Several of the films I took detailed notes while watching. Others regrettably not and I’ll include here just for completeness.
All the Colors of the Dark (1972)
[ IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia ]
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
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The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972)
[ IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia ]
Dir. Anthony Ascot, Edwige Fenech and George Hilton
This had the whodunnit mystery of the others with a moderately twisty end. Still, the opening and closing scenes have an elliptical symbolism that I haven’t quite figured out yet. (Trivia: it was produced by Sergio’s brother Luciano. More trivia: Luciano was married to Edwige Fenech.)
It opens with a payphone call before the credits (closing similarly). Early on we are introduced to the playboy world of the architect Andrea (George Hilton) and his colorfully and exaggeratedly effeminate photographer brother Arthur (Orsete Lionello) during a photo shoot of topless, body-painted women in an ad for … uhhh, not sure. Jennifer (Edwige Fenech) will appear later to pose for the flamboyant Arthur, putting him in an absolute tizzy *hands swish* because she believes she see Adam–her sex-cult leader ex-husband–lurking in the studio. Flashbacks show the cult uses the iris as a symbol of women submitting to many men (however could these films get accused of misogyny?).
I swear I’m starting to see the same minimalist paintings in various swank apartments in these films. Maybe Frank Stella?
Mizar is drowned in her bathtub (!) and Edwige and Paola move into her apt. Colorful neighbors are: elderly religious lady who buys murder mystery magazines for her possibly-mentally-deficient son, Sheila who sends a suspicious love letter to Jennifer, and Sheila’s aging father who plays violin. So many suspects and McGuffins.
An entertaining and light addition to the cast is a philatelist police commissioner Enci, who is working on the case, and his hapless assistant commissioner Renzi, who is assigned to follow Andrea. The audience watches via Renzi’s efforts, Jennifer and Andrea fall in love, but the moment Andrea is caught in a compromising position by a crowd of witnesses–he is approached in the middle of a busy street by Marilyn as she’s dying from stab wounds–Renzi is busy on a lunch break in his car. Andrea is on the run.
The end game (remember all of those neighbors?) brings philatelist Renzi, Enci, Edwige, Andrea (of course) and The Killer all in the mayhem of their stylish stylish apartment building.