While the giallo genre of the late 1960s and
1970s frequently revelled in over-the-top violence
as much as it did kinky or taboo sex and innuendo,
The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
is proof that even without the core violence element
the genre is highly effective if properly created
– although upping the sex quotient doesn't
hurt.
As it unfolds, The Forbidden Photos of
a Lady Above Suspicion almost entirely
avoids bloodshed; in an opening incident which
sets the remainder of the film the fragile Minou
(Dagmar Lassander), wife of high-flying industrialist
Peter (Pier Paolo Capponi), is subjected to a
knifepoint attack on a night-time beach, the offending
stranger (Simón Andreu) – who unusually
for the giallo genre reveals his face and identity
from the beginning – stunning Minou by informing
her that Peter is a murderer, the alleged victim
subsequently revealed to be a creditor of Minou's
money-strapped husband.
Minou's best friend Dominique (Susan Scott),
a man-hungry vixen and former lover of Peter,
further stuns Minou by parading her new erotic
portfolio for our fragile victim and then further
confusing matters by showing Minou a series of
pornographic photos purchased in Copenhagen, one
of which stars Minou's attacker –
who has been simply dismissed as a "sex
maniac" by the local constabulary.
When the beachside attacker returns, now armed
with an audio recording of the murder, Minou is
forced to give herself sexually to the protagonist
to secure its exchange. With the tape in her possession
it should be all over – but alas more forbidden
photos, another tape recording, an about-turn
by several main characters and the continued eerie
presence of the almost apparitional knife-wielding
maniac, all combine to drive Minou further into
an abyss of tranquilizer-fuelled mental disarray.
Minou and Dominique – as smartly portrayed
by Lassander and Scott in two fantastic roles
– are almost the antithesis of each other
in so far as 1970s giallo cinema is concerned,
Minou a tender, easily wrecked eggshell of a woman
who is heavily dependent on husband Peter (even
her doctor is forced to comment on her reliance)
while Dominique is an assured, confident but promiscuous
female who even with her limited screen time is
portrayed as almost "mannish" in some
respects due to her interest in pornography, carnal
desires and deviousness.
While occasionally dismissed as simply the first
of director Luciano Ercoli's three giallo
vehicles (the others being Death Walks
At Midnight and Death Walks On
High Heels, recently issued as a No Shame
double DVD set) for then lover Scott – whose
character ultimately provides the key to unlocking
the mystery of Minou's torment – the
fact is that this stylish, sleazy effort packs
an extremely well-written story where virtually
every piece of the plot ultimately assists with
its stunning conclusion with some great nudie
shots of Scott and a, for the time, rather daring
and continued use of sexual references. It's
obvious that Scott was a more than competent actress
but even in this film her opportunities are limited
(as they were in the fantastic All The
Colours Of The Dark), with her giallo
career never really seeing her assume the dominance
within this brand of Italian exploitation cinema
as enjoyed by the likes of Florinda Bolkan, Edwige
Fenech or Anita Strindberg.
That the violence is kept to a minimum and the
sex often implied or only fleetingly witnessed
is probably a reflection of the year, 1970, in
which this film was made. While within only a
few short years the blood and black lace were
all flowing freely, 1970s Italian film productions
were still grappling with censor restrictions.
Despite these shackles The Forbidden Photos
of a Lady Above Suspicion rises to the
challenge and is a definite winner for all those
with more than a passing interest in the giallo
genre. |
