Another invaluable box set from Vinegar Syndrome, including some super rare “giallo” thrillers from Italy in the 1980s. These three reflect the films and music videos that influenced them at that time. The trend of these thrillers, which began with Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much and Blood and Black Lace but was kicked into overdrive with Dario Argento’s smash international hit The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, had waned by the late 80s but these three included in the set still had some bite. The black-gloved killer lives!
Mystere (1983) (aka Dagger Eyes) Stunningly beautiful Carole Bouquet (That Obscure Object of Desire) stars as “Mystere” a high-priced call girl in Rome who, one night with her prostitute pal Pamela (Janet Agren), scores a trick with a shady, overweight German named Reinhardt. Pamela steals his gold lighter, which, unfortunately, contains the negatives of photos of the assassination of a political bigwig (and a shot of the assassin too). Before long, a shadowy killer carrying a cane with a retractable blade in its tip is out to leave no witnesses. He uses his sword/cane to eliminate the German and Pamela, so Mystere has to hide out with a hunky detective Colt (Phil Coccioletti) who ill-advisedly tries to blackmail the deadly international criminals. The director Carlo Vanzina was heavily influenced by the film Diva, not to mention the stylish James Bond-like thrillers, so the film has a gorgeous look. John Steiner is good the relentless hired killer; Phil Coccioletti’s character is macho and unsympathetic, but, mercifully, is shirtless a lot in the movie. Bouquet is cool and resourceful as Mystere, and, while she never completely disrobes on camera, she certainly is ravishing. Extras on the disc include: an interview with writer Enrico Vanzina; an interview with actor Greg Snegoff,; an interview with production designer Paola Comencini; plus excellent audio commentary by Eugenio Ercolini, Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth.
Obsession: A Taste for Fear (1988) A somewhat futuristic “giallo” thriller with a generous nod to Eyes of Laura Mars. Gorgeous Virginia Hey (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior) plays Diane, a bisexual photographer of softcore erotica. Her sexy subjects, like muscular body builder Teagan Clive, start turning up dead, and Diane is determined to unmask the killer, much to the annoyance of a hard-boiled cop. Kid Creole shows up as a bookmaker. Diane drives a ludicrous-looking futuristic car, and the cop’s gun fires laser beams, but the film has all the colored lighting and stylized feel of a music video or an episode of Red Shoes Diaries. Extras include; an interview with writer/director Piccio Raffanini; and interview with production supervisor Luciano Lucchi and composer Gabriele Ducros; plus, a video essay by Rachael Nisbet. Audio commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolini and Nathaniel Thompson.
Sweets from a Stranger (1987) Now this is the real surprise of the box set. The only film directed by Franco Ferrini, a screenwriter who was one of the scriptwriters for Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America and had a close partnership with Dario Argento, writing the screenplays (with Argento) for Phenomena, Opera, Trauma, Sleepless, The Stendahl Syndrome, The Card Player, etc. But Sweets from a Stranger is such a unique take on the maniac-targeting-prostitute genre. Yes, a fiend is out there, using a straight razor and then a bolt-gun on the ladies-of-the-night. But the women decide to band together. They hold raucous meetings. They carry a spray that knocks out their assailants. They work in pairs. They take down license plates of perverts and turn them over to the police. In one hilarious scene, they line up in front of some bushes they know contains sleazy voyeurs and encourage them to remain where they are and help these women catch the killer. They even open their blouses and yank up their skirts to give these peeping Toms a good show. The movie is from their point of view and shows their home situations- some are mothers, some have husbands- it humanizes these women and shows their strength and vulnerability also. The cast is pretty amazing, and the final reveal is surprising as hell. It’s just a terrific movie. Extras on the disc include a fascinating interview with writer/director Franco Ferrini; an interview with producer Claudio Bonivento and with composer Umberto Smaila. Terrific audio commentary with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth.
