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IMDbPro

The crimes of the black cat

Original title: Sette scialli di seta gialla
  • 1972
  • R
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Shirley Corrigan in The crimes of the black cat (1972)
Psychological ThrillerSlasher HorrorCrimeHorrorMysteryThriller

A blind pianist overhears a conversation in a nightclub, and is determined to figure out who is responsible for a string of strange murders involving a black cat.A blind pianist overhears a conversation in a nightclub, and is determined to figure out who is responsible for a string of strange murders involving a black cat.A blind pianist overhears a conversation in a nightclub, and is determined to figure out who is responsible for a string of strange murders involving a black cat.

  • Director
    • Sergio Pastore
  • Writers
    • Sandro Continenza
    • Sergio Pastore
    • Giovanni Simonelli
  • Stars
    • Anthony Steffen
    • Sylva Koscina
    • Giovanna Lenzi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    1.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Sergio Pastore
    • Writers
      • Sandro Continenza
      • Sergio Pastore
      • Giovanni Simonelli
    • Stars
      • Anthony Steffen
      • Sylva Koscina
      • Giovanna Lenzi
    • 28User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos91

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    Top cast20

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    Anthony Steffen
    Anthony Steffen
    • Peter Oliver
    Sylva Koscina
    Sylva Koscina
    • Françoise Ballais
    Giovanna Lenzi
    • Susan Leclerc
    • (as Jeannette Len)
    Renato De Carmine
    • Inspector Jansen
    Giacomo Rossi Stuart
    Giacomo Rossi Stuart
    • Victor Morgan
    Umberto Raho
    Umberto Raho
    • Burton
    Annabella Incontrera
    Annabella Incontrera
    • Helga Schurn
    Romano Malaspina
    • Harry
    Isabelle Marchall
    Isabelle Marchall
    • Paola Whitney
    • (as Isabelle Marchal)
    Imelde Marani
    Imelde Marani
    • Harry's girlfriend
    Liliana Pavlo
    • Wendy Marshall
    Lorenzo Piani
    • Waiter in Hamburg
    • (credit only)
    Irio Fantini
      Shirley Corrigan
      Shirley Corrigan
      • Margot Thornhill
      Bruno Alias
      • Hairdresser
      • (uncredited)
      Francesco Anniballi
      • Male Nurse
      • (uncredited)
      Florinda Bolkan
      Florinda Bolkan
      • Carol Hammond
      • (archive footage)
      • (uncredited)
      Margherita Horowitz
      • Atelier personnel
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Sergio Pastore
      • Writers
        • Sandro Continenza
        • Sergio Pastore
        • Giovanni Simonelli
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews28

      6.11.1K
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      Featured reviews

      lazarillo

      That Darn Cat!

      One thing you can say about Italian gialli: they never resort to killing someone with a simple shooting or stabbing--the villains always use some ridiculously elaborate Rube Goldberg method for doing their victims in. And this giallo features what might be the most ridiculous of them all. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that the English title "Crimes of the Black Cat" can be taken completely literally. (Obviously, the people who thought up this movie were not cat owners--have you ever tried to get a cat to do ANYTHING?). Aside from the especially absurd murders this is a typical giallo. It is set in the European fashion world, it's highly stylized, the plot makes little sense, and the motivation of the villain turns out to be even more ludicrous than the method of murder.

      The protagonist is the blind male lover of the first murder victim. (How come blind people never complain that they are always being stereotyped as good-looking and resourceful individuals who always get to solve the crime and sleep with many attractive members of the opposite sex along the way?). The only name star is Sylva Koscina, but she is barely in the movie. The best actor though is the cat (perhaps the self-same feline thespian who played "Satan" in "Gently, Before She Dies"). After he exits the film, it quickly spirals downward with a truly tasteless shower murder and one of those abrupt freeze-frame endings that were so big in the 70's (maybe they ran out of film a lot back then). If you like gialli at all though, you'll probably like this one. It's very typical for its kind.
      7Red-Barracuda

      Cat attack!

      A blind pianist overhears a suspicious conversation in a bar. Shortly afterwards his girlfriend is mysteriously murdered. This leads to a series of serial killings that have some connection to a fashion house.

      The above synopsis is one that you could come up with if you were to toss a dozen giallo scripts in the air and see what random parts fall onto your head. In fact, this film borrows elements from several popular gialli from the time. Throw in adultery, blackmail, an enigmatic drug addict, lesbians, fashion models and dark secrets from the past and you have the makings of a typical effort. However, this movie does have some tricks up its sleeve to differentiate itself from all others. Chief amongst them being what is perhaps the most insane method of murder ever devised. I won't spoil it for first time viewers but it is truly deranged. In addition to this there is also a mind-bogglingly vicous shower murder that comes out of the blue and genuinely shocks. Further strangeness comes with the fact that the blind protagonist appears to be working on a score for Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. We see clips from this film on a couple of occasions, which is rather bizarre.

      Everything is wrapped up at the end with an explanation that I found completely baffling. But, that's hardly a surprise in these flicks to be fair. At the end of the day, it couldn't be said that this is exactly a prime example of the genre. But it still remains entertainingly batty and does have some visual flair and some good set-pieces. It's unfortunate that the current legitimate DVD release appears to be a non-anamorphic copy of a VHS tape though. A better transfer would improve this one.
      6Bunuel1976

      THE CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT (Sergio Pastore, 1972) **1/2

      The first half of this giallo is fairly undistinguished, especially since it blatantly copies Mario Bava (the fashion-house setting being lifted, yet again, from BLOOD AND BLACK LACE [1964]) and Dario Argento (borrowing its blind hero-turned-sleuth from THE CAT O'NINE TAILS [1971]). However, the film is stylish enough (particularly the zoom-happy murder sequences) and the plot convoluted enough (taking in a plethora of shady characters invariably involved in adultery, drug-taking, blackmail and revenge) to overcome its basic lack of originality; the circus-world back-story, then, should perhaps excuse its uniquely far-fetched murder method...though the seven yellow-silk shawls referred to in the original Italian title are equally insignificant!

      The film's pulsating score by Manuel De Sica (son of neo-realist master film-maker and versatile actor Vittorio De Sica) is serviceable but unremarkable, as is the cast led by Anthony Steffen, Sylva Koscina (in what at first appears to be merely an extended cameo) and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart. Its use of nudity is very discreet (though it doesn't appear that any cutting was done, I haven't been able to establish the film's correct running time; the print I watched was around 94 mins. in PAL format, but some sources list versions running as long as 108 mins.!) and the gore only truly surfaces at the very end (with a particularly nasty shower murder, shamelessly ripping off Hitchcock's PSYCHO [1960] - but remaining, for my money, one of the genre's most memorable set-pieces). After the mystery has supposedly been solved (and the revelation of the killer's identity having thus proved quite lame and lazy, in my opinion), the film manages to pull the rug from under our feet - so much so that I had to watch the ending twice! - by providing one final twist. By the way, the decision to conclude the film in mid-sequence on a freeze-frame is another Argento influence, namely FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET (1971)!

      All in all, a giallo more interesting in its borrowings than for any individual achievements - but one that remains eminently watchable just the same.
      8kannibalcorpsegrinder

      Far better giallo than expected

      Following the death of his ex-girlfriend, a film-score composer finds himself and those closest to him in jeopardy when the killers' spree turns to them, forcing him to piece together the strange clues left behind in order to make sense of the mystery and put a stop to the killings.

      For the most part, this one proved to be a rather fun giallo. Among the film's best aspects here is the enjoyable storyline that serves the film nicely. There's some fantastic storylines and subplots at aplay, as the initial start with the half-heard conversation and murder the next day at the fashion house launches some fun here with the blackmail revelation, adultery and secret drug-ring that caters to most of the models at their studio, giving the potential for the usual red-herrings and double-crosses throughout the film. The way the connections slowly build together, from the motive of the cat attacking the victims and how the trick was accomplished to the detective work uncovering the real killer detailing all the different incidents that have taken place which is wrapped together for an extremely engrossing, fast-moving mystery. As well, there's quite a lot to like here with the absurd killing method which offers a real change of pace in the genre. The idea of a cat trained to attack using a special poison mis on it's claws being carried around in a wicker basket covered by a yellow shawl is a wholly unique and original tactic that gives the film something different. As the handler still comes with the traditional look and getup, the mix of styles creates some fine shock jumps of the victims suddenly getting attacked by something or the scenes featuring the killer striking in more traditional manners. The stalking scenes are incredibly suspenseful as well, from the train station encounter, the confrontation in the abandoned factory and the incredibly tense finale in the house which has plenty of suspense and graphic kills which give this one a lot to like. There are a few issues with the film. The first problem is a rather distressing inability to really go for its own charge instead of doing the genre's hits like a checklist. This one pulls off every point in the style, from the continuous half-hearted revelations of the blackmailing attempts and secret keeping, the amateur detective following along the nature of the crimes by his inadvertent involvement that comes about through happenstance and the need for continuing on the killing spree in order to keep the secret hidden because the deaths uncovered an unrelated secret. These are all brought about by the needs of the genre and run through here in a generally routine manner, giving it a wholly cliched feel. The other issue is the underwhelming and abrupt finale that is shocking for the suddenness of it's ending, making this one a little lower with these issues.

      Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity and Language.
      Wheatpenny

      Typical but well-made giallo

      De Sica's below-average score notwithstanding (and they do count a lot in these movies, don't they?) this is a satisfying giallo with all the key elements included and none of them bungled. Granted, a lot of those key elements are ripped right from other movies, and the direct influence of Psycho, Black Belly of the Tarantula, Blood and Black Lace, Lizard in a Woman's Skin and most of all Cat O'Nine Tails doesn't win it points for creativity, but it's all handled as though it were the first film ever made so you don't really mind. The plot, with its typically and gloriously dumb motive for the killings (in this case a car crash in the past, as was the case with Seven Orchids Stained in Blood) moves along at a fair pace, and making the hero blind gives him a sympathetic attraction most giallo heroes lack. It's not as good as any of the films from which it's descended but nevertheless a solid entry in the genre.

      Storyline

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      Did you know

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      • Trivia
        Anthony Steffen was dubbed by Edmund Purdom for the English language version.
      • Goofs
        After the cat lady's death, the newspaper headline misspells "mystery", as in "The mistery (sic) of the black cat still goes on."
      • Quotes

        Harry: [to Wendy, outside the door] Why don't you go play nymphomaniac somewhere else?

        [hidden maniac jumps out, slashing his throat]

        Harry: Aaah!

      • Connections
        Features Le venin de la peur (1971)

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      FAQ14

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      Details

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      • Release date
        • August 12, 1972 (Italy)
      • Country of origin
        • Italy
      • Language
        • Italian
      • Also known as
        • The Crimes of the Black Cat
      • Filming locations
        • Copenhagen, Denmark(location)
      • Production companies
        • Compagnia Cinematografica Champion
        • Capitolina Produzioni Cinematografiche
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

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      • Runtime
        • 1h 39m(99 min)
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 2.35 : 1

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