Customer Reviews

Giornata nera per l'ariete [VHS]

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With Franco Nero as the lead and cinematography by the multiple Oscar-winning Vittorio Storaro you'd be a fool not to expect an extremely good looking film. And if you're a fan of murder mysteries--especially the Italian variety known as gialli--then you'll probably eat this one up. The story is pretty thin and it's not gore soaked like many others, but it's really thick with a somber, tense, shadow-filled atmosphere and it's well acted by the jaw droppingly handsome Nero, Rosella Falk and Sylvia Monti. The climax, which begins in a fantastic modern house and ends in an abandoned factory is, for once, well choreographed and exciting. Good score by Ennio Morricone and did I say it's gorgeous to look at? Well, it is.

Giallos are great type of thriller to enjoy , not all of them have
superbloody gory killings. Some like 'knife of ice" barely show any killing. Film noir and the films of Alfred Hitchcock also can be within this genre as well as splatter flicks that are decended from mario bava's "bay of blood." This is a story driven giallo in which the hero of the story only becomes less of a drunken loser through trying to find out who this killer is. At first he doesn't care and he's not a nice person , in fact he slaps around one of his girlfriends while drunk. But by the end of the movie he's ready to risk his life for others. Franco Nero, who is a fantastic actor who pulls this transformation off nicely. Blue Underground cleaned this movie up too. I always buy blue underground movies because you know that they care about making a movie look good.
Of late the major studios have also been cleaning up their movies on blu ray, a field that blue underground is also entering into.
Too many other companies just sling out bad prints and don't even bother to try to fix them. If you like mysteries and thrillers and don't expect a gore fest then you will enjoy figuring out who the killer is. I have seen many giallos and didn't guess who it was or why the killings were occurring until the last scene. This was just a great flick in a cool type of movie from the ultra cool 1970's. The heyday of all kinds of giallos also known as thrillers and mystery movies.

Giallo fans need only apply. And giallo fans will know what to expect from this one. There's akilla on the loose and he's hinting that there will be five murders. What's the connection with the victims? Like I'm gonna tell you, you'd just better see it. The man hot on the killer's trail is alcoholic reporter Franco Nero! There were about eight billion giallos around at this time, and The Fifth Cord stands above many of them. It's got a great look and a very good performance from Nero. Nero is a very good actor, probably one of the best to come out of Italy, and because of this he gives his character more depth than the average giallo hero. Not much for gore, but this film really doesn't need it. Yet again, Blue Underground has done us all a favor by releasing this film and cleaning it up as good as possible. They also give us a 16 minute interview with both Nero and director, Luigi Bazzoni, who apparently was a really cool guy. Giallo fans should be pleased.

"I am going to commit murder," whispers our killer, as the camera flits around the jaded revellers at a New Year shindig. "I can imagine the thrill and pleasure I will experience as I stalk my victim..."

Shortly after, John Lubbock (Maurizio Bonuglia) survives an attack in an underpass on his way home, and journalist Andrea Bild (Franco Nero), a fellow attendee, decides to investigate. Then a second party goer - invalid Doctor's wife Sophia Bini (Rossella Falk) - is attacked and killed in her home, and Andrea's elderly editor is found dead in a local park, both bodies accompanied by the killer's calling card (a black glove with first one then subsequent fingers cut off). Suddenly, the outspoken, hard-drinking journalist finds himself rising swiftly up the list of suspects.

What raises The Fifth Cord above the average giallo is striking cinematography and a couple of genuinely suspense-filled murders. The sequence involving the Doctor's wife is the most characteristic of the genre. Taking place in a huge and intimidating bedroom it also evokes the Gothic feel of old Hollywood and the memory of a certain Mrs de Winter. Bazzoni expertly handles the build-up of tension, getting the unfortunate Mrs Bini out of bed and crawling along the floor in a rising panic as first her wheelchair then telephone (her lifeline) vanish into the shadows. There's an almost supernatural element at play here. When the familiar gloved hands suddenly appear either side of the screen to slowly descend from behind and wrap themselves around her throat, they seem almost disembodied.

In contrast, the rest of the film is a study in modernity. Everything is concrete and glass, clean lines and polished surfaces. Every shot is carefully and deliberately lensed and filled with geometric shapes and patterns. Edges and shadows converge to corral Nero as the finger points increasingly in his direction. A scene in which he meets with the investigating officer in a subterranean parking lot is particularly well done, where the frosted windows behind the actors are reflected in the roof of the car in front and join with the widescreen framing to form a cage. The ending comprises tough-guy fisticuffs and a pulse-quickening chase sequence through the cadaverous wreck of an abandoned factory where Nero finally unmasks the black-coated killer, having already deduced the real motive, which twists the opening voice-over in a new and ambiguous light.

This is a solid, visually impressive giallo, if at times a little less engaging than it should be. The characters, other than Andrea, aren't effectively introduced or given enough screen time and are too often simply referred to by name, so it's difficult to remember who's who and why we should care. Consequently the narrative sometimes lacks clarity, getting itself into a bit of a muddle during the mid-section, and having spent most of the film presuming events have unfolded over a matter of days only to discover the killings have been occurring for roughly a five month period is a little jarring. There's nothing to suggest the passage of time, though the static environment does correspond with Bazzoni's austere vision.

A cold and relatively bleak film, The Fifth Cord makes the most of its angular urban settings to say something about the fractured nature of modern city life, from Nero's world-weary alcoholic loner to the estranged Doctor and his wife to hardworking single parent Helene (Silvia Monti). A world filled with acquaintances as opposed to friends, where people choose the warm bodies of strangers (filmed here with restraint rather than a gratuitous eye for sleaze) over the ones they may have at home. Nero, though at times out-and-out brutish, brings gravitas (and a suitably chiseled visage) to his genre-standard character, and Monti, in a limited role, manages to be strong and insightful and can keep her head in a crisis, helping to counterbalance the popular view of women in gialli as merely window dressing or cannon fodder. The English dubbing is of a high standard, with Nero providing his own voice. Overall it's more of a straightforward crime caper than a horror yarn, but worth checking out for the arresting visuals alone.

this is one of the most visually fantastic giallo i've seen yet. the composition is perfect. beautiful images contrast a stark plot, as a real giallo should.
there's a brief shot early on with to spiral stair cases on opsing sides of the huge building. this was one of my favorite shots in the movie but what did it even have to do with anyhting??
any how, mr nero does well in this role and has an interesting look that is perfect for a leading man. the scene where he beats the piss out of a race car driver is pretty awsome. the music was just right. nothing like goblins deep red score which was quite a mess that with better direction could have been really something. the sets are one of the greatest thing about the fifth cord. it's all about the visuals and it seems that is where all the attention and effort went to for the most part. as a result it seems the story ends up lacking. however, trying to compensate for such visuals would require one hell of a story no matter what.
the menu to this dvd is simple yet intense! the killers audio is dubbed over the excellent score accompanied by a tense clip from the film where the killer is running maniacly along the outside of a building, silouhetted by a dark blue background outside massive windows. excellent.
highly recomend this one to just about anyone really.

THE FIFTH CHORD (1975) is a spooky, whodunnit murder thriller
starring the talented Franco Nero, who packs his characteristic
convincing, intense physical and mental presence to this Italian-made
movie.

A number of elements from this movie, are typically from the 70's
making the release a bit dated, such as the sideburns haircut, the
architecture (wooden homes, with sharp geometry),_ raincoats and the
simplicity of the man and woman relationships that are portrayed.

There is a conscious effort to make this movie stylish, by filming in
custom, specially designed fancy homes, among the top 10% wealthy I
would presume, and by the camera focusing on dozens and dozens of
paintings on the walls of almost each and every home and office.

From a cinematographical point of view, the camera shots are crystal
clear, and well focused. The DVD transfer is outstanding.

Some critics might suggest an excessively passive filming, but that's
not the case at all, as the movie has action scenes although mainly
towards the end of the movie, with probably a hand held camera.

The soundtrack, by Ennio Morricone, further emphasizes the spooky,
neurotic mood that the movie tries to tell, and suceeds in doing so,
although this movie will perhaps work best for those suffering from
insomnia.

Overall, a well filmed movie, in a somewhat scary sequence of events,
with Nero doing a great job bringing excitement and presence to the
screen.

However, for those who aren't fans of these types of nightmarish
stories, they probably should take a pass, especially since over 30
years have passed since this was released to the theatres, and there
are better films.