Terreur sur la lagune

Nothing more than an honest italian giallo, this movie tells the torbid story of a string of murders in a small town in the Venice laguna. A young mathematician will find the answer to one of his early nightmares, but he will not like the taste of it. A good music and a good atmosphere don't totally hide a lacking script (a few of the acts of the murderer are without a real, logical explanation), but this is the norm in several of more routinely italian gialli.

"The Bloodstained Shadow" is a film that requires patience. Had I not seen several giallos already, I might have fallen asleep in parts of this one. That being said, for giallo fans, this one is a worthy addition to your collection.

It starts out with a professor going back to his hometown, a small Italian island, and reuniting with his brother, a priest. The two become entangled in a web of murder and deception and it is somehow linked to the murder of a young girl year earlier. The setting is remarkable, the music is great and the acting is over par.

Then, we have the 'required' giallo elements. A love story. A suspect. Two suspects. Red herrings. Vague clues. Flashbacks. It gets a little ridiculous. By the time we find out who the killer is, (the first person I guessed,) we're a little worn out. There is a cheap shot which I cannot reveal because I'd give away the movie, but lets just say it's not fair to the viewer.

All being said, a really good ambiance and awesome setting give this film some merit. I'd recommend it to a hardcore giallo fan.

PS: now we know where the Blue Underground theme song comes from.

6 out of 10, kids.

Not unlike the previous years offering from the same director, Watch Me When I Kill, this giallo is somewhat different from the usual genre fare and despite being as complicated as his other and once more with a red herring on every corner and not the bloodiest of kills, this is most enjoyable. The added benefit here is the Venice setting and not the chocolate box, pretty, pretty Venice but the more realistic representation with dark narrow alleyways, cold mist rising from the dark waters and gloomy buildings in various states of decay. There are even more scenes set in the evocative, off the beaten track, Murano. But no delicate glass blowing to be seen, more the back gardens, back alleys and backwaters, all adding to the gloom of this evocative and fascinating picture.

Sounds a bit strange that Antonio Bido just had few movies as director until now, this second entry on Giallo where he co-wrote and directed, however was his final movie in this specific genre, here he brings a holy figure of the Church, a Priest Don Paolo (Craig Hill) when arrives nearby Venice his young brother Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) a professor stressed by strange visions of the past over an unsolved murder of a girl, Lino has an occasional meeting at train's cabin with Sandra (The eye candy Stefania Casini), Lino was received warmly by Don Paolo, implying a true fraternal feelings, the Priest introduces to Lino his worries over weird facts in the little community, about a small group consisting by a Medium, a Doctor, a Middle age woman and a decaying drunkard Count, soon starts other crimes, even linked on those small group pointed out by Don Paolo, wisely the Director puts countless clues trying deceives the viewer, also Bido exposes on slight portions two sensitive matter which the Church faces nowadays, one woman complains to the Priest that his boy has been abused by the Count Pedrazzi (Massimo Serato) on his confession, indeed the rotten Count probable did such backbiting, due it was widely clear on his odd behavior with your butler, further he presents the Priest as all we know recognize as an unambiguous character, good movie!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

Directed by Antonio Bido, this is by far his best film of his career (Though, admittedly, his only other film of any note is the 1977 Giallo "Watch Me When I Kill").

The film's narrative is relatively typical of a giallo: Someone is killing people in a small village and a priest tries to unravel the mystery of the killer's identity. What's atypical is the film's tone. The film is noteworthy for being one of the more serious and mature of the giallo genre. Bido avoids the giallo's often sleazy nature and embraces the Gothic and religious aspects instead.

Another interesting point is how the film focuses on two main protagonists, the priest and his brother, and how they collaborate with one another to discover the killer. Interesting narrative method having two focal points rather than one, not original but unconventional.

The performances are generally good with Craig Hill as giving an impressive performance as the priest. He exhibits a broad range of emotions from anger to sorrow, from determination to helplessness, and makes it totally convincing.

The cinematography is main feature of the film because it is its strongest trait. The visuals portray a wet and muggy Italy, with fog and mist enveloping the landscapes and rain falling, creating pools of water. This all builds a gloomy and foreboding atmosphere that conveys feelings of isolation, loneliness, dread, anguish, and death.

The characters are generally good as well, each with a strong history and believable relationships between one another. The greatest of which is the relationship between the priest and his brother, which is totally believable because not only of both of their performances, but also the development of their characters.

And lastly, the film features some wonderful aesthetic qualities through it's use of editing. Bido inter splices Catholic and Religious imagery to make comments about the characters and the religious institution as a whole.

The film has a few problematic issues. First of all, the narrative isn't clearly focused. The film appears to be more concerned with the visuals and the individual, isolated events in the film rather than the mystery as a whole. Thus, this damages the film's impact as it approaches the end, because here the mystery plays center stage but is underdeveloped.

The narrative also suffers from several of the genre's conventions and clichés, thus leading to a sort of predictability of the story. The film features the typical gloved killer, the extended stalking sequences leading to a gruesome death, the multiple red herrings, childhood traumas, and a host of other archetypes of the giallo.

Also, the final revelation stretches plausibility and thus may become unacceptable to some viewers, especially when one recalls the events that have transpired throughout the film.

Never the less, this is one of the better giallos out there.

Recommended to those who enjoy the mystery/thriller genre, though it is not essential unless you are a fan of the giallo genre. For the casual film viewer, there are better examples of the giallo genre and thus would recommend that you skip this and view one of the apexes of the genre such as Suspiria.