perfume of the lady in black

While the giallo itself (Italy’s brand name for sexy, gory thrillers) was a played-out inbred mess by 1980, there are still plenty of gems waiting to be polished from the early ‘70s when the genre was full of new blood. The Perfume of the Lady in Black may not even fit the genre conventions quite right – no black gloved killer, no overt violence (more on that later) and no central murder mystery – leaning more towards a Hitchcockian psychotic meltdown than an Argento exercise in excess. Mimsy Farmer plays Sylvia, a fragile young woman haunted by visions of a childhood trauma. These visions begin to intrude on reality, taking the form of a young version of herself that Sylvia is both consoled and terrified by. But are these visions real, imagined or a supernatural conspiracy dreamed up by those around her? Director Franceso Barilli’s approach is elegantly restrained and avoids almost every crass exploitation opportunity (besides the surprisingly gory finale), complemented by a beautifully macabre score by Nicola Piovani and a believably jittery performance from Farmer. Rather than the typical giallo ending that clears up the convoluted plot, Perfume concludes with an explanation that brings up even more questions…proving it’s anything but typical! Raro Video’s DVD looks absolutely stunning and includes a brief documentary on Barilli’s work on the film and subsequent career.