Ah-Ah-Argento #2: The Cat O' Nine Tails

1971, d. Dario Argento - dvd

If I were to guess why I didn't watch (or rent or buy on DVD) The Cat O' Nine Tails when I was first getting into Argento back in the early 2000s, it was likely because it was one of Argento's lower-ranked films. Argento himself has said its his least favourite of his movies (he notes that it's too referential to other films and genres and doesn't establish its own uniqueness).

Despite claiming to love Argento, I'm still a relative neophyte. I still have much to watch and learn about the director and his repertoire. That said, from what I know is coming, I would agree that this is his weakest film (at least until we get into his 2000's-era output).

It is very much in keeping with traditional giallo -- being a detective mystery sans detective. Here, James Franciscus (an actor I only know as Brent, the lead from Beyond the Planet of the Apes) plays a newspaper reporter who, with the help of a blind ex-reporter (Carl Malden) and his young ward, starts to connect the pieces to a break-in at a lab and subsequent murders.

The lab was working on identifying the XYY (ex-double-why) chromosome as a signifier of violent tendencies (it was speculation at the time, but since absolutely debunked). It's only natural to suspect the murderer is someone involved in the project, and it's kind of obvious who it might be.  The only thing is, conceit of the XYY chromosome is only introduced about halfway through the film, so the film relies heavily on learning about what the precipitating incident (the break-in) was about, and thus learning about the project.

Also being very much a giallo neophyte, I don't know if it's common in the genre for the police to aid a civilian detective in their investigation(s). It's something that also happened in The Bird With The Crystal Plumage and it's just so odd. There's a phenomenal moment here were Franciscus is socializing with a police acquaintance who is holding out on him, and Franciscus says "You're a real bastard" to which his police friend says "Naturally, cops are all bastards... we beat confessions out of people, we take bribes, we oppress minorities...." This is 1971, remember.

Argento is clearly experimenting with this film, playing with visuals and pacing and styles. His use of point-of-view (POV) camera work is next level, particularly the early sequence where the killer carries the body of a security guard and tosses it back inside his security booth. I just don't recall anything like that before. Her Argento aslo toys with manufacturing suspense a few times, in sequences that drag on longer than they should, really interrupting the pacing of the film. But he does have livelier sequences as well, such as a car chase sequence which I'm sure is an homage to The Italian Job. It's very well executed and big extra points for the driver being the film's femme fatale, while our protagonist sits in the passenger seat trying not to look panicked. 

I didn't mention that The Bird With The Crystal Plumage's score was by Ennio Morricone, since the master delivers a solid, but rather routine work.  Here, Morricone's score is a complete other level, sound wise, like it skipped a couple generations. Experimenting with repetition (Argento describes it as being like a music box), Morricone establishes themes and patterns and remixes them throughout. "Bold, dissonant and traumatic" he calls it, "I wrote themes that were more simple, nearly childish".  Only someone of Morricone's talent and genius would think that a masterful, controlled score like this were "childish".

One final note, I have to give a lot of respect for Argento's gay and trans representation in this film. At one point Franciscus needs to enter a gay lounge which is all trans, drag and gay men. Franciscus clearly feels out of his element, but he his neither repulsed nor harassed (though it is clear he is seen as the outsider). It is a scene that shows people just having an enjoyable evening out, listening to live music and socializing. Later Franciscus learns of a gay love triangle with some hard feelings that could point to murder, but doesn't.  It treats this very much in the same manner as if he uncovered a straight love triangle. There are just hurt feelings of lovers, and there's nothing sensationalistic about it.

It's by no means a bad movie, but it's not a great mystery, and t.