The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971) Il gatto a nove code (original title)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (story) &
Luigi Collo (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 May 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

It's nine times more suspenseful!

Plot:

A newspaper reporter and a retired, blind journalist try to solve a series of killings connected to a pharmaceutical company's experimental, top-secret research projects and in so doing, both become targets of the killer.

Plot Keywords:

Night | Car | Scientist | Journalist | Picture

Cast

James Franciscus	...	Carlo Giordani
Karl Malden	...	Franco Arno
Catherine Spaak	...	Anna Terzi
Pier Paolo Capponi	...	Police Supt. Spini
Horst Frank	...	Dr. Braun
Rada Rassimov	...	Bianca Merusi
Aldo Reggiani	...	Dr. Casoni
Carlo Alighiero	...	Dr. Calabresi
Vittorio Congia	...	Righetto (cameraman)
Ugo Fangareggi	...	Gigi the Loser
Tom Felleghy	...	Dr. Esson
Emilio Marchesini	...	Dr. Mombelli
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	Spimi's man
Corrado Olmi	...	Morsella
Pino Patti	...	Barber
Umberto Raho	...	Manuel's ex-lover
Jacques Stany	...	Prof. Manera
Stefano Oppedisano	...	Taxi driver
Ada Pometti	...	Telephone operator
Walter Pinelli
Sascha Helwin		(as Sacha Helwin)
Marie Louise Sinclair	...	Film starlet (as Marie Luise Zetha)
Martial Boschero
Cinzia De Carolis	...	Lori
Werner Pochath	...	Manuel
Tino Carraro	...	Prof. Fulvio Terzi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aristide Caporale	...	Smoker in the Billiard Hall (uncredited)
Giovanni Di Benedetto	...	Chief of Police Salmi (uncredited)
Margherita Horowitz	...	Lori's Babysitter (uncredited)
Giuseppe Marrocco	...	Man at Table in the Saint Peter's Club (uncredited)
Gennarino Pappagalli	...	Man in the Terzi's Institute (uncredited)
Aldo Parenti	...	(uncredited)
Franco Ukmar	...	Policeman - Speaks with Morsella About Food (uncredited)

Directed by
Dario Argento

Writing credits
Dario Argento		(story) &
Luigi Collo		(story) and
Dardano Sacchetti		(story)
Dario Argento		(screenplay)
Bryan Edgar Wallace		uncredited

Produced by
Salvatore Argento	....	producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Erico Menczer

Film Editing by
Franco Fraticelli

Production Design by
Carlo Leva

Costume Design by
Carlo Leva
Luca Sabatelli

Makeup Department
Giuseppe Ferranti	....	makeup artist
Vincenzo Marchetti	....	assistant makeup artist
Piero Mecacci	....	makeup artist
Maura Turchi	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Angelo Iacono	....	production manager
Giuseppe Mangogna	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roberto Pariante	....	assistant director

Art Department
Romeo Costantini	....	assistant set decorator
Franco Pedacchia	....	assistant production designer
Lamberto Verdenelli	....	property master

Sound Department
Luciano Anzellotti	....	sound effects
Eugenio Fiori	....	boom operator
Romano Pampaloni	....	sound recordist
Mario Ronchetti	....	sound
Massimo Anzellotti	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Luciano Vittori	....	titles & optical effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Bertozzi	....	electrician
Roberto Brega	....	camera operator
Arturo de Castelterlango	....	first assistant camera
Rodolfo Flibotti	....	gaffer
Giuseppe Gabrielli	....	grip
Maurizio La Monica	....	second assistant camera
Alberico Loreti	....	best boy electric
Renato Mascagno	....	first assistant camera
Ettore Migalizzi	....	grip
Giovanni Migalizzi	....	grip
Maurizio Migalizzi	....	key grip
Firmino Palmieri	....	still photographer
Franco Rachini	....	electrician
Carlo Vinciguerra	....	electrician

Editorial Department
Cesarina Casini	....	first assistant editor
Sergio Fraticelli	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Bruno Nicolai	....	conductor

Other crew
Carlo Du Bois	....	administrator
Roberta Leoni	....	production secretary
Bruno Ukmar	....	gunsmith
Luciano Vittori	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Labrador Films
• Seda Spettacoli
• Terra-Filmkunst
• Transconta SA

Distributors

• Titanus Distribuzione (1971) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (1971) (West Germany) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Mondial Films (1971) (France) (theatrical)
• National General Pictures (1971) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Valio-Filmi (1972) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Control Productions (2001) (Australia) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Miracle Pictures (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Krause & Schneider Multimedia (KSM) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• XT Video Entertainment (2005) (Austria) (DVD)
• AVU-Video-Vertriebs-GmbH (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (Deluxe Special Edition)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Emerald (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Artic Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Bingo Video Inc. (????) (USA) (VHS)
• CMV Laservision (2012) (Germany) (video) (Blu-ray)
• Cinefear (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2004) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• K & C Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Simitar Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Summit Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• UFA Video (????) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2002) (2004) (2005) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

"Il gatto a nove code" - Italy (original title)
"Cat o' Nine Tails" - UK (imdb display title), USA (dubbed version)

Runtime:

Spain:110 min | USA:112 min | Argentina:115 min | USA:90 min (cut version) | West Germany:32 min (Super 8-version in 2 parts) | Austria:114 min (Limited Uncut Integral-Version)

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Italy:VM14 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2005) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-15 (2005) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1972) (cut) | Norway:16 (1972) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2006) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:Unrated (uncut) | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Labrador Films

Trivia:

Although it's one of his most successful films, this is the least favorite of Dario Argento among his pictures.

Goofs:

Continuity: Early in the graveyard scene, as they are walking, the position of the actors changes between shots. In the side angle Malden has his left arm raised with his hand on Franciscus' right shoulder, in the angle showing them from the front, Malden has his arm down and Franciscus is gripping his shoulder.

Quotes:

Carlo Giordani:Do you know how many people are together right now making love this very second?
Anna Terzi:No.
Carlo Giordani:780 on the average. Really.
[pause]
Carlo Giordani:I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but that was an invitation.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Deep Red 25th Anniversary (2000) (V)

Not my favourite Argento but still worthwhile

Dario Argento has gone on record as saying that The Cat o' Nine Tails is his least favourite of all his own work. I was a bit surprised to hear that, although I must agree it's a flawed film. It's worth noting that, while it's generally regarded as something of a minor early work among his filmography, in his native Italy it remains his most popular video rental.

The Cat o' Nine Tails is a murder mystery thriller that strays far closer to classic Hitchcock and Agatha Christie than to Argento's own later works which focused heavily on extreme violence and/or the supernatural. While the "Ten Little Indians"-style whodunit plot has some clever, interesting twists and turns to keep you guessing, I did feel that Argento got rather bogged down in the mechanics of his plot at times. Also, at 112 minutes it's one of the only Argento films that slightly outstays its welcome.

Karl Malden is excellent as Arno, the blind crossword puzzle designer. I enjoyed his charming interaction with both his little niece Lori and sleazy investigative journalist James Franco. There's one strikingly tense set piece where Franco is trapped in a dark crypt. The film also has an amiably jaunty comic tone in places. Perhaps my favourite feature of the whole movie was the excellent musical score of Ennio Morricone. A jazzy prog-rock soundtrack that mixes bass, percussion and trumpets, it's probably the coolest, grooviest music in any Argento film before he began collaborating with soundtrack maestros Goblin.

All in all, The Cat o' Nine Tails is for me not quite as lively, memorable or inspired as Argento's strongest work, but it's still an entertaining and clever thriller that's well worth a look.