Customer Reviews

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Case of the Scorpion's tale has all the elements of a good giallo: grisly murders, inventive, eye-popping cinematography, expressive lighting, swanky interiors, a serpentine plot, and a couple of lovely actresses. While the plot does become a little convoluted, and there is too much dialogue (a lot of which is rather clunky) all of the film's minor faults can be forgiven because the movie is a spectacular visual feast that is just a lot of fun to watch. Many of the names famous to this genre are involved in this entertaining effort, the most prominent of which are, Sergio Martino, Ernesto Gastaldi, George Hilton and Bruno Nicolai.
This upcomming release, from a new company on the genre DVD scene NoShame, ranks right up there with releases from some of the more well established genre DVD companies like Blue Underground and Mondo Macabro. The image quality of the film print used for the DVD is absolutely outstanding, and there are two audio tracks, one in English and the second in Italian with optional English subtitles. Lastly, the few extras on the disc include interviews with Martino, Gastaldi and Hilton, the theatrical trailer and a poster and still gallery. If you're taking the time to read this review then this DVD probably belongs in your DVD library.

The opening ten minutes are a little rough, with an overdose of crash zooms, distorting lenses, clunky dialogue and poor model work. After the first story twist, however, the film becomes a superior giallo, worthy of comparison with Bava and Argento. Director Sergio Martino stages some strong set-pieces, displaying a visual flair only hinted at in THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS WARDH. It's possible Dario Argento saw SCORPION'S TAIL before making DEEP RED, as some scenes are remarkably similar (check out the murder in the theatre). There's even a bold female reporter, who helps unmask the killer at great personal risk. While DEEP RED is the better film, Argento owes Martino a debt or two. George Hilton is a solid lead - is it his own voice on the Italian soundtrack? - and spaghetti western regular Luigi Pistilli adds a touch of class in a rare good guy role. The plot twists are satisfying, though the photo blow-up trick was well parodied by Mel Brooks in HIGH RISK.

Five stars for the film itself which is an excellent and absorbing Giallo, and a wonderful example of the many engaging attributes of the genre put to fine use.

As for the DVD itself - There a few problems with the English subtitling being either absent or inconsistent during a couple of scenes, but these are relatively minor and do not derail the film in any sense. That aside, NoShame ought be called NoRegrets, because they've put forth a solid and respectful effort in presenting a classic Giallo with all due accord. Kudos!

The most memorable thing about giallo The Case of the Scorpion's Tail is the trailer, which shamelessly compares itself to other `masterpieces on violence' such as The Golem, Battleship Potemkin and M. The film itself is fairly conventional. Director Sergio Martino admits that he padded out the first half after the film's running time came up short, and it shows: it's not until the halfway point that the film gets much in the way of energy. The Scope location photography in London and Greece is attractive and there's some amusement to be had from the terrible model work in a plane explosion or a sunglass wearing villain called Omar who looks like a hung over Charlton Heston in Touch of Evil after being dragged through a thorn bush, but overall the film is nothing to write home about.

No complaints about the DVD presentation, which offers both Italian and dubbed English language soundtrack options, a retrospective featurette, brief stills and poster gallery and that wildly over the top trailer.

"The Case of the Scorpion's Tail" is an excellent example of the Italian giallo. It has beautiful women in peril, a killer dressed all in black, gruesome, bloody deaths, and a killer soundtrack provided by Bruno Nicolai (who composed the scores for the excellent gialli from Emilio P. Miraglia: "The Night Evelyn Came out of the Grave" and "The Red Queen Kills 7 Times").

A gorgeous reporter (Anita Strindberg of Lucio Fulci's "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin") and an insurance agent (George Hilton of Sergio Martino's "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh)) investigate the slashing death of Lisa Baumer and the million dollars of insurance money that was stolen from her. Of course, as they get closer to the killer's identity, the bodies pile up. Both Strindberg and Hiton are perennial gialli actors. In this movie, they prove that not only do they look great but their acting abilities are also superb. Both give believable,, dynamic performances in this suspenseful, well-plotted thriller.

NoShame has released an excellent DVD of "The Case of the Scorpion's Tail." The audio and video are excellent. Interesting liner notes have been provided. There are interviews of the director, Sergio Martino ("Torso" and "Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key"), the producer, Luciano Martino, and George Hilton. I listened to the film in Italian; my only complaint, as far as the DVD itself, is that the English subtitles are missing from the scene where Lisa Baumer was speaking in the telephone booth. I was forced to switch to English audio in order to understand what she had said.

I would have given "The Case of the Scorpion's Tail" five stars if the killer's identity hadn't been revealed when he was standing next to a wall before entering an apartment to kill the woman who was having an affair with Lisa Baumer's husband. However, I strongly recommend this DVD for collectors of Italian gialli. I look forward to seeing more gialli with George Hilton and Anita Strindberg.

I think that this is one of the best films in the Italian Giallo genre. It's has a plot twist that keeps you guessing and at the edge of your seat. This is a great intro to "Giallo". If you're a fan, get this one quickly!!!