 In giallo it's not the final destination that matters. It's the endless journey in circles.   
Spasmo is what you used to call your little brother, but amazingly it's also the name of an Italian giallo flick, and like other giallos, this one comes with sly looks, loaded dialogue, appearing mannequins, disappearing bodies, creepy bit players, coincidences that aren't really coincidences, and baffling extraneous events. The plot here here is set into motion when Robert Hoffman shoots an intruder. The body disappears and he spends the rest of the film trying to figure out what happened. Which is impossible, of course, because in giallo the plots are often nonsensical and the characters behave irrationally in ways both minor and major. At one point co-star Suzy Kendall, who needed a long soak in a tub after this torturous journey, says, “I don't understand. I don't understand anything!” And that neatly sums up the film. But giallos (or gialli for you purists) aren't usually meant to be understood. They're puzzles with no solutions. Extremely self-conscious and stylish mindfucks. Some are better than others, but for us, everything about this one falls short except the three excellent, creepy promo posters you see above. Spasmo premiered in Italy today in 1974
 I am a normal... and well adjusted... adult female... human being.
 Hide? Heh-heh. What makes you think I have anything to hide?
 I just pop up and scare the shit out of people when they least expect it. I'm really good at it, too. I'm like the Hendrix of that.
 Giuseppe said my plaid leisure suit was ugly and now he must die.
 Drink up little Suzy. 
British actress Suzy Kendall, who appeared in Thunderball, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and To Sir with Love, relaxes in a bath with a cocktail in this marked up promo shot from the set of 1970's film version of John MacDonald's classic thriller Darker than Amber.
 Excellent spy flick sentenced to late night limbo. 
Fräulein Doktor is an Italian production, despite the German title. And though said title conjures up images of lez sexploitation (at least it does for us), it’s actually an artful film made with what was at the time a substantial budget. Though there are pulp elements, it presents a serious discussion about the horrors of war, and the emotional sacrifices made by its Mata Hari-like central character, played by the über-hot Suzy Kendall. Despite these positives, the film performed poorly upon release and was re-edited to remove its lesbianism, then relegated to late night television, where it languishes to this day. But it has a devoted cult following, so a DVD re-release is not completely out of the question. Time will tell. Fräulein Doktor premiered in Italy today in 1969.
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1955—Rosa Parks Sparks Bus Boycott
In the U.S., in Montgomery, Alabama, seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to give her bus seat to a white man and is arrested for violating the city's racial segregation laws, an incident which leads to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott resulted in a crippling financial deficit for the Montgomery public transit system, because the city's African-American population were the bulk of the system's ridership. 1936—Crystal Palace Gutted by Fire
In London, the landmark structure Crystal Palace, a 900,000 square foot glass and steel exhibition hall erected in 1851, is destroyed by fire. The Palace had been moved once and fallen into disrepair, and at the time of the fire was not in use. Two water towers survived the blaze, but these were later demolished, leaving no remnants of the original structure. 1963—Warren Commission Formed
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson establishes the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. However the long report that is finally issued does little to settle questions about the assassination, and today surveys show that only a small minority of Americans agree with the Commission's conclusions. |
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