We Will Tattoo Your Genitals

YELLOW ITALIAN

... AND A LOT OF FEAR (... And a lot of fear - Italy 1976) by Paul Cavara
... And so afraid (Trailer)

SHEET FILM

Milan is disturbed by a series of mysterious murders by a serial killer who, after each murder, leaves the scene of the crime some disturbing drawings, taken from a fairy tale for children. Commissioner Lomenzo (Michele Placido), aided by the beautiful Jeanne (Corinne Clery) and Peter Riccio (Eli Wallach), head of a firm of private investigators, he decided to direct their inquiries the rich and treacherous Hoffmann (John Steiner), realizing that crimes may be, in some way linked to a fatal feast, which occurred years earlier, organized by a group of rich perverts.

Cavara Paul was undoubtedly one of the most eclectic and interesting in the panorama of Italian genre cinema of the '60s and '70s. Former diver, began his career as a documentary alongside Charles Gregory and Franco Prosperi in the 50s, with a series of documentaries filmed in Ceylon, the Maldives and Indonesia. Later, in the '60s, his career as a writer and director undergoes a change when he realizes, Angelo Rizzoli, " dog world "(founder of the so-called world movies) in 1962, along with Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti. The film was so successful as to encourage producers and directors in those years, to embark on this new line of documentaries and sensationalist pseudo-sociological, designed to impress the audience with gruesome images (more often constructed ad hoc ) seasoned with fake moralism, thinly-veiled racism and neo-colonialist spirit.

In the years following makes: "The woman in the world " (1963), some sequences (uncredited) of "Mondo Cane 2 " (1963), " The malamondo "(1964), film investigation about the universe of youth and, especially," The Wild Eye "(1967), an interesting analysis (sometimes autobiographical) metacinematografica criticism and, on the methodology used in the mainstream of the documentaries" sensational " .

Then Cavara is dedicated to projects that, at least in intention, should have been a commercial success safer. In 1971, riding the trend of "yellow Italian, opened last year by Dario Argento, directed" The tarantula bellied black "(film" silver "from the title), and five years later, "... and so afraid." Both are quite good commercial success and critical acclaim, however, while the first was taken, so unoriginal, the clichés typical of the thriller "silver" in the second Cavara adopt a point of view, quite innovative for its time, grotesque and satirical at the edge of parody. Under certain aspects, in fact, the film represents a kind of Cavara real deconstruction of the genre, for the way in which to continue, with clever irony, the clever caricature of almost all carriers classical, typical of the structure " yellow Italian ".

script signed by Bernardo Zapponi (former author of the screenplay for "Deep Red", released last year) is full of exaggerated and caricatured characters and situations. The ingredients of the traditional yellow (excuse and reason, for example) are so unlikely that the same final solution of the riddle can only be intentionally tangled and improbable. Not to mention the appearance of deliberately sexploitation (but at the same time, very ironic), guaranteed by the sex scenes between the Commissioner Lomenzo (Michele Placido) and extremely available Jeanne (the beautiful Corinne Clery) and a curious cartoon which one can see some sequences throughout the film, the sadomasochistic porno-satirical, designed by Francesco Maurizio Guido (aka Gibb), author of "The Dwarf and the Witch" (1974) Italian first erotic film entertainment.

Singles, though respectable, is the cast that in addition to the aforementioned and Placido Clery, boasts the great Eli Wallach (gigioneggia not that much) in the role of Peter Riccio, the very bad par excellence John Steiner (in the role of Hoffmann) and Tom Skerritt (who had already worked in Italy by Giuseppe Colizzi, alongside Keith Carradine, in "Coming Joe and Margaret") as the Chief Commissioner (slightly more than a cameo , to tell the truth).

In conclusion, "... and so afraid" is an accurate and elegant film (a scene of all: the sequence between the mirrors, a tribute to "The Lady from Shanghai") and very interesting , provided that we interpret as an attempt to re-reading, and destructive parody of a particular genre. Attempted that probably has a value even higher than those who are its real merits, if we place the film in its original context, in which the so-called yellow italian was still at the peak of its kind popularity and expressive potential.

MEISTER STEINER SAYS: 6.5