Summary:
After a young girl is murdered in a park, a television anchor is arrested for her murder, but murders of a similar style soon follow.
My Thoughts:
I love giallos (Italian slasher films), so anytime I hear about a good film that may or may not fall under the Giallo genre, I jot it down and save it for a time when I feel like having another schlocky good time. I found this film in a list of highly recommended giallos, and the title immediately caught my attention. “The Bloodstained Butterfly” is about as giallo-esque a title as can be, so “Butterfly” was one of my first ventures outside the giallo godfathers’ oeuvres (Argento, Bava, and Fulci), and I have to say that I was pretty impressed. While Tessari doesn’t have nearly the amount of style as Argento, with “The Bloodstained Butterfly”, Tessari does show an amazing amount of finesse when it comes to telling a twisted little mystery. However, I do have a slight nitpick with this being called a giallo; it’s more of just a mystery with a few giallo-esque elements, but, still, it is pretty darn good.
“I’m a smart killer, inspector, a little smarter than all of you.”
After a young girl is murdered in a park, a television anchor is arrested for the crime and put on trial. During the trial, all of the evidence points to the anchor, but he maintains his innocence. Shortly after the anchor is convicted, another murder of a similar style happens, and people begin to suspect the television anchor might not have been the murderer after all.
I think the thing I liked most about this film was the perspective of the film overall. We never really have a main character, instead the film is presented like a procedural, and we’re just given different insights into whom might have information about the case of the murdered girl. This lends the film to a unique structure; the first ten to fifteen minutes of the film revolve around finding the body and chasing someone (we don’t know who) from the scene of the crime; the next forty minutes revolves around the investigation and criminal trial; the final forty minutes revolve around the murders starting again. Jumping around with all of these different characters certainly helps the pacing of the film, though it is a bit difficult to keep track of who is who (particularly since this is a dialogue-heavy Italian film- lots of subtitles to read).
The shifting perspective between various members of the public reminded me a lot of Fulci’s “Don’t Torture a Duckling” (or, take it back a step further; Lang’s “M”), though that film is a bit better, and more brutal (and schlocky); we’re shown the shifting perspective of the townspeople through certain members of the town. I actually really like the way that this movie gives a voice to the general public’s outrage over the murders; it adds a layer of realism and believability that a lot of other giallo films rarely reach (as much as I love Argento, if you watch some of his movies, sometimes there are important characters who are murdered, and other characters simply forget about their existence; though, honestly, that kind of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude gives Argento a lot of charm).
The pacing of this film does slow down a bit towards the latter half of the second act. After the murders start again, there’s a bit of a loll where the camera flits around to give us glimpses of all of the different characters, and what they are doing now that a verdict has been reached on the trial. If I’m being honest, the film feels like it has entered a kind of purgatory; we, the viewers, know something is coming otherwise the movie wouldn’t keep going, but the characters all seem to be caught in a state of waiting for something to happen. It makes for an awkward ten-fifteen minute segment right before the climax, but it certainly doesn’t make the film unwatchable.
I think the thing that I was not expecting about this movie was its restraint when it came to content, especially since I first heard about this film on a giallo list. Most giallo films are schlocky- the murders are farfetched and the violence is played up for thrills, and the plots often feature bizarre turns and involve supernatural or unexplained phenomena. This film feels very grounded, except for one rather lengthy sex scene. Honestly, I was a bit surprised at the content in this movie, because almost all of the violence was off screen, and the sex scene was the most graphic part of the movie. I guess I just expected a bit more violence and bit less sex, but, for what its worth, the movie still provides some thrills.
The best part of this movie is the way that it handles the twist, but unfortunately, right after that moment, there’s some incredible moments of overacting. As a whole, I still totally recommend this movie, though if you’re looking for a Great Giallo, start with one of Argento’s, like “Deep Red” or “Tenebre”.
Verdict:
This is a thrilling little mystery that should provide plenty of entertainment for the right audience. There are some compelling concepts, some memorable situations and characters, and a twist that feels fully earned. If you like mysteries and foreign films, “The Bloodstained Butterfly” is a safe bet.
Review Written By: