Il vizio ha le calze nere (1975)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Tano Cimarosa

Writers:

Adriano Bolzoni (screenplay)
Luigi Latini de Marchi (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 October 1975 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Lesbian Scene | Murder | Giallo | Lesbianism

Cast

John Richardson	...	Inspector Lavina
Dagmar Lassander	...	Leonora Anselmi
Ninetto Davoli	...	Marco
Magda Konopka	...	Contessa Orselmo
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart	...	Anselmi
Daniela Giordano	...	Concetta
Ursula Davis		(as Pier Anna Quaia)
Tano Cimarosa
Giovanni Brusadori
Dada Gallotti
Gianni Williams
Giovanna D'Albore
Livio Galassi
Marco Busciala

Also Known As:

Reflections in Black
Vice Wears Black Hose (USA)

Runtime:

Greece:71 min | Italy:90 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

I.R.I. Cinematografica

Sleazy (but not unenjoyable) giallo

This is one of your sleazier gialli right up there with scuzzy favorites like "Strip Nude for Your Killer" and "The Slasher Is a Sex Maniac". The plot even by giallo standards is hopelessly convoluted and ridiculous with far too many thinly-drawn and similar-looking characters for any non-Italian viewer to keep straight. To his credit, the first-time director, sleazeball character actor Gaetano Cimorosa, obviously tried to inject some visual style into the proceedings, but to little avail. Still there is fun to be had here; at least, if you can get past the unusually homophobic storyline that has any number of heterosexually desirable bisexuals and lesbians being killed for no other reason than their sexual orientation (even as the movie itself hypocritically wallows in prurient lesbian sex).

Normally, I'd describe the plot right here, but, believe me, it really doesn't matter with this one. The movie is currently available in two versions. The English version is full-screen with Dutch(?)subtitles, but it looks pretty decent. The Spanish language version (obviously from the post-Franco, post-censorial "destapa" period) is wide-screen and is the only version featuring nudity from the ravishing Dagmar Lassender and Magda Kopovka. Unfortunately, its also WAY too heavily padded with softcore sex scenes that manage to slow even further the movie's already glacial pace, and it looks horrible to boot. Pick your poison (lucky me, I own 'em both).