Death Carries a Cane (1973)

Strong and Moving!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Photographer Kitty (a solid and appealing performance by comely redhead Nieves Navarro) witnesses a vicious murder in a window through a tourist telescope. After two fellow witnesses meet similarly gruesome and untimely ends, Kitty fears that she's going to be the killer's next victim.Although director/co-writer Maurizio Pradeaux fails to generate much in the way of suspense or creepy atmosphere, he nonetheless still compensates for this glaring deficiency by keeping the engrossing story moving along at a steady pace, pulling out the savage stops for several brutal murder set pieces, and delivering a satisfying smattering of tasty gratuitous female nudity. Moreover, the sound acting by the capable cast helps a whole lot, with especially praiseworthy work by Robert Hoffman as Kitty's helpful boyfriend Alberto Morosini, George Martin as the inept Inspector Merughi, Anuska Borova as pesky reporter Lidia, and Simon Andreu as the impotent Marco. Roberto Pregadio's elegant score and Jaime Deu Casas's competent cinematography are both up to par. Worth a watch for fans of the genre.

What a shame! Great title, well the Italian and English, anyway, and starring the fine actress, Nieves Navarro (Susan Scott) but this struggles. Over acting is evident from the first frames and the preposterous plot set up is established early, maybe too early. We then seem to have a series of interludes where we watch some lovemaking or some piano playing or some dancing, all fine and dandy but the story, or what there is of it, has come to a stop. I'm also a bit peeved at the red herrings and the eventual outcome. We are used to some licence in a giallo but this is rather taking the p***. Which reminds me has there ever been a film before, ever, where in the climatic scene, a female (or male for that matter) suspends action while they go for a pee! Once in the bushes and once in the academy they are secretly investigating - I kid you not. To be fair there are some decent sequences and the kills are mostly well done. Now if the composer could have been killed in the final scene it would just about have saved things. Where was Morricone when he was needed most?

"Death Carries a Cane" does a pretty good job in misleading and misdirecting you. So you never know who the killer is until the ending. But the motive given for the killer doesn't make any sense. With much more effort that could have made this movie into a classic. Also some scenes did not make sense at all. Like there were scenes cut out that have to give a logical explanation for what they are doing in the scene. This giallo might be a tad sleazy for some but in a healthy way. Because the women in this move are pretty attractive. Especially Nieves Navarro (or Susan Scott). There is something about this woman that screams sophistication. All the more hilarious later on when she is being made fun of towards the end. Overall not the most impressive giallo still a good one for a rainy Sunday.

"Passi Di Danza Su Una Lama Di Rasoio" (aka. "Death Carries a Cane") of 1973 certainly isn't one of the many essential Italian Gialli from the time. However, Maurizio Pradeaux' film is still a creepy and stylish little film that my fellow Giallo/Italian Horror fans should enjoy. The Italian Giallo has brought forth many masterpieces; and while this film isn't one of them, it is nonetheless very enjoyable. This is not least due to the ravishing and wonderfully charismatic genre-beauty Nieves Navarro, who blessed quite a bunch of notable Gialli with her presence.Overall, "Passi Di Danza...", which shares some features with Luciano Ercoli's "La Morte Accarezza a Mezzanotte" ("Death Walks at Midnight", 1972) is rather routine stuff. The when beautiful Kitty (Nieves Navarro) is looking through coin operated binoculars at a tourist observation point, she becomes witness to the brutal knifing murder of a girl. At first, the cops laugh her report off; when they actually discover the murder victim, they suspect Kitty's boyfriend Alberto (Robert Hoffmann). Bodies pile up as whoever could give hints for solving the crime ends up murdered...As mentioned above, "Passi Di Danza..." is rather routine stuff, which, in case of a Giallo, isn't a bad thing. The murders are stylish and brutal (though not too spectacular by brutal Giallo-standards), the music is eerie and hypnotic (though nothing special by the high Giallo-standards), and the camera work and settings are stylish and elegant (though, again, nothing spectacular by Giallo-standards). Nieves Navarro (who is credited as Susan Scott) is, once again, great. The ravishing Miss Navarro is once again given several opportunities to take her clothes off, and makes a protagonist that is both very sexy and likable. The blonde Anuska Borova, who seems never to have appeared in any other films, is almost equally sexy in her double role. Robert Hoffmann is good enough in the male lead. The rest of the cast includes regular leading man Simòn Andreu, who appeared alongside Nieves Navarro on several other occasions including Luciano Ercoli's three Gialli ("Forbidden Fotos of a Lady Above Suspicion", "Death Walks With High Heels" and "Death Walks at Midnight") and regular creepy-man Luciano Rossi, who appeared as a super-creep in all sub-genres of Italian Cult-cinema. Overall, "Passi Di Danza..." may not be offering anything new or particularly overwhelming, but it's a formula Giallo that offers style, suspense, sleaze and brutality, and that my fellow fans of the genre should enjoy.I recommend tracking down the Italian version, since the English dubbing is abysmal. My rating: 6.5/10