Mannequin in Rot

I first became aware of this Swedish thriller via Tim Lucas' Audio Commentary for Mario Bava's "Giallo" landmark (and, arguably, masterpiece) BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964); the latter was said to be somewhat reminiscent of it and, having now watched the earlier effort for myself, I can see where such an argument is coming from – as there are undeniable thematic and stylistic (more on these later) and even aural (meaning, the score) parallels…yet how deliberate imitations they were I cannot tell! Still, considering just how many films directly ripped off the Bava classic – without taking the edge off the prototype, I might add – one can make concessions for its having drawn a certain inspiration from somewhere, too!

For the record, here we have a fashion-house setting (with the colour scheme – right from the opening credits sequence – being similarly given its due), blackmail (though the main reason behind the killing spree is actually the usual one of inheritance – thus also numbering males among the victims in this case!) and, while no specific aura is created around the figure of the assassin, the perpetrator does manage a few sensational slayings (in fact, twice are dead models discovered as having replaced a dummy – one is stabbed and arranged in a window display, and another is memorably hung way up in the air on a symbolic gallows). Incidentally, it seems that if Bava had indeed watched this, he would derive elements from it for at least two other movies of his: the presence of a dagger (or a set of them here) is also central to the Italian Maestro's THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963), whereas that of the wheelchair-bound elderly owner of the establishment – to say nothing of the whole string of murders spun by the coveting of her legacy – looks forward to A BAY OF BLOOD (1971)!

Otherwise, the protagonists are an icy blonde undercover model, her debonair investigator husband, his obligatory comic relief sidekick (he not only stutters but is, annoyingly, an automobile nut into the bargain!); the suspects, then, are likewise stock characters: ambitious shop manager, ne'er-do-well 'son', philandering/extravagant relatives, etc. However, there is also a middle-aged lady who repeatedly turns up and somehow comes into possession of the old woman's white cat following her demise – but, for the life of me, I could not fathom what her exact function within the narrative was supposed to be! The film, then, is quite handsome-looking and reasonably enjoyable, if a bit long at 106 minutes (when BLOOD AND BLACK LACE clocked in at a mere 85, which I would say is just about right for this sort of fare!)…while the twist ending was predictable enough (albeit, still effectively rendered). By the way, this was the second of 5 'vehicles' for the central sleuthing couple (and their klutzy assistants!) director Mattsson would helm; I do not own any of the others, but did manage to acquire copies of his ONE SUMMER OF HAPPINESS (1951) and THE DOLL (1962) over the years, though both remain unwatched up to now.

Sometimes in life you've gotta change your plans. For example, my initial plan was to watch all the "Hillman" films I could get a hold of, because the idea of a Swedish Nick-and-Nora-ish detective couple sounded appealing to me. But after watching "Mannequin In Red", I will probably not follow through on any of their other films. Though well-photographed, this film is boring, flat, uninteresting and tiresome. What's more, there is no snap in the dialogue, no banter between the leads. It's one of those films that within the first 14 minutes you feel that if you turned it off right there, you wouldn't miss a thing - and it goes on (and on, and on....) for 104 minutes! The "comic relief" assistant character is especially wasteful. * out of 4.

Deceit, blackmail, and vicious murders in a posh fashion house where lots of ravishing female models are employed. Hey, that sounds like the plot synopsis of an Italian Giallo from the 60s or early 70s! But "Mannequin in Red" is Swedish and got released in the 1958 already, so could this possibly be a sort of blueprint/pioneer for my absolute favorite cult sub-genre of all times? The answer is "yes", but nobody in the cast or crew was aware of it at the time. Fact remains that, six year later, the stupendous Mario Bava came with the similar "Blood and Black Lace" and changed euro-horror cinema forever.

"Mannequin in Red" plays out like a mystery thriller centering around a married couple of private detectives named John and Kajsa Hillman. I actually like the concept of a man and wife solving murder puzzles together! This is apparently the second of four Swedish thrillers revolving around the sleuth-couple, and the other three have a color in the title as well. Here, Kajsa Hillman gets hired by the stern and wheelchair-bound fashion guru Thyra Lennberg, supposedly as a model but, in reality, it's to keep eyes and ears open for all the lies & deceit at the La Femme fashion house. Shortly after, the body of a brutally murdered model is discovered - in the shop window, of all places - and several grim and dark secrets of the fashionista family come to the surface.

It's a good film, with a handful of intelligent twists in the script and a stunning photography, but there are also unsurpassable flaws. "Mannequin in Red" is too long and has too many unnecessary supportive characters and sub plots. Particularly all the sequences with the clumsy sidekick Freddy and his girlfriend should have been cut because they are embarrassingly unfunny. The twists/revelations at the end are not too difficult to guess, but bear in mind the release year was 1958, and thus long before all those other titles where you've seen similar endings.

There are a few things that really impress me in this movie. First of all, this should be seen on a large screen where one can be impressed with the beautiful Eastmancolor. Arne Mattsson is known for using complicated camera movements There are two actresses that stand out. Anita Björk can portray subtle feelings with just a twitch of her mouth. And Lillebil Ibsen does the role of aunt Thyra wonderfully. It is positively impossible to hear a Norwegian accent, although she apparently was one of Norway's biggest stars. The plot itself can be a bit tricky to follow and one has to see the movie more than once to really comprehend all the innuendos and hints from the characters, to understand what role they play and why they act like they do.Of course, the director could have streamlined the movie much more, e.g. by removing the funny sidekick, Freddy, altogether. The movie is a bit too long with its 110 minutes and it could have been paced much quicker.

This the second of the 'Hillman Thrillers' sees husband and wife detectives John and Kajsa Hillman, along with assistant Freddie, investigating the murder of a model at a fashion house, with Kajsa going undercover as a new model. It quickly becomes clear that the dead woman had been blackmailing various people but they might not be the only ones with a motive to kill... and her death won't be the last.

Having enjoyed 'The Lady in Black' it made sense to watch other available films in the series. The first obvious difference with this one is that it is in colour. It is also set in Stockholm so has a different feel to the previous film's rural setting. It still has the same protagonists though. John and Kajsa are good protagonists; serious and getting the job done while Freddie continues to provide light relief along with beautiful girlfriend Sonja. The mystery provides plenty of suspects as well as some good twists and turns that one would hope for in the genre. It may be over sixty five years old but it doesn't feel too dated; the colour looks great. The cast does a solid job and despite the grisly nature of the murders nothing really unpleasant is shown meaning it can be enjoyed by more squeamish fans of the genre. Overall a good second instalment in the series; I'll certainly be watching more and would recommend it to anybody looking for a solid mystery.

These comments are based on watching the film in Swedish with English subtitles.