The American Giallo
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Georgi Wehr THE AMERICAN GIALLO The Italian Giallo and its Influence on North-American Cinema DOCTORAL THESIS submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doktor der Philosophie Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt Fakultät für Kulturwissenschaften Supervisor Assoc.-Prof. PD Dr. Angela Fabris Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt Institut für Romanistik Supervisor Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jörg Helbig, M.A. Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik Evaluator Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jörg Helbig, M.A. Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik Evaluator Assoc. Prof. Srećko Jurišić University of Split Klagenfurt, February 2020 i Affidavit I hereby declare in lieu of an oath that - the submitted academic paper is entirely my own work and that no auxiliary materials have been used other than those indicated, - I have fully disclosed all assistance received from third parties during the process of writing the thesis, including any significant advice from supervisors, - any contents taken from the works of third parties or my own works that have been included either literally or in spirit have been appropriately marked and the respective source of the information has been clearly identified with precise bibliographical refer- ences (e.g. in footnotes), - to date, I have not submitted this paper to an examining authority either in Austria or abroad and that - when passing on copies of the academic thesis (e.g. in bound, printed or digital form), I will ensure that each copy is fully consistent with the submitted digital version. I understand that the digital version of the academic thesis submitted will be used for the purpose of conducting a plagiarism assessment. I am aware that a declaration contrary to the facts will have legal consequences. Georgi Wehr m.p. Klagenfurt, February 2020 © Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Studien- und Prüfungsabteilung version 2019-03-27 ii Dedication I would like to thank the following people: My wife Martina, who encouraged me to write this dissertation and who was always a great help and support in this realization. Without you I would not have managed it! My daughter Isabella, who makes my day shine bright. Jörg Helbig, who has given me the chance to write on this topic. Danny Dietsch, who introduced me to the giallo filone thanks to Mario Bava’s BLOOD AND BLACK LACE and Dario Argento’s THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE back in 2003. © Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Studien- und Prüfungsabteilung version 2019-03-27 iii Content 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 2. TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF THE ITALIAN GIALLO ................................................................. 7 2.1. THE GIALLO AS A FILONE .......................................................................................................... 13 2.2. ORIGINS OF THE GIALLO ........................................................................................................... 18 2.2.1. Gothic Horror ................................................................................................................. 18 2.2.2. German Krimi ................................................................................................................. 25 2.2.3. Hitchcockian Legacy ...................................................................................................... 28 2.3. TYPICAL FEATURES OF THE GIALLO .......................................................................................... 31 2.3.1. Anglophone Foreigners Turn Into Amateur Sleuths ...................................................... 32 2.3.2. Urbanity as an Ideal Location ........................................................................................ 35 2.3.3. Giallo-esque Settings..................................................................................................... 39 2.3.4. Common Props .............................................................................................................. 42 2.3.5. A Killer on the Loose...................................................................................................... 48 2.3.5.1. The Perpetrator’s Motive for Bloodshed .................................................................... 55 2.3.5.2. Psychoanalytical Approach to Giallo Killers .............................................................. 59 2.3.6. Weapons ........................................................................................................................ 62 2.3.7. The Victim’s Demise ...................................................................................................... 65 2.3.8. Seduction and Submission all'italiana: Il Giallo Erotico ................................................ 67 2.3.9. Voyeurism ...................................................................................................................... 74 2.3.10. Film Technique .............................................................................................................. 78 2.3.11. Music ............................................................................................................................. 85 3. THE AMERICAN GIALLO – THE GIALLO INFLUENCE ON NORTH-AMERICAN CINEMA .... 89 3.1. A NEW GENRE EMERGES - THE SLASHER ................................................................................. 93 3.1.1. The Giallo Influence on Slasher Movies ........................................................................ 94 3.1.1.1. Friday the 13th - A Blatant Imitation of Reazione a Catena ...................................... 95 3.1.1.2. Slasher Versus Giallo ................................................................................................ 97 3.1.1.2.1. The Final Girl ......................................................................................................... 99 3.1.1.2.2. The Slasher as a Filone ...................................................................................... 101 3.1.1.3. A Socio-Historical Examination of the American Slasher ........................................ 106 3.1.1.3.1. The Classical Slasher.......................................................................................... 106 3.1.1.3.2. Borrowing from the Italians ................................................................................. 109 3.1.1.3.3. The Meta-Giallo and its Impact on the Meta-Slasher .......................................... 117 3.1.1.3.4. Neo-Slasher in Comparison to Neo-Gialli ........................................................... 121 3.2. AN AMERICAN EQUIVALENT: THE AMERICAN GIALLO THRILLER ................................................ 126 3.2.1. The Penchant for Urbanity ........................................................................................... 131 3.2.2. The Amateur Sleuth in the American Giallo ................................................................ 142 3.2.3. Killer on the Rampage ................................................................................................. 148 3.2.3.1. Female Killers .......................................................................................................... 158 3.2.4. Quentin Tarantino’s Affection for the Giallo ................................................................. 164 3.2.5. The Parodistic Homage to the Giallo ........................................................................... 171 3.2.6. Sexuality and Fetish, Made in Hollywood .................................................................... 175 4. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 184 5. FILMOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................... 187 5.1. AMERICAN/CANADIAN PRODUCTIONS ...................................................................................... 187 5.2. ITALIAN GIALLI ....................................................................................................................... 192 5.3. ITALIAN PRODUCTIONS ........................................................................................................... 195 5.4. EUROPEAN PRODUCTIONS ..................................................................................................... 196 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 197 iv 1. INTRODUCTION On January 13th, 2017, LA’s New Beverly had a marathon of six Dario Argento classics which were sold out under 30 seconds, setting a new record. No less a person than Quentin Tarantino resurrected the genre in the historic movie theater although the giallo was and still is a quite unknown and unrecognized filone outside of Italy. Moreo- ver, the giallo premiered worldwide as a retrospective at the film museum in Vienna from August 30th to October 24th, 2019, presenting forty selected titles. The film mu- seum notes that “this very first comprehensive giallo retrospective brings the genre's salient examples together with classics and rarities, bloodcurdlers and art works”, and it is their intention “to explore the giallo phenomenon on a greater scale” (Filmmuseum 2019). Poster Giallo – Filmmuseum Wien As an aficionado of European exploitation cinema, which includes the