Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Perfume of the Lady In Black (1974) aka Il Profumo Della Signora In Nero


 5 / 5 May '09
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Francesco Barilli
Written by: Francesco Barilli
Actors include: Mimsy Farmer, Maurizio Bonuglia, Mario Scaccia
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 101 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: Italy

Review:
Well now, this is very much like a giallo, it is shot like one, it follows the format to some degree but at the same time I'm not so sure it technically is. I realize I'm being a bit confusing here but this is going to be hard to review without giving anything away. I should start off by saying that this is visually one of the most gorgeously shot films I've ever seen. The soundtrack and the sets are simply amazing, it's one of the most lovely, surreal and perfectly assembled grouping of things that could even be possible. The film definitely evokes feelings of "Rosemary's Baby" and "Repulsion" though neither is quite the same either. We meet Silvia (Mimsy...who even looks like Mia Farrow) a woman who seems to be haunted by flash backs of her unstable past. Some of her friends tale stories of voodoo, but who could have something against her? People start ending up dead (yay cleaver) but who could be doing it and why? There is a lot going on here and it's a lot to take in, but it's riveting and it kept me continually guessing. Even when the conclusion happened I sat there thinking about it for quite some time (it leaves a few questions but it's quite a shocker). Amazing film that is surprisingly quite unknown it looks like, definitely recommended for anyone with patience for a great mystery!

Availability:  On DVD (but only in the UK and OOP)




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