Seven Beauties? I would really like to know what you think. Tomorrow night I am going to talk about how my reactions have changed so much since the first time I saw it. Its one of those movies that straddles the line (this is why Wertmuller is notoriously controversial). Its pretty hard to tell if you like it or not without thinking about it for a long time. But above even that, the opening montage and voiceover is without a doubt the best one I've ever seen, and I think even for those two minutes you would really get something out of it.

Plus, I figure I've made everyone and their mom here already watch a Fellini movie, so its time to branch out and get people to see the works of the most famous director in Italy that somehow didn't go down as a big Cinecitta filmmaker (at least, not on the level of her contemporaries like Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini, etc) even though everyone does know or at least has heard of Swept Away, Seduction of Mimi, Brother Sun Sister Moon, Love & Anarchy, and Seven Beauties is one of the most well received international movies by the Academy in history (four nominations, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Original Screenplay).

REVIEW

Blood and Black Lace (Sei donne per l'assassino) (1964)

Dir.: Mario Bava

Act.: Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner

Considered one of the first true gialli, this movie sets some of the rules for this particular sub-genre, which were later expanded and perfected in future productions, some from the same director.
Some of those rules are: The murderer wears gloves and masks, he/she never uses handguns but knives or clothes/ropes to kill the victims, the presence of dolls and/or mannequins, first point view shots, ...

A series of models are getting killed by a masked murderer and the solution to the motives may be written in a diary found by one of them.

Substance takes a backseat in this production, as it's style and the creation of a particular atmosphere what the director seems to be looking for. The movie is a visual feast, set in the fashion industry, so colors abound and come to life, especially in the murder scenes, where a particular color is always highlighted and creates an uneasy, onirical feeling. The director and the cinematographer play with the whole pallette: greens, blues, reds (of course), pinks, etc...in contrast to the black clothes and the white, featureless mask that the murderer wears.

The movie has the feeling of the german adaptations of Edgar Wallace's crime stories, but it's superior to those in the creation of suspense and because of the absence of a comic relief. The eerie music by Carlo Rustichelli also helps.
The acting, which consists of an international cast (americans, italians, germans) is the weak point, as it borders in being too theatrical and exaggerated.

The amount of gore is low, and as a trivia note, one murder scene is featured in a montage in Almodovar's Matador.

If you liked Scream, you may like this movie too.

You know what I learned yesterday Mr. Price? That Bava got his start as a cinemaographer for Rossellini. It was interesting. Italian horror has always had such a well known place in international film...and I can still barely get myself to watch it! Otherwise I'd be tempted to watch more than one, as there are apparently so many well known directors.

Finished watching My Voyage in Italy! I will reserve my thought until later, only I will add I'm very happy I picked Wertmuller for my movie night, because her contributions to ciname (good or bad) are seriously overlooked within Italian film history. I guess the same could be said for Liliana Cavani, only I despised Night POrter, so I never bothered to watch any of her other movies.

A bit about Lina for tonight.

She got her start as an assistant director under Fellini in 8 1/2!

She's got notoriously ambiguous characterization, apparently leading to accusations she was "one of the boys" (got this from Wiki). I'm not sure how accurate that quote is, as I couldn't find its source, but I could see how someone would say that, especially because of Swept Away, where a woman is perceived to enjoy being sexually subdued by a man. There are multiple interpretations of that ending, however, so it depends on which one you believe that lestens the blow of some of Swept Aways horrors.

Her most famous films were a succession of films she did with Giannini, Seven Beauties being the fourth installation and the peak of film in her career of international reknown. I am very much looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on Seven Beauties after tonight, I have personally already purchased myself a copy, and I hope some other members get the opportunity to really see an important director in Italian History. Liking of disliking her is a completely different thing, and I don't really think everyone will love her, but at least if you dislike Seven Beauties, you will have alot to say. This is not a blaise movie where people can just say "Eh, it was alright, just kinda entertaining but I won't watch it again." Seven Beauties will definately give you alot to think about both within its own frames and its place (and the director's) in Italian and INternational cinema.

Her official site: http://www.linawertmuller.com/
Her IMDB entry: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0921631/
Her Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lina_Wertm%C3%BCller

REVIEW

Bay of Blood (Reazione a catena) (1971)

Dir.: Mario Bava

Act.: Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso

If Blood and Black Lace was a good start to demonstrate the visual style of Mario Bava's movies, Bay of Blood represents the pinnacle of his work. A convoluted story about a testament is again an excuse to mount suspenseful scenes that all finish in gruesome murders. The first death in the movie being a prime example of this.

Actors, while being better here than in the previously mentioned film, still take a secondary role to the cinematography, the music and the sets. They're a mere excuse to be dispatched in gory ways. The movie could be called somewhat nihilistic, something which is emphasized with its shocking (and unexpected, coming out of left field) ending.

This movie is also famous for having inspired without a doubt the makers of Friday the 13th, as some of the deaths and also the setting of the movie, are copied almost exactly in the Jason ones.

It could be argued if this is really a giallo or a slasher movie, as it seems to fit more the second genre, but I see it as an evolution in the first genre that by that time was becoming somewhat stale and repetitive and needed new ideas.

I was going to write a full review...but...no time...

Bicycle Thief

It is a very simple story, at least the way in which it is told is so I was a bit surprised by how powerful it also is. There are a few movies that are done so well that thaty make most other films, even great ones, look almost mediocre by comparison and this is one of them. There have been many movies that make a certain place as important to the film as the characters themselves, but very few do it as well as Bicycle Thief. Every image on the screen is absolutely devastating. But nothing I could say would really do the movie justice, you actually have to see it to understand its power. It is, however, a movie that is every bit deserving of its status as one of the best films ever made.

A

Well, I rewatched Seven Beauties. Still holds up in my mind as one of the more interesting films I've seen out of Italy post 1970. Lina is unique, and all that encompasses, not all of which is "good."

A


Anyone else get a chance to see it?

You know, Rod, I finished watching My Voyage in Italy, and Scorsese has a certain admiration ofr De Sica which is interesting. Basically, I got the sense Martin related more to Rossellini, who he credits with being the first neo-realist, and I feel that empathy comes out of what Scorsese says was Rossellini's trouble with timing and storytelling. That Rossellini basically was a master who created more aloof landscapes and personal stories. Something I think Scorsese sees in himself. In the meanwhile, he only had praise for De Sica, but it was more placing the man on a pedestal. De Sica was a famous actor prior to becoming a director, and was apparently the "Fred Astaire" of Italy. It shows, because he has a natural flair for timing and storytelling. The scene which is most highlighted in the documentary is when the father and son slowly overcome the fight they had, at first avoiding eachother, then slowly walking near eachother, than finally going to have a lunch they can't afford together.

I agree with Scorsese in that De Sica knew, more than anyone, how to tell personal stories. His Bicycle Thieves overshadows its predecessors as the father film of neo-realism, and it by far more popular and well known than Open City (which on a technical standpoint is considered the real first neo-realist Italian film). And I love De Sica. In fact, I think I see his acting penache and ended up really devouring his comedies. His Bicycle Thieves is by far the most influential of his films, but I rarely see a director handle slapstick comedy and place it into dramatic and political films as he does. I ended up really loving Mircale in Milan (the movie he did right afterwards, which is his most overlooked because it doesn't fit neatly into the rest of his works) and Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. He just really does have such wonderful timing, and no where is that more evident to me than where comedy is involved. It just takes that extra sense of good delivery.

So yes, I really love and admire Bicycle Thieves, but its only third in my list of his works as favorites. Also, he later did some excellent dramas when he moved away from neo-realism, including The Gardens of the Finzi-Continis, which are very good too. He could do just about anything!

I will!!!!!

... by the end of the week.

Yeah one of what most impressed about Thief was everything about it just seemed right. Perfect. It's a sad story but never syruppy. Engaging might be the right word.

Great work on the acting too and especially impressive since it's not professional actors playing the roles. Of course maybe that's the reason why it works so well, there aren't any silly acting tricks, no one overdoing it. It's pretty much flawless.

Either way I was very impressed and of course I'll try to check out some of your other recommendations as well as his other films in general. I don't know WHEN i'll get around to it. But I will.

Well, I'm here to lend my support in any way I can. I'll let you know a bit about my interest in Italian film. I love4 Italian horror and have not seen enough of it. I have seen almost all of Dario Argento's films and I love Lucio Fulci's work. In fatc, Gates of Hell (Paura Nella Citta dei Morti Viventi) is one of my favourite horror films of all time. I also enjoyed a lot of other Italian directed horror films. As for the Scorcese of Italian cinema, Fellinni, I have seen 8 1/2 and enjoyed it very much and would like to see it again. So I am open to any recommendations from any of you as to which Italian films to see.

Strangely enough, going through some of the horror films you have listed here, the one that caught my eye is TORSO. I don't even remember how I found this film, but I will watch any Italian horror film, and this one although strange and convoluted, really surprised me with the style and look to it. And that shouldn't surprise me because all giallo films are stylized and just different that most american horror.

Here's my review.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***


May be some small spoilers:

Although I believe that horror is each to his own, there are a few common characteristics that make a good horror film. Torso has a few of those elements but only some of the time. The rest of the piece is an incorrigible soft core porno film, yet when I was intrigued with the film, I was enamoured with it. This is one horror flick that had me feeling tense in many parts and for that I have to give it credit. It is unfortunate that most of the brilliance was bunched into one thrilling 20 or 30 minute scene, but better to have 20 or 30 minutes of intriguing terror than 88 minutes of sheer acrimony. (When you use the word acrimony in a review about a horror film, then not much else can be said to try and make the film sound better than it really is. And although I am not saying that I was acrimonious <or> towards this film, I am saying that there were many areas that could have been improved upon). This didn't look like it had a very grandiose budget, in fact it looked as though the producers spent parsimoniously when you take into account the lack of certain necessities like lighting, but you can have a small budget and still have an effective horror film--see Texas Chainsaw Massacre for example.

Torso begins with the murder of some college students. Many of the murders in this film are beautiful women and many of the stars are sinfully, perfect, nubile vixens that seem starved for some licentious saturnalia, seeing as all they seem to do is either sunbathe in the nude, have lesbian sex, flash their assets to the local men and run around like women in the Spanish film, When The Screaming Stops. In short, this is a typical Italian 70's style horror film. In fact, for the most part of the early going in the film, I was actually quite disappointed with the film's vacuous attempt to entertain us with scantily clad women. Although nice to look at, it did little to enhance the film. And not only that but the film did seem a slight bit abstruse at times. There were characters that came and went and sometimes they looked like each other and then other times, certain people just disappeared from the film completely. Perhaps this was done to confuse us and send us looking for the red herring, but it just confused and annoyed me more than anything.

What is good however, is the directing. The story may have been the weakest link of the film but the direction was quite well done. Sergio Martino may be an early pioneer to the slasher genre and perhaps Polanski and Carpenter and Craven really did get some of their ideas and inspiration from some of his work. There are three scenes in the film that really had me singing his praises. The first starts at a party where everyone seems to be stoned to Palookaville. One of the girls eschews some sexual advances from two hippies and wanders out into the woods alone, dazed, confused and in a cataclysmic state of oblivion. She just seems to be wandering for the sake of wandering. When she finally realizes how far she has drifted into the woods, it is too late. The killer stalks her and taunts her in some ways. The killer knows he has her and he takes his time before he slices her open. What is so laudable about this sequence is the pacing, the camera shots and the music. Music is an apodictic part of any successful horror film and this is a perfect example as to why. If you took the stingers and the stalking type of music away from this film, it may not have as much credibility as it does. But as it stands, the music adds much atmosphere to the film.

Another perfectly done part of the film is the final 20 minutes in the film when our heroine, Jane wakes up one morning to find her three friends butchered. The killer doesn't know that she is in the house and she horrifically watches as he begins to cut the corpses into two pieces. She is then trapped in the house and he eventually discovers she is in there. What ensues is a tight and tense cat and mouse game that really did leave me with goose pimples. There are some excellent overhead shots, reaction shots and POV shots. If you look at any Friday the 13th film, you can almost see Sean Cunningham and Steve Miner studying Martino's agility and style with the camera.

What is not so good however is the killer and why he kills. If this film would have tightened it up a bit and given the killer a better reason to kill, then I think it would have ranked a lot higher than it does in my books. I am still giving this film a 7 out of 10, but with a more in depth analysis of this killer, then the film would have stood out even more. But all we get is a brief, half-assed explanation as to what happened to this guy as a kid and how he developed his complete hatred towards certain people. The writing certainly could have provided us with more than that.

Torso surprised me. It starts out very circuitously but finally does settle into a well done, effective entry into the Italian horror legends. Fulci and Argento are still kings of the cinema but Martino certainly makes a valiant attempt. The result is a farrago of shock, tension and some small gore. I would recommend checking this film out. It is much better than what most of Hollywood asks us to swallow. And if you can find that, then you've won half the battle. I would like to see the unrated version of this film because this did seem to be chopped and edited to hell.

7 out of 10-- A little confusing at times but worth the ride.

Baumer,
if you like Fulci try to see Don't Torture a Duckling for something different. This is not the Fulci of the Zombie films and the 80s. This film has the feel of early Argento like Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Cat o' Nine Tails or Four Flies on Grey Velvet.

The amount of gore is kept to a minimum (save one scene in a cemetery), but the suspense and the uncertainty of who is killing the children in a remote Italian village, makes for a very interesting experience.

The film also criticizes issues like religion, superstition, prejudice, etc. The population of the village seems to be stuck in the 19th century, save for a few characters, and shows you how mental isolation and the unwillingness of accepting anything new, can have an effect that manages to increase the violence to anything strange and help commit murder.

And like I said in a previous review, if you want to see were Miner and Cunningham got ideas for Friday the 13th, see Bay of Blood. You won't be disappointed. But try to get an uncut version.

Interestingly enough, my boss asked me today if I've ver seen Seven Beauties. She was looking over a DVD list I was compiling for purchase. I said yes, and that it was one of my favorites, to which she said she really liked it as well. She also found Swept Away very interesting, and we spoke about Wertmuller for awhile. Nice to know someone else finds her work interesting, and for that matter has even seen her....

So, then I ordered three copies of Seven Beauties for the library, and we're going to try to get Love and Anarchy, Seduction of Mimi, and Brother Sun Sister Moon from another vendor since the one we usually deal with doesn't carry them. Oh, the power...

Just watched the first third (80 minutes) of My Voyage in Italy. It's the part were he talks about Stromboli and the scandal between Rossellini and Bergman. I will have to try to see Paisa, which of the films that he mentions, is the one I haven't seen.
Fascinating I did find the part where he shows some footage from his grandparents and life in his neighbourhood, and mentions how every house/family was like a world in itself, with very few interaction with the 'outside' world. A lot of little ghettos in what already was a ghetto.

I love Don't Torture a Duckling. I love Fulci. Duckling is definitely a different speed for Fulci. I have also seen Crystal Plummage but not Grey Velvet. I'll have to check them out. Have you see Torso as well?

Yeah, after watching it I really want to see Paisan, Stromboli, L'Eclisse, and Senso, most of all.

In general though I was a tad dissappointed. Sometimes Scorsese would say really insightful, personal comments, such as when he discussed the Bicycle Thieves and L'Elisse, and then other times it felt like he was reading out of an intro textbook and forgot the audience that would view this kind of documentary ddin't really need to basics. I also think he really stuck to the Big Five, and I would have liked to get a better feel for the general rise of cinecitta and neo-realism. I like the bit where he hand;es "spin-offs" like Bava to show how dynamic and how many Italians were taking up film. I also thought the movies he covered were the real basics, like he even skips over all the movies Fellini did with Masina and focusses just on Vitelloni, Dolce Vita, and 8 1/2.

I would have liked to see him pick some of the movies that I (and others) are less familiar with. And I wanted a little bit on Pasolini, Wertmuller, and other less "clean" directors. Italian horror and Argento, and other aspects of italian filmmaking. I realize Antonioni is hard to handle (Scorsese only mentions two of his movies) because he transitions into English-language movies pretty early on. Still, I think they those are still important to mention when dealing with the total works of an Italian director. Leone would be an important part of that, since he's clearly considered an Italian director, regardless of Shaghetti propensity towards English dubbing and casting.

Highlights included the bit on Cabiria (which I now want to see) all the details of Open City, and Scorsese's unique match-up of De Sica and Rossellini (clearly his two favorite "total" directors." I loved the footage he included, and he really worked hard for this. Especially when he discusses L"Eclisse, you get a quick sense of how much he knows when he mentions other international directors all pushing the limits of filmmaking.

I feel that while Scorsese obviously appreciates and loves the work of the Neorealists and he may try to use their techniques in his films, he is the complete opposite of people like Rossellini or early De Sica. Scorsese always seems interested in showing us all the intrincate details of the worlds he portrays and to put us 'in there' (e.g. the beginning of Casino or the voice overs in Goodfellas), but his use of superior shooting techniques that call attention to themselves (loooong tracking shots, POVs, voice over narration) also makes us aware that we're watching a movie.
Like he mentions, neorealism is basically created out of necessity because after the war, there was nothing there. Cinecitta had been destroyed, few cameras were available, no money to pay professional actors, etc.
He may have been influenced or touched by those movies when he was growing up, as there was also an obvious connection with them and his Italian descent, and he may have been moved by seeing how simple stories can have such a big emotional impact, but I don't see much of that influence in his work, especailly in the later years.

I'm going to try and watch some of the films all of you esteemed posters are mentioning. I'm going to buy La Dolce Vita next week. Looking forward to it.

Baumer, I don't know if LDV is your thing. I think you may like 8 1/2 better. Also, some of the other directors like De Sica especially, and also, I think you would like Antonioni and Visconti more.

Don't get me wrong though, I'd love you to watch LDV, but maybe you want to rent it before buying it, because its not all too affordable. Then again, I've never blind bought anything, not even a candy bar, so it might just be my personality. I can't wait to hear what you think though.

I keep thinking one of these days I will be able to recommend Pasolini to someone, but he's really not the kind of guy one could recommend. Too bad, he's really good. Maybe, next time.

Right now I've bullied two people into watching Seven Beauties and haven't heard back from either of them yet.

I'm going to go get Profondo Rosso tomorrow. They didn't have it at the library. Ok, Mr. Price. You promised me if I already saw Suspiria that this wouldn't be too rough on me right? I need you to be honest. Not because I'm not going to watch it, but because I have to spend a day or two preparing myself for it and psyching myself up, and I need to know what I'm going to be going up against. Yikes!

Begin by recommending Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom . If they like that one, you know they're up for anything.




It's been a while since I've seen both movies, but from what I remember, the gore amount was higher in Suspiria than in Deep Red. Suspiria is more a supernatural tale, while Deep Red would be better described as a mystery/thriller. I know that the scene that freaks people that see Deep Red the most, is not a bloody one.
Just imagine this is a freak version of Blow-Up.

Well, see, Salo is interesting, I think. Its definately not about "liking" that movie, but finding it very relevant. I haven't ever seen it front to back though. Only exerts, but it runs like a series of vignettes so I'm assuming the few I saw where the norm, not the exception. Very violent, very repulsive, but really telling. If I started someone on Pasolini I would go with Decameron and Gospel According to St. Matthew. If they like those than *maybe* we can move on to Accatone and The Hawks and The Sparrows.

Mr. Price, seems like you've actually seen alot of his work if you've mentioned Salo. What do you think of him as a director? His content? His somewhat enigmatic death? The guy is a legend to me! I've never read any of his poems or manifestos, but I really want to. Maybe I will try to read some of them before the end of the festival and post my comments.




Oh really. Is it a bad thing then, that the first time I saw Blwo-Up, when he first thinks he sees the gun I got all nervous? BTW, I started a thread on this once *spoilers* I'm pretty sure there was no gun, and no murder, in Blow-Up. *end spoilers*

Ok, I'm a little behind but I did manage to watch Seven Beauties yesterday.

Interesting is probably the right word. Ambitious as well. The jump between silly comedy (not in a bad way) to drama is often very abrupt and as a result pretty hard to pull off, and yet not only does it do just that but it adds to the horror and the tragedy in the film. I admit I found Pasqualino pretty irritating at first but it got better once I got used to the idea that he was supposed to be kind of pathetic. I think.Very good acting, great script, score, and cinematography all make the film work very well. The closing shot/line is one of the best I have seen in film, although I didn't quite fell in love with the rest of the film. Just liked it a lot.

B+/A-

I also failed to realized that was Fernando Rey in the role of Pedro til late in the film. When the final credits came on. Small role, but he was very good as well.

What did you think of the montage in the beginning?

Interesting, yes. I found the often abrupt jump from comedy to drama to be very jarring too, but ultimately effective. Like diving into the toilet to get oneself killed.

He was supposed to be pathetic. I found him to be completely dispicable, an effect that is oftened heightened by how his fellow prisoners act. He's terrible, and its the reason the first time I saw this movie I wasn't in love with it. It grew on me though, and I think Wertmuller is very gutsy for the way she makes Pasquelino such an aweful human being, yet one who desires to live in its rawest form. Hence when the SS officer predicts their own demise because of their lack of love for life. That they wouldn't humiliate themselves the way Pasqualino does, just in order to survive.

BTW, about the comedy, I've found the Italians are really the best (well, the Americans do an excellent job too actually) at using slapstick (as you call it, Silly) for dramatic ends. I never liked slapstick and potty humour as its own ends, but I don't mind the Italians because they always seem to use it to say something more. Even Benigni did that in Life is Beautiful. Wertmuller is probably one who uses it the most often though (she's also the darkest and most "vulgar," imo), but Pasolini also does in all his "Tales" films, and Fellini is very funny while ultimately contemplating lonliness, emptyness, and class.

Giannini got an Academy acting nod for his work here (one of only a handful of imports). I've seen him in a few movies already, though almost all of them Wertmuller's. He's fantastic in this I think.

Thank-you so much for watching it Rod. I am glad you got something out of it...and do you think her renown in the US is worthy of it, or no?

POW! OH YEAH.