407 In THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH, I created 1230 01:17:19,783 --> 01:17:22,077 the perfect murder in a locked room 1231 01:17:22,369 --> 01:17:24,496 using an iced cube! 1232 01:17:24,788 --> 01:17:27,832 It melts, the door locks itself, and appears 1233 01:17:28,124 --> 01:17:30,335 to have been locked from the inside. 1234 01:17:30,627 --> 01:17:32,170 The water dries and that's that. 1235 01:17:32,462 --> 01:17:35,757 I've read quite a few murder scenarios dreamed up 1236 01:17:36,132 --> 01:17:37,258 by other writers. 1237 01:17:37,550 --> 01:17:40,345 Hidden snakes and other crazy ideas. 1238 01:17:40,970 --> 01:17:44,182 Anyway, that's what giallo is. 1239 01:17:44,724 --> 01:17:49,187 It's about creating a mystery that people can solve 1240 01:17:49,479 --> 01:17:51,398 if they pay attention. 1241 01:17:51,773 --> 01:17:52,982 Without cheating, of course. 1242 01:17:53,274 --> 01:17:55,068 Sergio Martino directed a series of very 1243 01:17:55,360 --> 01:17:57,654 successful and stylish giallos, such as 1244 01:17:57,946 --> 01:18:00,198 THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH, his first, and 1245 01:18:00,573 --> 01:18:03,493 ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK. 1246 01:18:03,785 --> 01:18:06,204 As well as YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM 1247 01:18:06,621 --> 01:18:10,083 AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY before 1973, 1248 01:18:10,375 --> 01:18:14,963 when he directed what he calls his giallo masterpiece. 1249 01:18:15,296 --> 01:18:20,260 We're talking about an extremely violent film that even compared 1250 01:18:20,552 --> 01:18:22,137 to today's standards represents a watershed 1251 01:18:22,429 --> 01:18:23,430 for Italian cinema. 1252 01:18:23,721 --> 01:18:27,934 In 1973, never before had an Italian film been so violent, 1253 01:18:28,226 --> 01:18:34,399 and then came Sergio Martino's TORSO. 1254 01:18:34,691 --> 01:18:38,611 TORSO has all the elements of the Sergio Martino style. 1255 01:18:38,903 --> 01:18:41,531 His cinema speaks a universal language and appeals 1256 01:18:41,865 --> 01:18:45,243 to an international audience. 1257 01:18:45,535 --> 01:18:47,954 Martino's films have no borders, and his specialty 1258 01:18:48,246 --> 01:18:50,623 is to create a world in which it isn't important to 1259 01:18:50,915 --> 01:18:53,001 pinpoint the exact location. 1260 01:18:53,293 --> 01:18:56,921 His films are mostly set in Italy. 1261 01:18:57,338 --> 01:18:59,924 TORSO is set in the town of Perugia. 1262 01:19:00,258 --> 01:19:03,178 Which is an international environment, 1263 01:19:03,470 --> 01:19:05,054 the University for Foreigners, 1264 01:19:05,346 --> 01:19:07,849 which is perhaps the most important cultural 1265 01:19:08,141 --> 01:19:09,726 institution in town. 1266 01:19:10,018 --> 01:19:12,896 In this film, all the elements that define 1267 01:19:13,188 --> 01:19:20,195 Martino's filmmaking style are present and very explicit. 1268 01:19:20,570 --> 01:19:25,241 Explicit as the sexuality we see throughout the film, 1269 01:19:25,533 --> 01:19:29,162 and its emphasis on graphic violence. 1270 01:19:29,454 --> 01:19:32,540 These elements are filtered through Martino's 1271 01:19:32,832 --> 01:19:35,627 signature cinematic style. 1272 01:19:35,919 --> 01:19:39,297 As usual in his films, Martino makes use of a hand-held camera, 1273 01:19:39,589 --> 01:19:40,882 in order to simulate the frenzied movements 1274 01:19:41,174 --> 01:19:41,883 of the killer. 1275 01:19:42,175 --> 01:19:43,885 In addition to his hand-held camera, 1276 01:19:44,177 --> 01:19:49,098 we know it's a Martino film by the visuals, and 1277 01:19:49,432 --> 01:19:54,229 that specific mise-en scene that defines his style. 1278 01:19:54,521 --> 01:19:58,566 This framing allows his giallo audience 1279 01:19:58,858 --> 01:20:04,864 to feel a different physical sensation in every set piece. 1280 01:20:05,240 --> 01:20:09,285 Martino, like Dario Argento, doesn't offer his viewers 1281 01:20:09,577 --> 01:20:10,537 any guarantees. 1282 01:20:10,828 --> 01:20:12,205 In his films, as with Guerrieri's 1283 01:20:12,497 --> 01:20:14,165 THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH, 1284 01:20:14,457 --> 01:20:18,670 we experience several twists, and follow false trails, 1285 01:20:19,170 --> 01:20:24,467 the latter a recurring element common to giallos back then. 1286 01:20:24,759 --> 01:20:27,720 It's like saying that anyone could be the killer, 1287 01:20:28,179 --> 01:20:31,099 is the person you least expect. 1288 01:20:31,391 --> 01:20:32,725 A university professor or a woman are 1289 01:20:33,017 --> 01:20:36,229 another element that characterizes all 1290 01:20:36,521 --> 01:20:39,607 Italian giallos, not just Martino's films. 1291 01:20:39,899 --> 01:20:44,696 These elements tear at the fabric of social convention. 1292 01:20:44,988 --> 01:20:49,325 There's not an anthropological or sociological 1293 01:20:49,617 --> 01:20:51,160 explanation for murder. 1294 01:20:51,452 --> 01:20:53,830 These giallos are detached from reality, and detached 1295 01:20:54,163 --> 01:20:58,710 also because they never gave the viewer 1296 01:20:59,043 --> 01:21:02,630 any certainty over how the identity of the killer 1297 01:21:02,922 --> 01:21:04,215 will be revealed. 1298 01:21:04,549 --> 01:21:06,259 A killer who may be the least likely suspect. 1299 01:21:13,641 --> 01:21:16,936 One of the most important Italian giallo directors 1300 01:21:17,228 --> 01:21:19,314 is undoubtedly Umberto Lenzi. 1301 01:21:19,731 --> 01:21:25,695 His first films were aimed at an international audience, 1302 01:21:25,987 --> 01:21:27,739 and he was one of the few directors, 1303 01:21:28,031 --> 01:21:32,243 in the 60s, who made Italian films palatable, you could say 1304 01:21:32,535 --> 01:21:35,163 to a foreign audience. 1305 01:21:35,455 --> 01:21:39,709 Lenzi's actors were often real international stars 1306 01:21:40,001 --> 01:21:45,048 such as Carroll Baker, who made Elia Kazan's BABY DOLL, 1307 01:21:45,340 --> 01:21:48,092 or Jean-Louis Trintignant, one of the most important 1308 01:21:48,384 --> 01:21:49,469 French actors. 1309 01:21:49,761 --> 01:21:53,181 With SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE, Lenzi created 1310 01:21:53,473 --> 01:21:56,434 what he called his "uptown giallos". 1311 01:21:56,726 --> 01:22:02,148 These were giallos that were set in the milieu 1312 01:22:02,440 --> 01:22:05,526 of the upper class. 1313 01:22:05,818 --> 01:22:09,155 These films are often characterized by a certain 1314 01:22:09,530 --> 01:22:12,075 morbid quality that was more suggested than shown. 1315 01:22:12,367 --> 01:22:17,580 An obvious example is the way that Carroll Baker played 1316 01:22:17,872 --> 01:22:19,165 her characters. 1317 01:22:19,457 --> 01:22:23,670 After SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE, Lenzi made a series 1318 01:22:23,961 --> 01:22:27,715 of similar giallos, such as PARANOIA, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, 1319 01:22:28,007 --> 01:22:30,927 SPASMO, and KNIFE OF ICE, which is 1320 01:22:31,219 --> 01:22:34,097 more Hitchcockian in style than those other films. 1321 01:22:34,389 --> 01:22:39,394 Then Lenzi made a more Argentian giallo with EYEBALL. 1322 01:22:39,686 --> 01:22:43,981 He was a great director, who was never afraid to experiment 1323 01:22:44,273 --> 01:22:46,651 with different kinds of giallos. 1324 01:22:46,943 --> 01:22:50,071 I've always been an avid reader of giallo literature. 1325 01:22:50,488 --> 01:22:51,989 Take a look at my library, and you'll see it's almost 1326 01:22:52,281 --> 01:22:53,116 all giallos. 1327 01:22:53,408 --> 01:22:57,662 I particularly love Georges Simenon, 1328 01:22:57,995 --> 01:23:00,248 and American hard boiled writers. 1329 01:23:00,540 --> 01:23:03,418 I mean Raymond Chandler, and the other famous one. 1330 01:23:03,960 --> 01:23:06,546 I took inspiration from this style, and used it to 1331 01:23:06,838 --> 01:23:08,548 write my own stuff. 1332 01:23:08,923 --> 01:23:16,889 Naturally, the giallos I made reflect my stylistic taste. 1333 01:23:17,473 --> 01:23:22,145 My giallos are set in the world of VIPs, very important persons. 1334 01:23:22,478 --> 01:23:24,355 The upper crust. 1335 01:23:24,772 --> 01:23:28,109 It's a world rife with feelings of hatred and perverted 1336 01:23:28,401 --> 01:23:29,944 sexual practices. 1337 01:23:30,236 --> 01:23:35,241 Therefore, my "trilogy of VIPs," consisting of PARANOIA 1338 01:23:35,658 --> 01:23:37,493 SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE, 1339 01:23:37,952 --> 01:23:39,746 and A QUIET PLACE TO KILL comes with a very potent 1340 01:23:40,037 --> 01:23:42,248 social message. One that I've emphasized. 1341 01:23:53,885 --> 01:23:57,263 I wrote the original story for PARANOIA and adapted 1342 01:23:57,764 --> 01:24:01,476 it as a script with help from Ugo Moretti, 1343 01:24:01,768 --> 01:24:04,437 a great screenwriter and novelist. 1344 01:24:04,854 --> 01:24:07,356 Being a co-production, I also worked with a French writer, 1345 01:24:07,648 --> 01:24:09,150 Marie Claire Solleville. 1346 01:24:09,942 --> 01:24:14,113 We wrote the script and I shot the film as PARANOIA, 1347 01:24:14,405 --> 01:24:18,075 which was my original title. 1348 01:24:19,035 --> 01:24:23,581 The leading lady was Carroll Baker, 1349 01:24:23,873 --> 01:24:26,667 a great Hollywood star who was a very good and professional 1350 01:24:26,959 --> 01:24:29,670 actress and a friend with whom I kept in touch 1351 01:24:29,962 --> 01:24:30,880 until a few years ago. 1352 01:24:31,172 --> 01:24:33,591 The male lead was a foreign actor working in Italy, 1353 01:24:33,883 --> 01:24:35,551 Lou Castel. 1354 01:24:35,885 --> 01:24:38,763 The two leads were excellent, but the supporting cast 1355 01:24:39,096 --> 01:24:43,810 was no less strong with names like Lilla Brignone 1356 01:24:44,310 --> 01:24:46,062 and Tino Carraro. 1357 01:24:46,479 --> 01:24:51,651 We also had a young French actress I discovered, 1358 01:24:51,943 --> 01:24:54,028 Colette Descombes. 1359 01:24:54,362 --> 01:24:59,575 She was the plot's pivotal character. 1360 01:25:00,076 --> 01:25:02,161 Pretending to be Castel's sister, 1361 01:25:02,453 --> 01:25:05,623 with the two staging these sexual encounters 1362 01:25:05,957 --> 01:25:08,835 in order to degrade Baker's character and eventually 1363 01:25:09,126 --> 01:25:11,671 drive her to suicide. 1364 01:25:12,588 --> 01:25:16,092 When the film was screened in New York and other 1365 01:25:16,425 --> 01:25:20,471 American cities in the summer of 1969, 1366 01:25:20,888 --> 01:25:22,723 it became a roaring success. 1367 01:25:23,182 --> 01:25:27,562 The American major who bought the rights was about to go bust, 1368 01:25:27,979 --> 01:25:31,858 but they made a handsome profit from my picture and 1369 01:25:32,441 --> 01:25:34,235 subsequentially produced my war film, 1370 01:25:34,527 --> 01:25:38,239 BATTLE OF THE COMMANDOS starring Jack Palance. 1371 01:25:40,241 --> 01:25:42,535 When the film was about to be released here, 1372 01:25:42,827 --> 01:25:46,956 the distributors, who are often dimwits, said that the title 1373 01:25:47,582 --> 01:25:50,167 "PARANOIA" made them think of "noia", Italian for "boredom", 1374 01:25:50,459 --> 01:25:53,379 and that a new title was necessary to attract 1375 01:25:53,671 --> 01:25:55,172 viewers to see the film. 1376 01:25:55,590 --> 01:25:57,967 Sexy films were all the rage back then, so 1377 01:25:58,301 --> 01:26:00,887 the producer said to rename it ORGASMO 1378 01:26:01,262 --> 01:26:03,347 as a reflection of the sexual tension in the film. 1379 01:26:03,639 --> 01:26:05,766 I didn't like it, but they did it anyway. 1380 01:26:06,350 --> 01:26:08,936 Basically, this act mutilated the film. 1381 01:26:09,353 --> 01:26:11,856 When it was revived at the Fiamma Cinema in Rome, 1382 01:26:12,315 --> 01:26:14,233 I think in February... 1383 01:26:14,609 --> 01:26:17,111 It was a huge success. The people gave us 1384 01:26:17,403 --> 01:26:21,532 a standing ovation during the last scene. 1385 01:26:21,824 --> 01:26:24,744 A standing ovation. I'm telling the truth. 1386 01:26:25,077 --> 01:26:27,788 All due to a final twist, no one saw coming. 1387 01:26:28,080 --> 01:26:32,793 The same happened when it was shown at the 1388 01:26:33,419 --> 01:26:36,923 Venice Film Festival. 1389 01:26:37,590 --> 01:26:39,258 This was 27 years after the film was made and nobody 1390 01:26:39,550 --> 01:26:42,178 in the audience guessed the unthinkable twist that happened. 1391 01:26:42,887 --> 01:26:46,223 The film's success in Italy drove Paramount 1392 01:26:46,515 --> 01:26:48,017 to buy the rights. 1393 01:26:48,351 --> 01:26:51,020 Not Paramount, sorry, I meant Commonwealth United. 1394 01:26:51,312 --> 01:26:54,523 Anyway, the film became very successful in America, too. 1395 01:26:54,815 --> 01:26:56,692 But the Americans released it under its original title, 1396 01:26:56,984 --> 01:27:00,112 PARANOIA, because when it comes to cinema they're more 1397 01:27:00,446 --> 01:27:02,156 cunning than we are. 1398 01:27:02,823 --> 01:27:06,118 PARANOIA, they just loved that film. 1399 01:27:06,661 --> 01:27:09,914 That's when Italian producers decided to make a film 1400 01:27:10,206 --> 01:27:12,500 with the same title. 1401 01:27:13,167 --> 01:27:17,004 They asked me to write a new film, starring Carroll Baker, 1402 01:27:17,296 --> 01:27:18,339 to be called PARANOIA. 1403 01:27:18,631 --> 01:27:20,758 That's why I made a film titled ORGASMO that's also known as 1404 01:27:21,050 --> 01:27:22,885 PARANOIA, and a film titled PARANOIA that was released 1405 01:27:23,177 --> 01:27:25,429 as A QUIET PLACE TO KILL in the US 1406 01:27:25,805 --> 01:27:28,975 because they couldn't call it PARANOIA like the other one. 1407 01:27:29,350 --> 01:27:32,770 Carroll Baker gets so confused about this every time 1408 01:27:33,062 --> 01:27:36,148 they interviewed her about the films that we made together. 1409 01:27:36,482 --> 01:27:38,567 She can't remember which is which. 1410 01:27:39,151 --> 01:27:43,155 After directing some of the most important Italian giallos, 1411 01:27:43,447 --> 01:27:46,867 Umberto Lenzi started to write more and more. 1412 01:27:47,159 --> 01:27:49,328 Especially in the last few years, 1413 01:27:49,620 --> 01:27:51,664 with the crisis of Italian genre cinema, and 1414 01:27:51,956 --> 01:27:55,209 fewer and fewer valid examples of it. 1415 01:27:55,626 --> 01:27:57,586 Lenzi decided to become a writer. 1416 01:27:57,878 --> 01:28:01,382 He wrote successful giallos such as DELITTI A CINECITTÁ, 1417 01:28:01,674 --> 01:28:03,676 and TERRORE AD HARLEM, 1418 01:28:03,968 --> 01:28:07,054 even if these stories are not meant to be watched 1419 01:28:07,430 --> 01:28:10,641 onscreen, but to be read on paper, they still have 1420 01:28:10,933 --> 01:28:14,645 Lenzi's uncanny ability as a storyteller. 1421 01:28:15,563 --> 01:28:18,858 Subtitled by Francesco Massaccesi