El dulce cuerpo de Deborah

Gravy, baby! Or whatever it is that these annoying Summer of Love types say to each other while dancing to funky music in a rather awkward fashion. I guess my tolerance to these free living types strutting about underneath pop art and ridiculous clothing depends on the story. Luckily, the Sweet-Sweet-Sweetsweetsweet Body of Deborah is one of those Gialli that is all about confusing the viewer with people's motives, rather than racking up the body count.

Deborah (Baker) and Marcel (Sorel), are newlyweds heading back to Geneva from the USA to visit Marcel's home town, if they can stop shagging for two minutes in order to do so. There's trouble in paradise however as Philippe (Pistilli) appears and accuses Marcel of causing the death of his last lover, Susan, by abandoning her for some reason.

I liked how they managed to fit in the old Italian standard of the creepy mansion in this one as Deborah and Marcel visit Susan's house and Debs as she probably liked to be called gets death threats through a phone that doesn't work. Plus someone keeps playing a creepy theme tune in other rooms.

The couple scarper for a nice non-creepy villa in Nice, only to find neighbour Robert (Hilton) has his eyes on Deborah and is hilariously frank about his Peeping Tom fetish! The rest of the film is the usual viewer fooling barrage of twists right until the last second, but I don't mind films like that as I don't have a clue what it is going on and things are nicely tied up in the end.

Strangely, I'm finding that these non-formulaic gialli are more prevalent in the sixties than in the seventies - is it Dario Argento's fault. Also - check out the cheesy dance the couple do before having a game of Twister! This film has a nice jazz soundtrack too and plenty of style - I guess it's not so well known as the body count is real low (one!) and although you kind of see Baker naked, she don't float my boat.

Because she's blonde. Is that racist?

Deborah and Marcel (Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel) are young and in love. We know this due to their shower scene, which may be the most awkward, passionless scene of its kind.

When Marcel learns of the tragic fate of his ex-mistress, Suzanne, we are treated to the "motorcycle / cow disaster" flashback sequence. Then, Marcel and Deborah hurry to Suzanne's decrepit villa, where Deborah receives a threatening phone call that couldn't possibly have been made.

THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH is a rather tame giallo. For her part, Ms. Baker is stunning, whether she's cutting a rug at the dance club in her green mini-skirt, or playing a game of lawn twister in one of her magnificent bodysuits!

Though it's drawn-out and convoluted, the wicked triple-twist finale makes it worth watching...

Occasionally suspenseful but basically rather lukewarm sub-Diabolique-goings-on, which has a flashy direction, some elaborate twists, impressive music score and a deliberately murky and grim style in the usual French-Italian manner. It suffers, however, from a maddeningly illogical narrative, platiduous dialogue, too many slow patches and surprisingly uninspired ensemble acting.

"Smalling"

"The Sweet Body of Deborah" follows the American Deborah (Carroll Baker) who marries Marcel (Jean Sorel) in Europe. The two go to Geneva on their honeymoon, but find their marital bliss disrupted over accusations that Marcel caused his ex-girlfiend's suicide.

The first of many horror and giallo films that Carroll Baker made in the late 1960s–mid-1970s in Italy, "The Sweet Body of Deborah" is one of the more amusing ones—significantly melodramatic, and bolstered with atmospheric set-pieces and cinematography. The first half of the film feels fairly one-note, but it begins to gain steam at the midway point. Lush cinematography of the Geneva Alps contrasted with the sunny atmosphere of Nice leaves the film visually interesting.

The film was clearly dubbed in post-production (in English no less, the language it was shot in in the first place), so there is a disconnect between the filmed performances themselves and the vocal supply that leaves something to be desired. In any case, Baker seems to be enjoying herself here, playing the sensuous new bride who finds herself in grave danger. Jean Sorel is watchable as her hunky leading man.

Overall, "The Sweet Body of Deborah" is a decent giallo mystery with light tinges of horror. It's a treat for fans of Baker, but stands on its own as a solid early entry in the Italian thriller subgenre. Not a masterpiece by any means, but a surprisingly amusing, atmospheric romp. 6/10.

"The Sweet Body of Deborah" has a very slow start, but once it get's going, it's a decent mystery/crime movie which can entertain you during it's runtime. However, it should be noted that even though the movie has style and isn't amateurishly made or acted, it isn't anything special. There is also a scene where main characters play twister. That cringe has to be seen to be believed. All in all, I give the movie 6.5/10! It's an OK movie for genre fans, but isn't something everyone should see, unless you are largely attracted to Caroll Baker...