With a retrospective gaze back in time, there is no denying that Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964) is one of the key influences on the giallo. Though it had very little success upon its initial release, and it did not cause a boom for this Italian genre immediately. . . instead, these mystery/thrillers were less focused on the intoxicating style found in Bava’s feature, looking more into the psychosexual realm while pulling from films from other countries (the works of Hitchcock, Clouzot’s Diabolique, the krimi or crime movies out of Germany). It was not until Dario Argento caused a giallo explosion with 1970’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (which was influenced by Blood and Black Lace), that things changed. . . the visual panache of these two pictures giving 1970’s Italian film makers something more close to home to serve as inspiration.
And boy is this film sumptuous. Usually I wouldn’t start with the opening credits, but they are one of the best you’ll ever see. Creepily beautiful, Bava, along with cinematographer Ubaldo Terzano (the director, though uncredited, also helped with the lighting – after all, he was a director of photography before becoming a director), design a visual menagerie to introduce all of our main actors to us. Done by way of diffused lighting through filters, the camera pans over red velvet mannequins, Judy dress forms, and flowers, each time (along the way) finding a dramatically lit character – violets, reds, cyan, and shades in between colour their visages in a mystical shadow and light. It is a statement which foreshadows mystery and suspense through a most visual lens. And, while we are here, listen for that jazzy score composed by Carlo Rustichelli, it just adds that extra pizzazz (if it even needed it) to this unique introduction.
Transporting us into the sleek, unbelievably posh (if transgressive) world of the high fashion house of Christian Haute Couture, a storm, as if warning us of what lies in these seemingly unhallowed grounds, ushers in our first intricately constructed murder. . . one of the stunning models walking the grounds as she returns to the imposing historic stone structure.
The killer, dressed in black trench coat and fedora yet wearing an almost spandex-like white mask, will be sneaky, clever and illusive. The dead body brings with it the peeping eyes of the police, specifically Inspector Silvestri (Thomas Reiner), a man who will not only look into the recently widowed owner of the establishment, Contessa Cristiana Cuomo (Eva Bartok), and the business’s co-manager, Massimo Morlacchi (Cameron Mitchell), but also all of the models and their significant others.
There will be Nicole (Arianna Gorini), who gets a kick out of supplying her lover Franco Scalo (Dante DiPaolo) with massive amounts of high-quality cocaine. Also look for grab happy model Peggy Peyton (Mary Arden), who keeps pushing away Marco (Massimo Righi), a nervous dresser who constantly reaches for his throat as if he is subconsciously being strangled. . . that is, when he isn’t feeding his pill popping habit. She is actually engaged to the wealthy Marquis Riccardo Morelli (Franco Ressel), though the problem is, he actually might not have much money left (though he does have a butler – he is old, but can you really trust anyone named Jeeves?). Also look for striking model Tao-Li (Claude Dantes) and designer Cesare Lazzarini (Luciano Pigozzi) – an impressive eavesdropper. As you might have noticed, there are quite a few possible red herrings mentioned above (already enough for any mystery or fish lover), throw in a secret abortion, a possible sex maniac (the police theory), and, best of all, the original murdered girl’s tell-all diary, and things are really brewing.
While the story mostly holds up (and the surprises are aplenty – with multiple twists), it is the visuals that elevate this piece to a whole new level. Understanding both lighting and where to place the camera, a perfect example follows the above mentioned diary. Discovered by one of the models, it is placed within a purse in the middle of the busy central room (as a fashion show is ongoing). . . after showing each and every person’s desperate eyes flash towards the thing, the camera lingers long on the purse (instead of cutting elsewhere), Bava framing the action with dress racks, the purse itself, and other such things, each added second amplifying the suspense as we wait to see if anyone will make a desperate move for the seemingly all-important item. Watch the film to see what happens. Other avant-garde moments include the intricate, visually designed murder sequences (something that would grow with the second wave of the giallo after Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage). The extended stalking that leads to murder in a tightly packed antique store (that is lit only by a flashing green neon light), and a bathtub sequence (I’ll leave it simply at that) are truly intense and extremely memorable. . . a few examples of the many classic moments that are still as effective today as they were more that half a century ago.
A visual masterpiece that evokes the magical colour palette and mesmeric essence of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (there are not too many non black and white motion pictures that achieve this level of scene-in and scene-out majesty), Blood and Black Lace is a special movie that continues to influence and amaze. A precursor to both future gialli and the slasher sub-genre, as well as works by prolific directors like Martin Scorsese, Pedro Almodóvar, and a slew of other film makers (including the above mentioned trendsetter Dario Argento), this multiple murder mystery thriller is one for the ages. So, enjoy this intoxicating combination of blood and black lace, it should provide you with double the fun.
Can be watched in either Italian with English subtitles or dubbed English