Four Flies on Grey Velvet

Is this film the lost classic that people have been harping on about? Well, that's all subjective I guess. I do like my gialli cheesy and groovy, and this film certainly has that – although it does feel slightly lacking in the 'investigative' side of things. Never mind though, as Argento goes for crazy imagery and comes up trumps in that respect.

A drummer for a prog-rock band finds himself being followed by a mysterious figure for an entire day. Losing his rag, he turns pursuer and ends up chasing the guy into a disused theatre, where he ends up stabbing the guy in a brief struggle. That's bad enough, but the person wearing the creepy mask and taking photos during the struggle is going to cause our guy all sorts of problems, as pictures start turning up in our hero's home, and someone is stalking around his house at night.

Who did our man kill? How does the cleaner know who the blackmailer is? And who keeps having flashbacks to an abusive father? A private investigator steps in to help, but I'm saying nothing more, except to say the bodies start piling up before our drummer can discover who's really behind the killings, and nothing is as it seems.

Like Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat O' Nine Tails, this early Argento giallo has a healthy dose of humour thrown to the proceedings, what with legend Bud Spencer playing God(frey), a tramp who helps out our drummer guy, a postman who keeps being berated and beaten, and the ultra-camp performance of the PI (a recurring theme in Argento's early films). The crazy visuals are brilliant throughout, and although I wouldn't say it's an outright classic (like Cat O Nine Tails, there's a lot of messing around), it's still a really good giallo.

Also like Cat O Nine Tails, there's a fairly dodgy scientific explanation for things that some people may find a bit hard to swallow, and instead of the killer being discovered through an earlier clue, they're kind of stumbled upon instead (and quite easy to guess). However, you've got to check it out.

Deluxe giallo from writer-director Dario Argento, with a presentation so stylish it threatens to overwhelm the plot. Dedicated husband and drummer for a rock band angrily confronts a mysterious man who's been following him; they scuffle and the stranger ends up stabbed with his own knife. No one is around to help the shaken musician, but there is one witness: a person in costume with a camera. This isn't a blackmailer--they don't want money--but the musician is quickly taunted with photos and notes...and soon, the people closest to him start dropping like flies. Argento shows an uncanny grasp of character here, and his roster of victims and suspects is delicious (there's also a scripture-quoting con-man who acts as a lookout, a terrified postman afraid of delivering the mail and a gay gumshoe hired by the protagonist who hasn't solved one case in his last 87!). Argento is a cinematic madman; his screenplay might not hold up under close scrutiny, but it's hard to nitpick with the small details when the end results are this tantalizing. *** from ****

A musician (Michael Brandon) is stalked by an unknown killer who's blackmailing him for an accidental killing of another stalker. But is everything what it appears to be?

The film opens with a great shot of drums from overhead and a beating heart, knowing that Argento is in the middle of his most stylistic period. Even the man with white gloves and disturbingly childish mask taking photographs is classic Argento.

I liked the concept of the images burned on to the retina, and I enjoyed the humor of having a character named "God" and the "Hallelujah" chorus. This being the last Ennio Morricone score in an Argento film was not lost on me, as the musical style shifted greatly after this one. (Not necessarily in a bad way -- Goblin and Simonetti are incredible.)

I was surprised to see homosexuality being so openly discussed in a film from this year. Maybe in Italy it was more acceptable than in America? Either way, an interesting addition.

The drummer of a rock and roll band Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) sees a man wearing sunglasses stalking him everywhere. He follows the man to a derelict opera house and when he confronts the stranger, he pulls a knife. However Roberto accidentally stabs him in self-defense and the man falls from the stage to the floor. Out of the blue, a spotlight is turned on and Roberto is photographed in the crime scene by a masked person on a theater box. Roberto leaves the place and returns home. On the next morning, he reads the newspaper the news about a stranger called Carlo Marosi that was murdered. During the night, Roberto and his wife Nina (Mimsy Farmer) welcome friends and Roberto finds a photo of the previous night entwined with his vinyls. He tells the truth to Nina and their maid Amelia (Maria Fabbri) overhears the story. While Robeto meets his friend Godfrey (Bud Spencer) to ask for help, Amelia schedules an encounter in the park with someone to blackmail with the photos she had found in the apartment; however Amelia is murdered in the park Meanwhile Nina's cousin Dalia (Francine Racette) arrives to stay with Nina. But soon Carlo Marosi appears eating at a restaurant and calling someone to meet him. What has happened in the opera house?

"4 mosche di velluto grigio" is a flawed film with am intriguing title. The atmosphere is suffocating most of the time; the camera work uses unusual angles and positions; the cast has good performance. But the plot point with the identity of the killer is weak and quite senseless. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Quatro Moscas Sobre Veludo Cinza" ("Four Flies on Grey Velvet")

"Four Flies On Grey Velvet" is surely an odd, truly bizarre film, even by Dario Argento standards. In my opinion however, it most definitely is not a bad film, much less one of Argento's worst. Much of what is said about the film, by critics and fans alike, seems (to me) to wrongly condemn it. I definitely can understand why one might be frustrated by this film, but I don't believe that's a reason to reject it completely. Some may feel the acting and/or story isn't all that good. I would respectfully disagree. I feel the acting is strange and aloof, but I believe that it works in favor of the film; and the story is confusing, but that is typical for an Argento film, and as a viewer, I appreciate not being handed all of the answers on a platter. Perhaps what repels many viewers is consistently being displaced espacially within the film context; that is to say one (the viewer and/or the characters) doesn't necessarily always know where one is within the "reality" of the film or how one got there. Here, in what is perhaps Argento's most abstract film to date, the director makes some very bold, disarming choices with editing; choices I believe serve a greater purpose and add chillingly to the effectiveness of the film. For instance, the sequence in which the protagonist (Michael Brandon) is driving to the office of a private investigator. Shots of him driving in his car to the office are quickly intercut with gliding POV shots approaching the office building, going up the stairs, nearing the office door. The effect is that of feeling as if he is literally driving up the stairs and down the hallway to the office door, creating a tense and strangely humorous sequence of events. This editing technique, prevalent throughout the film, is surely a forceful presence and I suppose could turn off some viewers. Regardless of the editing, the atmosphere and visual punch of the film is pure Argento, albeit an Argento who was still developing his technique and discovering his style. There are many beautiful and stunning visuals to be appreciated, including the violent, shocking ending sequence and a very creepy chase scene in an otherworldly city park. My favorite visual flourish in this film is the reoccuring nightmare had by the protagonist, in which a Middle Eastern execution is taking place in a bleached out desert dreamscape; thoroughly chilling. A frantic, highly enjoyable score from the master Ennio Morricone adds greatly to the proceedings as well. I really like this film, despite whatever flaws it may have, and have but one question for anyone who thinks "Four Flies On Grey Velvet" is (one of) Argento's worst... "Have you seen "The Five Days Of Milan" or his "Phantom of The Opera"?

Definitely not for everyone's tastes, but a certain must for any Argento fan, Euro-horror fan, or anyone who just really wants to be daring and see something totally different.