The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh (1971) ***1/2
The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh (1971) was Sergio Martino's first foray into the giallo (one of five made consecutively between 1971–1973). In 1972 director Martino would go psychedelic in All The Colors Of The Dark (review) and gothic in Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key (review) (the title of the latter film actually derives from a note sent by a character in Strange Vice to the lovely Edwige Fenech). TSVOMW isn't visually as flashy or as noticeably stylistic as either of those later films but there is still plenty of drama, psychosexuality and a healthy body count—as lovers of this genre would expect.
Wardh is unique in that it was scored by a female composer (Nora Orlandi), a rarity in both the giallo and film in general. Orlandi's mysterious score (included in the new limited edition Blu-ray from Severin Films!) features many interesting variations of its theme, infusing jazz and rock into a soundtrack right at home with Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai's work—it's a shame that she didn't score more films.
As to the killer's identity, the list of suspects includes the titular character's husband, ex lover and current lover. Without getting into spoilers there’s a fourth potential killer as well. While I echo my friend Lee's review in so far as I prefer my gialli with more redoubtable female leads, I must admit that I find it impossible to resist Fenech's physical form—as Martino's camera lingers on her aplenty. Hunky lead George Hilton (another giallo mainstay) is also on board, providing equal levels of charm and sleaze. Ivan Rassimov is here too, with his usual level of sinister brutality and leering. The S&M relationship of Rassimov and Fenech's characters is never satisfyingly explored and there are certainly other plot shortcomings, but Vice builds to a superb ending (which serves as a homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 classic Strangers On A Train) and is definitely one of the better gialli.
You can find my Sergio Martino Feature Films Ranked list here.
You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.
Wardh is unique in that it was scored by a female composer (Nora Orlandi), a rarity in both the giallo and film in general. Orlandi's mysterious score (included in the new limited edition Blu-ray from Severin Films!) features many interesting variations of its theme, infusing jazz and rock into a soundtrack right at home with Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai's work—it's a shame that she didn't score more films.
As to the killer's identity, the list of suspects includes the titular character's husband, ex lover and current lover. Without getting into spoilers there’s a fourth potential killer as well. While I echo my friend Lee's review in so far as I prefer my gialli with more redoubtable female leads, I must admit that I find it impossible to resist Fenech's physical form—as Martino's camera lingers on her aplenty. Hunky lead George Hilton (another giallo mainstay) is also on board, providing equal levels of charm and sleaze. Ivan Rassimov is here too, with his usual level of sinister brutality and leering. The S&M relationship of Rassimov and Fenech's characters is never satisfyingly explored and there are certainly other plot shortcomings, but Vice builds to a superb ending (which serves as a homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 classic Strangers On A Train) and is definitely one of the better gialli.
You can find my Sergio Martino Feature Films Ranked list here.
You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.
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