Death Laid an Egg (1968)

A love triangle develops between three people who run a high tech chicken farm. It involves Anna (who owns the farm), her husband Marco (who kills prostitutes in his spare time) and ... See full summary »

Director:

Giulio Questi

Writers:

Franco Arcalli (a film written by), Giulio Questi (a film written by)

Stars:

Gina Lollobrigida, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Ewa Aulin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gina Lollobrigida	...	Anna
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Marco (as Jean Louis Trintignant)
Ewa Aulin	...	Gabrielle
Jean Sobieski	...	Mondaini
Renato Romano	...	Luigi
Vittorio André
Giulio Donnini	...	Hotel Manager
Biagio Pelligra	...	Chemical operator
Cleofe Del Cile	...	Prostitute #1
Monica Millesi
Ugo Adinolfi
Conrad Andersen
Aldo Bonamano	...	Police Inspector
Rina De Filippo
Livio Ferraro

Storyline

A love triangle develops between three people who run a high tech chicken farm. It involves Anna (who owns the farm), her husband Marco (who kills prostitutes in his spare time) and Gabriella (the very beautiful secretary). Marco continues to kill as jealousy becomes more prevalent on the farm.

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Plot Keywords:

psychopathic killer | farm | chicken | surrealism | murder mystery | 

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Taglines:

See them tear each other apart. Then see what they do with the pieces!

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Genres:

Thriller

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

9 January 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Death Laid an Egg

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summa Cinematografica,Cine Azimut,Les Films Corona

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 91 min (re-release) 104 min (Director's Cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa # 50298 delivered on 21-11-1967.

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Connections

Referenced in Sonic Explorations (2018)

User Reviews

Clucking hell!

With the sixties in full swing, and mind-altering drugs an integral part of the arts scene, it comes as no surprise to find that a large amount of the cinematic output from this era is more than a little bit 'out-there'. The makers of Death Laid an Egg must've consumed more than their fair share of LSD, 'shrooms and Marijuana. 'cos with its spaced-out visuals, experimental discordant soundtrack, wild editing and pretentious dialogue, it sure is one bizarre cinematic trip!

And whilst I found the mix of European art-house cinema and proto-Giallo plot line seriously irritating and incredibly dull, it's not hard to see how this unusual effort has garnered a cult following among those who enjoy 'psychadelic' films.

Set in and around a high-tech chicken factory, the film follows several characters whose lives intertwine with deadly consequences. Marco (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is husband to the beautiful factory owner, Anna (Gina Lollobrigida), but is also knocking off sexy blonde Gabriella (Ewa Aulin) who also has a connection with young publicist Mondaini (Jean Sobieski), who is called in to promote the benefits of chickens. Add a weird scientist who is developing headless and wingless fowl that yield more meat for maximum profit, and the roster of strange characters is complete.

I can see this movie appealing to fans of the avant-garde (those who enjoy the work of Lynch or Jodorowsky, for example), but the whole thing is just too screwy for my (admittedly jaded) tastes. If I'm ever tempted to watch Death Laid An Egg again, I think I'll be getting myself some of those hallucinogenics I mentioned earlier, in order to make the whole experience more interesting.

I give DLAE 2/10 (just missing the absolute lowest score, thanks to tasty Ewa Aulin and the freaky genetically enhanced headless chickens).