Within
the “giallo” genre there are a number of variations you will find to the main
plot. Traditionally, and the most well
known “gialli”, are the ones with the black gloved killer stalking and
murdering beautiful women, but less known are the more psychedelic and psychological
ones which usually consist of the main character having some sort of mental
breakdown (which is very often sexual based) with thriller elements added to
it. This sort of “giallo” seem to go
hand in hand with a crazy and inventive visual style, as well as some bizarre
sexual imagery. “A Quiet Place In The
Country” is a “giallo” that definitely falls into this latter category.
The film
opens with an extended dream sequence that is full of psychedelic imagery based
around a fear of bondage or of being dominated, as well as not being in
control. When our main character,
Leonardo, finally awakens and the film starts in earnest, we learn that he is a
famous painter who is struggling to find inspiration to create a new work of
art. With a gallery showing of his new
work coming up rather soon, Leonardo’s manager, Flavia, attempts to book him
into a nice quiet villa perfect for an artist to concentrate on work and not be
bothered by the complications of life.
However Leonardo finds himself drawn to another place entirely; a large,
beaten down mansion that hasn’t been occupied since the war. He becomes obsessed with the place and feels
compelled to work there. However after
moving into the place, Leonardo finds it incredibly hard to focus or sleep as
strange, unexplained things start happening in the house. After investigating, Leonardo finds out that
the house was the location of a sad murder of a girl during the war. Armed with this information, Leonardo becomes
convinced that this girl’s ghost is haunting the mansion, as well as
himself. Is there any truth to Leonardo’s
belief or is the combination of insomnia, fear and stress causing his mind to
crack?
While
there is no doubt that when it comes to “giallo” films, my personal preference
is the black gloved killer variety, but I usually get something out of the psychological
ones too. Sadly, I did not enjoy “A
Quiet Place In The Country” at all. I
thought that the film’s set-up was actually pretty great and could have lead
down a number of interesting paths: an artist without inspiration, slowly
losing his mind whilst investigating the truth about a murder; it sounds great,
but unfortunately it is handled so badly that the film never impresses.
The first
problem with “A Quiet Place In The Country” is its uneven tone throughout. It is though director Elio Petri wasn’t
really sure what he wanted to do with the material or what type of film he was
making. The film does have scenes of
genuine suspense, and yet it never commits to being a serious thriller. Rather it adds moments of broad comedy to the
mix which seem so out of place with the rest of the picture and also totally
undercuts any of the suspense that has been created. Speaking of out of place, do not get me
started with the ridiculous S&M dream sequence that opens the film. The entire scene is pointless and preposterous
(did I mention that Leonardo is wearing a diaper in the scene), and the sole reason
for its inclusion it seems is to titillate the audience, which it also fails to
do.
The star
of “A Quiet Place In The Country” is Franco Nero who, at times, can be an actor
of quite talent but here as Leonardo, he gives his most idiotic performance
yet. He is beyond bad and never once
convinces in the role. Not for a second
do you believe this man could actually be an artist, nor is he believable as
someone who is scared that he may be losing his mind or that he may be in
serious danger. And seriously, what the
hell were those scenes about with him dancing through the fields with that
goofy grin on his face. Vanessa
Redgrave, who plays Flavia, fares a lot better than her co-star but sadly her
role is barely a glorified cameo. Her
screen time is short and she has little to do in the film, but truthfully when
she was on screen, the movie always picked up and became more interesting.
What is
interesting about the film is its attitude towards sexism or sexist behavior which
seemed to fit with the times when “A Quiet Place In The Country” was made. Leonardo regularly and repeatedly fondles
strangers (or anyone really) on their breasts or butt for no other reason than
because he feels he can. Amazingly none
of the girls suffering from this abuse ever complain or slap the guy; they just
accept it like it is normal behavior.
There is just no way that that would fly today either in reality or in
cinema but the way it is presented here so nonchalantly, you assume it was the
norm back in 1968 (which was when the film was made).
Usually
when a “giallo” fails to engage through its storyline, you can always fall back
on its visuals which are normally quite inventive, as well as its score which
very often were quite memorable. When
the credits started at the beginning of “A Quiet Place In The Country” and the
name Ennio Morricone hit the screen, I will admit that I got a little excited
because the man is a genius and some of his greatest scores have come from the “gialli”
he has done. However his score for “A
Quiet Place In The Country” would have to be the least memorable I have heard
from him. It did nothing for me at all
and it just did not stick in my head.
Sadly Luigi Kuveiller’s flat and lifeless cinematography also failed to
impress.
Overall
I found “A Quiet Place In The Country” to be a lackluster affair and a poor
choice for MIFF to showcase the merits of the “giallo” genre. While it is not the worst “giallo” I have
ever seen, it did not rate very highly thanks to an inconsistent tone and a
ridiculous performance from leading man Franco Nero.
2 Stars.
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