OPERA - Dario Argento (1987)

 This week's classical Mercredi feature is another monsterpiece from the Maestro Dario Argento!

"Opera," what a great simplistic one word title!

But this is a Dario Argento film, and in Dario's world, nothing is even remotely close to simplistic!

I'm just gonna come right out and say it, this is not one of my favorites of Argento's films, because many scenes are quite disturbing, and horribly violent, and yet you keep on watching, because Argento's movies can be as hypnotizing as they are repulsive!

I found the star, Cristina Marsillach's performance to be completely stiff, even though she wasn't dead, just as I suspect Argento must have wanted it, or maybe it's just because she's a Libra!

Dungeon fave and Dario Argento's main squeeze, Daria Nicolodi is in there of course!

I'm sure this one shot cost more than one whole movie we made!

Blame it all on the curse of Lady Macbeth!

I really could have got along without about twenty minutes of slicing and slashing!

The music in "Opera" is really interesting, and was not what I expected at all!

It bounces back and forth between real opera and metal madness by Steel Grave and Norden Light!

Some of the music is by Brian and Roger Eno, and......

......Some of it is by Bill Wyman and Terry Taylor!

You can find the soundtrack to "Opera" on vinyl or cd on Discogs for a mere pittance!

It's Argento's eye for shots like this that keep me coming back!

To make sure you can't close your eyes to the horror in front of you!

Steel Grave - "Just Push The Play Buton"

I should have counted how many different types of horror are!

The rest of the soundtrack was created by Maestro Claudio Simonetti!

As a last resort, sometimes shooting motherfuckers is the only option you have!

But when that doesn't work!

Well, here we go again!

Lo and Behold, Look what I just found on YouTube, so if you so desire, you can come to your own conclusions or concussions, however you want to look at it.
 Just don't let your kids watch it!

NIGHT GALLERY / "Pamela's Voice" - 1971

Here's one for Doc - In this story, Jonathan's nagging wife Pamela, whom he killed after years of being pushed around by her, returns to haunts her hubby. Wow, this was a short one, but it makes up for it with the stars!

John Astin plays Jonathan and Phyllis Diller is Pamela. Gawd we love John, besides being Gomez Addams on THE ADDAMS FAMILY, he was also in THE PUSHER, WEST SIDE STORY, FREAKY FRIDAY, TEEN WOLF TOO and RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES. Most of his 157 credits are for his work on TV, and he's still kicking at 90 years old with a movie in post-production. Now Phyllis, holy cow, she was in THE FAT SPY, MAD MONSTER PARTY (voice), THE GREAT BALLOON RACE, PINK MOTEL, THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE, THE BONEYARD, THE SILENCE OF THE HAMS and THE HIPSTERS. She left us in 2012 at the age of 95...

It all starts when Jonathan is in the casket room, he hears a familiar voice speaking to him, what in the Hell?!..

He spots his dead wife just sitting there in a chair, so he approaches her.

She tells him that's she's back. Jonathan says the he must be dreaming because he pushed her down the stairs only two days ago, and that she's going to be buried within a few hours and he'll be rid of her and her wicked voice for good...

Then in her grating voice, she fills him in on the haps! She's not going anywhere, and, it's been three months since she was buried, not two days!

The look on Jonathan's face is priceless, he thinking, what's up with this crazy broad anyway, what is she talking about?!!

He runs over to the casket only to find himself there!.. Bibbida, Bibbida!!

Why darling, this is your funeral. Jonathan wants to know what happened to him?!! And she tells him that he never watched his diet, smoking and drinking and that's what killed him! She reminds him that she told him a million times to cut back on his vices, but he wouldn't listen!

Oh, and by the way, Pamela tells the murderer that, guess what, she went to heaven, where, she requested to come back to haunt him! And guess what else, he went to the other place!!

Jonathan can't stand any more, he grabs his head and screams out real loud!

But the voice just keeps coming, forever!! Join us again on Wednesday as the Dungeon Guys keep on a-rollin' down that spooky old trail...

RIFIFI EN LA CIUDAD - "Rumble In The City" (1963)

I've got another great Jess Franco Saturday Night Special this evening called "Rififi En La Ciudad" from 1963.

Although there was never an English title for this film, roughly translated a rififi would be something like a rumble among men, and is a slang word derived from rif, the French military term for "combat zone" during the First World War.

Consequently, you will find many international films with it in the title including "Rififi," or "Rififi In Tokyo," or "Rififi In Amsterdam." I think you get the idea.

Jean Servais is a no good dirty criminal and politician named Maurice Leprince, but his dirt is well hidden so he's still very popular with the general public! Sound familiar?

Although he'd never admit it, he works out of this club called The Stardust, where the music is always hot as composed by Franco stalwart Daniel White!

Fernando Fernán-Gómez is Sargento Detective Miguel Mora.

Detective Mora is a little frazzled because he hasn't heard from his informant Juan Solano for a couple of days, and when Juan finally calls, he tells the Detective that he has proof that big shot Leprince is involved in some very shady business!

This story is all about Juan, but this is about as much as you're going to see of him!

The Detective gets quite worried when Juan doesn't show up for their scheduled rendezvous!

Detective Mora heads straight over to Leprince's estate to see if he can get to the bottom of what Juan was going to tell him.

Leprince claims he knows nothing about a place called The Stardust, and how does this peasant have the audacity to bother him?

These two are not going to ever get along!

Just as Leprince is denying knowing anything at all about the club, the singer at The Stardust sashays out of his bathroom!

Later Detective Mora pays Leprince a visit at the club!

Caught red-handed, Leprince is still in denial!

Great entertainment, a guy in a suit of armor and a gal in a two piece bathing suit dancing.
The Stardust has it all!

So what happened is Juan got killed, and then Leprince's henchmen try and kill Detective Mora, but he is saved after an unsuccessful drowning attempt!

Now, one by one, Leprince's goons are being picked off by somebody!

Chico Torres is the next victim!

 

A Straight forward and pretty deliberate note is delivered to Leprince!

Juan Solano was a suave and debonair fellow, and every woman that ever met him fell in love with him, including the singer in the club!

It gets really sticky when Detective Mora finds out that even his own wife was one of Juan's many lovers! No, he's not okay with it!

Leprince is a narcissistic and egotistical bastard who ends up not getting exactly what he wants, but instead, exactly what he deserves!