The Perfume of the Lady in Black

"Beautiful" and "stylish" are naturally two words that automatically come to mind when describing this odd, dreamy, haunting movie. It's definitely not the typical "giallo", as it's not so much about being a murder mystery as it is being a character profile and a "Repulsion" style story of one young woman's mental decline. Lovely Mimsy Farmer is the woman in question, Silvia Hacherman, a chemist with an unhappy past who begins to see things that she can't make sense of. She doesn't know if she can even trust the people who are part of her life, from her would-be boyfriend Roberto (Maurizio Bonuglia) to another friend, Andy (Jho Jhenkins) to her subtly creepy neighbour Mr. Rossetti (Mario Scaccia). Just who is the strange Woman in Black that Silvia sees in her mirror? Or the equally off putting little girl (Lara Wendel) who insists on being part of her life? Right from the start, "The Perfume of the Lady in Black" promises to be an interesting trip, accompanied by a wonderful music score composed by Nicola Piovani. The look of the movie always helps, also, in insuring that one wants to keep watching even though there are parts of the story that drag. Those viewers expecting more traditional thrills will have to wait until the very end for some juicy bits of gore (that actually seem out of place amidst the low key nature of the rest of the movie). Co- writer / director Francesco Barilli (who wrote the movie with Massimo D'Avak, whose credits include "Who Saw Her Die?" and "The Man from the Deep River") keeps us, along with his main character, off balance with his deft balancing of real and fantastical elements. By the time that his movie is over, it may well have provoked more questions than provided answers, but I agree with others that by this very nature this becomes a highly intriguing if not entirely successful psychological thriller, made at a time when that phrase hadn't yet been introduced into the lexicon. It certainly leaves the viewer to think about what they've seen afterwards. It's good material that is worth a look for adventurous fans of Italian cinema. Seven out of 10.

This odd piece is often touted as a giallo movie but there's no police investigation, no unknown black glove wearing killer. Instead it's a tale of a beautiful young paranoid woman (played well by Mimsy Farmer) who starts to hallucinate & people around her start to die. Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion spring to mind. As is typical of Italian movies of this time it's brutal, looks beautiful and comes with a great soundtrack. This film is notorious for having an ending that is as bizarre as it is gruesome. I'm not going to give anything away, other than perhaps it's one of those films where it's left to the viewer to make up his/her own mind what it's all about. I'll certainly be watching this again.

Upon first viewing, I did not know what to make of this movie. It is certainly interesting, but non-linear and difficult to understand. "What is going on?" I thought. A second viewing made it clear to me: this really is a near-masterpiece of giallo/thriller-cinema! From the haunting melody during the titles until the totally surprising and shocking ending, you will be mesmerized, confounded and thrilled. Mimsy Farmer walks around in semi-interested fashion for most of the time, but that is very much in tune with the whole story. A highly effective performance. The other castmembers are adequate, nothing more. Beautifully and imaginatively directed by Barilli who holds you attention even during scenes that could easily have been boring in their complete uneventfulness. And most scenes are accompanied by one of the most effective scores in a giallo ever heard. Properly marketed and aimed at the right audience, this film could be a future cultfavorite. A must-see for the adventurous moviegoer!

Sylvia (Mimsy Farmer), an industrial scientist, is troubled by strange hallucinations related to the tragic suicide of her mother.

After the success of "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), the Italian horror world began to embrace Satanic and occult stories. This is one of them. Director Francesco Barilli took a cue from early Argento and made a giallo with some dark undertones. He previously wrote a script for Umberto Lenzi, but had not directed a feature himself.

The cast may not be well-known outside of Italy, but have appeared in Lenzi, Argento and D'Amato films. One even appeared in the notorious "Salo", and a few starred alongside Daria Nicolodi in a picture. So there is plenty of connection here.

This film is beautifully shot with excellent color and better than average acting. It deserves more recognition than it gets. Wikipedia and IMDb are relatively silent on the film's creation, and even Italian horror historian Luca Palmerini has little more than a sentence to say about it in his book...

"Il profumo della signora in nero", a.k.a. "The Perfume of the Lady in Black", is a weird and confused Italian horror cult-movie with the gorgeous Mimsy Farmer in the lead role and great performance. The plot is visibly inspired in Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" (1965) and "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), with a bizarre and gruesome conclusion. The production has quality above the average films made in Italy in the 70's. However, it is recommended only for very specific audiences. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "O Perfume da Senhora de Negro" ("The Perfume of the Lady in Black")