7 donne e un mistero

Few people know it,but Ozon's "huit femmes" is itself a remake ; a first version of Robert Thomas's play (also often performed on stage in the fifties) was filmed in black and white as 'la nuit des suspectes" (1957 ):this first effort was more pessimistic than Ozon 's whodunit cum musical comedy .

The Italian version jettisoned the songs -they were French and they should have been replaced by Italian hits ,had it been treated like in Ozon's pleasant work ;a director whose only daring gesture -not really risqué anymore at the time- was Ardant's lesbian character .

The Italian version kept it ; it is also enjoyable to see Ornella Vanoni ( a singer and co-star of Virna Lisi in "Romolo e Remo peplum) reprising the part of Danielle Darrieux .All the actresses overplay (they also did in the French color version ) which is not a real problem ; Thomas was certainly influenced by Agatha Christie's whodunits ;the situation -people locked up in a house surrounded by the snow- reminds you of her play "the mousetrap ".

I like whodunits and was enjoying this movie, but the conclusion I found terrible. I think the idea was to do a funny ending, but it was neither funny or makes sense to the story.

As a comedy I didn't find very funny, but, aside from the ending, it was an enjoyable watch. The passing is good and the movie has a nice length.

The actress do a good job with what they got from the script. The cinematography is very good and together with the sound make a very good atmosphere to this movie.

I gave this a 4.7 / 10. The script is not the strongest, but the only big flaw is its ending, but despite that, it was an enjoyable ride to me, minus the end of course.

The visual was what drew me in. The color scheme is beautiful and it is obvious this is a play adapted to a movie. I havent heard of this before and Im glad I watched it. The story is a typical whodunit. I'm giving it a 6 because the story is a weak one. Nothing to do with the acting or the movie. The storyline is just weak. But no story is a waste of time. Why do we have to put so many words into a review? Nobody has reviewed yet so I'm trying to be nice and leave the first one! So what it comes down to, cute to watch but dont expect to be swept off your feet. Visuals get an A+ though. Hazzah!!

Nice try but there is a much better version, a French film 8 Femmes with absolutely stellar cast including Catherine Deneuve, Fannie Ardan, and other stars. The French film also included charming dances and songs for every female character.

However, the Italian version was not bad at all, with beautiful winter scenery and homely Christmas interior. Maybe too much farce and comic elements and to few drama to make it truly great, also lack of real crime moments in the plot made the film little bit shallow and more like a theatrical comedy than difficult family drama. I also wished less colourful but more truthful, more developed characters, as there was plenty of possibilities for this.

Now after 15 minutes I was starting to 'switch off' but then I really became absorbed in this sweet, whimsical and entertaining film. Beautiful costumes and scenes with plenty of vibrant colour which enhance this comical film. The plot has a twist and all characters are very well cast indeed. The acting was good and the story moved along at a good pace.

Grandma was my favorite character, and I had quite a few suspects in mind, none of which were correct. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was funny in parts but not too much that it spoilt the plot.

Thank you and well done to all!! Definitely NOT a 5.