Occhi di Cristallo

Dario Argento's 1987 giallo Opera holds a special place in my heart. It is my personal favourite film of the genre and can easily be said to be the last movie he made that fired from all of its proverbial cannons. Therefore, you can rest assured, when I say that Occhi di Cristallo (which translates, literally, as "Eyes of Crystal") is the finest giallo since Opera, that I am affording it a high pedigree indeed.

The giallo genre waxed and waned in the short space of a few years in the early 1970s - a sort of microcosm of the fate of its stable-mate, the Spaghetti Western, if you will. Output since around 1975 has been limited to say the least, with Argento serving as virtually the sole standard-bearer for the genre over the course of the last 30 years. Attempts to resurrect this very particular type of film have been, by and large, unsuccessful, and it has been claimed by some that the genre was so specific to the period of the early 70s that it could not hope to survive beyond such a limited timeframe. The aforementioned Opera, to my mind, is the only example of a giallo that successfully made the transition into a different period, harnessing the STD paranoia of the late 80s to play on the audiences darkest fears. Other attempts have seemed very much like fish out of water when deprived of the casual innocence and newfound liberalism that emerged from the 1960s, simply retreading old ground and offering nothing new. In many respects, Occhi di Cristallo could be said to be yet another such giallo, and yet it is handled with such skill that this does not seem to matter. Its subdued lighting and grungy urban settings are about as far from the psychedelic bourgeois sentiments of 70s gialli as possible, and yet for all intents and purposes this is very much a giallo in the classic sense of the word - a riveting murder mystery featuring a killer with a disturbing past and a decidedly Latin flair.


A serial killer is terrorizing the city, slaughtering with no mercy and no small amount of creativity. Hot on the trail is the hard-bitten Inspector Giacomo Amaldi (Luigi Lo Cascio), who quickly notices a pattern to the killings: each time, a different body part is removed and replaced with the equivalent part of a mannequin. The body count is increasing, however, and the killer's identity remains a mystery. Does the answer lie in the childhood memories of a cancer patient entering the final days of his life? And how does Amaldi's new girlfriend, the beautiful university student Giuditta (Lucia Jiménez), who is being terrorized by an anonymous prankster (the killer, or simply a red herring?), fit into the puzzle?

Puglielli sets the tone for the film as soon as the opening credits have finished rolling: brutal and nihilistic. The killer sneaks across a field, rifle in hand, and comes across an old man masturbating to a young couple having sex. Within seconds, all three of them are dead, the two men blown apart with his rifle and the woman beaten to a pulp. This is a killer who is calm, calculating and without mercy. His victims are carefully chosen and their murders carried out with expert precision. In an age dominated by limp, PG-13 rated slashers, it is a pleasure to see a film that doesn't flinch from depicting the full barbarity of murder (although it certainly doesn't wallow in the gore, or use it to titillate, either). The death scenes are superbly crafted and carry with them that sense of inevitability that nonetheless keeps you glued to the screen, hoping that the victim will somehow escape with their life, even though you know it's hopeless. Puglielli may lose marks taking the easy way out and never really allowing us to get to know his victims (with a couple of exceptions), but nonetheless he deserves a round of applause for making it so damned engaging.


What is perhaps most surprising about this film is the level to which its lead is developed. In a genre often panned for its cardboard cut-out characters, Amaldi is a genuinely intriguing individual: a hard-bitten detective haunted by his own personal failings. His dedication to his job has resulted in him being a lonely outsider with an explosive temper, and while the character is bordering on a stereotype, Luigi Lo Cascio's performance ensures that he comes across as sincere. Most giallo protagonists are fairly one-dimensional, but the script, and Lo Cascio's acting, ensure that Amaldi is more than that. One crucial scene, in which he breaks down in tears before Giuditta, showcases a level of subtlety in his performance virtually unheard of in the genre. As Giuditta, Spanish actress Lucia Jiménez also leaves a strong impression, and although her role is more or less that of the "damsel in distress", she makes it more than the sum of its parts by giving a solid, sympathetic performance.

In a stark contrast to Argento's last few films, Occhi di Cristallo's production values are impressive. Although the estimated budget, according to IMDB, was a mere €2,600,000 (only €600,000 more than The Card Player), its look is consistently impressive and incredibly professional, constantly playing with light and shadow - a far cry from the relative flatness of Argento's Non Ho Sonno. The special effects are also extremely impressive, particularly the various animatronic animals and gore shots; in fact, the film was nominated in the Best Visual Effects category for the 2005 David di Donatello Award (the Italian equivalent of the Oscars). Special mention must go to Francesc Gener's haunting score, which frequently combines a soprano voice with vaguely Celtic influences. It's unlike anything I have ever heard in a giallo before, and proves to be extremely effective.


That's not to say that the film is flawless, though. The script is riddled with clichés, from the familiar situation of lights just happening to short out when the killer's next victim is alone in a deserted building, right down to the identity of the villain himself, which becomes fairly evident early on. Furthermore, I wasn't particularly enamoured by Puglielli's habit of attempting to build tension by shaking the camera around like a lunatic. At least in the various action and stalk sequences this is somewhat justified, but when the same technique is used in a love scene it just seems absurd.

That said, Occhi di Cristallo is an engaging piece of work that is both well shot and acted. It's great to see another Italian director attempt a modern-day giallo, and to be honest, Puglielli's effort is actually a couple of steps above even the mighty Argento's recent output. To me, this proves that, contrary to popular belief, the genre is not dead at all and is simply in hibernation, waiting for a new visionary to lead it into the modern era. Judging by Occhi di Cristallo, Puglielli could be the man for the job.


DVD Presentation

The version reviewed here is the Italian Region 2 DVD by 01 Distribution, which, alas, does not offer any English audio or subtitle options. This may put off viewers who don't understand a word of Italian, but rest assured that the film remains extremely enjoyable despite the language barrier. It is largely visually driven, and although those without a grasp of the language will no doubt miss out on some of the finer subtleties of the plot, this should not hamper it significantly. That said, a UK release is scheduled for later in the year, under the newly-launched FrightFest label, so it is probably worth waiting for it to materialize.

The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is very good, albeit with a few caveats. It shows a reasonable amount of detail, with close-ups tending to fare extremely well, showing a pleasing amount of fine detail visible in the actors' faces, although wider shots tend to look a bit too soft. The bit rate is overall adequate, but on a handful of occasions some large patches of noticeable macro-blocking can be seen. Having said that, the black levels are extremely impressive, and the transfer has a nicely film-like appearance, without going overboard in the grain department.

The Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track excellent, showcasing the film's impressive sound design, with some nice split-channel effects, deep bass and crisp, clear dialogue. Much of the dialogue, incidentally, seems to have been post-dubbed (many of the actors are Spanish, not Italian, and almost all of the bit parts were played by Bulgarians), but a pretty good job has been done of it, and I must say I found it refreshing to watch a giallo that had been performed in Italian rather than with the actors miming English (although, oddly enough, the various books that appear throughout the film are all in English).


Extras

The bonus materials for this release are comprised of an Audio Commentary featuring Eros Puglielli and Luigi Lo Cascio, and the highly evocative Trailer. I'm afraid that my Italian isn't up to fully comprehending the commentary, but from what I could make out of it, it was a dry but relatively informative track, without too many gaps of silence. Hopefully this track will make it, subtitled, on to the upcoming UK release.


Overall

Despite the DVD being in Italian without any English subtitles, I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this film. It's great to see an Italian director other than Dario Argento attempting a modern-day giallo, and pulling it off with such panache. In short, I heartily recommend Occhi di Cristallo, although with a subtitled UK release just around the corner, it's probably worth waiting for it unless you're absolutely desperate to see the film immediately.