I love Lenzi's gialli offerings, or at least the one's I have experiences! I still need to see KNIFE OF ICE and A QUIET PLACE TO KILL. SPASMO and EYEBALL are some of my more favorite gialli viewings. Two very stylish yet, odd in nature but still very effective in the payoff!
It's been a long time since I first seen his SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE (1969), was that not just recently issued on DVD again??
I absolutely loved Freda's brilliant I VAMPRI! Now, what was the deal with Bava being uncredited for with this again? I know he had something to do with the overall direction, but what's the full story on that again?
Any opinions about this more recent giallo? I've heard some bad things but when I found it dirt cheap on eBay, I couldn't resist the temptation of picking it up. Figured I need to give some of the more recent horrer/thriller stuff a chance too. Still waiting for it to arrive and I'm not quite sure what to expect of it but at least it has a pretty good cast that includes famous transsexual Eva Robins from TENEBRAE (1982) and the good-looking Elisabetta Rocchietti, who has been cropping up in a lot of horror stuff like THE THREE FACES OF TERROR (2004), DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK? (2005) and THE LAST HOUSE IN THE WOODS (2006). Not to mention supporting roles by Florinda Bolkan and Franco Nero! Anyone here seen it?
Interesting looking film out of Italy with Irish/Spanish co-financiers. Directed by Italian SFX man Stefano Bessoni.
In the 1600s, long before the invention of photography, a scientist named Girolamo Fumagalli was obsessed with the idea of reproducing images. He discovered that by killing a victim and removing the victim's eyeballs, it was possible to reproduce on paper the last image imprinted on that person's retinas. He named this technique 'thanatography'. Today, the same kind of gruesome ritual and abominable crime recurs within the walls of an international school of cinema. -imdb.com
Also stars the daughter of Charlie Chapman, Geraldine Chaplin as well as her daughter Oona.
Well, it seems this is yet another Argento flick that is taking a beating in the review department. Even die hard fans are not too pleased with this outing. Anyhow, the PAL R2 DVD is now out via a Polish company that found it important to force the Polish subs!
Looks like this will be getting a UK release first via Arrow Films! I still haven't seen this, it was on my radar during last year's Midnight Madness during the Toronto Film Fest. The disc will be released March 15th..
I'd love to grab this, but for now I'm holding off on the Blu-Ray player for now, too unstable industry right now. Plus, the multi-region player are way too expensive!
(2007/ITALY)DIRECTED BY-ANDREA MOLAIOLI/STARRING-TONI SERVILLO, VALERIA GOLINO, NELLO MASCIA, and FABRIZIO GIFUNI./SOURCE-MEDUSA ENT. DVD ( PAL R2 / 91 MINS / 2007)
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(2007/ITALY) aka La Ragazza del Lago REVIEWED BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-ANDREA MOLAIOLI STARRING-TONI SERVILLO, VALERIA GOLINO, NELLO MASCIA, and FABRIZIO GIFUNI. SOURCE-MEDUSA ENT. DVD ( PAL R2 / 91 MINS / 2007)
The directing debut from Italian Andrea Molaili. A mystery/thriller or better known to many circles,a giallo. Though not the usual serving of this unique Italian thriller, one aspect being that there is but only one victim or death. The vision is what drives this film's gears. Artistic in every sense of the word, from lush settings, to carefully constructed transitions and a well structured storyline. All these encase a superb array of acting on all levels as well. Though our story is slow to the occasion, it does work out it's tortoise state with it's style and flair.
Packed with great character descriptions and backgrounds, especally the lead played by Toni Servillo. Every small town has it's secrets, ones that no mater how much it is needed for them to come out to solve a case, many of them remain hidden until they are stumbled upon. Each character in THE GIRL BY THE LAKE is shown with their baggage, as this along with the mystery of the girl's death are the vitual ingredients that make the storyline flow with seeming perfection.
The story opens with a small girl who is on her way home, when she is picked up by a local who is known for his mental challenges and a father who is confinded to a wheelchair. When the little girl goes unseen for hours by her mother, the small town erupts in fear. Big city inspector comes at the request in solving the disappearance of the girl. With a storke of relief, the girl is safe, but she carries a distrubing tale of another girl sleeping by a local lake. Investigating this strange story turns up the dead body of a local girl lying by the exact lake. Drowned and placed in a peaceful sleeping posture, though striped of her clothes. The inspector begins the long road into solving this very unusual case.
THE GIRL BY THE LAKE, was well recieved by many critics when it showed at Venice Film Festival in late 2007. It also managed to win many Italian Oscars, I believe 10 in total including best picture. The film itself is based upon the Norweign crime novel written by Karin Fossum, and it shows in the film as well. Though the setting maybe Northern Italy, the lake and valley in which the film is based around gives that Norweign flavor. The film was shot on location in and around Venezia Giulia, Italy.
The Medusa DVD, is absolutely and must see. Though primarily only in Italian audio with the exception of English subtitles with the main feature. Both audio and visually this film is stunning and the DVD upholds this in the tranfer. If you know you're Italian, then you will enjoy the disc's special features which include the making of THE GIRL BY THE LAKE, as well as photo galleries, and trailer along with other interesting additions. A great addition to this already rich genre of the giallo, if you lov these films, this is certainly one not to miss!
THE GIRL BY THE LAKE aka La Ragazza del Lago
The directing debut from Italian Andrea Molaili. A mystery/thriller or better known to many circles,a giallo. Though not the usual serving of this unique Italian thriller, one aspect being that there is but only one victim or death. The vision is what drives this film's gears. Artistic in every sense of the word, from lush settings, to carefully constructed transitions and a well structured storyline. All these encase a superb array of acting on all levels as well. Though our story is slow to the occasion, it does work out it's tortoise state with it's style and flair. 
ts, ones that no mater how much it is needed for them to come out to solve a case, many of them remain hidden until they are stumbled upon. Each character in THE GIRL BY THE LAKE is shown with their baggage, as this along with the mystery of the girl's death are the vitual ingredients that make the storyline flow with seeming perfection. 
