The Pyjama Girl Case (1977) ***1/2

1977's The Pyjama Girl Case (La ragazza dal pigiama giallo) intertwines a murder investigation (based on a real case in Australia) by a craggy retired detective (played, amusingly, by Ray Milland) with a seemingly unrelated portrait of a woman in decline (Dalila Di Lazzaro). At times it's seedy (though never terribly exploitative) but also has a somber atmosphere hanging over the entire film—our lead character Linda clearly suffers from depression. An oddly eclectic but excellent score by Riz Ortolani fluctuates between synthesized disco and melancholic string queues. While not a giallo in the traditional sense (black gloved killer, high body count, dramatic lighting/production design)—it's actually more of a domestic drama than anything—it's still quite good and distinctive within the genre.

You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.

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