Smile Before Death is a fun little giallo that makes up for its preposterous twisty-turny plot with lots of nudity from its attractive lead and a breezy sense of fun as epitomised by the jaunty theme music that is used throughout (a chu chu chu chu chu a chu ticky chu).
The very appealing Jenny Tamburi plays Nancy, who returns home from boarding school after the death of her mother Dorothy (Zora Gheorgieva), which was ruled as a suicide. Of course, this being a giallo, there's more to Dorothy's demise than meets the eye: Nancy's stepfather Marco (Silvano Tranquilli) and sexy photographer Gianna (Rosalba Neri), a friend of Dorothy (literally, and figuratively, as we later discover), killed the woman in an attempt to get their hands on her money. Now, with Nancy coming of age, they need to get rid of her as well in order to bag the inheritence; however, Nancy isn't as innocent, helpless, or as clueless as she appears, the girl using her sexuality to turn Marco and Gianna against each other.
There aren't many murders in this film - just two, and they're not all that gory - but those who like their gialli on the sleazy side will definitely find much to enjoy, since sex and nudity are high on the agenda: Nancy frequently disrobes as she seduces Marco (Tranquilli 27 years Tamburi's senior) and gets it on with Gianna, who is also sleeping with lucky old Marco. Tamburi also gets her kit off for a nude photo shoot. After much duplicity, deceit, and double-crossing, the film closes with a one-two twist that wraps things up rather neatly.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.
The very appealing Jenny Tamburi plays Nancy, who returns home from boarding school after the death of her mother Dorothy (Zora Gheorgieva), which was ruled as a suicide. Of course, this being a giallo, there's more to Dorothy's demise than meets the eye: Nancy's stepfather Marco (Silvano Tranquilli) and sexy photographer Gianna (Rosalba Neri), a friend of Dorothy (literally, and figuratively, as we later discover), killed the woman in an attempt to get their hands on her money. Now, with Nancy coming of age, they need to get rid of her as well in order to bag the inheritence; however, Nancy isn't as innocent, helpless, or as clueless as she appears, the girl using her sexuality to turn Marco and Gianna against each other.
There aren't many murders in this film - just two, and they're not all that gory - but those who like their gialli on the sleazy side will definitely find much to enjoy, since sex and nudity are high on the agenda: Nancy frequently disrobes as she seduces Marco (Tranquilli 27 years Tamburi's senior) and gets it on with Gianna, who is also sleeping with lucky old Marco. Tamburi also gets her kit off for a nude photo shoot. After much duplicity, deceit, and double-crossing, the film closes with a one-two twist that wraps things up rather neatly.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.