Konzert für eine Pistole

THE WEEKEND MURDERS gets underway as a body is discovered buried in a sand trap at a posh, private golf club. The police reveal that it is the latest in a series of murders.

A flashback introduces us to the Carter family, gathered at the vast Carter estate for the reading of their dearly departed relative, Sir Henry Carter's will. Of course, the inheritance isn't distributed in a manner that pleases everyone. Well, okay, it pleases no one, except for an inept, flower-loving policeman, Sergeant Aloisius Thorpe (Gastone Moschin), and Sir Henry's Niece, Barbara Worth (Anna Moffo). The rest of the family is bitter to say the least, and it's not long before the bodies start popping up all over the grounds!

With greed, jealousy, and treachery in the air, a mansion full of suspects, and a pair of bungling coppers on the case, this movie is enjoyable on several levels. Part "old dark house" mystery, part giallo, and all comedy, this movie manages to parody its subject matter while still respecting it.

Co-stars Ida Galli as Isabelle Carter, and Giacomo Rossi Stuart as Ted Collins.

On a personal note: I didn't figure it all out until the very end. I like that in a movie!...

'The Weekend Murders' is a fun little Italian Giallo flick that combines elements of whodunit, mystery/thriller, and comedy into something quite different and unique for the genre. Due to its rather light-hearted tone, the movie is severely lacking in suspense, but there is just enough to enjoy here with its cast of colourful characters, well-crafted mystery, and stylish direction by Michele Lupo. All of which makes this an entertaining viewing experience.

The plot = Family members goes to a British estate to attend the reading of a will of Sir Henry and while there they are murdered one by one.

I have heard a lot of good things about this with many calling it an underrated masterpiece in the Giallo genre and while I thought it was good it was nowhere near a lost classic. The movie was just fine, but I found the pacing sagged a little and it could have done with more interesting murder set pieces to really elevate it. The comedy was very hit and miss, but the script was well written and does have moments of brilliance with its effective use of red herrings and a couple of engaging sequences.

The cast were strong with several interesting characters with standout performances from Anna Moffo, Evelyn Stewart, Peter Baldwin, Gastone Moschin, Christopher Chittell and Marisa Fabbri.

Overall 'The Weekend Murders' is not quite a classic and if you're looking for something more in line with the usual Giallo tropes, then you'll be sorely disappointed, but other than that it's a fun little romp that deserves to be viewed at least once.

Agatha Christie mysteries and Italian gialli may have some things in common, but they're also very different. First off, gialli are really "mass-murder mysteries", whereas only a few Agatha Christie mysteries really fit that description(the most famous being her seminal "Ten Little Indians"). Moreover, Agatha Christie mysteries are very mannered and British while Italian gialli are very over-the-top and usually chock-full of lurid sex and violence. This movie is impressive, therefore, because it manages to successfully combine the two styles (much like Mario Bava's "Five Dolls for an August Moon"). It has a typical Agatha Christie set-up with various grasping relatives gathered at a remote country estate to hear a will, but like a giallo, it's also full of ridiculously shifty characters, sexual perversity, OTT crash-zooms, and overly dramatic music.

Perhaps, even more impressive, it's one of the few gialli to successfully incorporate (completely intentional) black comedy. It really plays with the conventions of the mystery genre--the first person killed is the butler (so he didn't do it), and the Scotland Yard detective (Lance Percival) turns out to be an inept bumbler while the thick-looking local bobby (Gaston Moschin) turns out to be quite clever. Being a giallo though, it also has certain stock "giallo-esque" characters like an impotent, virginal mama's boy (Chris Chittel) who likes fake bloody suicides and a black woman(Beryl Cunningham)who is married to one of the family members and (naturally) is the most sexually predatory of the characters--with the possible exception of the saucy maid (Orchidea DeSantis).

This has a great cast including Eveline Stewart, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, and American Peter Baldwin who were in any number of 60's and 70's Italian films. Gaston Moschin (who is GREAT here) was usually in Italian crime thrillers, but also had an important part in the "The Godfather 2". The sexy Beryl Cunningham was in "Crimes of the Black Cat", and the even sexier Orchidea DeSantis played all kinds of sexy roles in all kinds of sexy Italian movies. Even the English actors are familiar--Lance Percival was a big comedy actor in Britain at the time and Christopher Chittel was in another movie very much like this called "Erotic Inferno", except that it was a softcore porn movie with Mary Millington! (VERY few actors have ever appeared in both Italian giallo thrillers AND Mary Millington sex comedies). This has just received a superior release by Code Red. I would definitely check it out.

If anyone out there has this on DVD give it a close look from the start. Why? Well, my Dad is in it!!!!! The stately home scenes were part shot at Somerleyton Hall, not far from where we live. Anyway, when my Dad and his brother, simply riding by and puzzled by a crowd, stopped the car to see what all the commotion was about, a back-combed sycophant suddenly appeared, carrying a clipboard and asked if they could spare a few moments to fill a couple of subsidiary roles.

Hey presto, the old man became the young dark haired stretcher bearing ambulance man and his brother became a taxi driver (although his scene was cut). They were given exceptional 24 hour equity memberships (the actors union) and were dismissively paid about £10 each for their trouble - not bad for 1970!!! They were also told that the working title of the film was "Weekend Murders" but it might have some kind of Italian title upon release.

Their abiding memory was of Lance Percival (English comedian & actor on the fringe of the "carry on" team, popular 1960's/1970's) being locked in the portable toilet by one of the sound crew.

There you go - a bit of movie trivia for you.

A success in just about every aspect, The Weekend Murders is a good old Giallo with a healthy does of humour thrown for good measure. Nice!

It's one of those 'reading of the will' type set-ups too, with a family converging on an English manor to find out if they are going to get any of the loot. Relatives of the deceased Earl are daughter Ida Galli, niece Barbara (or something), Nephew Giacomo Rossi-Stuart and a few other that I'll stop naming because I got bored. Of note is the crazed Georgie, who keeps pranking the group by pretending to be murdered, dresses up in full Giallo uniform (black gloves etc), and keeps hallucinating his mother.

Gastone Moschin is the local seemingly bungling policeman who, in attendance at the reading of the will, learns that all the money has been left to the Earl's niece. This leaves the rest of the family furious, and when the fake killings stop and the real ones start, it's up to Gastone to get to the bottom of the problem. Only thing is, he's got a detective from Scotland Yard with him who doesn't think Gastone is up to the job. Oh, and when the butler is found dead, someone quips "At least they can't say the butler did it!"

It's mostly played for laughs, so don't expect gore and sex, but everything else is so well done and presented the whole thing was a delight to watch. Gastone Moschin, most famous for being The Black Hand in the Godfather Two, is brilliant here as the cop who comes across as harmless and clumsy, but who turns out to be smarter than all those supposedly in the Upper Classes who look down on him. The expression he wears on his face the entire time is priceless. The whole look of the film is a stand-out too, with inventive camera angles and a slightly psychedelic vibe to everything.

It also has a bit of social commentary thrown in too - Just see the scene where Giacomo Rossi Stuart reveals his new wife is black. Michele Lupo was a talented man, no doubt.