The Girl Who Knew Too Much, a review by Jon
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963)
5 out of 5
Achim already mentioned it, but I was still surprised by this, an accomplished suspense thriller in the Hitchcockian tradition after two hefty doses of gothic horror. Bava has several gears and uses them with verve and skill so this is no copycat film, but quite brilliant in its own right. It feels like an important film that has dated very well. I thought Bava was a little behind the curve releasing a traditional horror like Black Sunday in the same year as Psycho, but here he is right at the front.
Like any good Hitchcock, the story delights in piling up the pressure on the heroine; paranoia as soon as she gets off the plane in Rome, quickly bereaved, mugged and then witnesses a murder, all within the first half-hour or so and leaving her a suspected neurotic! It sounds too absurd and too fast, and when you think about it for too long, horribly contrived, but it never feels like that. Instead it feels like great fun and an exercise in superlative suspense. The early moment with the cigarette packet is a stand-out, there are more than a couple of decent shocks and you’ll gnaw your finger nails right down when the locked door finally opens. He seems to love the idea of a threatening telephone, brilliantly using very similar scenes to the first part of Black Sabbath. It has wonderful, sophisticated photography throughout and is a big improvement on the earlier entries in this set, especially the old lady’s demise and the steps that are deeply threatening at night, but so innocent in day. Bava handles the wide-open spaces as well as when he suffocates his cast.
I can’t help feeling that Suspiria took much of its lead from this film, with a loosely similar plot and sets. The photography as an intruder peers through the windows is a very similar set-up to what Argento would use later and both feature an American tourist investigating old murders, the answer to which lies behind a locked door... Of course, it goes in a very different direction. No witches or supernatural gore here! And that’s what surprises most, that this is so restrained yet still rich.
The central couple of Leticia Roman and John Saxon are excellent. The film rests comfortably on her shoulders, while he gives the story flashes of humour. The gag with his broken finger is put to good use throughout. I know what Achim means by trying too hard, but I think it's more enthusiasm!
As it had been mentioned before, I was wary of the voiceover and it does sometimes jar, but at the same time, it’s a lovely conceit, fitting her actions in with a typical murder mystery novel that she loves so much. It’s a well executed quirk that gives the plot an edge of parody and character; Saxon said in an interview that although this was Giallo and possibly the first, it is also poking a bit of fun at a well established plot. As Jimmy says, Giallo would become something more brutal, but I think this has an innocence that stands up very well. Too well possibly as you may find it predictable, but it doesn’t take anything away and is so slick as to reward repeat viewings.
Although this does owe a huge debt to Hitchcock, it’s worth pointing out that he never pulled off a traditional murder mystery as assured as this and Bava has enough of his own tricks and very distinctive style to stand apart. Possibly wraps up the inevitable romance better as well, with a nice gag around the cigarettes that started it all.
Any fan of thrillers, especially Hitchcock’s, would enjoy this and find a route deep into Italian cinema by following it with Suspiria.
(From Mario Bava marathon on June 30th, 2009)
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May 17, 2024, 09:10:36 AM
