Sette scialli di seta gialla (1972)

A blind pianist tries to figure out who is responsible for a string of murders using a black cat with its claws dipped in curare.

Director:

Sergio Pastore

Writers:

Sandro Continenza (as Alessandro Continenza), Sergio Pastore

Stars:

Anthony Steffen, Sylva Koscina, Giovanna Lenzi

Cast

Cast overview:
Anthony Steffen	...	Peter Oliver
Sylva Koscina	...	Françoise Ballais
Giovanna Lenzi	...	Susan Leclerc (as Jeannette Len)
Renato De Carmine	...	Inspector Jansen
Giacomo Rossi Stuart	...	Victor Morgan
Umberto Raho	...	Burton
Annabella Incontrera	...	Helga Schurn
Romano Malaspina	...	Harry
Isabelle Marchall	...	Paola Whitney
Imelde Marani	...	Harry's girlfriend
Liliana Pavlo	...	Wendy Marshall
Lorenzo Piani	...	Waiter in Hamburg (credit only)
Irio Fantini	...	(credit only)
Shirley Corrigan	...	Margot Thornhill

Storyline

A mysterious killer is murdering fashion models by using a black cat whose claws are dipped in curare. A composer, whose girlfriend was the first one to be killed, overhears a conversation by someone he believes may be the killer, but there's one complication--the composer is blind and couldn't see the suspected murderer.

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Plot Keywords:

black cat | giallo | woman murders a woman | murderess | cityscape panorama | 

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa # 60802 delivered on 9-8-1972.

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Connections

Features Una lucertola con la pelle di donna (1971)

User Reviews

Cat attack!

A blind pianist overhears a suspicious conversation in a bar. Shortly afterwards his girlfriend is mysteriously murdered. This leads to a series of serial killings that have some connection to a fashion house.

The above synopsis is one that you could come up with if you were to toss a dozen giallo scripts in the air and see what random parts fall onto your head. In fact, this film borrows elements from several popular gialli from the time. Throw in adultery, blackmail, an enigmatic drug addict, lesbians, fashion models and dark secrets from the past and you have the makings of a typical effort. However, this movie does have some tricks up its sleeve to differentiate itself from all others. Chief amongst them being what is perhaps the most insane method of murder ever devised. I won't spoil it for first time viewers but it is truly deranged. In addition to this there is also a mind-bogglingly vicous shower murder that comes out of the blue and genuinely shocks. Further strangeness comes with the fact that the blind protagonist appears to be working on a score for Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. We see clips from this film on a couple of occasions, which is rather bizarre.

Everything is wrapped up at the end with an explanation that I found completely baffling. But, that's hardly a surprise in these flicks to be fair. At the end of the day, it couldn't be said that this is exactly a prime example of the genre. But it still remains entertainingly batty and does have some visual flair and some good set-pieces. It's unfortunate that the current legitimate DVD release appears to be a non-anamorphic copy of a VHS tape though. A better transfer would improve this one.

Details

Country:

Italy Denmark

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

12 August 1972 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Os Crimes do Gato Preto

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Capitolina Produzioni Cinematografiche

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1