User reviews

Is Riccardo Freda's "Double Face" a giallo, yes or no? Many people are likely to say no, but it's definitely a giallo in the humble opinion of yours truly. I think there exist two types. The prototypic and most common (and certainly also the most entertaining) giallo deals with a perverted, masked & black-gloved killer butchering scantily clad fashion models with a variety of sharp objects. There's usually a high body count, lots of gratuitous sleazy and nudity, and a fun "whodunit" aspect even though the end-twist regarding the identity of the killer is grotesque and far-fetched. The second, and slightly less popular, type of giallo generally deals with unfaithful husbands driving their mentally unstable wives crazy, for example via framing them for murder or faking their own deaths. These gialli have low body counts, psychedelic atmospheres, and for some strange reason they often star Carroll Baker as the leading lady in distress ("The Sweet Body of Deborah", "Orgasmo", "So Sweet So Perverse", "Paranoia", ...).

I really think "Double Face" fits neatly into this second giallo-category, although admittedly the trademarks are turned upside down. Here, it's the male protagonist - Klaus Kinski - who's being cheated on by his wife (with another woman, moreover) and driven insane. It's a highly unusual role for Kinski, but he's absolutely splendid as John Alexander who suspects that his wife Liz still hangs out in sex clubs and appears in pornographic movies, even though she supposedly died in a horrible car accident. The plot is a little thin to full a complete film with, so "Double Face" is overall rather dull and contains too much pointless padding footage. The climax is tense and fairly surprising, though, and the cast is full of beautiful people! Kinski's charisma and grimaces are indescribable, and the male spectators are spoiled with no less than three gorgeous women: Christiane Krüger, Annabella Incontrera and Margaret Lee. If you're still not convinced, I can also add that the idea for the story comes from the almighty Lucio Fulci! Check it out, Italian cult-cinema lovers!

On a less relevant note: watching the DVD-version that I own was an adventure to itself. It was a restored version, so poor quality footage constantly interchanged with high quality images, and the spoken language randomly switched back and forth between English, German and French.

Surprise! Surprise! There are not many movies where Klaus Kinski doesn´t play a bad guy. This is one of them. And it´s rather twisted. He´s a prime crime suspect, and we follow him solving the case right to a surprise ending. It´s a German Edgar Wallace adaption directed by classic Italian director Riccardo Freda and , yes, it´s a typical Giallo. So I guess all the fans of those "normal" German Edgar-Wallace-Movies didn´t like it very much. It´s only for fans of the director and, of course, the brilliant, astonishing, unforgettable Klaus Kinski.

Liz and Helen, a mod-Gothic mystery from Riccardo Freda, has some points in common with one of the director's earlier films, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock. Each concerns a man who believes his wife to be deceased, only to be confronted by creepy evidence to contrary. Then, too, there's the extravagant, romantic atmosphere, thunderstorms, and lurid melodramatic scenes.

Distinguishing Liz and Helen, however, is its Swinging London setting, complete with a disorienting visit to a hippie dance club with colored lights, topless birds, motorcycles, and psychedelic music. The attentive viewer will be further unsettled by the questionable motivation of its protagonist, straight-laced but tortured industrialist John Alexander, played by a simmeringly earnest Klaus Kinski.

The production values aren't consistently impressive. In one scene Kinski pretends to be pummeled by people clearly not in the same room, and the English actor who dubs the lead is laughably un-Kinski. Still, Liz and Helen does more than compensate for its shortcomings with mood and stylistic flair. Recommended to the open-minded and those wanting to see Kinski do something other than glare crazily, eat bugs, and kill people.

I fell in love with this movie from its first frame. Or, at any rate, the first BOOM-BANG-CRASH-WALLOP of its fabulously over-the-top piano soundtrack - as if Liberace were stationed just off camera, with blazing gold candelabra and rhinestone-studded Steinway grand. Its visuals are, if possible, lusher than its score. Crystal vases weep rose petals over the photo of a murdered woman. Venetian glass mirrors reflect the elegantly chiselled face of Klaus Kinski - glowering at us seductively over a polka-dotted silk cravat.

If you are used to Kinski hamming it up in a Herzog epic, his role here is a revelation. As a London millionaire who may or may not have murdered his lesbian wife, he is so subtle and ambiguous, so - dare I say it? - restrained that he keeps us guessing right up until the last few seconds. Seeing her 'come back to life' in a porno film (shot after her death) Kinski's face takes on a haunted look that outdoes all his raving, eye-rolling and tooth-gnashing in more famous roles.

Proof, if proof were needed, that director Riccardo Freda was not just a great unsung visual stylist, but a maestro of mood and suspense. Imagine a Chabrol or Hitchcock with the eye of a Renaissance painter, and you come close to the splendours of this film. So exquisite in its visual detail that its minor flaws - i.e. blatantly fake model car wrecks; continuity howlers such as Kinski walking bareheaded through Soho, then sitting in a nightclub with his hat on - simply evaporate before our eyes.

Oh, and I even like the tacky Italian pop ballad that keeps recurring as a 'clue' - to oddly chilling effect. So perhaps I'm just a sucker for this type of film.

David Melville

It has to be said that Riccardo Freda wasn't the greatest Italian director to ever live and, as such, his films don't tend to rank among the best of the genres he's worked in. Double Face is not one of the best Giallo's ever made, though it's a hell of a lot better than Freda's later The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire, and it's a pretty decent genre entry in its own right. As is the case with most Giallo films; the central focus of the plot is on murder, but rather than following a string of murders as many of these films do; this time the focus is on just one murder and the investigation into said crime. The plot centres on John Alexander, a successful business man whose wife just happens to be a lesbian. She is, unfortunately, killed in a car crash towards the start of the film and John then encounters Christine; a sexy and uninhibited blonde seductress who seems to have a keen interest in him. One thing leads to another, and John ends up seeing a blue movie starring Christine and, apparently, his wife! The mystery then builds as John comes to believe that his wife is still alive.

The stand out star of the film is definitely Klaus Kinski. It's quite odd seeing him in this role as I'm so used to seeing him play the bad/insane antagonist, whereas here he finds himself in the hapless victim role. Kinski keeps it together well and while this performance isn't as great as the ones where he gets to go over the top; it has to be said that he gives a solid performance in the lead role. He is joined by fellow German Christiane Krüger, who takes up the role of sexy leading lady well and the central cast is rounded off by Margaret Lee, who appeared in a handful of Giallo's, including Slaughter Hotel and The Killers Are Our Guests. The film is never overly exciting and sometimes it seems too content to just wallow in the plot; but there are some interesting scenes to help fill out the running time. The film is set in London, although it wasn't shot on location and that fact clearly shows. The final ten minutes are the best of the film as the plot finally reveals itself and mostly makes sense. Overall, I cant say that Double Face is one of the best Giallo's ever made; but it's good enough and certainly worth seeing.

If we did not know when this film came out we could easily tell with a potential error of no more than +/- 12 months. The psychedelic elements put it in a 1967-1970 interval and the lesbian love scenes rule out the early part of that interval.

Klaus Kinski being cast against type is certainly quite memorable, but when I think of this film I mostly recall the special effects for the train crash. Or rather the lack of them! Although the moment is brief it is blatantly obvious that we have a crash of a model train, and even more clearly a burning model train. This is the special effects school of early Japanese Godzilla movies!

This London-based giallo starts off with a Keystone cops-type sped up car chase that ends with a toy train crashing into a toy car. We shortly afterwards see Klaus Kinski and his wife badly superimposed onto a ski-slope pretending to slide down a mountain. I'm guessing the budget for this one wasn't too high, but at least it lends a daft edge to this film.

Fugly Klaus Kinski isn't too happy that his wife hates him and clearly parades her lesbian lover in front of him all the time, which makes him the prime suspect when the car she's in crashes and explodes. The real question is, Klaus hated his wife, but is he the one that killed her? We follow our subdued Klaus around London as he searches hippy filled freak out dens looking for answers.

It's in one of these stinking holes full of unemployable idealistic morons that Klaus discovers his wife starring in some sort of porno film. Her face is covered, but a scar on her neck and a distinctive ring are enough proof for Klaus. He hooks up with a hippy chick to continue his search and gets a good kicking in a porn studio for his trouble. However, as shifty as Klaus looks, someone else may be up to something - why else would Klaus be being drugged?

We get a calmer Klaus here, but you still get the usual traits from him too - staring, glowering, looking etc. Nothing is quite revealed until the end so feel free to nap through some of the film - I had a feeling I did, and didn't seem to miss anything either. This isn't the best Riccardo Fredda film - If you want giallo, try his incredibly daft and enjoyable Iguana With the Tongue of Fire and if you want horror, my preference is the Ghost. Boob fans however will not feel let down by this one.

In an alternative universe, Klaus Kinski would have been the ideal actor to play Mark E Smith of The Fall.

Some Gorgeous and Slick Color Images Embody the Late 60's Psychedelic London Vibe of New "Freedoms" On-Screen.

Such as Nudity and Drugs, coupled with Outrageous Hair and Clothes Styles.

Klaus Kinski, in a Tempered Role, is Involved with His Wife, a Rich Heiress, and Her Sudden and Tragic Death by Sabotage.

It Sends Him to the London "Underground" Scene and Assorted Characters such as Models and Pornographers.

Typical "Who-Done-It" Plot is Ramped by some Beautiful Cinematography and a Neo-Noir Feel.

It also Employs Modern Tropes of Italian and German Cinema Packaged for an International Market.

It's a Great Film to Look At and Kinski, as always, is an Intriguing Screen Presence.

The Story has some Flow-Problems as the Plot gets Complex but Nevertheless is a Good Example of B-Movie Making in the "Times That Were A Changin".

There are some cigarettes smoked in this film. In fact, the amount featured might have blown the budget, as some of the special effects are more than a little rough. Not to worry, we have top-billed Klaus Kinski playing a man apparently being driven mad, so we're in for some enjoyably extreme theatrics, surely?

Well actually, no. Kinski is at the most restrained I've ever seen him. That powerhouse of rolling eyes and bared teeth is subdued and on his best behaviour - or as much as you can be given the circumstances. It's strange seeing Kinski in the Edwidge Fenech/Dagmar Lassandra role (Nora Orland's incidental score has definite echoes of his subsequent work on 'The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh', starring Fenech in the titular role).

A fairly standard giallo, which has moments of great interest - usually involving Kinski.

'Double Face' is a 60's Italian/German co-production Giallo flick and is apart of the Edgar Wallace adaptations made by Rialto Films. Despite being rather tame when it comes to the violence, it more than makes up for it with a well-executed narrative that takes some interesting twists and turns, gothic infused visuals, and a stellar leading performance by Klaus Kinski who effectively carries the entire production.

The Plot = When a wealthy businessman John Alexander (Klaus Kinski) unfaithful wife Helen (Margaret Lee) dies in a car crash, his perception of reality is thrown into doubt as he is led to believe that she might be still alive.

The direction by Italian filmmaker Riccardo Freda is extremely tight and can deliver the best elements of the screenplay in a manner that makes this Giallo effective with its subject matter without going into the sleazy elements of the story and does a great job of affecting the audience on a genuine level. The look and feel of the production are beautifully crafted and the score by Nora Orlandi further enhances the stunning visuals. However, there are a few bad aspects of this film such as the awful effects work at the beginning including an obvious toy car and the blatant use of stock footage which doesn't break your enjoyment of the film overall, but they do look jarring when compared to the rest of the film. Once these elements are out of the way the movie becomes a solid thriller with a compelling mystery that keeps you engaged right up until its final shocking climax.

The performances here are strong with Klaus Kinski delivering a restrained yet fantastic performance of a man on the brink of insanity and brings a lot of sympathy and humanity to such a flawed character. Margaret Lee gives an engaging performance in her limited screen time and her presence is felt throughout the runtime. Christiane Kruger gives a strong performance and has fun with her mysterious stranger role. Then finally Sydney Chaplin gives a memorable performance as Mr Brown and rounds off the cast nicely.

Overall 'Double Face' is a decent entry in the Giallo sub-genre and while it may not be the best that it has to offer its still a decent thriller flick and well worth a watch especially if you're a fan of Giallo's.

The film has something in common with "Blowup" (1966) directed by Michelangelo Antonioni but is much lower in all respects. The only thing of value is Klaus Kinski's performance. The son of the great Chaplin, Sydney Chaplin, was never a great actor. The other performers, Christiane Krüger, Günther Stoll, Annabella Incontrera, Barbara Nelli, they are just OK. Margaret Lee appears too little, she has just a small role. The whole film is predictable and boring. This is not the best film by Riccardo Freda. I think he was aware too of the "value" of his latest movies, that's why he signed with pseudonyms, Robert Hampton, George Lincoln or Willy Pareto.

Well-made, but ultimately underwhelming thriller with a lackluster finale. Klaus Kinski does his thing which is always a pleasure, but the film still feels like it drags a bit. I'd pass on this one.

This film was the first German-Italian collaboration as part of the West German Edgar Wallace series, which unfortunately didn't work out particularly well (yet). Long-winded plot, bad tricks and old-fashioned equipment fail to captivate. Even in West German cinemas, only 600,000 viewers (source: InsideKino) wanted to see the film.

The opulent cast is interesting: Klaus KINSKI (in an unusual role), Margaret LEE, Christiane KRÜGER (daughter of GOLDEN GLOBE nominee Hardy KRÜGER), Sydney CHAPLIN, Günther STOLL! The music by Nora ORLANDI, whose singing voice can also be heard, is beautiful.

Only recommended for die-hard Edgar Wallace fans!

This movie exceeded my expectations. As a big Kinski fan I was a little hesitant to check this one out after reading all the reviews describing the volatile leading mans performance as being more reserved than what we're used to. One of my greatest joys is watching Klaus tear it up on screen totally unhinged ,particularly with Herzog directing. But despite the cautious approach to the role of a wealthy industrialist grieving over the loss of his wife, Kinski still dominates every scene he's in. Is she dead? Or did she escape the fiery wreckage of the car accident? Klaus is determined to discover the truth after seeing what he believes is his wife in an X-rated film. But it cant be his wife because she was burned to a crisp... or so we were led to believe. Along with the top notch performances from everyone each scene is set up perfectly, the lighting gives everything an otherworldly "outside" kind of atmosphere. The mist, neon lights, classical architecture in each location make each scene memorable. A giallo to be sure, even if its not your typical slice and dice ala Deep Red. Double Face dips its toes more in atmosphere and mystery than bloodletting, this film is highly recommended to fans of the genre as well as Kinski fanatics. Think Vertigo meets 8mm. Definitely worth a watch!

Extremely versatile Italian director, Riccardo Freda's fearfully fascinating crime chiller contains all the dizzyingly convoluted plotting one would readily expect of an Edgar Wallace Krimi or perverse Black-Gloved Giallo. The more hysterical elements of both are to be found in this thrilling, terminally twisted tale of dapper businessman, John Alexander (Klaus Kinski) and his confoundingly brief, whirlwind romance with the voluptuous and eminently capricious sauce-pot, Helen Brown (Margaret Lee). Their marriage cooling, Helen's palpable disinterest slowly engendering a twitchily paranoid state in her increasingly anxious hubby, perfectly suited to the mercurial acting talents of leonine, bug-eyed barnstormer Klaus Kinski!

'Double Face' for all its innate absurdity proves no less delightfully eccentric than its preternaturally intense blue-eyed star! Delivering an atypically subdued performance, kinky Kinski exudes a repressed mania which makes his sporadically volatile, slap-happy John Alexander a darkly compelling character, and by far the most complex and engaging Giallo archetype in fear-master Freda's delirious, altogether duplicitous Giallo. The double-dealing dames, black-hatted villains, sinister Soho smut-makers, blissed out, bike riding beatniks are all woozily wrapped up in the smokey, fuzzy haze of, Nora Orlandi's persistently psychedelic, glamorously groovy score. Mirroring his fiendishly charismatic star, Maestro Riccardo Freda's serpentine, splendidly salacious 60s spine-tingler, while undeniably handsome to look at contains more than its fair share of illicit mystery!

Not, perhaps, strictly a giallo, this has enough of the ingredients, including someone seemingly being driven mad. Not a women, this time, either or should I say Carroll Baker, but a guy. And who is the most unlikely male star to be going around with fairly short hair and a hat struggling to be the good guy? Klaus Kinski is the man and what a performance against type, even in my dubbed version he is very convincing and helps drive this mystery along. The London scenes help, particularly with a lengthy psychedelic sequence with hippies, motorbikes and topless chicks. I had an idea all was not as it seemed about halfway through but was still happy to see this largely luxury mansion set unfold. Not directed with particularly style but the scenes are well enough arranged and there are enough good shots and moments to make this well worth watching. There is a very closely shot beating of Kinski that is most vivid.

Double Face might have the most fantastic room in all of giallo history, despite being an Italian-German production set in England. The gold curtains are shamelessly excessive and therefore absolutely superb.

I enjoyed the contrast between youthful swinging London with the seedy porn industry underground juxtaposed with a nightmarish level of privilege personified in a deeply deserving murder victim. Oh yes.

There are strains of Diabolique and adjacent giallo So Sweet, So Perverse the latter of which strangely emerged the same year as this unusual yet elegant flick. They're both solid but I like this one a little better despite the flaw of being in English.