| Spirits of Death | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Romano Scavolini |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Giuseppe Mangione [1] |
| Produced by | Franca Luciani [1] |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Romano Scavolini [1] |
| Edited by | Francesco Bertuccioli [1] |
| Music by | Fiorenzo Carpi [1] |
Production company | KMG Cinema
[1] |
| Distributed by | Regional |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes [1] |
| Country | Italy [1] |
| Box office | ₤65.564 million |
Spirits of Death ( Italian: Un bianco vestito per Marialé/ translation: A White Dress for Mariale) is a 1972 Italian film directed by Romano Scavolini and starring Ida Galli, Ivan Rassimov and Luigi Pistilli. [2] The film was also released as Exorcisme Tragique (Tragic Exorcism). [3]
Plot
As a child, Mariale witnesses the murder of her mother at her father's hands. She later becomes a recluse, living by herself in a dark, gloomy castle. Mariale decides to invite some friends over for the weekend and stages a decadent orgiastic party. Then a series of grisly murders begin to occur.
Cast
- Ida Galli as Marialè
- Ivan Rassimov as Massimo
- Shawn Robinson as Semy
- Luigi Pistilli as Paolo
- Pilar Velázquez as Mercedes
- Carla Mancini
- Ezio Marano as Sebastiano
- Gianni Dei as the lover of Marialè's mother
Style
Although the film is often described as a giallo, film historian Roberto Curti stated it only becomes a violent murder mystery about an hour into the film. [4] Curti described the giallo trademarks of violent murders and a twist ending are marginal when compared to other films of the genre at the time. [4] Curti opined the film was one like a perverse kammerspiel which borrowed from both gothic and avant-garde theatre. [4]
Production
Following his return from Vietnam where he was a freelance photographer, director Romano Scavolini returned to his native Italy where he started his film career again as a genre filmmaker. [4]
Release
Spirits of Death was released in Italy on 30 November 1972. [1] The film grossed 65.564 million Italian lire in Italy on its release. [1] When the film was released in France, it was titled Exorcisme tragique to try and bank on the popular success of The Exorcist. [5]
Reception
In a retrospective review, Curti stated that Scavolini's direction and Fiorenzo Carpi's score "cannot overcome the script's many shortcoming–namely, sketchily developed characters, pretentious dialogue, heavy-handed symbolism." [6] Scavolini later referred to the film as a film "which only deserves to be forgotten" [7]
See also
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Curti 2017, p. 57.
- ^ Chiti, Poppi & Lancia 1991, p. 70-79.
- ^ Curti, Roberto (2017). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970-1979. McFarland. ISBN 1476629609
- ^ a b c d Curti 2017, p. 58.
- ^ Curti 2017, p. 60.
- ^ Curti 2017, p. 59.
- ^ Palmerini & Mistretta 1996, p. 127.
Sources
- Curti, Roberto (2017). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970-1979. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476629605.
- Chiti, Roberto; Poppi, Roberto; Lancia, Enrico (1991). Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film (in Italian). Gremese. ISBN 8876059695.
- Palmerini, Luca M.; Mistretta, Gaetano (1996). Spaghetti Nightmares (in Italian). M&P edizioni.
External links
| Spirits of Death | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Directed by | Romano Scavolini |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Giuseppe Mangione [1] |
| Produced by | Franca Luciani [1] |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Romano Scavolini [1] |
| Edited by | Francesco Bertuccioli [1] |
| Music by | Fiorenzo Carpi [1] |
Production company | KMG Cinema
[1] |
| Distributed by | Regional |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes [1] |
| Country | Italy [1] |
| Box office | ₤65.564 million |
Spirits of Death ( Italian: Un bianco vestito per Marialé/ translation: A White Dress for Mariale) is a 1972 Italian film directed by Romano Scavolini and starring Ida Galli, Ivan Rassimov and Luigi Pistilli. [2] The film was also released as Exorcisme Tragique (Tragic Exorcism). [3]
Plot
As a child, Mariale witnesses the murder of her mother at her father's hands. She later becomes a recluse, living by herself in a dark, gloomy castle. Mariale decides to invite some friends over for the weekend and stages a decadent orgiastic party. Then a series of grisly murders begin to occur.
Cast
- Ida Galli as Marialè
- Ivan Rassimov as Massimo
- Shawn Robinson as Semy
- Luigi Pistilli as Paolo
- Pilar Velázquez as Mercedes
- Carla Mancini
- Ezio Marano as Sebastiano
- Gianni Dei as the lover of Marialè's mother
Style
Although the film is often described as a giallo, film historian Roberto Curti stated it only becomes a violent murder mystery about an hour into the film. [4] Curti described the giallo trademarks of violent murders and a twist ending are marginal when compared to other films of the genre at the time. [4] Curti opined the film was one like a perverse kammerspiel which borrowed from both gothic and avant-garde theatre. [4]
Production
Following his return from Vietnam where he was a freelance photographer, director Romano Scavolini returned to his native Italy where he started his film career again as a genre filmmaker. [4]
Release
Spirits of Death was released in Italy on 30 November 1972. [1] The film grossed 65.564 million Italian lire in Italy on its release. [1] When the film was released in France, it was titled Exorcisme tragique to try and bank on the popular success of The Exorcist. [5]
Reception
In a retrospective review, Curti stated that Scavolini's direction and Fiorenzo Carpi's score "cannot overcome the script's many shortcoming–namely, sketchily developed characters, pretentious dialogue, heavy-handed symbolism." [6] Scavolini later referred to the film as a film "which only deserves to be forgotten" [7]
See also
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Curti 2017, p. 57.
- ^ Chiti, Poppi & Lancia 1991, p. 70-79.
- ^ Curti, Roberto (2017). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970-1979. McFarland. ISBN 1476629609
- ^ a b c d Curti 2017, p. 58.
- ^ Curti 2017, p. 60.
- ^ Curti 2017, p. 59.
- ^ Palmerini & Mistretta 1996, p. 127.
Sources
- Curti, Roberto (2017). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970-1979. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476629605.
- Chiti, Roberto; Poppi, Roberto; Lancia, Enrico (1991). Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film (in Italian). Gremese. ISBN 8876059695.
- Palmerini, Luca M.; Mistretta, Gaetano (1996). Spaghetti Nightmares (in Italian). M&P edizioni.