John Houseman called director George Marshall, "one of the old maestros of Hollywood ... he had never become one of the giants but he held a solid and honorable position in the industry." He started as an extra and made his first short in 1915 with And the Best Man Won. His career was nearly six decades long and he worked the whole way to an episode of The Odd Couple in 1972, as well as acting in episodes of Police Woman and the Playboy movie The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder. Some of the more recognizable movies in his career include The Ghost Breakers, Papa's Delicate Condition, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! And The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz.
Marshall is obviously not an Italian director, but L'Intrigo (AKA Dark Purpose) - co-directed by Vittorio Sala - feels like a giallo.
Art historian Raymond Fontaine (George Sanders) and his assistant Karen Williams (yes, that's Sandy Jones in a giallo) have been brought to Italy by gallery owner Monique (Micheline Presle) to appraise the collection of Count Paolo Barbarelli (Rossano Brazzi). What they don't know is that the count also has a deranged daughter named Cora (Giorgia Moll) who just might be dangerous to be around. Blame the skiing accident she just had for making her an amnesiac and quite angry that her daddy has found a new American love interest. Good thing - or bad for Karen - that she has a dog who can't wait to eat a young lady.
Thanks to Suburban Pagans, I learned that costume designer Tina Grani (Blood and Black Lace) worked on this movie, which makes sense, as Jones is constantly the most fashionable young American in Rome. Cora also claims to be Count Paolo's wife, and not his daughter, then she finds her way to the bottom of a cliff. That's because Paolo caused her skiing accident and has felt guilt ever since, so he was killing her slowly. Once he met a new and interesting - and outspoken - new love, he got rid of the old one. She's half his age and he has all the money, so men have never changed. They just get a new model every few years. Not as many outright kill the ex-wife.
This is a giallo as much as The Girl Who Knew Too Much is. By that, I mean that the genre had not found its strangeness yet and was still inspired by Hitchcock. It's a good movie, but don't go in expecting neon, black gloves and psychosexual murder.
Marshall is obviously not an Italian director, but L'Intrigo (AKA Dark Purpose) - co-directed by Vittorio Sala - feels like a giallo.
Art historian Raymond Fontaine (George Sanders) and his assistant Karen Williams (yes, that's Sandy Jones in a giallo) have been brought to Italy by gallery owner Monique (Micheline Presle) to appraise the collection of Count Paolo Barbarelli (Rossano Brazzi). What they don't know is that the count also has a deranged daughter named Cora (Giorgia Moll) who just might be dangerous to be around. Blame the skiing accident she just had for making her an amnesiac and quite angry that her daddy has found a new American love interest. Good thing - or bad for Karen - that she has a dog who can't wait to eat a young lady.
Thanks to Suburban Pagans, I learned that costume designer Tina Grani (Blood and Black Lace) worked on this movie, which makes sense, as Jones is constantly the most fashionable young American in Rome. Cora also claims to be Count Paolo's wife, and not his daughter, then she finds her way to the bottom of a cliff. That's because Paolo caused her skiing accident and has felt guilt ever since, so he was killing her slowly. Once he met a new and interesting - and outspoken - new love, he got rid of the old one. She's half his age and he has all the money, so men have never changed. They just get a new model every few years. Not as many outright kill the ex-wife.
This is a giallo as much as The Girl Who Knew Too Much is. By that, I mean that the genre had not found its strangeness yet and was still inspired by Hitchcock. It's a good movie, but don't go in expecting neon, black gloves and psychosexual murder.