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Released by: Camera Obscura
Released on: November 30, 2012.
Director: Luciano Ercoli
Cast: Dagmar Lassander, Pier Paolo Capponi, Simon Andreu, Susan Scott
Year: 1970
The Movie:
Though their later collaborations in the giallo genre, Death Walks At Midnight and Death Walks On High Heels are better known, the unusually titled The Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion marks the first collaboration between director Luciano Ercoli (the film also marks Ercoli's directorial debut) and scriptwriter Ernesto Gastaldi within the genre. While it's low on nudity and murderous mayhem, it does have some interesting suspense and enough underlying themes of kinky depravity to keep things interesting despite the slow pace at which it plays out.
The lovely Minou (Dagmar Lassander of Mario Bava's Hatchet For The Honeymoon) spends her days drinking and popping pills and waiting for her husband, Peter (Pier Paolo Capponi of Dario Argento's The Cat O' Nine Tails), to give her the love and affection that she so obviously craves from him. He works a lot, however, and seems to always have to put in long hours at the office and spend more time away from home than most people need to.
One night, while walking to the local bar for a drink, Minou is assaulted by a strange man (Simon Andreu of The Blood Spattered Bride) with a knife cane who cuts open her shirt and holds her to the ground but stops short of actually doing anything further to her physically, instead telling her that her husband is a murderer. Minou doesn't believe the man until a day later she finds out that a man that Peter owed money to has been found dead. Later that day Minou gets a phone call from the same stranger who assaulted her earlier, who plays a cassette recording of her husband discussing the murder with an associate of hers. He tells her that if she doesn't want him to go public with this information, she'd better meet him at his place, which she does, and it's there that he finally has his way with her in a strange red lit apartment with plaster hand sculptures protruding from the walls and crazy colors everywhere.
What Minou doesn't realize is that the fiend has setup a camera and has managed to photograph her in the act with him, resulting in further blackmail schemes on his end. Minou doesn't know who to turn to, the only friend she seems to have is Dominique (Susan Scott - or if you prefer, Nieves Navarro - of Death Walks On High Heels), but she has her own suspicions about her and thinks that she might be having an affair with her husband. The fact that Dominique owns some pornographic photos of the man who has been threatening her in action tells her that she might have ties of her own to all of this, and Minou soon finds out that no one is to be trusted.
The Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion does not move at a particularly fast pace nor does it contain much in the way of gore of on screen nudity - two characteristics for which the giallo genre is well known for. Instead it relies on atmosphere and creeping tension and on that level it works quite well. Minou's plight isn't evident right from the start but we do know from the opening narration that she is a trouble woman despite the fact that she has what so many other women want - looks and money. As the plot develops and red herrings and strange twists start to come at us from all directions it's easy to forgive the lack of more exploitative elements and savor the slow burn we're treated to.
Top it all off with a fantastic score from Ennio Morricone, and it's like the cherry on top of an already delicious sundae! Benefiting from a strong cast of Euro-cult regulars (many of whom would work with Gastaldi and Ercoli on later giallos), the acting might not blow you away but it serves its purpose here and everyone certainly looks the part. The visuals are fantastic, with every frame composed carefully and elegantly so that even during the slower moments of the film, of which there are quite a few, there's a lot for your eyes to feast on. Underneath all of this is a fairly depraved little pot boiler that plays with some interesting psychological twists and turns throughout and while it's not on par with the better films in the genre, The Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion is very much a worthwhile entry, particularly for seasoned fans of the giallo.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Camera Obscura presents the film on DVD in its original aspect ratio of 2.35.1 widescreen in a very nice looking anamorphic widescreen transfer that boasts excellent color reproduction and strong black levels. Some minor print damage can be spotted here and there but it's never distracting and the lack of edge enhancement and noise reduction results in an appropriately film like appearance. Skin tones look lifelike and natural and detail is very strong for a standard definition transfer.
Audio options are provided in Dolby Digital Mono German and Italian language options with subtitles offered in German and English. Both tracks sound pretty good with properly balanced levels and a nice, deep sounding score. A little bit of hiss can be heard in a few spots but if you're not looking for it you're not likely to even notice it.
Camera Obscura provides two main supplements for this release, the first of which is a lengthy thirty-six minute featurette entitled Shooting Forbidden Photos that is made up of newly shot interviews with Nieves Navarro and Luciano Ercoli. More than just a look back at the making of this specific film, both interviewees offers up some great stories about how they got into the film business, various projects that they worked on, and of course, their collaborative efforts. It's quite a well edited piece and nicely shot and on top of that it is, most importantly, a very interesting piece.
The second featurette is entitled Venus Plus and it's a fourteen minute talk with writer Ernesto Gastaldi who discusses how he originally wrote the movie as a starring vehicle for his wife, working with Ercoli on this film, his thoughts on the giallo movement and other bits and pieces. Between the two featurettes the supplements cover pretty much all of the ground you could hope for.
Rounding out the extras are the film's English language theatrical trailer, a still gallery, menus in both English and German and chapter selection. Inside the slipcase packaging along with the disc is a booklet of liner notes containing an essay on the film and the filmmakers entitled A Hand-Kiss From Mrs. Hercules written by Christian Kebler. The
Final Word:
This is, overall, a very handsome package for a well made film. Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion may not ramp up the sex and violence the way some giallos do but it's got a strong plot, a great cast and style to spare. Matched in quality by the presentation and the supplements, Camera Obscura's DVD is a worthy addition to the collection of any Eurocult enthusiast.
