Four Flies On Grey Velvet

I've been on a bit of an Argento kick lately which has kind been coming on since I was first introduced to Deep Red at university. I'd heard that Four Flies hadn't faired well critically when it was originally released and I presume this is why it's taken so long to have been given a proper international release.

I can see why it might not have done so well at the cinema, the film can be strange and very dreamlike, but that's not always a bad thing. It's also a very solid thriller and the dreamlike sequences and editing provide a distinct sense of confusion and paranoia - emotions which haunt the main character for the duration of the film.

Four Flies feels very gothic to me - something that Argento's later films (such as Deep Red or Phenomena) seem to move away from. It also contains one of the most haunting and chilling endings I've ever seen in a horror film. Almost as haunting as Let the Right One In. And although one of the things I love most about Argento's films are his endings, this one tops the lot (of the ones I've seen so far).

This is Argento exploring the nightmarish world of a man driven to madness through murder and blackmail. And that nightmare is very vividly portrayed.

If you're interested in introducing yourself to Dario Argento I'd be more likely to recommend Deep Red or Tenebrae than this. But if you're just curious as to wether Four Flies is worth a watch I wouldn't hesitate to say yes.

Starts off intriguing with homage to caught with knife in hand scene in North by Northwest. After it gets silly and inconsequential. Atmospherics and menace fade quickly and it end up like episode of soap. Watch Suspiria and find out why Argento rocks.

This early Argento movie is a pretty mixed bag as usual, some terrible acting counterpointed with some serious brilliant scenes. The unexplained execution dream is a particularly interesting sequence as is the final reveal!

My first Giallo and it won't be my last. A good solid thriller and looks great on blu ray. I am looking forward to watching more of Dario Argento's work.

Having only previously seen FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET in a fuzzy, washed-out, badly framed bootleg, I was looking forward to seeing the restored version of Argento's 'lost film'.

The clean up job is superb. The picture looked absolutely stunning and the sound (bar a couple of glitches) was similarly excellent.

The film, however, is far from a classic. Maybe Argento set his bar too high with debut, but this, along with CAT O NINE TAILS, seem very weak beer in comparison to BIRD WITH CRYSTAL PLUMAGE and, his next giallo, DEEP RED.

Michael Brandon is a drummer in an awful jazz/funk band (who's sound is so 'out there' no one's going to notice how bad they are) who accidentally kills a man who he thinks is following him, and is then pyshcologically blackmailed by a witness who photographed the crime whilst wearing a truly unnerving plastic mask.

Obviously, this being an Argento giallo there's much more to it than just that, and he layers on the subtext, wild imagery and enough red herrings to start a sardine factory.

There is stuff to like here, but it's also a bit of a disappointment, for various reasons.

The cast is pretty poor as a whole. Brandon (still best known in the UK as the testosterone-fuelled, fish-out-of-water, 'bloody Yank' cop in DEMPSEY AND MAKEPEACE, is a very bland hero. He always looks to be on the verge of tears, never convinces as a drummer, and ultimately does nothing to solve the mystery.

Mimsy Farmer is equally wooden as his wife.

On the flipside Jean-Pierre Marielle overacts wildly as a gay private detective that Brandon hires.

I couldn't escape the feeling that Argento was never confident in his own script. It's never as neat (or convoluted, depending on your taste) as the best gialli, and simply shuffles from one set piece to the next.

The first 30 minutes are a wild mash of directorial florishes, and clever ideas, with Argento chucking everything at the screen (including a POV shot from inside a guitar!), but then he seems to lose interest and it just settles down into a fairly standard murder mystery. There is, however, a wonderful nod to THE BIRDS, later on, where someone who wants to blackmail the blackmailer sits in a park, which creepily empties as a twee tune plays in the background.

Giallo (and Argento) fans will clearly get something out of it. It's not a complete duff, but it's one of Argento's lesser works from the 70s.