Drop

I'm a young guy and I have every intention (and all the confidence) to be a filmmaker, but I feel that I don't know enough or have seen enough films. So I'm constantly expanding my horizons, and right now giallo has taken my interest.

I'm pretty sure the only giallo I've seen is Tenebre(I'm an Argento fan), and I thought it was really good. I know that Mario Bava is credited with birthing these types of films, but I don't know much else. I've looked on the internet a little and that has been helpful, but I'd perfer to hear from you people.

So, basically if anyone would like to give me some history, basics about it (like what makes a giallo film), and most of all some recommendations, it would be very appreciated. I hope this could be a pretty interesting discussion as well, I searched the board and haven't found much giallo talk.

Giles

I hate to admit that I haven't found the time to yet watch these movies but Anchor Bay has issued a Gaillo Film Collection DVD Box Set



Review from Amazon.com

INDISPENSABLE, August 14, 2002
Reviewer: wdanthemanw (see more about me) from Geneva, Switzerland
In my opinion, this Anchor Bay box set is by far one of the major DVD releases of the year 2002. These DVDs let us rediscover four italian movies directed in the seventies and unfortunately half forgotten nowadays. They belong to a peculiar genre the "giallo", a genre whose prominent figures are or were, until this release came out, Mario Bava and Dario Argento.

Two of these movies are masterpieces, SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS and WHO SAW HER DIE ?, both directed by Aldo Lado. The first one is more a mystery thriller than a pure giallo with his hero Jean Sorel, left for dead in the pragian morgue and trying to remember what has happened to him while the doctors prepare his autopsy. Really frightening, a movie that creates the same terror in you than another masterpiece of the genre : George Sluizer's THE VANISHING.

WHO SAW HER DIE ? is a movie shot entirely in Venice, Italy with a haunting musical score by Ennio Morricone. The uneasiness you feel during the movie is greatly increased by the fact that the killer's main victim is a child who's the main character of WHO SAW HER DIE ? during the first 20 minutes of the film. Terrifying.

Giuliano Carnimeo's THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS is perhaps the movie of the box set that fits the best in the giallo category. One or two sexy scenes with Edwige Fenech, a madman hidden in the apartment of an old lady, subjective points of view that create the nervous tension, policemen with the I.Q. of an houseplant and knives as the main companion of the killer.

Antonio Bido's THE BLOOD STAINED SHADOW is, in my opinion, the weakest of the movies presented here but still presents excellent scenes in a Venice that isn't Venice (the movie was shot in an island nearby), specially the last scene in the church.

Anchor Bay has had the excellent idea to interview the directors of these movies who, in 10 minutes, manage to create in us the desire to discover their entire filmography. Superb work on the images and the sound too. A must-buy.

A box set that should already be in your library.

~

Blue Underground is also releasing a Giallo collection (Part 2 of this series) and it is discussed here:

http://dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread....ghlight=Giallo

Drop

Thank you very much Giles, I'll be sure to check those out.

chente

What does Giallo mean?

Giles

Giallo is the Italian word for "Yellow"

http://www.kinoeye.org/02/11/needham11.php

excerpted from link

In 1929, the Milanese Publishing giant Mondadori launched a line of books in yellow covers, hence giallo—the Italian word for yellow—as part of a large campaign to promote, specifically, tales of mystery and detection. These works consisted primarily of imported translations of British "rational-deduction" fictions of the Sherlock Holmes variety and the early twentieth century American quasi-fantastic murder mysteries built on the Edgar Allen Poe model.

rabbit77

I thought it was a Giallo was a typo referencing Vincent Gallo, creator of The Brown Bunny. You learn something new every day.

Drop

That's a very helpful link, Giles. Once again, thank you.

Although I have only seen one of these types of films. I do recommend them to anyone who is interested, or looking for something different.

Supermallet

While Bava may have begat the genre, I don't generally consider his films to be that good. Argento and Fulci did much better, in my opinion. I would suggest Deep Red and New York Ripper.

Giles

Fulci though has been noted as a misogynist and "New York Ripper" is probably his most extreme in vicious violence directed toward women.

The one 'giallo' film Fulci is best known for is "Don't Torture the Ducklings" (available on dvd from Anchor Bay)

starving dvder

The Giallo box set is worth checking out. I have it and it's great. Also some others off the top of my head.

The House with Laughing Windows

What Happened to Solange

The Bird With the Crystal Plumage

Cat O' Nine Tails - One of Argento's first films. Worth a look.

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids