Welcome to the third edition of Viewer Vomit, a film club which compiles reader reviews along with my own review of a horror movie that I chose. This month, I picked Blood and Black Lace as the film selection - hopefully, others will join in with links to reviews and I won't be the only one making a fool of myself. Oh wait, it's the Internet...
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my take on the film, and I encourage you to join in by sending me a link to your own review of Blood and Black Lace.
Blood and Black Lace
Mario Bava is often considered one of the masters of Italian horror, alongside Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Blood and Black Lace, though not Bava's first film and certainly not the last in a line of beautiful gialli, is one of Bava's finer flicks, a film that is easily identifiable with the tropes of the genre but which also enthusiastically revels in the surprises that it brings to horror. Blood and Black Lace might first appear to be akin to a television mystery, incorporating detective-work, numerous suspects, and a conveniently-complicated murder plot. But as is often the case with good gialli, Bava transcends the commonalities for a vastly superior thriller.
Blood and Black Lace is set at a fashion modeling business, effectively ensuring that the majority of the victims of the film will be women. But the setting provides a lot of characters to meet and suspect, and it allows for Bava to explore the intricacies of the building and the Gothic architecture that is so visually arresting. But it's not the only place for the stylistic decor of the giallo; rich and complex apartments are frequented by characters, providing ample red and blue lighting and the mystery of hidden rooms or concealed killers.
It also allows Bava to experiment with framing. Often the camera acts as a suspicious lens. Characters are framed in shots that appear as a pointing finger, as if the intent viewer can unravel the mystery by the focus put on certain characters. It becomes clear, however, that Bava is tricking us, and instead, the frames are another way of deceiving the viewer by placing emphasis on that which needs none. Indeed, if you look closely, you'll note that Bava does this in a few distinct places: a pocketbook's straps frame a young woman who always appears suspicious; a suit of armor in a dark room gets undue attention from the camera as it plays little role in the scares; and even the nervous twitches of a character are outlined, only to be dropped as epilepsy later on.
The film does run rather slow, at least for the beginning portion of it, and it requires some patience from the viewer. There is a killing right away to set the plot rolling, but the gaps between killings are lengthy; it is, however, a way to develop some of the characters who receive less attention. However, Blood and Black Lace is less dependent on characterization, and it is difficult to develop a connection to the characters because the focus is always shifting to the next victim.
The film also lacks stylistic killings, and instead resorts to fairly rudimentary stranglings or burns. There are a few beautiful slayings, including a bathtub scene as bloody water blooms below the victims face, or a spiked gauntlet to the face, but for the most part Bava rarely strays from conventional murders. This is, though, a realistic portrayal of the murderer, who is not a sadistic monster or professional killer but instead a man looking to protect his reputation. The murders snowball, and they are not planned after the first murder; instead, the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants routine takes effect and establishes a convincing explanation of why the killer doesn't go out of his way to bring the pain.
It is also satisfying to note that the betrayals in the movie come to a conclusion with a final act of necessity from the killer's partner. If Blood and Black Lace at first seems misogynistic in its portrayal of female victims and weak women, it is the final chilling scene which leaves the viewer with a different perspective. Ultimately, the betrayed, broken (literally) woman gets revenge on her love, and the placement of the woman's body on top of the man's implies, if not explicitly, the power of women over the killer - the act of murder being, in itself, a displacement of power directly related foreknowledge of the event. We are left with a strong theme of the final girl - perhaps moreso than slashers because of the natural human intent behind Blood and Black Lace's slayings.
Slash to the Point: Though it's not the best giallo out there, Blood and Black Lace is certainly one of the most important to the genre, an early relic of the iconic Italian horror films. Full of technicolor and aggressive violence, Blood and Black Lace withstands the test of time as a chilling thriller that works because of its consistent ability to remain mysterious. And it effectively documents the recesses of the human mind: betrayal, malice, and perhaps, a bit of vengeance as a lacy lining to the cloth of human existence.
Blood and Black Lace on Rotten Tomatoes
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my take on the film, and I encourage you to join in by sending me a link to your own review of Blood and Black Lace.
Blood and Black Lace
Mario Bava is often considered one of the masters of Italian horror, alongside Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Blood and Black Lace, though not Bava's first film and certainly not the last in a line of beautiful gialli, is one of Bava's finer flicks, a film that is easily identifiable with the tropes of the genre but which also enthusiastically revels in the surprises that it brings to horror. Blood and Black Lace might first appear to be akin to a television mystery, incorporating detective-work, numerous suspects, and a conveniently-complicated murder plot. But as is often the case with good gialli, Bava transcends the commonalities for a vastly superior thriller.
Blood and Black Lace is set at a fashion modeling business, effectively ensuring that the majority of the victims of the film will be women. But the setting provides a lot of characters to meet and suspect, and it allows for Bava to explore the intricacies of the building and the Gothic architecture that is so visually arresting. But it's not the only place for the stylistic decor of the giallo; rich and complex apartments are frequented by characters, providing ample red and blue lighting and the mystery of hidden rooms or concealed killers.
It also allows Bava to experiment with framing. Often the camera acts as a suspicious lens. Characters are framed in shots that appear as a pointing finger, as if the intent viewer can unravel the mystery by the focus put on certain characters. It becomes clear, however, that Bava is tricking us, and instead, the frames are another way of deceiving the viewer by placing emphasis on that which needs none. Indeed, if you look closely, you'll note that Bava does this in a few distinct places: a pocketbook's straps frame a young woman who always appears suspicious; a suit of armor in a dark room gets undue attention from the camera as it plays little role in the scares; and even the nervous twitches of a character are outlined, only to be dropped as epilepsy later on.
The film does run rather slow, at least for the beginning portion of it, and it requires some patience from the viewer. There is a killing right away to set the plot rolling, but the gaps between killings are lengthy; it is, however, a way to develop some of the characters who receive less attention. However, Blood and Black Lace is less dependent on characterization, and it is difficult to develop a connection to the characters because the focus is always shifting to the next victim.
The film also lacks stylistic killings, and instead resorts to fairly rudimentary stranglings or burns. There are a few beautiful slayings, including a bathtub scene as bloody water blooms below the victims face, or a spiked gauntlet to the face, but for the most part Bava rarely strays from conventional murders. This is, though, a realistic portrayal of the murderer, who is not a sadistic monster or professional killer but instead a man looking to protect his reputation. The murders snowball, and they are not planned after the first murder; instead, the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants routine takes effect and establishes a convincing explanation of why the killer doesn't go out of his way to bring the pain.
It is also satisfying to note that the betrayals in the movie come to a conclusion with a final act of necessity from the killer's partner. If Blood and Black Lace at first seems misogynistic in its portrayal of female victims and weak women, it is the final chilling scene which leaves the viewer with a different perspective. Ultimately, the betrayed, broken (literally) woman gets revenge on her love, and the placement of the woman's body on top of the man's implies, if not explicitly, the power of women over the killer - the act of murder being, in itself, a displacement of power directly related foreknowledge of the event. We are left with a strong theme of the final girl - perhaps moreso than slashers because of the natural human intent behind Blood and Black Lace's slayings.
Slash to the Point: Though it's not the best giallo out there, Blood and Black Lace is certainly one of the most important to the genre, an early relic of the iconic Italian horror films. Full of technicolor and aggressive violence, Blood and Black Lace withstands the test of time as a chilling thriller that works because of its consistent ability to remain mysterious. And it effectively documents the recesses of the human mind: betrayal, malice, and perhaps, a bit of vengeance as a lacy lining to the cloth of human existence.
Blood and Black Lace on Rotten Tomatoes
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Now add your two cents! Comment with a link to your review and I'll place it at the end of this review.
Viewer Vomits
- L-G-B-Terror provides analysis of gay and gender roles at play
- Ghidorah tackles the film (with great screenshots!)
This Viewer Vomit idea is pretty cool. I really hope it catches on soon. I posted my own review at http://lgbterror.blogspot.com/2011/04/stats-blood-and-black-lace-1964.html.
ReplyDeleteLGBTerror is a blog that my friends and I started about a month ago, talking about horror movies from a gay perspective. We don't really critique the movies as much as talk about why they would be of interest to a gay audience. It's goofy. I hope that works.
Thanks.
Excellent, Evan! I'll get a link up to it pronto.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I am late!!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://acheteretentretenirsatronconneuse.com/blog/?p=6961