Autopsia

'Autopsy' is a very strange and confusing giallo that has to be seen to be believed! Newcomers to the genre best steer clear, but buffs will find this one totally fascinating. Mimsy Farmer (Fulci's 'The Black Cat') stars as an uptight doctor who between wrestling with freaky hallucinations of horny corpses(!) investigates a series of suicides supposedly caused by sunspots(!). A mysterious car racer turned priest (!) (Barry Primus of Scorsese's 'Boxcar Bertha') gets involved in the mystery, though she is unsure whether he is an ally or a suspect. Also in the cast is Ray Lovelock ('The Living Dead In Manchester Morgue') as Farmer's moody and cynical boyfriend. The brief plot synopsis doesn't give you any idea of just how convoluted and nutty this one is. Many will probably find it too flamboyant to stick with until the end, but personally I found it impossible to resist. Easily the most bizarre giallo I've ever seen!

I must admit, the cover, the stars, and the gruesome story description will grab you. But that's just one more wrench thrown into the confusion of the film known in English as Autopsy. For me, three things convinced me to get the DVD: Ray Lovelock, who starred later in the zombie classic Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti), the score is by Ennio Morricone, and the fact that 15 minutes was restored and the film is presented uncut for the first time here in the United States. I'm also a fan of the Italian giallos, which is what Autopsy really is, but I didn't know that because the cover makes it appear as a possible zombie-oriented horror film, and the first ten minutes alone will have you believing that.

We're given the idea that something like sunspots and flares are the force behind a sudden wave of suicides and that, along with exhaustion, are why medical examiner Mimsy Farmer is having hallucinations of corpses in the hospital coming to life and taunting her. Apparently this same sun problem is what sets off a killer to start killing people (that Mimsy happens to know) and making it look as if these killings were actually just another suicide. As it turns out he does have a motive, but this sun/suicide bit cand throw you. Like many giallos, there is an obligatory explanation at the climax that flashes back to a traumatic experience the killer had as a child (this kind of thing also happened in Don't Torture A Duckling, aka "Non si sevizia un paperino" and Torso, aka "I Corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale").

It actually took a second viewing for me to understand the sun thing, the suicides, and the killings and put it all together--this film has so much going on that there are many distractions particularly of a sexual nature, you are drawn this way and that which is why connecting the plot points gets difficult at times. Is that a good thing? Well, this film doesn't hold back and has a generous amount nudity, even full frontal. There is a scene where Ray Lovelock shows Mimsy a slide show of "vintage" erotic photographs that, in two of the quickly passing close-up photos you'll find yourself saying "oh man, was that actually what I THOUGHT I saw?" and while not really pornographic will nonetheless surprise you since this film was made in 1973. Two sexual interludes (interrupted as they are) also add to the "this is getting gratuitous" element and an art gallery featuring photos of human torture are also present (I found these particular photos shocking and I thought I was jaded to these kinds of things). It wasn't difficult for me to see what was cut for domestic release in the states--this film packs a visual punch and just keeps going.

All in all, I am glad I have this film as part of my collection because it is a curiosity that really can't be ignored. Call it a guilty pleasure if you will. After understanding it from the second viewing, I started looking deeper into Autopsy and realizing it has its own personality and more of a story to offer than, say, the basic "let's get women naked then kill them" mood of Torso. While Mimsy Farmer is a little difficult to warm up to with her once nice then cold moods, her part is played competent enough we still hope she gets through the ordeal. Barry Primus behaves like one of those people you hope doesn't sit next to you on the bus--a bit on edge and prone to bursts of anger. Ray Lovelock is always interesting to see, particularly because of the choice of dubbing for his part--I'm wondering if some day I'll get to hear his actual voice in a film! He also conveys an early 1970's example of the masculine and sexual leading guy: bearded and real, instead of the cookie cutter cutie boys put in lead roles in films these days.

Anchor Bay gets points for taking these Italian gems and getting them restored so well that the picture looks better than most Hollywood film transfers. Some audio portions of Autopsy were not recorded in English, so a couple brief scenes are in Italian with English subtitles. An unusual move, but I appreciate the fact that at least the film is intact. One scene involving a newspaper headline and discussion of the sun is a key scene for the plot, and was one that was cut in American distribution because it wasn't recorded in English. Now that it's back in, it really makes a difference.

Autopsy is not a perfect film, not a bad film, basically one of those films that manage to grab your attention at any cost. For collectors of 1970s Italian giallos it has merit, for other folk, well, be prepared--you'll be raising your eyebrows so much your face will hurt by the ending!!

Finally this rare giallo hit the stores on DVD in March 2000 thanks to Anchor Bay - it was about time that this almost forgotten giallo masterpiece was released in its uncut version (the former US-version on tape was trimmed for almost 15 minutes of story!). I searched for it unsuccessfully for about five years; I had great expectations, and - oh, boy! - they were NOT disappointed at all! Already the first twenty minutes deliver more than many other thrillers during their entire running time. The plot is very twisted, and there are so many red herrings that literally every character becomes a suspect during this film. There are fine performances of Mimsy Farmer, Barry Primus and especially Ray Lovelock of 'The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue'-fame. This really is a brilliant movie and a real MUST SEE for the fan of stylish European cinema. Not to be missed!

Armando Crispino's `Autopsy' is an authentic Giallo…but slightly more complex and diverse than your ordinary experiences in this field of horror. The constant mix of mystery, suicides and twisted characters makes this film one of the most ambitious Italian flicks of the early 70's. Closely living up to Dario Argento's films when it comes to originality and suspense, but a lot more modest when it comes to violent images. Autopsy contains a downright brilliant opening and the first 5 minutes (showing a series of repulsive suicides in the city of Rome) already were enough for me to consider this film a success. The story loses much of its initial grip, of course, but there still is a lot of imaginativeness to discover throughout the whole film. Compared to many other Gialli, Autopsy features a believable, solid plot and it sticks to it without the overuse of unnecessary plot-twists. The score (by Ennio Morricone) gives you cold shivers and the main characters are creatively presented. How about a depressed pathologist who has visions about the living dead copulating? Or a racecar-driver turned priest and out for vengeance? Autopsy is a lot more suspenseful than it is gory, even though the DVD-cover leads you to believe otherwise. Tension-highlights include a compelling sequence inside the `Death Museum' and an atmospheric experiment upon an entirely paralyzed victim. Add a bit of stylish nudity to all this and you've got yourself an undiscovered and ignored cult-gem. It may not satisfy horror-rookies on a quest to see tons of blood, but it'll sure please the more experienced horror fans. If you're searching for a top-macabre and unsettling horror film, this is the one.

Armando Crispino's "Macchie Solari" aka. "Autopsy" of 1975 is an underrated and quite unusual Giallo that lovers of Italian horror can not afford to miss. Great suspense, bizarre elements and very interesting, often troubled characters come along with a menacing atmosphere and a great, very eerie score by none other than Ennio Morricone. The film already starts out excellently, with several nasty suicides. Rome has been struck by a heat wave, which leads to increased suicidal tendencies among the population. Being constantly surrounded by disfigured corpses is becoming too much for young pathologist Simona (Mimsy Farmer), who is writing a thesis about suicide and murder. Simona, whose job is giving her nightmares and terrible visions, doesn't believe that all of these violent deaths were suicides...

"Autopsy" features many frightening and often bizarre sequences, a quite complex plot and elaborate characters. The storyline is sometimes quite complex to follow, especially since the scene changes often seem quite abrupt, but this only makes the film less predictable, and everything makes perfect sense as a whole. The performances are entirely very good. Mimsy Farmer is excellent in the lead, and portrays her character's fears and nightmares in a very believable manner. Another great performance is delivered by Barry Primus, who plays a quite unusual catholic priest. The cast furthermore includes Ray Lovelock, a regular to Italian genre cinema, and Ernesto Colli, who should be known to Italian Horror buffs for his role in Sergio Martino's 1973 giallo masterpiece "Torso" (aka. "I Corpi presentano tracce di violenzia carnale"). It should be said that "Autopsy" is not the gore-fest the DVD cover might make you think. Even though there are some very violent sequences and many repulsive images, the violence is quite tame compared to many other Gialli of the mid 70s. The movie's main intention is suspense and it definitely succeeds in being suspenseful. "Autopsy" is a stylish, atmospheric and very suspenseful Giallo, that no lover of Italian Horror should allow himself to miss. Highly Recommended!