4 mosche di velluto grigio (1971)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (screenplay)
Dario Argento (story)

Release Date:

25 August 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Music | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

When the flies start to crawl, so will your flesh...

Plot:

A musician is stalked by an unknown killer who's blackmailing him for an accidential killing of another stalker. But is everything what it appears to be?

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Night | Friend | Drummer | Stalker

Cast

Michael Brandon	...	Roberto Tobias
Mimsy Farmer	...	Nina Tobias
Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	Gianni Arrosio
Bud Spencer	...	Godfrey 'God'
Aldo Bufi Landi	...	Pathologist
Calisto Calisti	...	Carlo Marosi
Marisa Fabbri	...	Amelia, the maid
Oreste Lionello	...	The Professor
Fabrizio Moroni	...	Mirko
Corrado Olmi	...	Porter
Stefano Satta Flores	...	Andrea
Laura Troschel	...	Maria (as Costanza Spada)
Francine Racette	...	Dalia
Dante Cleri	...	Coffin Salesman
Guerrino Crivello	...	Rambaldi, the neighbor

Also Known As:

4 Flies on Grey Velvet (USA) (alternative spelling)
4 mouches de velours gris (France)
Four Flies on Grey Velvet (USA)
Four Patches of Grey Velvet
Quatre mouches de velours gris (France) (alternative spelling)
Quattro mosche di velluto grigio (Italy) (alternative spelling)
The Four Velvet Flies (International: English title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Luxembourg:17 | Belgium:KNT | Germany:18 | Argentina:13 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Marianne Productions

Trivia:

A slow-motion bullet effect is used in the film, pre-dating The Matrix and many Hong Kong action films.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gawi (2000)

Argento's rarest giallo

Undoubtedly Dario Argento's rarest giallo, "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" is none the less the weakest in his "Animal Trilogy" (which also includes "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" and "Cat O'Nine Tails", but it is still a pretty entertaining entry in the giallo genre. A musician believes he accidentally killed someone and begins sensing that someone is stalking him, wishing to blackmail him for the murder. Alright, that's a skimpy plot summary, but as giallo fans know the plot is secondary to the camera work and music in a giallo. Anyway, Argento demonstrates some very creative camera work in this one, one of my favorite shots come from inside a guitar. Furthermore, he keeps a nice and steady pace, there is very little downtime in this one and Ennio Morricone gives a good, if not great score. It also boasts some inventive deaths. Now, "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" certainly has its flaws. There is a bit too much comedy in for my tastes, which I feel distracted from the horror. Also, Morriconne's score is underutilized and there isn't enough nudity. Overall "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" is good, but not great. Only Argento fans should go out of there way to find it, but I am a huge Argento fan, so it was worth it in my opinion.