Mannekäng i rött

Sometimes in life you've gotta change your plans. For example, my initial plan was to watch all the "Hillman" films I could get a hold of, because the idea of a Swedish Nick-and-Nora-ish detective couple sounded appealing to me. But after watching "Mannequin In Red", I will probably not follow through on any of their other films. Though well-photographed, this film is boring, flat, uninteresting and tiresome. What's more, there is no snap in the dialogue, no banter between the leads. It's one of those films that within the first 14 minutes you feel that if you turned it off right there, you wouldn't miss a thing - and it goes on (and on, and on....) for 104 minutes! The "comic relief" assistant character is especially wasteful. * out of 4.

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.

After one of the models vanishes from the fashion house La Femme Kate Hillman starts her investigation along with Captain John Hillman.The chain of ghastly murders begins..."Mannequin in Red" is often cited as the main influence on Mario Bava's legendary giallo "Blood and Black Lace".It's a murder mystery that takes place in a fashion house.The film is gorgeously photographed by Hilding Bladh and offers some suspenseful moments.The killings are tame and completely bloodless and there are some irritating scenes that are supposed to be funny,but I wasn't amused.However if you want to see stylish giallo from Sweden check out "Mannequin in Red" before or after watching Bava's masterful "Blood and Black Lace".7 out of 10.

This is the second of five movies involving the Hillman detectives and unlike the first (The Lady in Black) this is in colour. And it looks great, John and Kajsa Hillman are visiting friends at Fashion House La Femme, when bodies start piling up, starting with model Katja Sundin. The head of the fashion house is Thyra Lennberg is not a pleasant woman so when she is murdered in a house fire there's plenty of suspects. Annalisa Ericson and Karl-Arne Holmsten are great as the detective couple ably assisted by Freddy (Nils Halberg) and his girlfriend Sonja (Lena Granhagen) who provide a comedy element. Decent fifties fayre.

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!!!