La mort remonte à hier soir

"Death Occurred Last Night" is a film that requires patience, an open mindset, and then even more patience. But, eventually, you will be rewarded, as this is one of the most integer and slow-brooding Italian drama/thriller films of the early 70s. And, once it has sunk in entirely, I guarantee you'll appreciate it even more! Duccio Tessari's film, with a phenomenal cast, is often misperceived by people because it has a title that makes it seem like a giallo, and a premise that makes it sound like a poliziotesschi, but it's actually neither. Well, it is a poliziotesschi, but not like the ones with Maurizio Merli and tons of car chases and violent executions. This film merely thrives on a solid script, a tense atmosphere, sense of realism and real human emotions.

Raf Vallone gives a stellar performance as a desperate father who literally begs the local Milanese police commissioner Lamberti (an equally stellar Frank Wolff) to search for his daughter Donatella, who's missing since a month. The case is extra disturbing because Donatella is mentally disabled. She has the mind of a 3-year-old, but with her curvaceous 25-year-old body and her willingness to go along with every random stranger, she's the ideal victim for all the rancid prostitution networks in the city. The first half of the film covers the extended search for the girl, during which commissioner Lamberti and his partner, with the help of a former pimp, turn all the prostitution houses in the city inside out. Then, the inevitable happens, Donatella is found brutally murdered, and the search turns into a relentless hunt for the killer (or killers). Not just the police are searching, but the devastated father is out for justice as well.

"Death Occurred Last Night" is admittedly rather slow-paced, and low in the action department, but the script is indescribably compelling, and also very fascinating, since it gives a lot of insights in police modus operandi. The last 10-15 minutes, when the truth about Donatella's disappearance slowly unravels, are truly haunting and they are likely to cause that you'll never be able to trust anyone in your close surroundings ever again.

25 year old Donatella Berzaghi (Gillian Bray) is a total babe and a nymphomaniac to boot, but also has the mind of a three year old. Of course, there are some people who see her disability as a bonus and are willing to pay to do bad things to her, which is why she is abducted and put to work in a brothel.

When distraught widower Amanzio Berzaghi (Raf Vallone) realises that his precious daughter is missing, he goes to the police, who begin a city-wide search for the young woman. After the girl turns up dead, having been burnt alive, Amanzio begins his own investigation, determined to make those responsible pay for what they have done.

Although labelled as a giallo by some, probably because of its typically giallo-esque title, Death Occurred Last Night is more of a poliziotteschi, with the focus on the detective work carried out by cops Duca Lamberti (Frank Wolff) and Mascaranti (Gabriele Tinti). There's a lot of dialogue and little in the way of action, meaning that the film does tend to drag a lot of the time. Director Duccio Tessari sees fit to include some gratuitous female nudity to spice things up a little, and the climax is satisfyingly brutal, but on the whole this is a fairly mundane feature, with not a leather-gloved maniac brandishing an open razor to be found.

4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for the hilariously bad likeness of a suspect drawn by an interviewee at the police station, which the police sketch artist uses to create a portrait that is almost as bad.

Frank Wolff puts in a great performance here as a world weary cop in Milan assigned to a missing person's case where a middle aged man keeps referring to his little girl, who turns out to be a six foot tall nymphomaniac with the mind of a three year old! That's pretty sick seeing as all evidence points to her being sent to work as a prostitute.

Wolff is one of these cops that isn't afraid to plant stuff on people, blackmail men who frequent hookers, or have his men slap pimps around. He's also very likable as for every bust he makes, he feels the weight of every crime that goes unpunished, so he winds down at night while playing the guitar, treating his sinusitis, and banging his wife.

During the day he and his subordinates start visiting whore houses in order to track down the missing girl which leads him to befriending hooker with a heart Herrero, who might be the key to the whole case. For a change its Herrero and Wolff's missus are the one who become sort-of friends, leading to all sorts of philosophising and what not.

Another plot thread concerns that of the missing girl's father. A man who just wanted to look after his daughter, what becomes of a man who's only reason for living is missing, and what is he going to do to those responsible, as he highly suspects that one of his neighbours is the kidnapper.

The 'identity of the kidnapper' plot I guess has this film being marked as a giallo, whereas other say it's a euro-crime film. Who gives a crap? It's a good film. Not much by way of gore, or nudity, but the ending was certainly violent enough and the film also has characters that actually display feelings for a change. Duccio Tessari also directed Tony Arzenta and the two films share that highly-stylised look, and in this film Tessari includes a lot of hand held footage, and a lot of scenes where the dialogue is drowned out by external noise.

You know what this film reminded me of? A Touch of Frost. I mean that as a good thing – Wolff does that thing Frost does where he constantly berates his subordinates ("Get a haircut").

A very interesting director and especially this film being a part giallo part cop procedural and we have a sexy 25 year old woman with the mind of a three year old. This being as tasteful as possible and she disappears, the police straight away think of prostitution but there is also some humour but the ending is amazing. The very next year is really a giallo, The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) and later on Puzzle (1974) both great and earlier Duccio Tessari had two, just as splendid spaghetti westerns, A Pistol for Ringo (1965) and The Return of Ringo (1965). In this film it gets a bit confusing now and again but then a giallo usually does but it is all so well done and with Raf Vallone so really good as the father, it could easily have been a bit silly. Frank Wolff as the inspector and has a great time with Eva Renzi as his wife around the flat, in bed and even strumming his guitar.

Inappropriate title in the German dubbing, great film: Raf VALLONE in an exciting mix of giallo thriller and crime film

A widower (great: Raf Vallone) from Milan lovingly looks after his already grown but mentally retarded daughter (Gill Bray). One day she disappears from their shared apartment without a trace. An inspector (Frank Wolff) investigates, but encounters resistance. Is it possible that a prostitution ring is behind this? The desperate father no longer knows what to do...

Duccio Tessari ("Uomo senza memoria" with the chainsaw-wielding Senta Berger) has presented an impressive film that was co-produced by Artur Brauner and his CCC FILMKUNST. Unfortunately the German title is very inappropriate, there is not much fog in Milan. The alternative title "Murders only happen on Saturdays" is at least a little better. The Italian original could be translated as "Death occurred last night". Eva Renzi (as the inspector's wife) and Beryl Cunningham can be seen in other roles. The event of the film, however, is Raf Vallone, who impresses with his sensitive acting and sheer physical strength. The end of the film still offers a few surprises. In the Italian box office it grossed a decent 568 million ITL.

A gem worth seeing from the almost inexhaustible reservoir of Italian crime films of the 1970s!