Euro Cult Movie Forum => Gialli => Topic started by: ecc on 12 Apr 2008 - 09:04
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Carroll Baker plays Martha, a woman struck mute after witnessing her parents' death in a train accident when she was 13. She is staying with her ailing uncle (giallo mainstay George Rigaud) at a villa in Montseny. Her cousin Jenny (Evelyn Stewart), a Cambridge chorus singer, comes home to visit after touring and is soon murdered. The inspector (Franco Fantasia, who also served as assistant director) informs them that another woman was discovered murdered nearby and he suspects a sex maniac. Martha keeps seeing a man with strange eyes (apparently a sign of drug addiction - a similar visual cue was used in Sergio Martino's THEY'RE COMING TO GET YOU) who everyone suspects as the killer. A satanic medallion and other signs of the devil suggest a devil worshipper (fortunately the uncle is knowledgeable enough to consult). Other suspects include the chauffeur (another giallo/western regular Eduardo Fajardo), family doctor (Alan Scott), and village priest (Jose Marco).
A departure from Lenzi's other jet-set thrillers (mostly with Baker) of the late sixties and early seventies, this one is more of an old dark house thriller with the mute Martha being stalked inside and outside of the villa (her muteness is the only thing taken from THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE for those wondering though there is a reversal of the motives from that film). The mountainous Spanish locations are attractive and the fog shrouded roads are suitably atmospheric. The scope photography isn't as inventive as in Lenzi's other scope gialli but its still effective. I have to admit that I didn't guess correctly who the killer was until just before the reveal. As usual, Marcello Giombini's score is bombastic but effective in the suspenseful scenes. The opening credits play over a bullfight which is disturbingly brutal and unpleasant and enough to convince me that to skip the arena if I ever end up in Spain.
The film is available on DVD in Japan from Trash Mountain Video. It is non-anamorphic but the 2.35:1 image is beautiful (an even better anamorphic master could probably be struck from the same materials) and the audio very clear. The Japanese subtitles are removable. As with other Japanese discs, the price is pretty steep (I got a burn through a trader). A trailer is included (I think its on YouTube).
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Been a while since I watched this one but I thought that it was the least out of the Lenzi/Baker collaborations from what I remember. Still a nice Giallo though and I've always loved Ida Galli and will watch near enough anything she's in.
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I think both Stewart/Galli and Franco Fantasia are dubbed by the same voice actors who dubbed them in MURDER MANSION which was also scored by Giombini.
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I think this is supposed to be set somewhere around the border of Spain/France as at one point Alan Scott's character mentions coming 'straight from Perpignon' which isn't that far from where i live.There's also an interview with Dada Gallotti who played the wife of the mayor in which she says it was shot in and around Madrid and that Lenzi acted like a complete madman on the set :-\
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There is a newspaper story about one of the murders that mentions Montseny which is a mountain range in Spain.
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There is a newspaper story about one of the murders that mentions Montseny which is a mountain range in Spain.
I was close,Montseny is just north of Barcelona and about an hour from the border and Perpignon.
Love the locations in this,very similar looking to THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER.
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I love this film! This off-beat Lenzi thriller is a personal favorite of mine. I love the score and the overall feel of the film. Carroll Baker does a great job that requires her to use her body language and facial expressions for all they're worth. Too bad Evelyn Stewart doesn't get a bigger part. She's a very underrated actress IMO.
I think both Stewart/Galli and Franco Fantasia are dubbed by the same voice actors who dubbed them in MURDER MANSION which was also scored by Giombini.
Haven't seen KNIFE OF ICE in a while now but from what I can remember, Stewart is dubbed by the ever-present Susan Spafford, who also dubbed her in THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY (1971), FOUR PISTOLS FOR TRINITY (1971), SYNDICATE SADISTS (1975) and probably others too.
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from what I can remember, Stewart is dubbed by the ever-present Susan Spafford, who also dubbed her in THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY (1971), FOUR PISTOLS FOR TRINITY (1971), SYNDICATE SADISTS (1975) and probably others too.
Did she dub Janet Agren in CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD? If so, then you're right.
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Yes, she did. She also dubbed Agren (with a southern Scarlett O'Hara-style accent) in EATEN ALIVE.
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Yes, she did. She also dubbed Agren (with a southern Scarlett O'Hara-style accent) in EATEN ALIVE.
First thing that popped into my head when i first saw EATEN ALIVE was Penelope Pitstop when Agren opened her mouth :-\
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Another MURDER MANSION connection besides Stewart, Fantasia, and Giombini is Eduardo Fajardo.
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And George Rigaud too. He has a small role as Analia Gade's father in MURDER MANSION.
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They could've been made back to back. They were both Mundial/Tritone co-productions. There are probably common crew members too besides Giombini.
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I'm a bit of a late starter when it comes to Lenzi's Gialli. Went all out tracking down and watching the crime films and only in the past few years have started appreciating his early Giallo films. Recently managed to get the old Japanese Trash Mountain DVD - titled ICE OF KNIFE on the cover - and really enjoyed it. PARANOIA is still my favourite so far but this one's a close second.
Shame the DVD wasn't 16:9 enhanced as zooming in made the image a tad faded on my TV but overall it's a great looking print. I wonder if the BBFC would have any problems with the bullfighting scenes during the opening credits?
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f22/lovelockandload/Knife%20of%20Ice/Knife.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f22/lovelockandload/Knife%20of%20Ice/Knife2.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f22/lovelockandload/Knife%20of%20Ice/Knife3.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f22/lovelockandload/Knife%20of%20Ice/Knife4.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f22/lovelockandload/Knife%20of%20Ice/Knife5.jpg)
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A former friend of mine bought this a couple years back. Cased in a blue DVD box I think(?) I can't remember what language and sub options was on that one. It sounded good from his description at the time.
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PARANOIA is still my favourite so far but this one's a close second.
I'd definitely put this first and PARANOIA second,never seem to get bored with it no matter how many times i watch it.
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I wonder if the BBFC would have any problems with the bullfighting scenes during the opening credits?
I don't think there'd be any problems at all if it were submitted to them.
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It's deliberately oldfashioned in style but I think it holds up really well - much more so than SEVEN BLOODSTAINED ORCHIDS for example.
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It's deliberately oldfashioned in style but I think it holds up really well - much more so than SEVEN BLOODSTAINED ORCHIDS for example.
Or the dire EYEBALL ;D
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Coming from bootleg company WHAM! USA on December 1... widescreen, english audio
(http://i31.tinypic.com/2urkt4g.jpg)
Martha Caldwell (Carroll Baker) has been mute since a terrible accident killed her parents when she was a child. Since then she has lived with her wealthy uncle in the Spanish countryside. When Martha's cousin Jenny comes to visit, she is soon found dead. She seems to be the latest victim of a murderer who is killing pretty young girls in the area. As more and more bodies are found, people close to Martha fear that she is in danger. Is Martha the next victim, or is she somehow the reason for the killer's actions?
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I bet it's a rip of the long-deleted Japanese disc.
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I'd put money on it.
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Mh...just stumbled across this. Any news on this? Will the WHAM (!?) disc be released as planned?
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I had a 'you bought this so you might like' email from Amazon a couple of days ago so I'm going to assume that it's going to happen.
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Their distributor has got it in stock already, so...
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Ah, great :(
Any reviews yet? Is it a legitimate release!?
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Haven't seen any reviews... and unfortunately a bootleg, probably from the Japanese DVD...
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got the disc the other day, and it seems to be a port of the japanese disc.
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How's the dvd quality?
Any conversion problems (pal-ntsc)?
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Any word on quality yet?
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I checked it very quickly, looks like the japanese disc... widescreen, non-anamorphic
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Thanks for checking! :P
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Review (http://eurocultav.com/Reviews/Knife_of_Ice/knife_of_ice.html)
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I think this is the first review I've seen! ;)
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(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/1002/knifeoficeposter01.jpg)
HI-RES Click HERE (http://twitpic.com/4stojl/full)
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Lets bump this one! That Baker / Lenzi box set is gorgeous. I've only re-watched Orgasmo so far but this one is next one my list. I really want to see how crazy one characters Eyes look on blu-ray.
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Lets bump this one! That Baker / Lenzi box set is gorgeous. I've only re-watched Orgasmo so far but this one is next one my list. I really want to see how crazy one characters Eyes look on blu-ray.
Funny you should mention it, since my boxset finally arrived earlier today. :D
Oh, the joys of importing something in 2020, with a pandemic still causing shipping and delivery delays. ;D
Sadly, this one and Orgasmo are region locked A, and with my unlocked player currently out of commission, it seems I'll have to rewatch the other two first.
Still, it's safe to say these new HD releases are a big jump in quality from what most of us experienced before.
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Being out of the loop for so long, this boxset is real news to me. Can't wait to order it! Thanks all for the heads-up.
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Being out of the loop for so long, this boxset is real news to me. Can't wait to order it! Thanks all for the heads-up.
In case you aren't already aware, Severin also released a documentary/trailer compilation set devoted to Gialli (and Krimi).
It's called All the Colors of Giallo, and if you enjoy the genre, it's worth a look.
(https://images.static-bluray.com/movies/covers/222246_large.jpg)