Saturday, September 28, 2013

BOOK REVIEW: Blood & Black Lace: The Definitive Guide To Italian Sex And Horror Movies by Adrian Luther Smith (1999 Stray Cat Publishing / 148pgs.)


Review by Scott Lefebvre

     Initially this seems like a thin book.   Thumbing through the pages, the first impression is made by the full color reproductions of the wonderfully lurid promotional posters for the films.
     Reading the book, an entirely different dimension is revealed.   The author covers in an exemplary manner two-hundred and six films from the popular Italian Giallo genre.   [Giallo: Italian for yellow.  The genre named after paperbacks published with yellow covers featuring titillating pictures and containing tales of sex and violence.]
     I thought I knew a fair amount about Giallo films.   But this book revealed to me just how superficial my knowledge of the genre truly was.   Of the 206 films, there were only 12 that I cold claim to have seen and be familiar with in any degree of certainty.   Having seen many if not all of the films of Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, as well as a variety of Giallos re-released by American DVD distributors I thought I had the genre covered.   But I soon realized I was out of my depth.   I must admit that getting halfway through this book (page 74 out of the 148), I realized that I had only seen six of the films covered and for the second half of the book, I browsed for films I had seen, reading the author's coverage of them, since otherwise I had no frame of reference for comparison.   And surrendering to my relative ignorance of the genre, I came away from this book much more well-informed about the breadth, history, and legacy of the Italian Giallo film genre.   In the future I will definitely direct those interested in a longer, broader and more comprehensive exploration of this genre to this truly informative book which is useful as a resource and for films to pursue and view, entertaining to leaf through for reviews of films one has seen, and an excellent example of international poster art.
     Regarding the written content, you can tell the author has done his research, and is extremely knowledgeable about the genre.    This is exhibited by his cross-referencing directors, production team members, and cast members both across and outside of the Giallo genre.   The author provides a comprehensive listing of alternate international theatrical titles, lists of primary production team members, complete lists of casts, and an adequate record of official international video releases.    The summaries of the films covered are insightful, but colorful enough to avoid dryness and dullness.   An example from the review of the title film Blood & Black Lace gives you an idea, and expresses a sentiment that I often find myself expressing, but much less successfully: "There are some superbly staged kill sequences, notably the cat and mouse chase in the antique showroom which is illuminated by the various colored lights emanating from neon signs (an effect often repeated but never bettered)."   Clear and succinct.
     Although the small print makes for an eye-straining challenge of a read, it is complimented by generously large format, full color reproductions, including two-page spreads, of the wonderfully lurid promotional posters.   Also the author selected a refreshing variety of promotional posters from different countries instead of simply presenting the most commonly recognized poster images.
     Though not comprehensive, since comprehensiveness is almost impossible considering the obscurity of some of the films in the genre as well as the continuous production of new films which almost immediately date any film book, this book is more than adequate for even those that are more than casual enthusiasts of the Giallo genre.

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