Bits & pieces

I've decided to take summer off from blogging, so this'll be the last post for a little while. I'm resuming regular posting duties sometime in august again. Thanks to everybody who's visited the blog and even bigger thanks to those who have posted comments or linked the blog. I've posted a large part of my collection since February, but I've still got a lot left and I've got more stuff coming in (including a couple of very exciting pieces), so there'll be no shortage of stuff to post.

I'm still looking for a few locandine that are essential to my collection, so if you've got any ideas of were I can buy them or if you've got them and be willing so sell/trade, please let me know!
Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso (Seven Blood-Stained Orchids) (1972)
Solamente Nero (The Blood Stained Shadow) (1978)
La Sindrome di Stendhal (The Stendhal Syndrome) (1996)

When I posted the Macchie Solari locandina back i march, I was hoping that Digitmovies would release the complete soundtrack. It's only been two months, but my wish did come true. I got the Digitmovies CD in the post yesterday and finally this fantastic Morricone soundtrack has been given the care and attention it deserves. Yet another excellent release from Digitmovies. (Two weeks ago, I posted that I'd like to see a release of Gianfranco Reverberi's Delirio Caldo soundtrack. Let's hope I'll be as lucky this time!)

I'm pretty excited about the fact a few of my posters might make their way onto DVD covers for some upcoming giallo releases. Although it's not 100% confirmed that it's going to happen, I've submitted scans, so fingers crossed and I'll post more info if it happens.

Finally, I don't want to leave you without a new poster in the last post for the summer. I've just added an alternate Il Diavolo a sette facce locandina to the original post. You can check it out here

I hope to see you back here in august. Have a great summer!

La Morte cammina con i tacchi alti (Death Walks on High Heels)

Spoilers in this post, so tread carefully if you haven't seen the film!

Although Luciano Ercoli's La Morte cammina con i tacchi alti is an above average giallo with a great cast (Ercoli regulars Susan Scott and Simon Andreu are joined by the ever dependable Frank Wolff) and a great soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani, it's probably my least favourite of his thrillers. Part of the reason is the demise of one of the main characters about halfway. Gastaldi pulled a similar trick in one of his other scripts to much better effect, but the loss of this particular character really hurts the film. The poster by Symeoni is great though.

L'Iguana dalla lingua di fuoco (The Iguana with the Tounge of Fire)

It's fair to say that Riccardo Freda's L'Iguana dalla lingua di fuoco isn't particularly well-regarded in giallo circles. I'll have to agree that it isn't a top-tier giallo. The special effects are a bit questionable and the zooms every time we see sunglasses on screen are a bit over the top, but any film starring Luigi Pistilli and Dagmar Lassander in her prime is worth watching and the soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani is great.

Il Baco di Seta (The Silk Worm)

Another film that I haven't seen. Haven't been able to find too much info on it, but it seems that Mario Sequi's Il Baco di seta had a fairly troubled history. Made in the 1968 but not released until '74 and receiving little in the way of distribution. The few reviews I've found haven't been to enthusiastic, but being a George Hilton fan, I certainly would like to see it one day. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find out who made the cool looking poster art.

L'Altra casa ai margini del bosco (The Corruption of Chris Miller)

I'm generally not a big fan on Spanish thrillers since most of them seem that lack the sense of style that make their Italian counterparts so great. Considering Juan Antoni Bardem's L'Altra casa ai margini del bosco starts off with a killer dressed up like Charlie Chaplin, it's easy to dismiss it straight away, but it's actually one of the better Spanish thrillers. If it would have been made in Italy it would have been directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Carroll Baker. High-praise indeed. Locandina artwork by Symeoni.

Una Farfalla cin le ali insanguinate (The Bloodstained Butterfly)

The iconic poster for Duccio Tessari's Una Farfalla cin le ali insanguinate. It's truly is mind-boggling that this genre classic has yet to receive an English friendly release. Thankfully there are a few fan composites around that'll tide me over until an official English friendly release surfaces. 

Unfortunately I haven't got any info on the poster designer, but the scull pops up again (slightly modified) on the La Via della droga locandina.

Passi di morte perduti nel buio (Death Steps in the Dark)

Maurizio Pradeaux's second giallo is something of a missed opportunity. It starts off quite well, but Pradeaux injects too many comedic elements in the film and the end result is less than stellar. Looking forward to Fin de Siècle's upcoming release of Ortolani's soundtrack though. Poster from Studio Paradiso and I love the way they've painted on the undies on the poster.

In fondo alla piscina (The Fourth Victim)

The locandina for Eugenio Martín's overlooked 1971 giallo In fondo alla piscina. Arthur Anderson (Michael Craig) has just been acquitted of the murder of his third wife when he meets Julie Spencer (Carroll Baker). Will she be the fourth victim or does she have an agenda of her own? An entertaining thriller that features a cracking (and sadly unreleased) Piero Umilinai soundtrack. Would love to see this on DVD in original aspect ratio one day. Poster by Cirello.

Delirio caldo (Delirium)

The poster for Renato Polselli's Delirio Caldo starring the lovely Rita Calderoni. Not a huge fan of the film (or the poster for that matter), but I love the soundtrack. I've only got a few tracks off the Murder for Pleasure CD and they're not in great shape since they're from a VHS source. I really wish Digitmovies or Fin de Siecle would release this.

Concerto per pistola solista (Weekend Murders)

Michele Lupo's Concerto per pistola solista feels more like an Agatha Christie style whodunit with some comedic touches than a traditional Italian giallo, but is an enjoyable film all the same. Gastone Moschin plays the bumbling Sgt. Alosius Thorpe, a role so different from Ugo Piazza in Milano Calibro 9 that you almost forget that both characters were played by the same actor.

Non si sevizia un paperino (Don't Torture a Duckling)

Considering how great Non si sevizia un paperino and Una Lucertola con la pelle di donna are, it really is a shame that Fulci didn't direct a few more gialli during the early seventies. I love the the beautiful cinematography, the rural setting and the wonderful cast. Non si sevizia un paperino is one of Fulci's finest gialli and one of the very best films of the genre.

L'Arma, l'ora, il movente (The Weapon, the Hour & the Motive)

One of the few posters in my collection where I haven't yet had the opportunity to see the film. I love Enzo Nistri's fantastic looking poster art for Francesco Mazzei's 1973 giallo L'Arma, L'ora, il movente so I'd certainly would like to see the film one day. Some of you might recognize the art-work, since it was used as the cover art for the X-Rated release of Margheriti's Nude...si muore.

Nude...si muore (Naked You Die)

Like Freda, Antonio Margheriti work in the giallo genre was fairly unremarkable. Nude...si muore is the first of the two gialli directed by him. The script is co-written by Mario Bava and it certainly would have been interesting how it would have turned out if directed by Bava instead of Margheriti. Poster art by the great Symeoni.

La Morte ha fatto l'uovo (Death Laid an Egg)

The poster for Giulio Questi's La Morte ha fatto l'uovo is a very atypical giallo locandina. It doesn't allude to the thriller elements of the film and it features an interesting pixelated effect. Not that difficult to sort out these days with a computer and photoshop, but I doubt the anonymous designer had an iMac handy back in '68. This one always tends to be a talking point if someone who's into graphic design checks out my collection.