By Keri O’Shea
When is a giallo not a giallo? Sure, the cinematic tradition is expected to deliver crime drama as per the print publications which gave us the term ‘giallo’ in the first place, but the expectation is also there of a certain aesthetic on our screens, usually invoking sexuality as well as criminality; perhaps a good giallo understands that the lurid set-pieces are just as important as the crime itself, or at least, that a certain amount of spectacle will compensate for the often nonsensical solutions to those mysteries meant to form the heart of the plot.
The Bloodstained Butterfly starts off with some understanding of this: a beautiful French student is found, dead, in the woods – wearing the bloodstained butterfly of the title around her neck, we assume (and the follow-up scene is of course of some amorous lovers, thus splicing death with sex, as is traditional.) Clearly there’s a maniac at large, or we wouldn’t be watching this story – but the heavy rain at the time of the killing has watched away the forensic evidence, and the killer managed to evade the dragnet which attempts to close in as soon as the alarm is raised. All that’s known about him, at this point, is that he’s clad in a beige raincoat. The hunt is on. Or, rather, we then see a slow succession of lab processes and meticulous ‘going over the evidence’ in order to close in on the possible culprit. When a witness comes forward to say she knows who the killer is, the case takes a turn: it seems, then, that the girl’s lover, a TV presenter, was the man responsible. Others corroborate, and soon the erstwhile TV star, Allesandro Marchi, is hauled into court on seemingly damning evidence of his involvement. Things are, however, rarely this straightforward. As the case is debated – at length – other factors are revealed, and it seems that Marchi might not be the maniac after all. A philanderer, yes, but perhaps not the murderer…
Considering the gaudiness of the title, this is a rather drab film beyond the initial impact of the opening scenes, which is certainly not something I expected. The rain, the mud, the dull clothes, the grey rooms and buildings, the largely understated dialogue, and the sense that the plot is being prolonged by a kind of mad attention to realistic criminal law did little to engage me as a viewer. The film’s tendency to go over and over footage from earlier on in the proceedings as the court considers it is, frankly, bloody boring too, and although it might be deemed necessary, it looks suspiciously like filler.
Perhaps this is the wrong term to use when describing a genre of films which almost always feature grisly murders, but The Bloodstained Butterfly just isn’t as much fun as you’d expect from even a passing awareness of its peer group. I mean, it’s nicely shot from a technical level, with a variety of locations, angles, shooting styles and the like, and there’s ever the possibility that it’s been misrepresented, somewhere along the line, which will often lead to disappointment – but there simply isn’t enough going on here, and when the film tries to add interest by delving into slightly more fantastical content, or even more salacious content, it jars. When you work so hard to go with realism, then you can’t really do much else. In fact, I felt so beaten down with the courtroom proceedings, that I found it quite difficult to get a handle on any of the characters thereafter – a shame, really, as there are some interesting cast members here (such as Salon Kitty’s Helmut Berger).
Whilst there are some elements here which can be applauded – the soundtrack is interesting, the time-capsule effect is abundant, the cinematography shows some skill, and above all there are attempts to render a gripping crime drama – I wouldn’t automatically peg this one as an obvious choice for a remaster and re-release by Arrow, as much as they’ve done a decent job on it. Still, if you’re a completist who loves vintage Italiana, then have at it, and take note of the fact that there are a few extras on offer too – namely an audio commentary by Alan Jones and Kim Newman, new interviews with Helmut Berger, Evelyn Stewart and Lorella de Luca – who speaks about her husband, director Duccio Tessari. There’s the usual gamut of trailers and still images, too.
The Bloodstained Butterfly will be released by Arrow Video on 22nd August, 2016.