Tragic Ceremony (1972) Estratto dagli archivi segreti della polizia di una capitale europea (original title)

Director:

Riccardo Freda

Writers:

Mario Bianchi
José Gutiérrez Maesso
(more)

Release Date:

20 December 1972 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror

Plot Keywords:

Gambling | Storm | Mother Son Relationship | Female Nudity | Hospitality

Cast

Camille Keaton	...	Jane
Tony Isbert	...	Bill
Máximo Valverde	...	Joe
Luigi Pistilli	...	Lord Alexander
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Lady Alexander
José Calvo	...	Gas station attendant
Giovanni Petti	...	Fred (as Giovanni Petrucci)
Irina Demick	...	Bill's mother
Paul Muller	...	Doctor
Beni Deus	...	Ferguson
Milo Quesada
Alejandro de Enciso
Elsa Zabala	...	Devil worshipper
Pablo García
David Thomson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adriana Facchetti	...	Woman in Alexander house
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	Police Inspector

Directed by
Riccardo Freda		(as Robert Hampton)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mario Bianchi
José Gutiérrez Maesso		(as José G. Maesso)
Leonardo Martín

Produced by
José Gutiérrez Maesso	....	producer

Original Music by
Stelvio Cipriani

Cinematography by
Francisco Fraile

Film Editing by
Jolanda Benvenuti

Special Effects by
Carlo Rambaldi	....	special effects

Music Department
Luca di Silverio	....	soundtrack album producer

Production Companies

• Produzioni Internazionali Associate (PIA)
• Televisión y Cine S.A. (TECISA)

Distributors

• Dark Sky Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Digitmovies Alternative Entertainment  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"Estratto dagli archivi segreti della polizia di una capitale europea" - Spain (original title)
"Tragic Experience at Villa Alexander" - USA (bootleg title)

Runtime:

Spain:82 min | Italy:87 min | USA:82 min

Country:

Spain | Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Safa-Palatino, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Produzioni Internazionali Associate (PIA)

Trivia:

Riccardo Freda always resented directing the movie. The Spanish prints credit him as director though.

Someone got 'Tragic' mixed up with 'Tedious'!

Riccardo Freda may have a good reputation; but since we now that many of his best films were, in fact, directed by the late great Mario Bava; it's clear that he wasn't one of Italy's most gifted filmmakers back in the seventies. This film pretty much proves that as despite the simplistic plot; it's a sprawling mess and overall, I'd even have to go as far as to say that Tragic Ceremony is WORSE than Freda's insipid Giallo effort, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire. Freda apparently disowned this movie, and I certainly don't blame him! The plot simply follows a bunch of kids that run out of petrol in the middle of nowhere. They happen upon a house while searching for fuel; but it turns out to be a bad choice, as the owner is just about to conduct a satanic ceremony...ho hum. The film features a lead role for Camille Keaton, who would go on to star in the exploitation classic I Spit on Your Grave some years later, but fails to make an impression here despite acting alongside a cast of talentless performers. The film features one decent gore scene towards the end, but this really isn't enough considering that it takes eighty minutes of tedium to get there. I have a high tolerance for rubbish Italian films that don't make sense - but even I couldn't stand this one. Miss it, miss nothing!