Morbid
October 2nd, 2007, 10:45 AM
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9981/chivistamorire1972cf3.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000640SM/dreamindemon-20)
Who Saw Her Die?
Directors: Aldo Lado (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0480575/)
Actors: George Lazenby (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0493872/), Anita Strindberg (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0834527/), Adolfo Celi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148041/), Dominique Boschero (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0097802/), Peter Chatel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153998/)
Genres: Thriller, Crime, Horror, Mystery
DVD Release Date: June 25, 2002
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Number of discs: 1
Rating: UNRATED
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Run Time: 94 minutes
ASIN: B0000640SM
Within the first minutes of Who Saw Her Die?, A young girl is murdered at the hands of an unidentifiable killer being shown as a woman dressed in black with a veil covering her face. Flash forward four years and we see Roberta (Nicoletta Elmi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255435/) of Baron Blood (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069048/) and Deep Red (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073582/) fame) arriving from London to visit her father, Franco (George Lazenby), a local sculptor. Eventually, she too is stalked by a veiled woman dressed in black and subsequently murdered, her body found floating in the canal. Franco and his estranged wife, Elizabeth (Anita Strindberg), then embark on their own investigation into the murder of their child when they learn she may be the victim of an active serial killer. What they uncover is a conspiracy involving the upper echelon of Venice, and a killer who has a taste for young red-heads and has decided to start removing anyone who may know too much.
Aldo Lado's second entry into the giallo genre is a fine film that in many ways rivals other more well known films of the genre. When dealing with the murder of children, or pedophilia, a film can easily travel down the route of sleaze and can quite often have too much of an exploitive feel to it, leaving the viewer feeling dirty while watching. Aldo Lado sidesteps all of this and is able to craft a classy film regardless of the subject matter. While the giallo pre-requisites are all here (murders, sex, nudity, flash backs, the black glove) Aldo went a bit further than one expects with these types of films by putting more effort into character development. Giallo are known for many things, but character development and great acting are not usually what one expects, but Aldo gets a decent performance out of the cast, in particular Lazenby and Strinberg. George Lazenby is in stark contrast to his previous Agent 007 outing, and as Franco, is shockingly skinny and gaunt. Whether this is because of his personal life at the time (things were not going to well for Lazenby at the time) or not, it works in his favor, and ultimately the movie in general. His physical appearance helps sell his character being an artist, and later makes him seem more vulnerable when dealing with the loss of his child.
Lazenby plays the role of a loving father fairly straightforward but still comes off convincing, especially in the way Aldo shoots the early scenes between him and his daughter interacting. Even when the time comes for his role to switch to a grieving father, it may come off a little less convincing, but considering his characters circumstances it actually becomes more realistic as it seems as if Franco is using his grief as fuel to push him forward, even when it is very apparent he is in over his head and his own life is in danger. This entire first portion of the film moves at a nice pace and avoids any stumbling blocks, but does bog down a bit during Franco's investigation. The typical red herrings are shown as well as multiple visits to the same characters all of which slow things down a tad, but never to the extent in which you are looking at your watch. This is mostly because it is also at this time that Aldo competently juggles a handful of characters, making each of them all look guilty of something and potential suspects. But Aldo gets things moving again in the last act and kicks things back into high gear all the way to the end of the film.
Helping to keep this film in the top tier of giallos, and echoing the overall theme of the film, Franco Di Giacomo (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223862/)'s cinematography shows two sides of Venice. Just as the characters of this film, even Venice has its darker side. While it may be impossible to shoot a movie in Venice and not have it look spectacular, Who Saw Her Die? does display beautiful, postcard worthy shots of the city but also turns it lens on some of Venice’s more sinister environments that many tourists never see. With its dark alleys, long, dark stairways, fog enshrouded canals and abandoned buildings; like the characters in the film, even Venice has a dark side and Giacomo does a superb job in showing it. The music Ennio Morricone (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001553/) creates for the film is an extremely memorable one, even if it is only two pieces used throughout the film. Using a boy’s choir, the score is used to varying degrees of success to make a soundtrack that is hard to forget even if gets a little too loud and the killer's theme can be bit jarring and overused.
While the film may be considered a bit tame when compared to other giallo, as there is no extreme sex or graphic violence, Aldo demonstrates the decision to do so works well, considering the subject matter. As usual with any giallo, this film may not be for everyone, but if you are a fan of the genre, you should check out this entertaining film, if for nothing more than to see how classy a giallo can be.
Also, note the final line of the film. Director or censors?
Links
Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000640SM/dreamindemon-20) | IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068367/) | Soundtrack Review (http://www.kqek.com/cd_lp_reviews/v2z/CD_0046_WhoSawHerDie.htm)
Pictures
http://img101.imagevenue.com/loc769/th_90027_2007-10-01_195439_122_769lo.jpg (http://img101.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90027_2007-10-01_195439_122_769lo.jpg)http://img187.imagevenue.com/loc55/th_90028_2007-10-01_195547_122_55lo.jpg (http://img187.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90028_2007-10-01_195547_122_55lo.jpg)http://img18.imagevenue.com/loc840/th_90033_2007-10-01_195818_122_840lo.jpg (http://img18.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90033_2007-10-01_195818_122_840lo.jpg)http://img182.imagevenue.com/loc356/th_90038_2007-10-01_200915_122_356lo.jpg (http://img182.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90038_2007-10-01_200915_122_356lo.jpg)
http://img5.imagevenue.com/loc1092/th_90107_2007-10-01_200142_122_1092lo.jpg (http://img5.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90107_2007-10-01_200142_122_1092lo.jpg)http://img163.imagevenue.com/loc923/th_90108_2007-10-01_195637_122_923lo.jpg (http://img163.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90108_2007-10-01_195637_122_923lo.jpg)http://img149.imagevenue.com/loc1141/th_90113_2007-10-01_200823_122_1141lo.jpg (http://img149.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90113_2007-10-01_200823_122_1141lo.jpg)http://img146.imagevenue.com/loc1161/th_90118_2007-10-01_200951_122_1161lo.jpg (http://img146.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90118_2007-10-01_200951_122_1161lo.jpg)
http://img148.imagevenue.com/loc1096/th_90232_2007-10-01_202120_122_1096lo.jpg (http://img148.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90232_2007-10-01_202120_122_1096lo.jpg)http://img148.imagevenue.com/loc892/th_90237_2007-10-01_202243_122_892lo.jpg (http://img148.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90237_2007-10-01_202243_122_892lo.jpg)http://img14.imagevenue.com/loc1087/th_90242_2007-10-01_202306_122_1087lo.jpg (http://img14.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90242_2007-10-01_202306_122_1087lo.jpg)http://img40.imagevenue.com/loc859/th_90247_2007-10-01_202550_122_859lo.jpg (http://img40.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90247_2007-10-01_202550_122_859lo.jpg)
Planning on buying this DVD? Help out the site, click here and buy it from Amazon! (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000640SM/dreamindemon-20)
Or if you are renting it or stealing it, at least buy the poster! (http://affiliates.allposters.com/link/redirect.asp?aid=266796564&search=Who+Saw+Her+Die?)
Who Saw Her Die?
Directors: Aldo Lado (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0480575/)
Actors: George Lazenby (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0493872/), Anita Strindberg (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0834527/), Adolfo Celi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148041/), Dominique Boschero (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0097802/), Peter Chatel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153998/)
Genres: Thriller, Crime, Horror, Mystery
DVD Release Date: June 25, 2002
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Number of discs: 1
Rating: UNRATED
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Run Time: 94 minutes
ASIN: B0000640SM
Within the first minutes of Who Saw Her Die?, A young girl is murdered at the hands of an unidentifiable killer being shown as a woman dressed in black with a veil covering her face. Flash forward four years and we see Roberta (Nicoletta Elmi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255435/) of Baron Blood (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069048/) and Deep Red (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073582/) fame) arriving from London to visit her father, Franco (George Lazenby), a local sculptor. Eventually, she too is stalked by a veiled woman dressed in black and subsequently murdered, her body found floating in the canal. Franco and his estranged wife, Elizabeth (Anita Strindberg), then embark on their own investigation into the murder of their child when they learn she may be the victim of an active serial killer. What they uncover is a conspiracy involving the upper echelon of Venice, and a killer who has a taste for young red-heads and has decided to start removing anyone who may know too much.
Aldo Lado's second entry into the giallo genre is a fine film that in many ways rivals other more well known films of the genre. When dealing with the murder of children, or pedophilia, a film can easily travel down the route of sleaze and can quite often have too much of an exploitive feel to it, leaving the viewer feeling dirty while watching. Aldo Lado sidesteps all of this and is able to craft a classy film regardless of the subject matter. While the giallo pre-requisites are all here (murders, sex, nudity, flash backs, the black glove) Aldo went a bit further than one expects with these types of films by putting more effort into character development. Giallo are known for many things, but character development and great acting are not usually what one expects, but Aldo gets a decent performance out of the cast, in particular Lazenby and Strinberg. George Lazenby is in stark contrast to his previous Agent 007 outing, and as Franco, is shockingly skinny and gaunt. Whether this is because of his personal life at the time (things were not going to well for Lazenby at the time) or not, it works in his favor, and ultimately the movie in general. His physical appearance helps sell his character being an artist, and later makes him seem more vulnerable when dealing with the loss of his child.
Lazenby plays the role of a loving father fairly straightforward but still comes off convincing, especially in the way Aldo shoots the early scenes between him and his daughter interacting. Even when the time comes for his role to switch to a grieving father, it may come off a little less convincing, but considering his characters circumstances it actually becomes more realistic as it seems as if Franco is using his grief as fuel to push him forward, even when it is very apparent he is in over his head and his own life is in danger. This entire first portion of the film moves at a nice pace and avoids any stumbling blocks, but does bog down a bit during Franco's investigation. The typical red herrings are shown as well as multiple visits to the same characters all of which slow things down a tad, but never to the extent in which you are looking at your watch. This is mostly because it is also at this time that Aldo competently juggles a handful of characters, making each of them all look guilty of something and potential suspects. But Aldo gets things moving again in the last act and kicks things back into high gear all the way to the end of the film.
Helping to keep this film in the top tier of giallos, and echoing the overall theme of the film, Franco Di Giacomo (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223862/)'s cinematography shows two sides of Venice. Just as the characters of this film, even Venice has its darker side. While it may be impossible to shoot a movie in Venice and not have it look spectacular, Who Saw Her Die? does display beautiful, postcard worthy shots of the city but also turns it lens on some of Venice’s more sinister environments that many tourists never see. With its dark alleys, long, dark stairways, fog enshrouded canals and abandoned buildings; like the characters in the film, even Venice has a dark side and Giacomo does a superb job in showing it. The music Ennio Morricone (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001553/) creates for the film is an extremely memorable one, even if it is only two pieces used throughout the film. Using a boy’s choir, the score is used to varying degrees of success to make a soundtrack that is hard to forget even if gets a little too loud and the killer's theme can be bit jarring and overused.
While the film may be considered a bit tame when compared to other giallo, as there is no extreme sex or graphic violence, Aldo demonstrates the decision to do so works well, considering the subject matter. As usual with any giallo, this film may not be for everyone, but if you are a fan of the genre, you should check out this entertaining film, if for nothing more than to see how classy a giallo can be.
Also, note the final line of the film. Director or censors?
Links
Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000640SM/dreamindemon-20) | IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068367/) | Soundtrack Review (http://www.kqek.com/cd_lp_reviews/v2z/CD_0046_WhoSawHerDie.htm)
Pictures
http://img101.imagevenue.com/loc769/th_90027_2007-10-01_195439_122_769lo.jpg (http://img101.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90027_2007-10-01_195439_122_769lo.jpg)http://img187.imagevenue.com/loc55/th_90028_2007-10-01_195547_122_55lo.jpg (http://img187.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90028_2007-10-01_195547_122_55lo.jpg)http://img18.imagevenue.com/loc840/th_90033_2007-10-01_195818_122_840lo.jpg (http://img18.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90033_2007-10-01_195818_122_840lo.jpg)http://img182.imagevenue.com/loc356/th_90038_2007-10-01_200915_122_356lo.jpg (http://img182.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90038_2007-10-01_200915_122_356lo.jpg)
http://img5.imagevenue.com/loc1092/th_90107_2007-10-01_200142_122_1092lo.jpg (http://img5.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90107_2007-10-01_200142_122_1092lo.jpg)http://img163.imagevenue.com/loc923/th_90108_2007-10-01_195637_122_923lo.jpg (http://img163.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90108_2007-10-01_195637_122_923lo.jpg)http://img149.imagevenue.com/loc1141/th_90113_2007-10-01_200823_122_1141lo.jpg (http://img149.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90113_2007-10-01_200823_122_1141lo.jpg)http://img146.imagevenue.com/loc1161/th_90118_2007-10-01_200951_122_1161lo.jpg (http://img146.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90118_2007-10-01_200951_122_1161lo.jpg)
http://img148.imagevenue.com/loc1096/th_90232_2007-10-01_202120_122_1096lo.jpg (http://img148.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90232_2007-10-01_202120_122_1096lo.jpg)http://img148.imagevenue.com/loc892/th_90237_2007-10-01_202243_122_892lo.jpg (http://img148.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90237_2007-10-01_202243_122_892lo.jpg)http://img14.imagevenue.com/loc1087/th_90242_2007-10-01_202306_122_1087lo.jpg (http://img14.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90242_2007-10-01_202306_122_1087lo.jpg)http://img40.imagevenue.com/loc859/th_90247_2007-10-01_202550_122_859lo.jpg (http://img40.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=90247_2007-10-01_202550_122_859lo.jpg)
Planning on buying this DVD? Help out the site, click here and buy it from Amazon! (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000640SM/dreamindemon-20)
Or if you are renting it or stealing it, at least buy the poster! (http://affiliates.allposters.com/link/redirect.asp?aid=266796564&search=Who+Saw+Her+Die?)