The film tells the story of a thwarted love affair between the leader of a smuggling gang (played by Guido Celano) and a girl who loves someone else. The jealous smuggler decides to report the girl's lover as the perpetrator of a murder that occurred a few weeks earlier. The man is arrested but, after … Continue reading The Devil’s Lantern/La Lanterna del Diavolo (1931)

La Donna Bianca is an early giallo based on the stage play The Letter by William Somerset Maugham. Once again, I'm surprised by what you can dig up with a few simple web searches: There isn't much info on director Jack Salvatori beyond a date of birth, his rather modest filmography, and the following short … Continue reading The White Woman/La Donna Bianca (1931)

In an austere girls' boarding school, two young students steal a chemical substance from a pharmacy, intending to secretly administer it at night, albeit as a joke, to a very strict and disliked governess. However, the next morning the woman is found poisoned, and some claim that a hissing sound like a rattlesnake was heard … Continue reading The Rattlesnake/Il Serpente a Sonagli (1935)

This filmography is a work-in-progress attempt to identify the development of the giallo in Italian cinema - from the start of the sound era in 1931 to the early 1980s - utilising the Italian definition of a "giallo" which simply means a mystery or thriller. I must stress that not every film chosen can be … Continue reading Giallo Filmography

Carlo and Anna Ortese are a young couple living in Rome. He is a door-to-door book salesman and she works a secretary for a construction company. Their otherwise quiet life is disrupted by Anna's sudden and mysterious disappearance. Police Inspector Bramante is forced to abandon the case after three months when the investigation goes cold, … Continue reading Where’s Anna?/Dov’è Anna? (1976)

An obvious homage to the film noirs of the 40s and 50s, The Parioli Street Murders has all the trappings, from the femme fatale, the suspicious secretary, the prominently featured detective's office, to the dozy detective who gets dragged into events that are way beyond his control. Director Antonio Bonifacio manages to work some good … Continue reading The Parioli Street Murder/Il Delitto di Via Monti Parioli (1998)

Fabio graduates from university and, in the space of just six months, he's offered a position as a police inspector stationed in his home town. Much to the annoyance of his partner, Paola, a post office clerk and part-time militant activist, and of his father who had aspirations of his son following in his footsteps … Continue reading Crimes, Love and Jealousy/Delitti, Amore e Gelosia (1982)