Blood and Black Lace

I took the opportunity to watch the second ever Giallo movie:

Blood and Black Lace (1964).

Directed by Mario Bava and starring Cameron Mitchell, Eva Nartok and others, Blood and Black Lace is a peculiar movie.

A young woman, Isabella, is murdered just before arriving at a fashion show where she is set to model. We see the murderer, a man in a black rain coat, black hat and a pale cloth mask that covers his face. Later on, her diary is found, and everyone starts acting suspicious, making it obvious that the diary is extremely important. More women are murdered by the above mentioned killer, and fair warning, one is beaten up quite badly in a pretty gruesome scene. Obviously I'm not going to spoil the ending, but it was pretty good.

Blood and Black Lace plays it straight, as in it doesn't cheat with the mystery, something that I always appreciate. I did solve a crucial part of the mystery, even though I failed to discern the killer's actual identity.

What makes the film peculiar is the fact that it is a joy to watch but the story is surprisingly pedestrian. The colors and the cinematography are first rate. Yes, it is a typical 60's movie, but Bava really managed to make the visual elements incredibly enjoyable. The story on the other hand is fairly lackluster. To be fair, most murder mysteries have fairly normal motives when you get down to the details, but in Blood and Black Lace I found myself wanting something more from the plot than what we get. Still, it's not really a complaint, but more of an observation.

The actors are fine, but it is an Italian film, so it is naturally dubbed, which sometimes makes it hard to really judge the actors. No complaints, but no stand out performances either. The music is 60's jazz so it is up to you whether you like it or not.

As mentioned, the movie has some fairly rough violence but little blood as such, and no real nudity either, possibly because it was made in 1964. Not that those things are needed to make a good movie, I just thought I'd bring it up.

So do I recommend the movie? Yes and no. Fans of murder mysteries could enjoy it, and fans of Giallo should watch it for it's place as the second Giallo ever, but casual watchers are likely going to be bored. I liked it, and I had a good time, but it is hard to really recommend it despite the lovely visuals.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great and safe week!