|
Deadly Sweet
[Cult Epics]
1967; color
Directed by Tinto Brass
Starring: Jean Louis Trintignant, Ewa Aulin, Roberto Bisacco, Charles Kohler & Luigi Bellini
|
|
Deadly Sweet is an eyeball popping murder mystery that explodes on the big (or in this case small) screen with semi-psychedelic pop art craziness. As far as I know, the over-the-top comic book inspired action that unfolds is predated only by the Batman movie (from a year prior); since this flick is dead serious, it's impact is far more jarring and unexpected. Intercut with the color footage are a number of black and white scenes that remind me of late '50s Noir and the original version of Breathless. We also get all sorts of split screens, multiple overlaid shots, fast motion, slow motion and almost every other trick in the book. What's rather remarkable about all this is that none of these excesses detract from the movie one bit. If anything, they enhance it and make it more memorable. The story itself is a basic murder mystery (definitely not a Giallo, despite the claim on the box cover) but it still has some unique twists. The film opens with a group of people identifying a body in a morgue - two young adults, an older woman, and a guy who's age is somewhere in between - but that's just so we can get a glimpse of most of our main characters. As soon as the body is identified, we jump to a happening London nightspot where the son and daughter of the deceased (the young adults) are dancing their sorrows away. No sooner than stepmom and her lover (the other two from the previous scene) walk in (to also do some dancing) do the kids split in a huff. A bystander at the bar, who soaks in more than an eyeful of the young blonde girl dancing with her bro, is told by a friend that their father has just died. Armed with this knowledge he goes about his business, which eventually takes him to the club owner's office. He walks in and finds the guy dead on the floor with a nasty head wound, and the blonde he'd been ogling cowering in the corner. Instead of calling the cops, he grabs her and they run out. This unlikely pair spend the next few days together as he tries to figure out who killed the club owner, but with every step they take things become more and more weird and convoluted. By the time everything comes to a head at an all-night "happening," the big reveal turns out to be nothing more than a simple lie (granted, it's a lie about murder) and our hero ends up a dead goat for his trouble. I know that's all vague, but Deadly Sweet is a rare treat whose play-by-play saga I honestly feel bad about spoiling. This is one absolutely worth seeking out and worth multiple viewings.
—the Kommandant
|
|
