Francesca

When this film arrived at my doorstep I was pleased while looking at the box and artwork. In recent months I'd begun to be exposed to more giallo films than ever and have begun enjoying an appreciation of them which I hadn't in the past, for the most part because of having less access to them. To think I'd now be exposed to another made me happy. I became a tad leery when I learned it was not one of the original films but a tribute of sorts to the genre. But I plunged in headfirst anyway with some hope. Unfortunately the movie didn't live up to my hopes and expectations.

The film opens with a strange sequence involving a mother taking care of an infant and a young girl who seems to be enjoying stabbing a dead bird. Within moment we see her stabbing into the same stroller the mother was rocking and hear her mother scream. Fast forward to 15 years later.

It's been that long since the disappearance of Francesca, the young daughter of poet/dramatist Vittorio Visconti. Stabbed by her abductor he is now unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair. Visconti lives with his invalid wife who remains in a seemingly state of shock ever since the kidnapping of their daughter. Other than help they live alone.

When a series of murders in the area begins the police are baffled. Notes left at the scenes of the crime leave no clues with the exception that they are lines derived from Dante's INFERNO. Visconti was a scholar on Dante and the two police detectives turn to him for assistance in deciphering just what that murderer could be trying to tell them with these notes.

All of the trademarks from the classic giallo are there. The gloved hands of the killer. The viewpoint of the murders as seen through the killers eyes. The police investigating the murders. And yet the movie feels hollow about best and a poor substitute at worst.

Part of this is the decision of writer/director Luciano Onetti to turn this from a standard giallo into a combination of homage and experimental film. Sequences that make no sense are tossed in throughout. Characters that I either forgot or didn't recall suddenly have important roles towards the end. Clue that should have led us as viewers to a rational solving of the puzzle actually lead us nowhere down blind paths that have nothing to do with a solution or that offer clues that aren't based in reality.

The cinematography for the film felt truly lacking to me. Most of it had a strange use of color giving almost everything a blue tinge. The sharpness was also so intense that everything from beard hairs to skin pores felt like they stood out enough to take away concentration from the story itself. The gore effects were some of the worst I've seen in what should have been a prestige styled film with blood looking more like thinned out jelly.

The acting, even though I understand it was done with a foreign cast, never felt believable to me and it wasn't due to something lost in translation. I've seen far too many foreign films to think that this was the best there was/is to offer from actors in other countries. The death scene of one victim by steam iron strangulation has to be one of the worst death scenes ever filmed and completely unbelievable. The faceless killer felt as unthreatening as possible.

Unearthed Films has a lot of faith in this release. The box art is stunning and great to look at bringing back fond memories of the classic giallo films. It contains not just the blu-ray version of the film but standard DVD as well. It also offers a CD of the film's soundtrack as well, sounding much like the classic Goblin scores from earlier giallo films. A flyer is included inside the box and extras on the disc include a behind the scenes featurette, deleted scenes, an interview with director Luciano Onetti and his producer/brother Nicolas and an Unearthed Trailer reel.

I've read some reviews that have praised this film. Sorry to say I am not one of those. I call it as I see it. I'm anxious to return to viewing the actual giallo films of the past and remain hopeful that the genre will see a rise in new movies that follow the same patterns they established. This one is filled far too much with its own agenda as opposed to being a tribute for my taste. Some may find this new take refreshing but unfortunately I'm not one.

Giallo fans can only gorge on this one. The colour contrast is worthy of Argento. There are tropes galore, the leather gloves, the scarlet blood, the mannequin doll - and a story that even evokes a canto from Dante's Inferno. It's all Italy at its best to the umpteenth power.

As with all giallo genre films, the beauty is not to be found in the plot, the dialogue or the acting, but more in the imagery. In contrast to Argento's 'Suspiria', there are numerous outdoor scenes. The eye-witness account is exploited and no venue is exempted from being a crime scene.

I spent the whole film trying to spot a non-1970s anachronism. With the possible exception of what looked like a child-proof lock on a bottle of pills, I didn't find any. My only complaint is that the acting struck me as being 'too good for a real giallo' - but that's more of an unexpected bonus really.

As a fan of giallo movies I was very excited about this modern one. But this one was more experimental than giallo. The plot is incoherent and I still kinda do not understand why did some murders happen... overall 5.2 rating here corresponds to what I think. I had big hopes, instead I feel like I want to say a big "no" to this movie.

A truly stunning simulacrum of a 1970s giallo. The illusion is so convincing that I'd never have guessed it was made last year.

If you're not a fan of gialli, this one will do nothing to change your mind. It has no interest in covering new ground or breaking the well-worn mold, but if you treasure the thought of exploring a whole new one, this is the movie for you.

If we were judging by looks alone, this would be a solid ten, but some story issues (and not ones really typical of or inherent in the genre in my view) require a deduction.

I may change my mind on subsequent viewings, but I'd rate this a must-see for giallo fans. Non fans might be able to use this as a gateway, but it's probably better to start with the real thing.

"Francesca" was my first acquaintance with the works of the Onetti brothers; - Luciano and Nicolás. As a major fan of the Italian Giallo, I instantly fell in love with the DVD-cover, bought it, and then put it safely away in my honoree-closet for more than three years because I waited for a special occasion. During these three years, however, I saw two newer and truly disappointing films of the Onetti brothers that gradually made me wary. "What the Waters Left Behind" is a dreadfully uninspired "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" clone, while also their other giallo-homage "Abrakadabra" was a serious misfire. Maybe, just maybe, it was best to lower my expectations for "Francesca" as well.

Happy to say that "Francesca" is definitely the best, or at least my personal favorite, of the Onetti tribute thus far! Still, the giallo is such a periodically and culturally specific 70s sub-genre that it simply doesn't this current post-Millennial era. Even though I admire the Onetti brothers' goodwill and enthusiasm to pay tribute to these unique films, "Francesca" just didn't evoke any feelings of nostalgia or excitement. Exceptions aside, the true Gialli came from Italy and were released between 1969 and 1975. They are wonderfully deranged movies with convoluted plots, absurd twists, graphic violence, gratuitous sex and experimental stylistic aspects. The Onettis most certainly did their homework in terms of look & feel, as "Francesca" features chaotic color patterns, a psychedelic atmosphere, perverted characters, theatrical death sequences, and bloody bizarre imagery. For some reason, however, they also assumed that an incoherent plot and a horribly slow pacing were also mandatory trademarks. That's not the case, or at least I never felt so! I honestly don't understand why a film with such a solid basic plot (a series of grisly murders leads back to the disappearance of a young girl 15 years ago) must suffer from so many needless pacing-interruptions and premature plot revelations. There are some really great aspects, like the soundtrack and certain murder sequences, but overall "Francesca" is not as awesome as that cool film-poster suggests.