You know you’re in for a giallo when the word is literally in the Italian title. . . La Ragazza Dal Pigiama Giallo, simplified in English by being called The Pyjama Girl Case (1978), the word giallo, if you recall, is in reference to the garish yellow used on the covers of many of the books writers pulled from to create the films’ narratives – in this case, it is referencing the distinctive colour of the pyjamas the murdered girl was wearing when found.
Written and directed by Flavio Mogherini, and based on a real case (the unsolved murder of Linda Agostini in 1934), this is a very rare giallo set in Australia, Sydney to be specific. A narrative about foreignness, nearly everyone in this Down Under landscape is an immigrant searching for a better life (though, as you will see, this isn’t always the outcome).
Following two different storylines that will eventually interact, Inspector Thompson (Ray Milland – Dial M For Murder), is a former detective (now retired – focussing his time on botany), originally from Canada, who gets brought back in to ‘informally’ investigate the murder much to the chagrin of the new young hotshot detectives modernizing the police force. You know he’s old, as he still wears a trench coat and fedora like a 40s detective.
With no clue as to who this brutally murdered woman is (she has been shot, bashed, and burnt). . . the force, in what has to be the most memorable scene in the film, decide to put the body on display in a giant glass box – allowing for curious gawkers, helpful citizens, and possibly even the murderer to file through the hall, looking at the naked woman (this isn’t some sort of exploitative plot device, but actually what the police did in 1934).
Then there is Glenda Blythe (Dalila Di Lazzaro), a free-loving Dutch waitress enjoying her life in Australia. Prone to losing track of her black underwear after her numerous escapades with a number of men, she is perhaps most entrenched with Italian waiter Antonio Attolini (Michele Placido) – who, though not very wealthy, is head over heels in love with her. Yet, Glenda is also linked to the much older Professor Henry Douglas (Mel Ferrer) – a well connected doctor who is rolling in dough. There is also Danishman Roy Conner (Howard Ross), a friend of Antonio’s who also likes to spend time dabbling with Glenda. . . at the very least, she has plenty of options.
Though the police suspect a man named Quint (Giacomo Assandri) – a low life pervert who definitely fits the bill, Thompson is not so sure. Delving deeper into the mysterious conundrum, he starts finding unusual clues – a few kernels of rice, a small piece of a paper dry-cleaning ticket, these things leading him further down the rabbit hole. Can this elderly detective, dated in both his age and methods, be able to solve this most unusual murder? How does the alternate story fit within this vexing tale? Could one of these foreigners be a witness to the murder. . . or even the murderer?
A captivating twist on the giallo, of course there is the exoticism of Sydney. . . where Mogherini shows off the city from both water and land, hitting the famous locales (like the Sydney Opera House) and the unknown, but this twist is also in reference to the story. With no black gloved killer stalking numerous victims, there is simply the single death that occurs at the very beginning of the film – making for an innovative murder mystery in both plot twists and its creative telling. With Milland letting loose (it looks like he is genuinely having fun here – and you’ll likely never hear him utter some of the lines he delivers here elsewhere – and I don’t mean flowery language), he, along with the rest of the cast, bring this story to life. It is nice seeing two legends of the silver screen (in Milland and Ferrer) working alongside these younger European actors – making for a really dynamic mix. Also, unlike most gialli – which come across as sensationally glossy and entertaining (despite all of the chaotic death, there is usually a most intoxicating and alluring quality), The Pyjama Girl Case is much more melancholic. . . a tragic tale about searching for a better life in another country that just isn’t meant to be.
A later era giallo that differentiates itself from the rest, The Pyjama Girl Case creates its own solution to a (what most believe to be) still unsolved murder mystery. . . making for a truly original piece of cinema. So, slip into your pyjamas and discover this lesser known Australian set giallo, it should no longer be foreign to you.
Can be watched in Italian with English subtitles or in dubbed English