Who Saw Her Die?

Above average 'giallo'
"Who Saw Her Die" is a slightly above average foreign who done it, murder mystery (an Italian giallo). It's not an essential film but is one of definite interest. The director is Aldo Lado who worked with Bernardo Bertolucci as an (A.D.) on The Conformist and at least during pre-production of Last Tango in Paris. The film pre-dates Nicholas Roeg's modern classic,'Don't Look Now' and you can see many similarities in the two films from the Venice locations, how the camera is used in several scenes, and with the subject of a couple dealing with the loss/murder of their child. The film has another memorable film score from Ennio Morricone which seems likely to have inspired John Carpenter's 'Halloween' score. George Lazenby, who was Bond, James Bond in the very good 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is the star and does a decent job (though he looks sickly thin). Former Bond bad guy Adolfo Celi (Thunderball) has a memorable supporting role. There's a couple of very beautiful women...

One of the Best Giallos Around
Aldo Lado's 1972 film is easily one of the best giallos around. In terms of style it comes close to the early Argento films which makes it a standout among dozens of other similar films. In the lead role, George Lazenby is very good as a grief-stricken father on the hunt for the killer of his child. The cast also includes the stunning and appealing Swedish actress Anita Strindberg and Adolfo Celi. The Venice locations and camerawork are superb as is Ennio Morricone's score--it's hard to get the operatic theme out of your head!. This well-crafted, very entertaining film is one of my favorites and way better than Umberto Lenzi's silly "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" or Sergio Martino's tiresome "All the Colors of the Dark". Enjoy!

Who saw it make sense?
Having seen my share of the Bavas and Argentos and Fulcis, I know it is a given that your average Italian horror/suspense movie made in the sixties and seventies is going to have some standard issues: gratuitous sex, gratuitously excessive violence, not very believable characters, even less believable villians (in terms of motivation) and a guarenteed non-sequitor unravelling (denoumois ??) that will often-times leave you scratching your head and saying 'What?????' Who Saw Her Die, directed by Aldo Lado, is no exception. As giallos go, it falls squarely in the middle of excellence, with Deep Red/Don't Torture a Duckling on the end of excellence and Blade In The Dark on the end of banality. For most of the film, the plot seems to move forward in a logical manner; it is only when you get to the climax you have to wonder how all the murders have been woven together--since each death in a Giallo is part of the bigger picture. I was completely stymied. The child murders I understand...

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