Review

For those interested in the Italian giallo genre, Blue Underground has just made available several exciting features from the genre. The Fifth Cord stands out amongst these (the others being Black Belly of the Tarantula, Pyjama Girl Case and The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion) for the absolutely superb camera work from one of the best, Vittorio Storare (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Conformist, Apocalypse Now, The Last Emperor, and many more fine looking films). As giallo fans are most certainly accustomed to, the plot is nothing to be impressed by in this tale. An alcoholic detective (Franco Nero) investigates the murders of several acquaintances that were all present at a party he went to, and as he gets closer (well really, not so much closer as simply more involved in the case) the usual phone threats start coming in. Eventually he is put in direct danger in order to unmask the killer, then some detectives explain who the killer was and why they killed.

If you’re bothering to read a review of The Fifth Cord, you also know that the giallo’s strength is rarely the plot, it is usually the style, which is provided in spades! Could Italy possibly have looked any more interesting in the 1970s? Judging from the The Fifth Cord, it's doubtful. The wallpaper, the sunglasses, the architecture: they all rule! And Storare shoots all these things to maximum effect. The settings are gorgeous in this movie: each character’s house, the dark tunnels people foolishly opt to pass through, the creepy atmospheric close-ups of children’s toys, and the seven different spiral staircases featured through out the movie. You can certainly chalk up seven marks in the “correct” column for each of those stunning staircases. Since the plot is so minimal, all the filmmakers’ attention seems to have been put into making every shot as striking as possible. Likewise, you won’t possibly be distracted from the sights by thoughts about who the killer is and what their motive might be. The Fifth Cord is entirely style over substance. This makes it all the easier to appreciate Storare’s camera-work. In addition you also get a nice score from Ennio Morricone, who never fails to impress. The disc also includes some good interviews of Vittorio Storare and Franco Nero. Storare’s in particular is interesting for his discussion of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage which he had shot for Dario Argento about a year before this one.

All in all, The Fifth Cord’s cinematography is some of the best the giallo genre has to offer. The music is good, the actors are fun to watch, but the story is pretty thin. Watch this if you want a feast for the eyes, not a gripping mystery that will keep you guessing.

 -- The Gomez