forbidden photos

Somewhat tedious by giallo standards, Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion splits the difference between the plentiful sex and violence typical of the genre and a more highbrow psychological approach. It's a film that keeps you guessing until the final scene (thanks for Ernesto Gastaldi's script) but feels more like a stretched out version of Alfred Hitchcock Presents...if 'ol Hitch was allowed to really cut loose.

Socialite housewife Minou (Dagmar Lassander) is blackmailed by a stranger (Simon Andreu) who has evidence that will implicate her husband in a murder. Desperate to keep him out of prison, she agrees to sleep with the blackmailer to shut him up. But the nightmare continues when a series of photos are delivered to the house, capturing Minou in several compromising positions. When the police finally get involved, all evidence of the alleged affair - and the blackmailer himself - disappears, putting Minou story, and sanity, in question.

Gastaldi's script drops in plenty of red herrings and works hard to convince the audience Minou might have simply fantasized about her afternoon of rough sex. But director Luciano Ercoli, despite a strong visual sense, delivers the material with almost mechanical predictability. Forbidden Photos fits the format but never truly fills the frame; perhaps because it lacks the showstopping murder sequences of other contemporary gialli. There's certainly an artistry to Ercoli's approach and all the performances are well-above average, but, regrettably, the film feels like nothing more than a footnote in a genre built around making an unforgettable first impression.

However, Arrow Video's new 2K restoration will make quite an impression on collector's. The Blu-ray looks incredible and includes a series of lengthy interviews, commentary track, Q & A and illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film.