The Weekend Murders (1972)

I love this movie so much

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

A group of relatives gather at the family estate for the reading of the will of the late Sir Henry. When the entire fortune is left to niece Barbara (Anna Moffo), one of the occupants of the house turns to murder. It is up to local bobby Aloisius Thorpe (Gastone Moschin) and Scotland Yard Superintendent Grey (Lance Percival) to crack the case.Italian murder mystery The Weekend Murders is often classed as a giallo, but I don't think it really qualifies as such: its English setting and typical Agatha Christie style 'whodunnit' plot make it far too British in tone for it to be a part of the giallo genre. Admittedly, director Michele Lupo throws in a few typically Italian flourishes - most notably, rapid zooms and jump cuts (to the strains of Tchaikovsky and the sound of gun shots!)- but there is little else to link it to the ultra violent, style-over-substance world of shadowy leather-gloved maniacs stalking sexy female victims.The films 'Ten Little Indians'-style structure holds very few surprises, but the excellent cast make this fun to watch despite the predictability, with the amusing dynamic between the pompous detective Grey and the actually-cleverer-than-he-seems Thorpe making for a whole lot of fun. Chris Chittell, as emotionally disturbed Georgie, is also worth a mention, his deranged character a prime suspect, while the ravishing Orchidea de Santis, as Evelyn, the maid, is worth keeping an eye on for very different reasons.6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Here's a weird one - an Italian comedy/giallo crossbreed, filmed in Britain with a mainly Italian cast. However, the gambit pays off, and despite the predictable reading-of-the-will-followed-by-rash-of-murders premise, the film remains fresh and engaging up until the final unmasking. Surprisingly, the comic aspects of the script are in fact more entertaining than the more typical gloved killer antics, and in particular Gastone Moschin's portrayal of the bumbling but not altogether dense bobby Sergeant Thorpe is a delight. Moschin's cache of puzzled expressions, bizarre mannerisms, and awkward words is a delight, and his role is a pivotal one. Moschin never fails to be funny and his performance alone makes the film worthwhile.The rest of the Italian cast are all fine in their respective roles, and there's time for appearances from Beryl Cunningham - a hot black Euro-starlet at the time - and the British Lance Percival, who also excels as Scotland Yard's Superintendent Grey, and frequently gets to engage in amusing banter with Moschin. The characters are varied and interesting, with a fair assortment of weirdos (especially "Georgie", with his mother fixation) and icy Italian beauties - namely Ida Galli. The script mixes in red herrings and practical jokes involving staged murders with the real deaths to further muddy the plot, and while the film is neither gory nor violent - and, let's face it, there's not a lot of action either - it doesn't need to be. The comedy, for a change, is what helps the film stay watchable.The film is as stylish as usual for an Italian giallo, with lots of neat directorial flourishes, and you don't get much more classy than the opening discover of a murder when a hand is unearthed in a golf course much to the assembled's consternation. However, I could have done without the occasional moments that director Michele Lupo decides to use his camera like a trombone and make the audience feel giddy into the bargain! My favourite scene comes when the seemingly incompetent Thorpe displays his genius by explaining a particularly elaborate suicide set-up involving a gunshot recording, a dumb waiter, and resin from a silencer. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and often hilarious experience, although to give fair warning those expecting anything like a "serious" Italian genre film will be severely disappointed - the film-makers here know their premise is clichéd, so have all the fun they can at the story's expense.

If anyone out there has this on DVD give it a close look from the start. Why? Well, my Dad is in it!!!!! The stately home scenes were part shot at Somerleyton Hall, not far from where we live. Anyway, when my Dad and his brother, simply riding by and puzzled by a crowd, stopped the car to see what all the commotion was about, a back-combed sycophant suddenly appeared, carrying a clipboard and asked if they could spare a few moments to fill a couple of subsidiary roles.Hey presto, the old man became the young dark haired stretcher bearing ambulance man and his brother became a taxi driver (although his scene was cut). They were given exceptional 24 hour equity memberships (the actors union) and were dismissively paid about £10 each for their trouble - not bad for 1970!!! They were also told that the working title of the film was "Weekend Murders" but it might have some kind of Italian title upon release.Their abiding memory was of Lance Percival (English comedian & actor on the fringe of the "carry on" team, popular 1960's/1970's) being locked in the portable toilet by one of the sound crew.There you go - a bit of movie trivia for you.

This is a take off of the agatha christie type films done in the italian style and set in a statley home in britian.It is great fun and should be seen.Great use of classical music,zoom shots,red herrings and a little bit of the naughty..i mean a little bit,it was early 70s. great apperance by ballard barclay,the major in fawlty towers.It will not set the world on fire but you could do worse. Out of ten,say seven