Torso

This week I watched:

Torso (1973).

This Giallo, directed by Sergio Martino, who also directed last week's entry, caused a bit of a stir upon its release. Some critics to this day speak of its “graphic carnal violence”. My reaction to that is, really?

The movie is set in Perugia, at the international university. We meet a group of art students, most of whom are lovely young ladies. One in particular, Daniela, is being courted, or should I say stalked, by one of the male students who doesn't know when to quit. Another likes to party with some pretty out there people. Pretty soon the first murders happen, putting everyone on edge. It becomes clear that some of the students harbour dark secrets, and the list of suspects grows steadily. The one lead the police have is a red and black scarf, but it is difficult to remember who was seen wearing it. Daniela gets a threatening phone call one evening, warning her to stop trying to remember who had the scarf. Her uncle suggests that she go to his villa in the country with her friends in order to feel safer. Naturally, the killer follows and we get a tense race to the finish.

First off, lets address the carnal violence aspect. There is quite a bit of carnal nudity in Torso, but the violence is mostly just glimpsed. A knife flashes and a bit of red is shown, a limb is severed but the camera cuts away so fast you have a hard time really seeing what was sliced off. I suppose the more hinted at violence can be more effective than lingering on the gore, but frankly I expected more from the supposed carnal violence. Luckily this doesn't actually matter. Maybe it was a cost cutting decision.

Like Martino's, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, Torso is nicely shot. Again, he doesn't seem to go for anything too dramatic for the shots and angles, but instead achieves a more gritty and realistic feel. Many Gialli have a dreamlike quality which can be good, but I appreciate Martino's style. The actors range from good to great, reinforcing the overall vibe. There are also several scenes of someone spying on the women through half drawn curtains, something that is common enough in Giallo, but Martino takes it to another level, by showing a group of men, from lecherous old geezers to young studs, openly commenting and drooling over the girls as they head up to the villa. This was a really uncomfortable scene, and I got the feeling that it somehow made me complicit in just watching the movie. I don't know if that was Martino's intent, but he almost forced me to be a part of the final part of the movie. I haven't experienced that before.

What is different is the unmasking of the killer. Typical for many Gialli is the investigative element, but in Torso it is more a question of survival. We do learn the killers identity and motives, but they are almost secondary. Torso also plays around a bit with viewpoint characters which can be a dangerous technique, but it is done with style and heightens the idea that you don't know who is going to survive.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, I do. Torso is a bit slow at first, but the final third is up there with the greats in pure tension. I would even say that you don't need to be a Giallo fan to enjoy it, as it works on many different levels. Due to the large amount of sexual content, I'd be choosy who I watch it with, but you do you. Overall, I enjoyed Torso, and any thriller fan could do so as well.

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