La isla del pecado

Duel to death between a couple where they hate each other within the ideal setting of the Greek islands. Kostas (Gunther Stoll, Cosa avete fatto a Solange) is a wealthy mature man who is fond of sailing. He has wed a young top model, Iro (Barbara Bouchet, Non si sevizia un paperino), but she has a lover, Nick (Bob Behling, The Devil's Men), who is Kostas's assistant aboard. Those who could have dreamt acting like Ulysses and Penelope will rather play a tragedy like some unscrupulous hateful Atreids.

During a sail race, Iro and Nick have decided to get rid of Kostas, but Nick's girlfriend Nelly (Sofia Roubou, Panic) is suspicious, and Kostas could also know more than he seems. The deadly game begins within the closed space of the boat during a tempest, around the only trio which matters: the husband, his wife and her lover. But who will be the wiser to manipulate better the others? As usual the Greek police, led by inspector Alexiou (Giorgos Kyritsis, John the violent) and lieutenant Platis (Dinos Karydis, Quest), is no more efficient than the Italian one, allowing the ennemies to settle their counts by their own means. Shall hell consist of becoming separated, or rather of remaining together?

Errikos Andreou offers us a psychological giallo well directed, presenting a beautiful sense of picture aestheticism, and putting marvelously ahead Barbara Bouchet's qualities. Even if he doesn't always quite resist to the contractual temptation of the touristic postcard, he maintains for us the thrill all along the game until its smart finale. (Viewed in Greek 1h29 version.)

This is a rare movie & the guy who sold me a copy said it's a giallo. Perhaps he said so because he knew I am a avid giallo fan. To set the record straight - this is not a giallo, though the lead actors come from giallo background. Stunningly beautiful Barbara bouchet needs no introduction to giallo fans, and Günther Stoll (the husband) had a somewhat minor role in "What Have You Done to Solange?". There is no masked killer & no blood & gore. Nevertheless, it's a very good thriller/drama. The story revolves around Iro (Barbara) who is cheating on her rich jealous husband & planning with her lover to kill him. Husband & wife tries to outwit each other throughout the movie. I simply loved the ending - it was very different. Acting is good, direction is well done & Barbara has few amazing erotic scenes. Overall - nothing spectacular, but definitely worth a watch, you won't regret.

This bloodless giallo is interesting because the plot is one of this slippery types that keeps moving and changing even when you think you've got things pegged. It also short too, and sea based.

Barbara Bouchet is married to grizzled rich boat racing dude called Kosta who loves racing boats and hates losing anything, so of course Barbara is having an affair with his friend and the both of them are conspiring to kill Kosta during a boat race and get all his money. Haven't these watched any of the proceeding million or so films that have this plot? I mean, even at the start of the film we're clued in that not everything is going smoothly when it's revealed that someone is recording their murderous conversations.

Everyone gets together for the big boat race and although we get an awful lot of boat racing, the very snappy editing and cinematography are so good I rather enjoyed it. Plus, we get to see Barbara's squeeze (played by the killer from Island of Death) do a Greek dance that results in many a broken plate. Someone's got to clean all that up you know!

Back on board Barbara and the guy who's name I should have remembered are still plotting the murder, and a storm looks like it's the perfect time to carry it out. It's at this point where the story starts shifting to and fro, so I'll say no more!

It's the interaction between Kosta and Barbara that's the best thing about the film. This is a couple that seem to totally loathe each other and are always playing some sort of game with each other (literally, at one point in the film). They say things to each other that mean other things, bitterly smiling at each other. There's a good few twists along the way to the fitting ending.

As I've already mentioned the editing and camerawork are brilliant in this film, with many inventive angles and shots that keep your interest. It's an old school giallo but doesn't feel stale at all.