A Red Herring a Day Keeps the Eye Doctor Away

Maybe some of you have come across the term Giallo before. A type of Italian thriller that bubbled up in the sixties, it became very popular in ‘The Boot’ at the beginning of the 1970s. Filmmakers and screenwriters fused noirish murder mystery and tense thrills – usually with high doses of violence and more than suggestive nudity to create a crime or horror leaning story that could both scare and titillate its audience. Think of it kind of like when pulp fiction meets slasher film.

One example that actually shows ‘some’ restraint in both of the above categories is Luciano Ercoli’s 1971 motion picture, Death Walks on High Heels. With definite connections to Alfred Hitchcock (Vertigo, Psycho) and many other thrillers of the past, as well as bringing to mind the 80’s work of Brian De Palma (specifically Dressed to Kill and Body Double), the sordid tale follows a sultry stripper by the name of Nicole Rochard (credited as Susan Scott, a model who used the stage name instead of her original Spanish one, Nieves Navarro). Dating Michel Aumont (Simón Andreu), they soon discover that her diamond thief father, who had pulled a job not too long ago, has been found dead. The cops, hoping that the woman may have been given the gems by her father before the fateful occurrence, are disappointed when she claims not to have them.

We also meet one of her ‘biggest fans’, a slightly plump English eye doctor by the name of Robert Matthews (Frank Wolff) – who just happens to be sitting in her dressing room after one of her flaunty performances (he desperately wants to take her home with him).

Nicole soon starts receiving rather creepy calls from a distorted voice, insinuating that she has the diamonds. Becoming increasingly paranoid, every footstep on the street or shadow in the night spooks her (a particularly effective scene using shadow, music and spot on editing). After a row with her boyfriend (he leaves), she is visited by a masked assailant with a straight razor, his striking blue eyes and the shiny weapon the only things visible against the black backdrop. Warning her that she will feel the instrument’s wrath next time she denies the whereabouts of the jewels, the man then flees into the cold, dark night.

Finding some blue contact lenses in her medicine cabinet the next morning, she is rattled – realizing that it could very well be anybody. Reaching out to the seemingly kind doctor, she takes him up on his drunken offer from the previous evening, heading to England with him to shake the tail.

Taking her to a rural seaside town where he has a sizeable home on the ocean, she is greeted by ominous stares when she is brought into the local pub. Not a friendly face in sight, the doctor’s lackey Hallory (Luciano Rossi) looks like a James Bond henchman, with severely dyed blond hair and a missing hand. It is like the onlookers are from an episode of The Twilight Zone – haunting gazes from some sort of otherworldly beings.

Other mysterious characters include the Doctor’s estranged wife Vanessa (Claudie Lange), a blind man named Smith (José Manuel Martín) who is dragged into the dangerous affair, two British detectives called Baxter (Carlo Gentili) and Bergson (Fabrizio Moresco) that are far from Holmes and Watson, as well as a weathered, retired sea Captain – Lenny (George Rigaud).

After a murder (and a second attempt) takes place the same night, things take an unexpected, twisted turn (and there are plenty of plot twists). Possible red herrings abound, from the blue contact lenses, diamonds and threatening phone calls mentioned above, to knee high heeled boots, a mysterious individual looking through a spyglass, big blocks of ice, a supposed payoff, a possible revolving door of people entering the cottage abode, and so many other little things. There is even a grizzled old man selling fish door to door each day – is there something fishy about that?

An enticing mystery crime thriller, Ercoli adds slick visual touches throughout. Utilizing a multitude of techniques, he sometimes provides us with a voyeuristic perspective (perfected by the above mentioned De Palma) – as we gaze through barred windows and spyglasses, other-times flashing to intense closeups or a well timed zoom in. With nice flourishes in the editing department, many of the sequences are expertly crafted (from shadowy long shot, to fearful visage, to quickly moving feet . . .). These touches help build the suspenseful atmosphere. The colours and lighting are also intense (reminiscent of the almost too perfect palette of Vertigo). Nicole’s apartment in Paris is especially impressive, as neon flashing lights pop through the oval gothic windows, while well placed mirrors add a look-over-your-shoulder tension.

Though most of the film is aimed at building that anxious strain that keeps us guessing, there is, in particular, one very graphic, violent murder (that may even surprise those well- watched modern viewers of television and film). Though there is some nudity, most of it is more sultry, with a kinky, fetishy vibe. In any case, Death Walks on High Heels is an engaging film for those fans of the genre. In a sense, it is a silly experience (where in England do they speak Italian and not English; or even that the lead actress is Spanish, speaking Italian, while playing a French woman), though, like any movie, if you buy into the story and visuals, you’ll enjoy the ride. There is also a rather playful score from Stelvio Cipriani that works nicely with the images onscreen, despite sometimes feeling like it is from a lighter film. Lastly, I cannot end without saying that there is one humourous scene that combines vomit, a window and a cop for a nice side laugh. So, pull on your high heeled boots and come along for the winding walk, it will have you blindly fishing for answers at every turn.

Italian with English Subtitles

There is also a dubbed English version