Il Gatto a Nove Code (1971)
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Duration: 112 minuten / 90 minuten (VS cut)
Alternative title: The Cat o' Nine Tails
Country:
Italy / France / West Germany
Directed by: Dario Argento
Stars: James Franciscus, Karl Malden and Catherine Spaak
IMDb score:
6,6 (14.148)
Releasedate: 12 February 1971
Il Gatto a Nove Code plot
"Caught between the truth and a murderer's hand!"
The Terzi Institute for Genetic Research is broken into and the guard is knocked down, but no one can find out if anything has been stolen. One employee, however, knows more, but soon his life is no longer certain. Blind Franco Arno (Karl Malden), who lives opposite the institute with the orphaned girl Lori, believes he has overheard a suspicious conversation before and reports to the cunning reporter Giordani (James Franciscus) when he learns that an employee is waiting for the train. jumped and a picture was taken of it...
Actors and actresses
Carlo Giordani
Franco Arnò
Anna Terzi
Police Supt. Spini
Dr. Braun
Bianca Merusi
Dr. Casoni
Dr. Calabresi
Righetto (cameraman)
Gigi the Loser
Reviews & comments
Tonypulp
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- 21231 messages
- 4608 votes
Second film by Argento, second part in the so-called ''Animal trilogy'' and almost at the level of his brilliant debut. It is difficult to put your finger on the sore spot, as it contains enough recognizable Argento elements across the board, a brilliant score by Morricone (wmb his best) and beautifully detailed use of color, especially in the decoration of the film. The Arrow Video release does the film justice. Atmospherically shot in an enchantingly beautiful Turin and supplemented with beautiful, penetrating POV shots and close-ups of suffering victims. Yet on all fronts it feels like a (small) step back compared to L'Uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo (1970) . Argento himself says that he thinks it is a 'too American' film, and there is something in that. The absence of Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro is also a loss, Erico Menczer picks it up well, but a certain idiosyncrasy is missing. Argento was anything but satisfied with it, but when it turned out to be a great success (again), things changed a bit 
Sometimes the fans are just right!
Translated from Dutch · View original
Ebenezer Scrooge
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- 2150 messages
- 3092 votes
Dario Argento...prrr...
Although there are a few references to the cat: the milk, the landing on the legs (..always lands on its feet), the strokes with the razor that look like scratch injuries... the theme is not fully utilized .
The cat with nine tails is a punishment instrument from the Middle Ages.
Karl Malden with his big thick nose and bright blue eyes reminded me of Hannibal Lecter, always with that stiff posture. He was also in I Confess, which I saw recently. It's funny how you get misled a few times and each time you suspect someone else.
Nice sometimes jazz-like music from Morricone.
And the final scene in the elevator shaft hahaha... OUCH!
Meow x
Translated from Dutch · View original
Lovelyboy
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- 3906 messages
- 2920 votes
And so in the afternoon I tried an Argento that I had lying around. And I can't say it often enough how the first meeting about two years ago, with Profondo Rosso, was a huge disappointment to me. And I'm so glad that I didn't immediately fire the director afterwards, but still gave him a chance where films with Argento have become a kind of hobby/guilty. And that includes this The Cat o' Nine Lives, which is far from great but is recognizable as an Argento.
From the start there is that typical 70's cult look. And immediately there is that recognizable structure of atmosphere and music. Malden does not seem to be a very suitable choice for the role of Franco, which immediately makes me wonder why Argento always chooses an English-speaking or American actor among a cast that is mainly Southern European, where everything is again in that coal English must and not in your native language. Is that publicity? Advertisement? I suspect so.
As will soon become apparent, Argento, in his second film as director, is not yet into the bloody, gore and shock effect that will be much more prevalent in later films. No, apart from the man under the train who is still fairly chaste, not much happens in that area and Argento seems to favor a more subtle and Hitchcock-like approach that revolves around mystery. And that works as far as I'm concerned. The burglary, the murders among people who seem to know something, the mystery of what was actually stolen... it remains a strong mystery until the end regarding the perpetrator as no one seems to be trusted.
And so this The Cat o'Nine Lives is more than entertaining, Karl Malden ultimately plays a decent role and, as usual with an Argento, there are beautiful features of structure and music. The Cat O'nine Tails is of course far from the best that Argento has to offer, but it is certainly reasonable.
Translated from Dutch · View originalLatest News
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