hyped garbage

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

"Flies on Grey Velvet" is the third film of Argento's 'Animal Trilogy.' It was intended to be his swan song to the 'Giallo,' however this would change once The Five Days (1973) failed at the box-office.It would be a couple of years before Argento would make the game-changing decision to use 'Goblin' as composers on Deep Red; but he was veering towards rock here with 'Deep Purple' considered, but once again Morricone composed the score. They had a falling out over some of the tracks though, and as a result would not work together again until The Stendhal Syndrome (1996). This may also explain the noticeably sparse use of music throughout. '…flies' is as egregious as the weird science that can photograph the last image from the retina; the conceit of the film. Argento's unusual opening credits cut between the image of a heart pumping atop a black title card, whilst a rock group's rehearsal is seen via various point-of-view shots (POV) from musical instruments. Rock musician Roberto Tobias leaves the rehearsal studio and follows a mysterious figure into an empty theater where he struggles with a knife wielding man. Roberto accidentally stabs the man, whilst a masked figure captures the moment on camera. If Argento's signature use of a black-gloved 'Giallo' killer is absent, the disguise of the photographer in the theatre prefigures the mechanical doll from Deep Red.Argento continues to toy with gay stereotypes, introducing Private Detective Arrosio, a flamboyant homosexual who brags of never having solved a case, he meets his demise in the stereotypical public toilet; which however serves to illustrate the film's concern for gender confusion, with our eye being led to the male/female indicators on the toilet door. On the same track the long- haired Tobias's locks are contrasted with his short-haired wife Nina's. Tobias is never accused of murder despite the incriminating photographs of the opening sequence. If Mark Lewis' obsession for film in Michael Powell's seminal Peeping Tom has a direct link to his past, the photographs in '…flies…' are more pedestrian, being no more than an attempt to unnerve Tobias (it works), and the pseudo-science of the camera that photographs images on a retina doesn't go anywhere. As is hinted at in the opening credits, Argento wanted to play with the camera and nowhere is this on display as obviously as the bullet tracking shot. It went on to influence so many, including Sam Raimi (The Quick & The Dead), who became a huge fan of tracking anything and everything to delirious effect.'…flies…' tour-de-force is a set piece where Roberto's maid smokes a cigarette whilst waiting in a park. Jacques Tourneur's (and Val Lewton's) The Leopard Man (1943), is evoked as she falls prey to both time and montage; sounds evaporate and people disappear, the gates are locked for the night and there is no-one to save her.

Working with his rock group, a musician who accidentally killed the stalker after him realizes a masked man photographed the incident and begins a rampage around the city murdering his friends and enlists the help of a private eye to figure out the culprit before it's too late.This here was a really interesting and enjoyable Giallo. One of the big things this one does right is that there's a rather inventive and creative storyline that this one plays around with. The fact that this one initially starts out with the killer merely blackmailing him only for the switch over and soon begin to target him actively to the point of taking out those who are around him, allows the beginning to be pretty creepy as it mainly centers around what the next phase of the torture will be. From the first encounter in the house where the killer appears and actively teases him about being on the loose to the instability it creates as he becomes more and more paranoid and attacking innocent people for no reason, the threat is well played- out here like most of the usual Giallos. That leads into another great factor which is the film's incredibly fun and creepy stalking scenes, from the first shot in the park where the victim waits to meet the killer inside a park unaware that it's closed for the night, allowing the killer to sneak up and engage in an all-out classic of a chase as the twisting and turning within the corridors where it becomes all the creepier when she arrives at a dead-end and a later one inside a bedroom that leads to hiding inside a giant cabinet where the light beams in reflected across the victim's face, leaving a memorable image, it really comes to foreshadow his great work to come later as the craziness of the images within create numerous memorable moments. Others, from the opening attack in the theater that sets it off to the ambush in the private eye's study, there's plenty to like about these scenes and it all leads into the spectacular finale which is exceptionally shocking and engaging on numerous levels. As these cause the film plenty of great deaths and killing methods, it brings up an interesting possibility for pinning the killer's identity. An old wives' tale about eyes retaining the last image they see, like a camera, for a few hours following death is brought up and used where a camera rescues the images from a corpse's severed head that leads to the fully-developed image of four flies in succession is revealed. It's a spectacular image and an ingenious use which comes from its creativity and ingenuity. This here doesn't have many flaws, but they are somewhat important to the film. The biggest one is that there's a little struggle early on to get the film going. The slow pace is mainly accomplished through characters that have nothing to do with the story who are put there only to give red herrings. The more people we met with, the more they seem like potential suspects only this ploy instead just wastes time and drags the film's running time out. That is also taken up with the police detective angle, which has a lot more time in here using it to investigate the matter rather than the actual work being described, as for a Giallo this one has a really low body count that does have an impact on this one. The ending is also a little confusing, mainly because the motives don't make any sense and the revelation doesn't make any logical rationale for what's going on, but that's a Giallo staple and this one shouldn't be penalized too much for it. Otherwise, the main one is the slow pacing to it.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.

It is rare that this flick was until a few years ago almost know as the lost flick of director Dario Argento. There were a lot of VHS available but most of them were Italian spoken and didn't had any subtitles. Another problem was that most copies were too dark, that was meant to be that way. Still, a lot of DVD's that came out later were cut. Now 40 years after it's release it is available on Blu Ray. And what a great release it is. It's available in English and it's full uncut. You can choose between the normal version or the full uncut which has a few scene's that are in VHS quality and others that are spoken in Italian. All with English subtitles.Was it worth the wait? Well, it's one of his earlier flicks and if you know Dario then you might be disappointed by the fact that there's almost no blood or gore in it. On the other hand it is still watchable due the many first person shots involved and the score by Morricone. Also to see is the acting by Michael Brandon in one of his first roles before he became famous in Dempsey and Makepeace (1985 1986). The story itself isn't that god sometimes but it is really the way of filming that let you keep watching it. The acting is by some a bit laughable (the postman) so don't watch it for that reason. Funny is that Dario made an ode to Sergio Leone by adding the fly scene at the beginning, remember Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) were he was involved by watching Sergio.I liked it for the reasons mentioned before, and for the use of special camera's to film the bullet and the end scene. It's not a Deep Red (1975) or Suspiria (1977) but it's a straight Giallo that is a must have for the Dario fans. Pick it up, it's on Shameless label. And for the pervs, Francine Racette (Dalia) go naked. Gore 1/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

After having been gripped by Dario Argentos stunning first film: The bird with the crystal plumage,I instantly went searching for his next film,which I found out was call The Cat 'O Nine Tails.Almost as soon as the DVD had landed in my post box,I rushed to watch it right away.Sadly,from about the 30 minute mark,I had to stop playing the film,due to the appalling sound,and the picture looking like someone had chucked a yellow (giallo!) can of paint over the film.Not giving up to easily on Argentos films,I went looking to find the film he had made after Cat,and happily this led me to finding a very good DVD,of this stunning, sadly forgotten film.The plot: After having finished a recording session with his band,drummer Roberto Tobias leaves the studio feeling pretty happy with how the sessions are going.Almost as soon as he has left the studio last few day.Aproching him,the stalker makes a run for it,which leads to him entering an empty theatre.When Roberto tries to confront the man about why he has been stalking him,the man suddenly pulls out a knife.During the struggle to free the knife from the stalker,Tobias ends up accidentally stabbing the man.As the blood pours out of the now deceased stalker,Roberto hears the click of a camera, hidden up at the podium of the stage.Tobias spots that there is a masked person,who is taking photos of him with the knife.Fearing that something very bad is happening,Roberto makes a run for it.Later on that night,whilst he is trying to peacefully sleep in his bed,with his girlfriend by his side Tobias experiences an extremely strange dream,which involves him being beheaded in a public execution.The next day Roberto decides to discuss the dream with some of his friends,who have come over to spend some time with the couple.Near the end of the night,Roberto gets in the mood of putting some music on for him and his friends.Just as he is about to finish getting the record out of the sleeve,the passport of the man he killed suddenly appears!.Later on in the night,Tobias suddenly gets a tight rope wrapped round his neck.Whilst he tries to free himself,the masked aslant steps out of the shadow to announce that,although they could kill him right now,it would really ruin all the "fun" that they went to put Roberto through.Fearing for his life,Roberto goes to meet an "adviser" who lives on the outskirts of the town called God (although God keeps pointing out that he would much prefer if people called him by his full name:Godfreey.)With Godfreeys help,Roberto gets in contact with a privet detective who feels that luck is now on his side,due to having failed to solve any of his last 80 cases!.As the detective starts digging round for the person that is trying to blackmail and terrorise Roberto,he begins to gather evidence that the killer might be closer to Roberto then any of them could have imagine.Although the detective himself does not realise that along with Roberto,the masked psycho is also spying on him.. View on the film:For the film,writers Dario Argento and Luigi Cozzi (with uncredited writing of the story also including Edgar Wallace and Mario Foglietti) brilliantly extend on all of the story element that were in Argentos first film,which helps to give the film a strong sense of a confident and natural progression.Right in the middle of the movies running time,Dario and the writers deliver a twist that almost everyone else would have kept to use as an ending.Instead,Dario smartly uses it to make everyone realise that no one is safe at all in the film,and it also helps to make the audience feel Robertos increased sense of paranoia and fear,as the masked murderer gets more aggressive in the attempts to terrorise him.One of the things that I was very surprised to discover with the films plot,was a very intriguing off-centre almost supernatural undertone to the film,With Dario smoothly inserting a character that he had left out for his adaptation of the Screaming Miiime (God) into this film,who seems to have a stunning amount of wide- ranging knowledge.Whilst the device that is used to unmasked the black mailer/serial killer is completely impossible to use in the "real" world,Argento is able to pull it off amazingly well.And he also uses the clue it discovers to really crank up the tension,and turn the ending of the film into an edge of the seat,thrilling Giallo.With the directing,Argento shows a stunning increased level of creativity with his camera moves and pace.Whilst some of the first-person murder scenes have a little bit of an "awkeward" feel to them,the short comings in those moments are easy to over look,due to a strong sense that Argento is really pushing himself,to try some very different things with this film.The other major thing that really surprised me about Darios directing, (along with an astonishingly filmed final scene) is that whilst he mostly used "basic" camera work for the investigation/talking scene in his first film.Here,he goes into the complete opposite direction,with a lot of the investigation scenes being filmed as tracking shots,which massively help to create a strong feeling of adrenalin- drenched tension,as Roberto has to constantly try to prepare himself for the masked black mailer/killers next horrific outburst.Final view on the film:A stunning Giallo with a fantastic twisting mystery and brilliantly creative directing from Argento