La morte risale a ieri sera
| La morte risale a ieri sera | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Duccio Tessari |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | I milanesi ammazzano al sabato (1969 novel) by Giorgio Scerbanenco |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Lamberto Caimi[1] |
| Edited by | Mario Morra[1] |
| Music by | Gianni Ferrio |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Titanus |
Release dates |
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Running time | |
| Countries |
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| Language | Italian |
La morte risale a ieri sera (English: “Death occurred last night”[1]) is a 1970 crime film directed and co-written by Duccio Tessari, starring Raf Vallone and Frank Wolff. It is based on the 1969 novel I milanesi ammazzano al sabato (“The Milanese Kill on Saturdays”) by Giorgio Scerbanenco. The film's baroque, psychedelic-infused score was composed by Gianni Ferrio.
An Italian and West German co-production, the film was released by Titanus on September 5, 1970.[1]
Plot
Following the disappearance of his beautiful but mentally disabled daughter, Avanzio Berzaghi (Raf Vallone) travels to Milan to track her down. Local detective Duca Lamberti (Frank Wolff) investigates the city's pimps and prostitutes for clues, eventually finding the girl's burnt body in a field. The pimps disposed of the young girl when they heard investigators were looking for her. Berzaghi vows to find the girl's murderer, eventually tracking down his quarry from a clue related to the girl's teddy bear. Berzaghi exacts his revenge but finds no satisfaction from having done so.
Cast
- Frank Wolff as Police Inspector Duca Lamberti
- Raf Vallone as Amanzio Berzaghi
- Gabriele Tinti as Mascaranti
- Gillian Bray as Donatella Berzaghi
- Eva Renzi as Agnese Lamberti
- Gigi Rizzi as Salvatore
- Beryl Cunningham as Herrero
- Wilma Casagrande as Concetta Giarzone
- Marco Mariani as Franco Baronia
- Checco Rissone as Salvarsanti
- Riccardo De Stefanis as Mario
- Maria Grazia Bettini as Hildegarde
- Elsa Boni as Erica
- Marisa Cassetta as Giselle
Production
La morte risale a ieri sera was written by Biagio Proietti and director Duccio Tessari. the film is based on Giorgio Scerbanenco's 1969 novel I milanesi ammazzano al sabato (translation: The Milanese Kill on Saturdays).[1] The book was published just a few months before the author's death.[1] Several of Scerbanenco's works featuring the detective character Duca Lamberti were adapted to film around this time, including Caliber 9 in 1972 and Safety Catch in 1970.[2]
The film's soundtrack was composed by Gianni Ferrio, who had previously worked with Tessari on the 1969 Spaghetti Western Sundance and the Kid,[3] and would do so again on his 1971 giallo The Bloodstained Butterfly.[4] Ferrio's score spans several musical styles, incorporating psychedelic rock, baroque pop and jazz.[5]
Release
La morte risale a ieri sera was distributed by Titanus in Italy on September 5, 1970.[1] The film grossed a total of 568,294,000 Italian lire domestically.[1] The film was later released in West Germany as Gemordet wird nur Samtags on July 16, 1971.[1] The film has been distributed internationally under the titles Death Occurred Last Night, [1] as well as Death Took Place Last Night and Horror Came out of the Fog.[6][7]
Reception
From retrospective reviews, Robert Firsching wrote in AllMovie that La morte risale a ieri sera's plot featured "a great deal more humanity than is typical for the [crime] genre", finding that Tessari's focus on characterisation over plot was its key strength. Firsching commented on the film's score negatively, stating that Ferrio's score and its "bouncy" tone was inconsistent with the film.[8] The film, and the character of Lamberti, have been seen as precursors to the postmodernist works of American director Quentin Tarantino.[2]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Curti 2013, p. 36.
- ^ a b Pezzotti 2014, p. 197.
- ^ Firsching, Robert. "Vivi... o Preferibilmente Morti (1969) – Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. AllRovi. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ Chiti, Poppi & Pecorari 1991, p. 293.
- ^ Spencer 2008, pp. 260–261.
- ^ Luther-Smith 1999, p. 34.
- ^ "BFI | Film & TV Database | La morte risale a ieri sera (1970)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ Firsching, Robert. "La Morte Risale A Ieri Sera – Cast, Reviews, Summary and Awards". AllMovie. AllRovi. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
References
- Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786469765.
- Chiti, Roberto; Poppi, Roberto; Pecorari, Mario (1991). Dizionario del cinema italiano: Dal 1970 al 1979. Gremese Editore. ISBN 8876059350.
- Spencer, Kristopher (2008). Film And Television Scores 1950-1979: A Critical Survey by Genre. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786436828.
- Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd.
- Pezzotti, Barbara (2014). Politics and Society in Italian Crime Fiction: An Historical Overview. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1476613567.