EnnioMorricone

Paolo Cavara is best remembered for working alongside Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi in 1962's seminal exploitation shock-doc Mondo Cane. The film went on to spawn an entire genre without Cavara and even drew a number of titles latching on to the Mondo name for sensationalistic purposes, despite unrelated subject matter. It was Cavara's 1971 giallo Black Belly of the Tarantula (La tarantola dal ventre nero) that put him on the map as a serious director. Boasting an interesting cast with as many redheads as red herrings, Marcello Danon's story leads us into a world of blackmail conspiracy, drug trafficking and a black-clad revenge murderer.

The film opens with a languid and sensual Maria (Barbara Bouchet) receiving a nude massage to the tune of a feminine sigh (Edda Dell'Orso) interspersed with sumptuous horn arrangements; simply voluptuous and courtesy of Italian maestro Ennio Morricone. Afterward, we are witness to a fight with Maria's estranged husband (Silvano Tranquilli) who has been sent some illicit photographs of his wife in flagrante delicto. Soon after the quarrel she is attacked by an unidentified assailant who pierces her with a wicked needle and slices her belly open--two phalluses for the life of one. Inspector Tellini, played by the forever brooding Giancarlo Giannini, is called to investigate the murder but the evidence doesn't add up and before he can determine why, another woman is murdered the same way.

Massimo Dallamano's 1975 giallo, What Have They Done to Solange, takes its influence from the German crime genre known as krimi. German film producers had been adapting the novels of British author Edgar Wallace since the 20's but it was the Danish company, Rialto Film, who acquired exclusive rights to most of Wallace's novels in the early 60's. The original krimis were black and white but Rialto introduced color to the genre and and opted for stylish over substantial reimaginings of the Wallace novels. Rialto ignored the actual narrative of his stories and decided to hone in on the motives behind the murder mysteries. This explains the reason why Dallamano's film doesn't quite connect with Wallace's novel, The Secret of the Green Pin, also known as The Clue of the New Pin or Das Geheimnis der grünen Stecknadel. Solange was released under this title as well in the US and West Germany but the book and film have little in common aside from a few details, most notably the mention of a green stick pin. As the quality of the Rialto films took a nose dive in the late 60's, the company reached out to Italian producers to form four co-production companies to keep their costs low. Thus began one of the initial influences for giallo, aside from the yellow paperbacks where the genre gets its name. Similarly, the krimi films were also an influence on the Italian tough-cop genre know as polizotteschi. Shared traits between the three include uber violence, corruption and the investigation/investigator as a main focal point.

The film takes place in Communist era Prague where American journalist Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel) wakes, only to find himself in a catatonic state. He's unable to move or speak but starts to recall the bizarre occurrences which led to his current demise. Through these memories, we are introduced to his Czech girlfriend Mira Svoboda (Barbara Bach) who has disappeared after he tried to help her leave the country. Moore launches into an investigation that takes him to a private club (Klub 99), which appears to be a music club but is revealed to be a front for something unimaginable. Meanwhile, Moore's body shows no signs of rigor mortis but Doctors have presumed him dead and schedule him for an autopsy. Can he remember everything before it's too late?

I can't really think of an occasion where it isn't appropriate to play Goblin and I finally found someone who agrees with me.

Check out one person's video project after the jump, which is titled 'Take a Bath...Giallo Style.' The video features the music from Dario Argento's Tenebre, which was composed by Goblin. The Italian prog rock band has contributed to some of the finest soundtracks in Italian horror and well . . .horror, period. Though the video description claims it's unfinished, it's still cleverly done and gialloriffic with all the appropriate elements. I know exactly what music I'll be playing when I get sudsy later on tonight. Also of note is another video from the same person that is a party, shot giallo style, featuring the awesome, non-giallo sounds of The Magnetic Fields.

Now, where's my Ennio Morricone, spaghetti dinner video?