Qui ?

French director Leonard Keigel tries the giallo in this Italian coproduction bearing the evocative title The Corpse with the claws of steel, staring a swell couple of French and Italian actors. Marina (Romy Schneider, La Piscine), an Austrian young woman, has a violent quarrel with her boyfriend Claude (Gabriele Tinti, La Morte risale a ieri sera) during their holidays in Brittany. Claude driving their Alfa Romeo throws it down from a cliff and she has just the time to jump out, while Claude's body disappears into the sea.

A shocked Marina is looked after in Paris by Claude's distant brother Serge (Maurice Ronet, La Femme écarlate), who is divorced from Dorothée (Simone Bach, La Dame de pique, from the same), and they are not long to fall in love together. But may in fact Marina have killed Claude? Is she actually totally sound of mind? And is Claude after all really dead? As the usual police does nothing serious to clear the mystery, Serge leads his inquiry to lighten the darkness of the case and chase all the nightmares. Should Marina, rather mysterious and unsettling, be one of these wicked and disturbed giallo heroins, like in Senza sapere niente di lei? Shall Serge be the victim of a dangerous mantis like in Col cuore in gola?

If Keigel properly knows the codes of the genre (the plane landing, the spiral staircase, the mannequins, the bloody knife, the pursuit on the rooftop...), and sets them correctly, mixed with some Nouvelle Vague features, in a rather interesting and somehow visionary way, he lacks however of the adequate skill to put right the different elements together and build a cohesive story until its end. The admirers of the actors will nevertheless be able to appreciate the film. (Viewed in French 1h18 version.)

A well made and adequate French thriller- many of the stylistic choices have me thinking of this one as a 'proto-giallo' of sorts, especially the camera work and amazing score. It can drag a bit but the chase scene in the latter half is well worth the wait. I haven't seen one quite this visually engaging since Lizard in a Woman's Skin. Gorgeous sets, sharp camera work, an engaging, psychedelic score, and of course, the beauty of the lead, all work in this one's favour. What works against it is the thin story-line and the clumsy dialogue- both things to be expected from early foreign thrillers such as this and therefore easy to overlook. The ending is rather good but almost feels tacked on. I wish they had done more to lead up to it during the film. Overall, this tended to get better throughout, starting off weak and slowly getting stronger. Great find for fans of foreign thrillers and giallo enthusiasts in particular.

This Thriller is really wonderful because of its good photography, original story, suspense and the really groovy 60s music. For all people who think Romy Schneider only did strange boring melodramas like Sissy the movies she made in France are something they should see. Her acting as a mysterious and dazzling woman is excellent, you can not take your eyes of her when she is on the screen. As she said herself, this role set the tone for her future roles. Don't miss this masterpiece!

Something really quite different here and although it is rather far fetched, it is nevertheless rather beguiling and I enjoyed it anyway. I also enjoyed it despite the soundtrack and naff songs, although I notice some really liked what I would dismiss as typical French pop songs of the period. Well photographed, this almost had a arty look to it at times and if this look is not sustained there is plenty that is good. The cliff top scenes at the start, some city shop window reflections and of course 'the accident' are all very well shot. Some of the interiors are a bit wordy (a French habit) and whilst there are some nice costumes, nothing as ravishing as if this had been an entirely Italian production. And, I can resist no more, Romy Schneider is lovely and carries out her difficult and rather complex role very well indeed. As I say all a bit silly but, bright, colourful and ever engaging.

I suppose that previous year LA PISCINE more or less inspired this topic. Not the same story, nor atmosphere, but however a very interesting analyze of characters between whom the relationship is more than ambiguous, that's the least we can say. It is complex, hard to follow in the last part - not the first-, but I guess it was written in that purpose. Flawless cast, good directing, typical of this period. I would say it is an intellectual thriller. It is riveting though, never boring, not too long, so you can try to watch it. If you liked LA PISCINE with the same leads, but without Delon, you should like this one, maybe not as much as Jacques Deray's film. Excellent ending twists, as in ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS eighties series.... Not the fifties and sixties one. Also a perfume of PLEIN SOLEIL atmosphere in this feature.