|
Torso
Apr 24, 2021 11:08:47 GMT -5
endo likes this
Post by peteyt on Apr 24, 2021 11:08:47 GMT -5
So I've not been active lately due to mainly work, but I've had some time off and thought it's about time I watched another Giallo film. Last night I watched Sergio Martino's 1973 film Torso.
Now until I recently started exploring the Gillao genre properly, I'd never heard of Sergio Martino. It seems after the likes of Argento, Bava and Fulci, this is one of the genres most prolific directors. I've already seen a couple of his films, most recently The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. However I found Torso a lot more gory and sleazier than the others I've previously seen, with those seeming a bit more classier. Before I start I will warn you while I will not reveal the killer (no fun in that) I will possibly spoil a few things, scenes etc.
The film is set in the Italian city of Perugia where a masked killer with a necktie and seemingly a thing for dolls (yes dolls) is going around killing mainly students and mainly females in general. A few people seem to see something they shouldn't and die as usual and eventually later on in the film a group of female students decide they need a break and escape to an isolated Villa above a cliff. As you can imagine, this was a mistake.
The film has a large cast and I felt at the start this was distracting and I wasn't really sure who was who. One thing I will mention is most of the males come across as very sleazy. There is one scene for example when the females are about to drive up to the Villa and a large group of males are checking them out and making comments. It is a very sleazy but also over the top scene that kind of feels sleazy yet comedic. One of the main characters also doesn't seem to be able to accept a female isn't interested and is constantly stalking her.
The killer themselves wears a white mask in the first half of the film - for some reason they stop wearing this later on although the scenes are shot so we see feet and stuff but never their face. The mask has an eerily simplicity to it that kind of made me think of Michael Myer's mask from Halloween. I found a few Halloween similarities in the film, such as the film having one last survivor, the final girl, who finds her friends all killed similar to Laurie Strode although the bodies aren't hid like they where in Halloween.
Most of the deaths aren't gory compared to what we get today but they still where quite gory and I can see this film helping to influence the slasher genre. I mean Halloween did come out 5 years later. When we see the killer kill someone we often see images of Dolls which I found added a nice weird element that made it stand out a little. As I briefly mentioned above, towards the last part of the film there's the scene where the final girl finds all her friends have been killed which is a good moment. This leads to her hiding under either a table or chair (can't remember which), and we get a nice low shot as the killer (face still hidden from us and the female) starts to dismember the bodies. It's a great moment, as she has to stay still and quiet while seeing this.
The film does have some great suspenseful moments, certainly in the later half. One favourite scene has the female hiding in a room which the killer eventually locks and leaves the key in the door. She manages to put a newspaper under the door and then knock the key out. However she actually misses but the audience sees a gloved hand pick the key up and place it on the newspaper. This was a really clever yet simple scene, as we see her relief and even happiness as she thinks she might have a chance to escape, with us knowing the killer is stood waiting on the other side.
I will say the film isn't for everyone, a lot of nudity and sleaziness. As I mentioned I found the large cast a bit too much at first, and never really was rooting for anyone or even knew who would be the final girl. It's a good Giallo, although not my favourite, and as I said, I can see how it may have influenced a lot of American Slashers. After finishing a film I like to do a little googling and found out the city it was set in was also where Meredith Kercher, the roommate of Amanda Knox, was murdered. Also the Italian title of the film is 'I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale' which apparently translates to 'The Bodies Bear Traces of Carnal Violence.' However if you put the Italian title through Google Translate what you actually get back is 'The bodies show traces of rape' which is a pretty messed up title for a film.
|
|
|
Torso
Apr 24, 2021 12:06:43 GMT -5
Post by endo on Apr 24, 2021 12:06:43 GMT -5
Great review man! I think I've seen this one, but it's been a while. I need to do a marathon of Giallo films one day.
|
|
|
Torso
Apr 24, 2021 13:13:32 GMT -5
endo likes this
Post by peteyt on Apr 24, 2021 13:13:32 GMT -5
Great review man! I think I've seen this one, but it's been a while. I need to do a marathon of Giallo films one day. I'm enjoying my exploration of the genre, although I am finding most of the ones apart from the main directors aren't that great, but their are some surprises I've came across. I think Bird With The Crystal Plumage is one of the films that really made the genre as popular as it is and still a great film, alongside deep red. I also love Argento's second film Cat o'nine tails although it isn't as popular as his others.
|
|
|
Torso
Apr 26, 2021 6:59:37 GMT -5
endo likes this
Post by peteyt on Apr 26, 2021 6:59:37 GMT -5
Re-edited it as for some reason my post had copied a load of stuff, repeating paragraphs a few times
|
|