Le Mannequin en rouge

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!!!

The second of Arne Mattson's 'Holman' series - and the first in colour - based on the novels of Folke Meling, known for always having a colour in the title.

Known as "the Swedish Hitchcock ", in common with Hitchcock Mattson here employs bright fifties colour in this murder mystery set against the backdrop of Swedish high fashion in which the models keep turning up dead.

The ladies all being Swedish are awesome, with even the old woman confined to a wheelchair possessing perfect bones. The victims themselves predictably are all absolutely fabulous. While for those sophisticates among you Anita Bjork has a lady friend with she keeps exchanging meaningful looks; if you know what I mean.

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.

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!!

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.