Liz et Helen

Is Riccardo Freda's "Double Face" a giallo, yes or no? Many people are likely to say no, but it's definitely a giallo in the humble opinion of yours truly. I think there exist two types. The prototypic and most common (and certainly also the most entertaining) giallo deals with a perverted, masked & black-gloved killer butchering scantily clad fashion models with a variety of sharp objects. There's usually a high body count, lots of gratuitous sleazy and nudity, and a fun "whodunit" aspect even though the end-twist regarding the identity of the killer is grotesque and far-fetched. The second, and slightly less popular, type of giallo generally deals with unfaithful husbands driving their mentally unstable wives crazy, for example via framing them for murder or faking their own deaths. These gialli have low body counts, psychedelic atmospheres, and for some strange reason they often star Carroll Baker as the leading lady in distress ("The Sweet Body of Deborah", "Orgasmo", "So Sweet So Perverse", "Paranoia", ...).

I really think "Double Face" fits neatly into this second giallo-category, although admittedly the trademarks are turned upside down. Here, it's the male protagonist - Klaus Kinski - who's being cheated on by his wife (with another woman, moreover) and driven insane. It's a highly unusual role for Kinski, but he's absolutely splendid as John Alexander who suspects that his wife Liz still hangs out in sex clubs and appears in pornographic movies, even though she supposedly died in a horrible car accident. The plot is a little thin to full a complete film with, so "Double Face" is overall rather dull and contains too much pointless padding footage. The climax is tense and fairly surprising, though, and the cast is full of beautiful people! Kinski's charisma and grimaces are indescribable, and the male spectators are spoiled with no less than three gorgeous women: Christiane Krüger, Annabella Incontrera and Margaret Lee. If you're still not convinced, I can also add that the idea for the story comes from the almighty Lucio Fulci! Check it out, Italian cult-cinema lovers!

On a less relevant note: watching the DVD-version that I own was an adventure to itself. It was a restored version, so poor quality footage constantly interchanged with high quality images, and the spoken language randomly switched back and forth between English, German and French.

The premise of 'A Doppia Faccia' ('Double Face') is very good, actually. A wealthy woman dies in a car accident and the husband inherits a fortune, but soon after, clues lead him to believe she's still alive. What's going on?

It's an old-school, late-sixties giallo, not a lot of sex and violence, more of a psychological thriller in the Hitchcock vein. While there are some interesting twists and turns, and the direction and acting are pretty good, it just misses the mark due to several issues.

First and foremost, Kinski just isn't right as 'the good guy'. He's a very good actor, but he's well-known for playing creepy characters, especially in the Edgar Wallace krimi films, the predecessors to the gialli. This character needed us to find him likeable and to care, but Kinski's strength isn't his charm and empathy, it's his intensity and anger.

In terms of craft, the photography is quite good, except that silly scene in the snow, which really should have been cut. Sometimes effects don't work. The acting and directing were competent.

The script is another weak point. They should have spent more time making us believe the relationship was authentic and they loved each other, so we'd believe his obsession with finding out if she was still alive. There are quite a few nothing conversations that could have added to the character development. The police investigation and red herrings could have been more fleshed out.

Really, they did a pretty good job overall, considering how quickly and cheaply they pumped these films out. But a bit more time on the script and a different casting choice would have made this one really sing.

Some Gorgeous and Slick Color Images Embody the Late 60's Psychedelic London Vibe of New "Freedoms" On-Screen.

Such as Nudity and Drugs, coupled with Outrageous Hair and Clothes Styles.

Klaus Kinski, in a Tempered Role, is Involved with His Wife, a Rich Heiress, and Her Sudden and Tragic Death by Sabotage.

It Sends Him to the London "Underground" Scene and Assorted Characters such as Models and Pornographers.

Typical "Who-Done-It" Plot is Ramped by some Beautiful Cinematography and a Neo-Noir Feel.

It also Employs Modern Tropes of Italian and German Cinema Packaged for an International Market.

It's a Great Film to Look At and Kinski, as always, is an Intriguing Screen Presence.

The Story has some Flow-Problems as the Plot gets Complex but Nevertheless is a Good Example of B-Movie Making in the "Times That Were A Changin".

If we did not know when this film came out we could easily tell with a potential error of no more than +/- 12 months. The psychedelic elements put it in a 1967-1970 interval and the lesbian love scenes rule out the early part of that interval.

Klaus Kinski being cast against type is certainly quite memorable, but when I think of this film I mostly recall the special effects for the train crash. Or rather the lack of them! Although the moment is brief it is blatantly obvious that we have a crash of a model train, and even more clearly a burning model train. This is the special effects school of early Japanese Godzilla movies!

Surprise! Surprise! There are not many movies where Klaus Kinski doesn´t play a bad guy. This is one of them. And it´s rather twisted. He´s a prime crime suspect, and we follow him solving the case right to a surprise ending. It´s a German Edgar Wallace adaption directed by classic Italian director Riccardo Freda and , yes, it´s a typical Giallo. So I guess all the fans of those "normal" German Edgar-Wallace-Movies didn´t like it very much. It´s only for fans of the director and, of course, the brilliant, astonishing, unforgettable Klaus Kinski.