En cinquième vitesse

This pop psychedelic giallo is an early film by the Italian "master of eroticism" (he's definitely "master" of something), Tinto Brass. Unfortunately, it's VERY derivative of Michaelangelo Antonioni's "Blow-up" from the previous year, and while some find that movie borderline pretentious, this movie is well over the borderline. It also compares pretty unfavorably to the OTHER pop psychedelic giallo released in 1967, "Death Laid an Egg", which also features French actor Jean Trintigant and Swedish nymphet Ewe Aulin. But just because it isn't as good as two excellent movies like "Blow-up" and "Death Laid an Egg" doesn't necessarily make it bad. It's well filmed, and it has good acting and good music. I actually liked it better than "Salon Kitty", "Caligula" or any of Brass' other later, more erotic, but much more tedious ventures.

The story is pretty insubstantial. A man spots a a young girl at a disco and is immediately drawn to her. Later he finds the disco owner dead and the young woman standing over his body. Since the disco owner was apparently blackmailing her recently deceased father, the girl suspects that the killer might be a member of her own oddball family--her androgynous twin brother, her grasping mother, or her sinister gangster stepfather. As the couple are chased all over Swinging late 60's London by all kinds of colorful characters, including a hulking black man and a dwarf, they try to piece together the bizarro plot (while the viewers try even less successfully to do the same thing). Brass also throws in a lot of black and white footage--perhaps in an homage to American film noir--however, this style really clashes with the colorful psychedelic pop art and the principal story, which far from being downbeat and noirish, is often as light and airy as a soufflé.

Trintigant was one of the most famous French actors of the period. He was kind of in the same mold as Jean-Paul Belomondo, Jean Sorel, and Alain Delon. But he didn't seem to rely as much on his good looks as some of his fellow French leading men, and he was often in more interesting, offbeat films like Robbe-Grillet's "TransEuropean Express", "The Angry Sheep", and, of course, "Death Laid an Egg". Ewe Aulin, who was only seventeen at the time, did this film as part of a 1967 trifecta which also included "Death Laid an Egg" and the big-budget celebrity-train-wreck sex comedy "Candy". Only one of these was really a good movie, but SHE is definitely very memorable in all three of them. If nothing else, this is certainly a prime example of a European co-production of the era--an Italian film shot in London with a French leading man and a Swedish leading lady.

This is by no means a great film, but it is worth seeing.

This film is very stylized, liked a lot of the editing effects, the split images in-particular, also how it cuts to war images of Vietnam and changes to black and white in parts. The sets, costumes/wardrobe are elaborate and detailed, the lighting is very good also. Interesting to see London in the 60's, notice how the trains are still powered by steam in the scene behind the graveyard. The casting is quite strong especially Jean-Louis Trintignant who plays the lead role, he is supported by the beautiful Ewa Aulin, the cast of nefarious mob type figures is also a standout. The storyline although a little weak leaves you guessing until the end. It is quite enjoyable overall, but seems a little experimental and doesn't really mesh, but I liked the fact it had a sad ending.

This film is a dull "dejà vu" (Antonioni & Co.): better the originals.

Anything new but the inexpressive Ewa also in her nudity...!

Trintignant is there: maybe ?!.

I don't know why and for what reasons...And he seems too.

The fee was so interesting ?

Not to mention the chasing of Bernard by the bad guys and the ending of the story, both laughable...

The result is that the leading actor and the most attractive is the "Swinging London" and its people: better than nothing !

I recommend you not to waste your time as I did yesterday. Tinto Brass has to go softly "erotic" as usual, the way he was and still is (in his 90th), with Sandrelli and Grandi among the others: that's his plus.

A rather unusual agenda from tinto brass who obviously found later his niche in "t&a" movies. Col cuore in Gola is a psychedelic, pop art giallo that can just come from the great era of the late 60´s/70´s. Starting from the nice credits and music you immediately like this film and this is just the beginning! Trintignant founds in a nightclub a corpse beside the lovely aulin who just says "i wasnt it" Convinced that she is innocent he wants to help her and want to find out the murderer, Aulins brother should solve this case and both are searching for him. Though not quite without problems..a dwarf in raincoat is following them in companion with some gangsters who kidnap Aulin. Jean is now searching for aulin, aulins brother and (of course) the murderer. The Story itself is not that convincing (rather unimportant) but what here is really of interest is the unconvential style of brass : splitscreen(even tripple split screens!) some scenes in black and dark yellow filter and more.., and in the "middle" of course the presence of two very convincing leads: cool Trintignant and hot Ewa Aulin. (somehow priceless here in white fishnet stockings) the result is a quite good giallo with (obviously) strong references to pop art. In the same year Aulin and Trintignant appeared in the avantgarde giallo masterpiece "Death laid an egg", Col Cuore in Gola is not great as Giulio Questis film but is definitely entertaining.

Just saw this tonight uncut on the big screen here in Hollywood. Visually very nice. But not really a giallo, I don't know why people keep calling it that. There is a murder which basically occurs off-screen and has almost nothing to do with the "story." Virtually no violence, some eyebrow-raising sex, obviously inspired by Antonioni, et al. Little story, lots of avant garde/graphic style, references to Pop-Art/Lichtenstein, comics, "Blow-Up" and other movies/the Viet Nam War/other issues of the day. Nice visuals/editing/soundtrack (which was remarkably clear in the print I just saw, supposedly soon to be out on DVD). At times notably innovative and fresh. A bit of a surprise ending. Wandering narrative, quick cuts, lots of color and gritty flair. Swinging London backdrop. In b/w and color.