FILM
Horror, Sexploitation in Italian Cinema
Quad presents six newly restored ‘60s-‘70s giallo films
BY GARY M. KRAMER
From July 19-26, the Quad
Cinema presents a program
of six newly restored
giallo fi lms from the 1960s
and 1970s. This distinctive genre
of Italian cinema often features a
combination of elements raging
from horror to mystery to sexploitation.
The highly stylized entries
in this program consist of pulpy
and even campy fi lms that sometimes
feature lesbianism for titillation
and the occasional homoerotic
undercurrent. Here is a rundown
of the six fi lms in this fun, sexy,
and bloody series.
“Strip Nude for Your Killer” is
easily the best-named fi lm in the
series. It also has the strongest
queer content. A fatal mishap during
an abortion triggers a mystery
killer to target Albatross, a modeling
agency. First an assistant
photographer, Mario (Claudio Pellegrini)
— who may have been a
homosexual — is killed. Then Lucia
(Femi Benussi), who was sexually
involved with Gisella (Amanda),
the head of the agency, ends
up dead. One agency employee,
“The Fifth Cord” screens July 20-25.
estored 60
Magda (Edwige Fenech), discovers
a clue and hopes that she and her
boyfriend Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo)
can catch the killer before they become
victims. “Strip Nude for Your
Killer” is entertaining as various
characters engage in blackmail,
adultery, stalking, and murder.
The fi lm features extensive nudity,
bloody violence, and a funky
score. The women barely keep their
clothes on, the men are mostly abusive,
and the killer’s motivation for
all the slaying is a bit far-fetched.
But as a prime example of the
genre, “Strip Nude for Your Killer”
delivers both sleaze and cheese in
equal measure. It’s fun if you’re in
the right frame of mind.
Arguably the best fi lm in the
program is “The Fifth Cord,” a
taut little thriller, based on D.M.
Devine’s eponymous novel. After
John Lubbock (Maurizio Bonuglia)
is hit over the head in a tunnel
and nearly killed, several people
start dying. Reporter Andrea Bild
(Franco Nero), who starts investigating,
unfortunately knows all
of the victims, making him a potential
suspect. This impressive
murder mystery exudes style, with
dazzling cinematography by Vittorio
Storaro. There is some nice
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sexual tension between Andrea
and his girlfriend Lu (Pamela Tiffi
n), two tense murder sequences,
some naughty episodes involving
voyeurism as well as an exciting
fi nale where Andrea hopes to unmask
the culprit. “The Fifth Cord”
is controlled when it comes to both
gore and sex; there are only brief
snippets of violence and nudity.
While Nero slapping Lu is unpleasant
— though not atypical of the
genre — his otherwise solid performance
makes this twisty mystery
worthwhile.
“The Iguana with the Tongue
of Fire” is an offbeat giallo that
is set and partly shot in Ireland.
The murders start at once with a
woman getting acid thrown in her
face before she is killed, her throat
sliced open in graphic detail. When
➤ GIALLO FILMS, continued on p.31
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