Mannequin in Rot

After one of the models vanishes from the fashion house La Femme Kate Hillman starts her investigation along with Captain John Hillman.The chain of ghastly murders begins..."Mannequin in Red" is often cited as the main influence on Mario Bava's legendary giallo "Blood and Black Lace".It's a murder mystery that takes place in a fashion house.The film is gorgeously photographed by Hilding Bladh and offers some suspenseful moments.The killings are tame and completely bloodless and there are some irritating scenes that are supposed to be funny,but I wasn't amused.However if you want to see stylish giallo from Sweden check out "Mannequin in Red" before or after watching Bava's masterful "Blood and Black Lace".7 out of 10.

This is not necessarily a good movie, with a creaky storyline (along with the old lady's wheelchair), some stiff and some overplayed performances and silly "funny" moments. Still, I am very fond of this. It has several suspenseful sequences, a few on-the-spot performances and, above all, a gorgeus photography. It predates all the giallos of the sixties and seventies in its appearance with at least 4-5 years and some chunks could have been lifted from this movie to "Blood and black lace", Mario Bavas tour-de-force in giallo and the start of a whole trend. These films also share its environment, a fashion-salon. The murders are not gruesome by todays standards of course, the atmosphere is right!! Two thumbs up!!

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.

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.

Second case for the Hillman investigative couple

This Swedish crime thriller by BERLINALE winner Arne MATTSSON is a real feast for the eyes. Extravagant dresses are presented here in beautiful colors. Because, you can't believe it, there is actually a murderer on the loose in the Stockholm fashion house LA FEMME. First victim: the beautiful mannequin in red, which many society gentlemen also appreciated. It's just a good thing that Kajsa Hillman (Annalisa ERICSON) is also blessed with a model figure and can investigate on site. All that remains for the husband of the gods (Karl Arne HOLMSTEN) is to make clever speeches. There are enough suspicions and inconsistencies so that there is never a dull moment. The cast is again top notch. Lillebil IBSEN, who was also very popular in Berlin during the Weimar Republic, gives a gala performance as the beastly fashion house boss. Anna Wintour could learn a lot from her. The tried and tested Anita BJÖRK plays the dutiful manager and the radiantly beautiful Gio PETRE even gets to sing a Swedish song as the scheming beast. Every crime fan will get their money's worth. While the Hillmans' first case was still in black and white, here you are almost blinded by the interplay of colors and shapes. The film's excellent craftsmanship partly hints at what Mario BAVA would bring to perfection in CINECITTA's BLUTIGE SEIDE / BLOODY SILK a few years later: an early giallo from the far north! With this Swedish bite, NETFLIX is giving its subscribers a very special gift: as a crime thriller fan and connoisseur of older films, you shouldn't miss this discovery!!!