Customer Reviews

La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film

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Mikel J. Koven's academic study of the Italian genre known as giallo is destined to become an important part of the discourse surrounding this much maligned culturally specific form. This book is the first of its kind, an English language study which takes a broad approach to the genre, and doesn't just centre in on a few exceptional directors and films. The first few chapters are the most interesting and add to the debate around popular European cinema and the possible reasons for its dismissal and marginalisation. Koven proposes the term 'vernacular cinema' rather than popular, and argues that giallo films were constructed formally and thematically for a working class rural audience. Therefore the language of these films is one that is formed by and recognisable too a certain type of audience in Italy. An audience which would have both a fascination and ambivalence toward the chic cosmopolitan modernity represented by these films. Koven further argues this was a distracted and unfocused audience, hence the giallo's reliance on punctuating dull narrative exposition with graphic and violent set pieces. I would suggest that it is in Koven's discussion of the reception and consumption of giallo that holds the greatest interest. The remainder of the book is a broad, but extremely well written exploration of the formal and thematic conventions of giallo, for die hard fans of these films this will seem familiar, but its very nice having it written down in academic terms for future reference. Koven's discussion of the set piece is also noteworthy, in that he suggests the set piece, which seems to continue long after its narrative justification, is very close to Pasolin's concept of poetic cinema. It is hard to argue for these films in the terms of art cinema, but Koven pulls it off. This is certainly not the last word on giallo within academic terms of reference, but it is an excellent starting point and will become a crucial book for students of popular European cinematic forms.

While portions of this excellent treatise on the ultra violent Italian filone known as the giallo are dry and, imo -best left for academia than print- what makes Koven's book special are the chapters on what elements constitute a giallo film.

From the amateur detectives to the killer(s), inventive set-pieces and everything in between, this portion of Koven's book makes my gialli viewing experiences all the more fun.