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| Not as bad as they say. |
Starred by Italian nude model & actress Leonora Fani, Giallo a Venezia, as the title already suggests, is a movie about a murderer in Venice. Before we get into details, let's say this movie was never released overseas, ever. During the 80's the only chance of watching it was by finding the bootleg VHS tapes circulating in some countries outside Europe. So for years, cult cinema fans had to deal with awful fan-subbed versions plus watching the movie in discolored stained video quality, and let's not forget missing scenes and the worst tracking issues a VCR could face. Today, almost forty years after the theatrical release of this film, finding a VHS bootleg is impossible. Nevertheless, some bootleggers digitized the VHS and uploaded it somewhere on the internet. The problem is, that version is also nearly impossible to download, so what's left for those interested in watching this odd film? well, say no more friends! the film will finally get it's first official release ever!!!! and I'm not talking DVD, but pristine HD Blu Ray disc! Although there is no date yet, this link says it'll come to your nearest store by late 2016.Now, if your sleazy cravings are too high, you can watch a fan made remastered version of the film via YouTube (at the bottom of this read)
Before we get into the full review of this odd cult film, let me tell you my fellow connoisseurs that a recent scientific research conducted by the Poetics journal has concluded B movie AKA thrash cinema viewers enjoy an above-average education due to being "cultural omnivores" interested in watching films that are not part of what's trendy or popular these days, what do you know? You can read more about the research here.
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| A mysterious dead couple is found. |
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| Professionals are in the case. |
Giallo a Venezia is seen as one of
the ugliest and sleaziest giallos you could ever hope to see. Plot wise
there is very little to say, but a few surprises by the end of the film saves it from being considered as a gratuitous softcore sex film. Anyways, two dead
bodies are found at the edge of a canal in Venice. The police start
asking friends of the late couple for clues, but as soon as they start
their investigations, more dead bodies start piling up. What is the
connection, and out of all the unsavory characters that appear on the
screen, does any of them have a clear alibi (or conscience)?
The dead
couple are at the center of the plot, and the film consists of many
flashbacks in which we see how the husband took pleasure in humiliating
and sexually abusing his timid wife (something today's cinema standards couldn't possibly allow). The poor actress who plays Flavia (Leonora Fani) suffers the indignity of being stripped naked and roughed up
in nearly every scene she appears. Worse
still, her husband Fabio (Gianni Dei) is a fucking degenerate who forces her into orgies, having sex with unknown men in the streets and leaves her alone when she's about to cum. What a fucking prick! In addition, the sex scenes for every character in the movie are mostly about men forcing women into sex, so there is a darker tone implying women are abused up to the point they start enjoying it!! Obviously, a cinema cliché that didn't age well, and that is fortunately no longer used (unless, you're watching a porno)
The sex scenes are 75% of the films running time! Other than that, we have to sit through the police force carrying out their investigations which is kinda boring, even with the running gag of the main inspector eating hard boiled eggs in every scene (why? who knows... It must be an Italian thing), and some half hearted attempts by director Mario Landi to spin a web of mystery around the proceedings. what makes this even more ridiculous is the fact that most of the sex scenes are flashbacks explained by people who knew the dead couple in order to, well, help with the investigation. "Yes, Mr. De Paul I think it's vital you know Flavia diddled her skiddle frequently and, oh! there was this one time she gave a handjob to a random adolescent passing by her place"
So that just leaves ...the murders. And just as the director manages to make all the sex scenes ugly, violent towards women, unpleasant and graphic, Landi cuts no corners with the violence either. So prepare yourself for some very grim scenes of violence. Although the scenes are not dwelled on in loving detail like they are in a Lucio Fulci gore flick, they all seem to have a very nasty flavor to them. Scissor stabbings to the crotch and a human torch are two that spring to mind. Oh wait, did I say the gore is not dwelled on? Sorry I forgot the film's gore "highlight' in which victim has their leg sawed off while tied to the kitchen table. I have seen a lot of graphic gore but I found this intensely unpleasant. I think it's because it's just all sort of...thrown at you. No artistry to speak of, just events. Besides, the constant screaming of the actresses is really disturbing, I mean, you're like "oh fuck, they're abusing the character beyond good taste" My wife hated this film, mostly because of the way women are portrayed and treated, and I couldn't agree more. Nevertheless, we have to understand exploitation films are called that because they rely on elements that are usually either appealing or shocking to the audience, in order to make you leave the theater with a blatant "Fucking fuck! this film was bloody disgusting, I better tell my friends about it" Hence, this and many other movies ended up being classified as "video nasties" for ages to come.
In today's world, where we're offended almost every minute of the day, making a movie like Giallo a Venezia would be completely impossible. This isn't the sleazy 70's anymore, and despite the fact I love music, fashion, series & movie from that decade, things have changed for the better. The way we see the world today, specially the way we see women today, is where we'd like to stay for sure.
However, the plot isn't as bad as everyone on the internet has lead you to believe. Spoilers ahead (yeah right! in a 37 years old film!) The investigation is following a serial killer but, has found no connection whatsoever between the recent murders and the dead couple. The police tries everything, drug use, vengeance, cheating husbands, orgy clubs and simply cannot come up with the missing piece to solve the puzzle. Here's where Aldo Serio's script adds a touch of decency to the film. By the very end of the film, once detective De Paul has apprehended the serial killer (a philosophy student, what do you know?) they're revealed this blood craving fucker didn't kill the couple. So, the only chance left is a mysterious artist who paints murder art pieces very similar to the dead couple's crime scene. Well, guess what? he didn't kill them either!
The thing is, to fully understand Mario Landi's vision on this film, you have to go through all the shocking scenes until the very end. Since Flavia was not a sex craving maniac, she never quite liked the way Fabio, his sick husband treated her, specially when it came to matters pertaining sex. She was constantly abused because this motherfucker liked watching her wife being fucked by other men. So, when he asks her to fuck a couple of random men, near the canal where the bodies were found, well, she can't avoid the abusive fucking but, once his husband is already turned on by what he just saw, she fucking stabs him several times until he dies. She screams several times "I hate you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you" Once she's done, she decides to commit suicide by drowning in the canal. So, in the end, like many other sexploitation films, the girl gets the revenge she deserves.
The special effects are really poor, making the gory scenes a joke. The soundtrack is typical for the decade with some jazzy funky tunes written by Berto Pesano who is clearly an Ennio Morricone enthusiast. The scenery, displays the beauty of Venice in several scenes. The acting is nowhere near good, except for the roles played by women who clearly, portray the suffering of abusive men.
Overall, a very sleazy film who's long gone for reasons. If you're OK with simulated violence toward women on film, you may find it worth watching. I for one, rate it a "meh" You can clearly tell, the producers tried too hard to rely only on exploitative scenes to come up with an entire movie.
On a more positive side, here some photos of the beautiful Leonora Fani. We will be reviewing more of her films, just take a deep breath because her filmography has the word shocking all over.
There's no movie trailer to show here but some guy took the time to "restore" the VHS bootleg and uploaded it on YouTube:
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| Detective De Paul eats boiled eggs at work. |
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| I'm here to tell you what I know about Flavia. |
The sex scenes are 75% of the films running time! Other than that, we have to sit through the police force carrying out their investigations which is kinda boring, even with the running gag of the main inspector eating hard boiled eggs in every scene (why? who knows... It must be an Italian thing), and some half hearted attempts by director Mario Landi to spin a web of mystery around the proceedings. what makes this even more ridiculous is the fact that most of the sex scenes are flashbacks explained by people who knew the dead couple in order to, well, help with the investigation. "Yes, Mr. De Paul I think it's vital you know Flavia diddled her skiddle frequently and, oh! there was this one time she gave a handjob to a random adolescent passing by her place"
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| Happy forever after? |
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| You know, I haven't cum yet Fabio. |
So that just leaves ...the murders. And just as the director manages to make all the sex scenes ugly, violent towards women, unpleasant and graphic, Landi cuts no corners with the violence either. So prepare yourself for some very grim scenes of violence. Although the scenes are not dwelled on in loving detail like they are in a Lucio Fulci gore flick, they all seem to have a very nasty flavor to them. Scissor stabbings to the crotch and a human torch are two that spring to mind. Oh wait, did I say the gore is not dwelled on? Sorry I forgot the film's gore "highlight' in which victim has their leg sawed off while tied to the kitchen table. I have seen a lot of graphic gore but I found this intensely unpleasant. I think it's because it's just all sort of...thrown at you. No artistry to speak of, just events. Besides, the constant screaming of the actresses is really disturbing, I mean, you're like "oh fuck, they're abusing the character beyond good taste" My wife hated this film, mostly because of the way women are portrayed and treated, and I couldn't agree more. Nevertheless, we have to understand exploitation films are called that because they rely on elements that are usually either appealing or shocking to the audience, in order to make you leave the theater with a blatant "Fucking fuck! this film was bloody disgusting, I better tell my friends about it" Hence, this and many other movies ended up being classified as "video nasties" for ages to come.
In today's world, where we're offended almost every minute of the day, making a movie like Giallo a Venezia would be completely impossible. This isn't the sleazy 70's anymore, and despite the fact I love music, fashion, series & movie from that decade, things have changed for the better. The way we see the world today, specially the way we see women today, is where we'd like to stay for sure.
 |
| I'll do this myself. |
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| Everyone is naked in their kitchens. |
The thing is, to fully understand Mario Landi's vision on this film, you have to go through all the shocking scenes until the very end. Since Flavia was not a sex craving maniac, she never quite liked the way Fabio, his sick husband treated her, specially when it came to matters pertaining sex. She was constantly abused because this motherfucker liked watching her wife being fucked by other men. So, when he asks her to fuck a couple of random men, near the canal where the bodies were found, well, she can't avoid the abusive fucking but, once his husband is already turned on by what he just saw, she fucking stabs him several times until he dies. She screams several times "I hate you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you" Once she's done, she decides to commit suicide by drowning in the canal. So, in the end, like many other sexploitation films, the girl gets the revenge she deserves.
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| Philosophy turns into a psycho. |
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| Reflections of death. |
Overall, a very sleazy film who's long gone for reasons. If you're OK with simulated violence toward women on film, you may find it worth watching. I for one, rate it a "meh" You can clearly tell, the producers tried too hard to rely only on exploitative scenes to come up with an entire movie.
On a more positive side, here some photos of the beautiful Leonora Fani. We will be reviewing more of her films, just take a deep breath because her filmography has the word shocking all over.
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| Italian Bush. |
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| Smoking kills, y'know. |
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