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WHO SAW HER DIE? I DID, I DID.
Date of Review: Jul 4, 2002
The Bottom Line: For those who want to see a well photographed dated who-done-it set in Venice with a few genuine affecting moments.
"Who Saw Her Die" is a slightly above average foreign who- done-it, murder mystery (an Italian giallo). It was made in 1971 and released in very early 1972.
It's not an essential film but is one of definite interest. Of course if you are a fan of the genre- it's a must see. The director is Aldo Lado who worked with Bernardo Bertolucci as an (A.D.) on The Conformist and at least during pre-production of Last Tango in Paris. The film pre-dates Nicholas Roeg's 'Don't Look Now' and you can see many similarities in the two films from the Venice locations, how the camera is used in several scenes, and with the subject of a couple dealing with the loss/murder of their child.
The film boasts another memorable film score from Ennio Morricone which seems likely to have inspired John Carpenter's Halloween score. George Lazenby, who was Bond, James Bond in the very good On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the star and does a decent job (though he looks sickly thin). Former Bond bad guy Adolfo Celi (Thunderball) has a memorable supporting role. There's a couple of very beautiful women in the cast (including:Anita Strindberg) who have nude scenes as well.
The gore is fairly minimal, and the subject matter of child murders is quite disturbing. Elements of the film are certainly dated, but for most this will make the film more interesting. There is a final last line in the film that is an utter cop out, but I'm quite sure the censors absolutely insisted on such a thing and since it is obviously a very quickly tossed off final line, one should be able to keep in mind the filmmakers were probably forced into doing it.
Let me again mention the wonderful Venice location work that is in this film -- not the Venice most tourists are likely to see but the older and off-the- beaten path Venice. It has been photographed quite well and there are several scenes where how the frames are composed add to the tension of a scene.
The film opens with a child sledding in the snow. The child is being watched by someone with a black veil. Then the child is murdered and buried under the snow. Most of the shots are from the murderers P.O.V. and our clue of a black veil is a stylish touch (that wasn't as overdone when this film was made as it is now).
The film then takes it time introducing us to a sculptor (George Lazenby) and his visiting young daughter (Nicoletta Elmi) whose mother (Anita Strindberg)lives in London. We realize, the young child is being stalked by what appears to be the same person who murdered the child in the snow. After several close calls, the thing every parent fears most happens. The child disappears and then is found brutally murdered. The police don't seem to be working hard enough to solve the murder so it is up to the determined, grieving and obsessed father to interview possible suspects and explore every possibility. He meets some pretty shady characters and the film seems to be setting up the possibility that several characters are somehow involved in the murder. Although it's often a run-of-the-mill formula type film, there are enough stylistic touches, a good score, and interesting locations to keep your interest. The who-done-it might surprise you but even if it doesn't the film's style, and location work will keep most interested.
DVD IMAGE AND SOUND
Anchor Bay delivers an excellent 2;35:1 Anamorphic transfer of the film. The film keeps its Italian titles and a few lines of Italian dialogue are not subtitled. The black levels are perhaps slightly weak as in some low lit scenes details are difficult to discern. The images are truly alive with somewhat exaggerated red colors as intended.
The quality of the audio is good but nothing spectacular. The sound mixes for the dubbing seem to be all over the map. At times the score is too loud and slightly annoying (but it was probably originally like this), but it is not distorted. The dialogue is clear, and no hissing or popping is present.
DVD EXTRAS:
The original theatrical trailer, an Aldo Lado filmography and a very interesting and revealing recently filmed 11 minute interview with the director Aldo Lado are included. The directors comments regarding the film, and his background are packed with interesting information . He also talks briefly about the censorship problems he had because of the subject matter or a couple of his films including this one.
There is no commentary track.
FINAL WORD:
If you enjoy decent mystery/who done it films or are a fan of the Italian Giallo genre, this is a film you will probably want to add to your collection. Anchor Bay has done a good job transferring a good print
To DVD and including an interview with the film's director.
* * * *
Christopher J. Jarmick, is the author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder a critically acclaimed, steamy suspense thriller. For more information visit the web site at:
http://www.radiofreegallery.com/jarmicknholder.htm
Original portions of this review Copyright? Christopher J. Jarmick 2002. The above work is protected by international copyright law All rights reserved.
