don't torture a duckling (cinema history class)

Session: Giallo-Rama, week 2
Movie: Don't Torture a Duckling  (1972)

Plot:
In a rural mountain town in Italy, bypassed by the highways, teenage boys keep dying. A reporter is trying to find the killer, and the townspeople are ready to kill any suspect. Hilarity ensues.

Class Reaction:
As with last week, this was an all-around winner.

Dave called out the cinematography and the music. He also was the first of us to figure out who the killer was. When he called it, I dismissed his guess -- sure that it was one of a couple other characters.

Joe gave this high ratings, though not quite as high as he gave Bay of Blood last week. He noted that, while this featured better storytelling, BoB was more fun, and  had better transitions. Joe's reaction surprised me. He has often noted that he views movies from a writer's perspective (as opposed to Keith, who has a director's perspective). He has also stated -- multiple times -- that a good story is very important to him. Yet, despite this having the better story, he said he prefers BoB.

Ethan said that this is one of the best movies Keith has shown.

The ratings:

• Joe: 9.8 / 10
• Dave: 9.5 to 9.7 / 10
• Scott: 9.5 / 10
• Ethan: 10 /10

My Thoughts:
I had some measure of difficulty trying to decide whether I liked this more than last week's offering. In the end, I went with this, on the strength of the story. I remember being confused by BoB. This story was easier to follow, even though it was a mystery. And the cinematography and music were much better as well.

I realized that this had me on the edge of my seat for most of the run. And, despite its running time of 1:48, I never lost interest. I was doing a lot of guessing regarding the killer and his or her motivation. And Fulci did a great job with misdirection.

Two giallos down, and I'm loving the genre.

I gave this a 9.2 out of 10.

Don't Torture a Duckling fails the Bechdel Test.

Extras:
Before the movie, Keith showed us trauilers for three other giallos:

• The Case of the Scorpion's Tail
• The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
• The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh