Passi di danza su una lama di rasoio (1973)

(AKA Death Carries a Cane) This giallo was seemingly released all over the world with a potpourri of titles (Devil Blade, Tormentor, Dance Steps on a Razor Blade, etc.), but never a proper release in the UK or US, until the DVD came along.

CHARACTERS

Kitty (Nieves Navarro), a photographer

Alberto Morosini (Robert Hoffmann), Kitty's boyfriend

Marco (Simón Andreu), a musician and stage director

Lidia Arrighi (Anuska Borova), Marco's wife

Silvia Arrighi (Anuska Borova), Lidia's twin sister

Inspector Merughi (George Martin)

Magda Hopkins (Cristina Tamborra), a famous dancer

Richard (Luciano Rossi), Silvia's boyfriend

Nina Ferretti (Rosita Torosh)

RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10

REVIEW: You can't fault this film for a shitty conclusion as that is par for the course in this genre. This film delivers pretty much everything you could ask for in a giallo; it might've been helped by being a bit sleazier, and it does lack the artistic flair of a Bava or Argento classic, but that's a pretty high standard. I will say, this was markedly better than Maurizio Pradeaux's other giallo, Death Steps in the Dark (1977), which is my least favorite giallo of all time.

SYNOPSIS

Kitty (Nieves Navarro), a photographer, uses a telescope in the park. She witnesses the murder of a ballerina named Martinez by a killer in black. She tells her boyfriend about it. But her boyfriend Alberto Morosini (Robert Hoffmann) is a bit suspicious himself. The couple brings their weird artistic photographs to Marco (Simón Andreu), a musician and stage director. We meet Marco's super hot wife, Lidia Arrighi (Anuska Borova). Lidia is a newspaper editor. Marco is unable to perform in bed.

The Martinez murder makes headlines at Lidia's paper. Kitty is creepily photographed while she sleeps by Alberto. Inspector Merughi (George Martin) is on the case; speaking with Kitty, the witness, and Alberto who he considers a suspect since he was seen with Martinez. Kitty is plagued with suspicion and worry and decides to leave Alberto. But Alberto lures her back. Lidia has a twin sister, Silvia Arrighi (Anuska Borova) who is getting her shoes repaired. Silvia's boyfriend Richard (Luciano Rossi) is a quiet weird dude.

Marco's new production features famous dancer, Magda Hopkins (Cristina Tamborra). Back at Magda's home, we see a killer in black is lurking under her bed. The black-gloved killer murders Magda with a cane - his/her signature weapon. We also see the killer take out a chestnut vendor (?) who was an innocent witness. We find that Silvia hates dancers. Could she be the killer? At this point the suspects have piled up. Who could it be? (1) Richard, Silvia's creepy boyfriend, (2) Silvia who hates dancers (both Martinez and Magda were dancers), (3) Alberto who likes to take macabre pictures and was seen with Martinez, (4) Marco, a frustrated impotent, or (5) Lidia who seems to be the straight-laced resentful sister.

Lidia tries to get a rise out of Marco. The black-gloved killer cuts a picture out of the newspaper, featuring a distinctive purse of a witness. Kitty dresses up as a prostitute carrying the distinctive purse in order to attract the killer, while the inspector and Alberto stand watch nearby. But it leads only to a false alarm. Lidia and Marco await the arrival of a murder witness who will tell her story for the newspaper. The witness, Nina Ferretti (Rosita Torosh), arrives and is horrified by a certain photograph. Marco, Lidia, Silvia, and Richard. One of them frightens Nina and she runs away. Nina is subsequently killed with a cane.

Kitty poses as a model for Alberto. Uh-oh. We find that Silvia makes use of a cane! Alberto and Kitty team up with a girl from a dance academy (which seemingly links the murder victims). Shit hits the fan, but it's all a bit too dark to really discern. In the end, the inspector shoots the murderer who turns out to be Marco. Why? What was his motive? It's barely comprehensible and makes zero sense. I've watched a million giallos and I'm still amazed at how the final reveal never adds up. I'm stuck in the mindset that these are mysteries which we can potentially solve by putting the clues together. Silly me.