Brilliant worlds of color that burn on the retina. Sexuality that fluctuates wildly between dirty and sleazy and provocatively gallant. And manic characters that cause brutal, gory violence: the thriller-horror subgenre Giallo is a very special suspense cinema playground and has developed a die-hard fanbase over the years. But while some genre entries are known far beyond these fan bases, there is a long list of titles known only to Giallo enthusiasts.
This includes “The Lady in Black’s Perfume”: The shocker enjoys an excellent reputation among genre fans, but only came to Germany 42 years (!) after its world premiere – and limited and without the blessing of the FSK. That didn’t exactly help the movie’s celebrity, but some seven years later it gets another shot:
Since this week there is “The Perfume of the Lady in Black” as a new home cinema edition – for the first time unadulterated with FSK approval from 18 years old!
In addition to the standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, “The Lady in Black’s Perfume” also received two collector’s editions in the form of two media books. Cover A goes classy:
Cover B, on the other hand, adopts the slightly more lurid title image of the standard editions:
The media books are limited to 500 copies each and include “The Perfume of the Lady in Black” on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a booklet about the film’s background.
“The perfume of the lady in black”: loneliness and fear and hippopotamus
Silvia Hackerman (Mimsy Farmer) is haunted by nightmares that bring back memories of her mother’s mysterious death. While there are certainly people in her life who care about her, Siliva feels lonely and misunderstood. Her friend Roberto (Maurizio Bonuglia) thinks she is mentally confused, she withdraws herself into the seclusion of her apartment and loses her last interpersonal contacts. There she becomes more and more anxious and there are regular strange incidents…
Lead actress Mimsy Farmer is no stranger to the world of giallo shockers – she also starred in Dario Argento’s famous genre landmark “Four Birds on Gray Velvet.” “The Perfume of the Lady in Black” director Francesco Barilli couldn’t follow Argento’s fame, but he also received repeated praise from Giallo fans.
For example, “The Lady in Black’s Perfume” is considered a quiet psychological thriller about loneliness, mania and desire. However, the film is also considered by genre connoisseurs stylishly lit and remarkably unnervingly filmed celebrated and admired for his downright stunning final act.
Mario Scaccia (“Love, Sex and Annoyances”) also stars in the film, in which Silvia’s oppressively decorated apartment leaves a lasting impression. But the prominently staged, fragile hippopotamus figures act as real scene thieves, who at the same time act as silent eyewitnesses to gruesome things.
Also appreciated is the film music of Nicola Piovani, who was not only versed in the blood-soaked giallo genre, but also wrote music for the legendary Italian director Federico Fellini and the Oscar winner “Life is Beautiful”.