Marco: “I think that’s a peculiar way to put it, men and chickens mixed up like that.”
There is no denying that gialli can be a bit out there. These Italian twisty murder mysteries can often combine abstract writing, new age technologies of the 1960s and 70s, and some sex and drugs to make for a trippy experience. . . but you ain’t seen nothing yet. The most surrealist giallo of them all might just be 1968’s Death Laid an Egg, directed by Giulio Questi.
Welcome to the most posh chicken farm you’ll ever see. With a scientist (Biagio Pelligra) working nearly around the clock to genetically produce a new form of poultry that will almost instantly fatten with limited bone structure. . . all while countless chickens are being prepared for market by some new fangled automated technology, wife Anna (Gina Lollobrigida) and her secretary cousin Gabrielle (Ewa Aulin) lounge around their resort-like swimming pool as the former’s hubby, Marco (Jean-Louis Trintignant), gets his kinky rocks off with prostitutes at a hotel as he falls deeper and deeper into a fugue state. I know, just your typical Monday to Friday farm life.
As if fusing the work of Luis Buñuel (Belle de Jour) with the artistry of Salvador Dalí, and maybe even some Michelangelo Antonioni (Blowup) to boot, Questi takes us on a confounding quest, as it is never truly clear what Marco is seeing. Half the time unsure as to whether he is awake or dreaming, he is by no means a reliable narrator. Despite his edgy dalliances, he is quite conservative compared to his boss Luigi (Renato Romano) – who he sells his product to, and the snoopy, somehow company involved Mondaini (Jean Sobieski), as Marco is the only one not on board for the genetic mutations being pushed by the company.
With many odd plot points, there does seem to be a black gloved man killing prostitutes in the area; the scientist does appear to be making major strides in his work; somehow twenty-something Gabrielle looks to be considering affairs with both husband and wife (separately); while that nosey Mondaini continues to pop by the house with very hippy inspired ideas. Plenty of questions certainly come to mind, the first arguably being can any of this make sense in the end? And why not throw in a modeling campaign in the chicken coop/slaughter house to further highlight the chic nature of the farm while they’re at it.
Though perhaps too abstract for the average viewer, it is undeniable that the visuals are stunning. Be it car headlights shining through the trees at night obstructing the view, or a flashback to a gruesome car crash echoing back into the present, it miraculously gets weirder when the story becomes more straightforward. . . try to make sense of a chicken advertising scheme revolving around the birds being highlighted as doctors and, “playboy poultry in smoking jackets at a poultry party”, or more so the ever evolving and now wingless chickens – that start to look more like Star Trek tribbles than anything else. . . does that bode trouble? In the end, the eccentric question, ‘do chickens eat red herrings?’ might make as much sense as the narrative.
If you’ve pondered endlessly on and on about the ‘chicken or the egg’ paradox, then Death Laid an Egg might just be the film for you. Pushing the 60s era gialli into uncharted territory, its surrealist visuals are sure to ensnare the eye, while the story will be a hard egg to crack. Some might call it abstract brilliance, while others suggest it’s just a piece of junk. So, in the end, it’s all up to the viewer to decide on this one’s fate. . . just don’t end up with egg on your face.
This film can be watched in its original Italian with English subtitles, or in dubbed English