Four Flies on Grey Velvet

source: Four Flies on Grey Velvet

The most elusive of Argento's films has become more legendary than most simply because of the fact that it's been nearly unobtainable in a decent version. Most have had to do with very-below average bootlegs that render some of the film nearly unwatchable, and therefore pretty hard to judge. Recently an above average bootleg was released in terms of visual quality and a lot of scenes come to life and one is finally in a position to judge the film as a whole. Story wise, Four Flies on Grey Velvet doesn't win any awards but it's a good set up for a thriller. Drummer Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) accidentally kills a stalker and is photographed while doing so. The masked fiend who snapped the shots starts threatening Roberto, and his wife (Mimsy Farmer) is very worried for her husband. As it turns out, the man who Roberto thinks he killed is very much alive, but not for long. Roberto hires a gay private investigator to find out the truth. Say more and I've ruined everything for the viewer. If you look at Argento's work as a whole, Four Flies fits in very nicely. You can clearly see a young Argento experimenting with visual tricks that he would later do even better in later films. Story wise, the film is similar to some of his later works and even a bit of a rehash of his earlier ones. Some fundamental psychology concerning repressed guilt and anger (a very recurring theme in Argento's work) and once again the central character is an artist who's thrust into a dangerous world of lunatics and murder. This would be perfected in his next thriller Deep Red. It's just that the film doesn't have enough material to keep the viewer on the edge of his seat. It drags on too long, many scenes (and not to mention some characters) are almost completely pointless. What's Bud Spencer doing here? He serves no narrative purpose but I'll admit it's fun to see the guy. Plot wise, this is slim pickens. Argento and fellow writers were lazy this time around. The film has a dynamic start and immediately you're interested. If you've seen The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, my guess is you'll have the culprit here figured out before half time. Plus, there aren't many red herrings here and a lack of suspects make the guess that much easier. But on to the good things. Certain sequences are very impressive. Brandon's encounter with his stalker in the beginning is beautifully filmed and stylish as hell. A murder that occurs in a park is masterfully realised. Very suspenseful, dreamlike and stylish. Not that dissimilar to Stefania Casini's chase sequence in Suspiria. Another murder sequence that sets up the film's title is also quite impressive. Last but not least the knockout ending (which can finally be appreciated now that there's a decent version available) deserves all the hype it's already gotten. An Argento film is never a complete dud (not even Phantom), it always has some things going for it. Special nod must also go to Argento for taking things up a nodge and taking some risks. Feeling that the Giallo genre was drying up, Argento comes up with unique ways to keep audiences interested. That special camera, for instance, that captures the last image seen by a deceased person. Well, I've never heard of it and it's quite an idea. You gotta give Argento props for trying new things, even though they don't always work out. It must be said that Argento should have gone with a different leading man. Michael Brandon is remarkably lifeless in almost every scene he's in. Mimsy Farmer fares better as Brandon's wife and that gay detective provides a few chuckles. That said, most of the comedy here is pretty silly and a little distracting. But, as said above, this is Argento experimenting with visuals, editing and writing and his later films were better realised. I doubt this film will appeal to very many people but for fans of Argento there's plenty here to savour and enjoy.

Four Flies on Grey Velvet like most of Dario Argento's films has striking music, editing, and cinematography, but it is confusing, talky, aimless and slow moving. The main character played by a dull Michael Brandon responds to the situation he's got himself into with only mild concern and considerable stupidity. The actions of various supporting characters make little sense as well, and except for a few well-done Hitchcock-inspired scenes, the film is not gripping and you don't really care about the fate of its characters. It's rather unpleasant and pointless like the repeated shot of a beheading that foreshadows the film's arbitrary ending. The film contains a number of Argento's trademarks, but it lacks pace, and the plot lacks shape and cohesiveness. Like DePalma at his worst, Argento spends most of his energy on a few set pieces.

Excellent early thriller from Italian horror master Dario Argento was a strong finish for his "Animal Trilogy" giallo films. Musician accidentally kills a mysterious stalker, now someone is black mailing the poor guy, as well as murdering anyone who interferes with his deadly vendetta. Four Flies on Grey Velvet was Argento's third and final entry in his fine trilogy of animal-themed giallo thrillers. Four Flies is one of the better films of the trilogy, second only to Argento's great debut film Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). Four Flies is classic Argento that flourishes with beautiful visual style and spooky vibes. It has an intriguing storyline with plenty of tight suspense sequences, bizarre atmosphere, and a rather dark sense of humor. The mystery element is kept quite high too and the plot remains compelling throughout. Ennio Morricone's lovely, haunting music score is also a welcomed addition. The cast is also good. Star Michael Brandon makes for a likable and sympathetic hero. Mimsy Farmer is also a highlight as Brandon's fragile wife. A unique film on all levels, Four Flies on Grey Velvet remains one of Argento's best pre-Deep Red (1975) films and it serves as a great omen to the stylish masterpieces that the director would follow with in the coming years. *** 1/2 out of ****

The drummer of a rock and roll band Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) sees a man wearing sunglasses stalking him everywhere. He follows the man to a derelict opera house and when he confronts the stranger, he pulls a knife. However Roberto accidentally stabs him in self-defense and the man falls from the stage to the floor. Out of the blue, a spotlight is turned on and Roberto is photographed in the crime scene by a masked person on a theater box. Roberto leaves the place and returns home. On the next morning, he reads the newspaper the news about a stranger called Carlo Marosi that was murdered. During the night, Roberto and his wife Nina (Mimsy Farmer) welcome friends and Roberto finds a photo of the previous night entwined with his vinyls. He tells the truth to Nina and their maid Amelia (Maria Fabbri) overhears the story. While Robeto meets his friend Godfrey (Bud Spencer) to ask for help, Amelia schedules an encounter in the park with someone to blackmail with the photos she had found in the apartment; however Amelia is murdered in the park Meanwhile Nina's cousin Dalia (Francine Racette) arrives to stay with Nina. But soon Carlo Marosi appears eating at a restaurant and calling someone to meet him. What has happened in the opera house? "4 mosche di velluto grigio" is a flawed film with am intriguing title. The atmosphere is suffocating most of the time; the camera work uses unusual angles and positions; the cast has good performance. But the plot point with the identity of the killer is weak and quite senseless. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "Quatro Moscas Sobre Veludo Cinza" ("Four Flies on Grey Velvet")

I am a Dario Argento fan. Some of his films like Suspiria, Deep Red, and Tenebre are among my all-time favorites. Until just recently, however, there was one notable entry on Argento's filmography that I had not seen - Four Flies on Grey Velvet. Maybe I had built it up to much in my mind or maybe it was the bad transfer or maybe it's just not that good, but to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Before I get to the problems I have with Four Flies on Grey Velvet, I'll cover a few things that worked for me. First, the scenario the protagonist finds himself in the middle of is brilliant. In a scuffle over a knife, a man accidentally stabs and kills a stalker who has been following him for weeks. Unknown to our protagonist, there was a witness with a camera present who issues a series of threats against his life. He can't go to the police as his crime will be discovered. And the blackmailer doesn't seem to want money, just his life. It's a terrific set-up. Second, Argento is able to create some nice atmosphere and suspense, especially in the scenes where the blackmailer enters the man's house. Just imagine having someone who wants you dead seemingly able to come and go at will from your house. It's a chilling thought and Argento makes the most of these nighttime scenes. But there are problems with Four Flies on Grey Velvet that I cannot overlook. To begin with, the casting is horrible. Michael Brandon makes the most unappealing lead I've seen in an Argento film. Because he makes no emotional connection with the viewer (at least with this viewer), it's hard to care about what happens to him. And Mimsy Farmer is just plain old bad. Then there's the comedy Argento decided to put in the movie. A little comic relief is one thing, but this is too much. For example, every scene with the mailman is so totally ridiculous that it takes away from any suspense Argento had been able to create. Finally, the clue that leads to the killer's revelation is preposterous. This is 1950s b-movie, sci-fi stuff - not Argento. If the legal questions surrounding the rights of Four Flies on Grey Velvet are ever resolved and the movie gets a legitimate Region 1 release, I'll definitely give it another chance. As I said in my opening paragraph, the transfer on the DVD-R I watched was horrible and cut. Plus, I'll go into the film a second time without the overly lofty expectations. Until then, however, a 6/10 is the best I can do.

Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Final film in Argento's animal trilogy has a musician (Michael Brandon) accidentally killing a stalker but then the real trouble starts when another stalker shows up trying to kill him. I guess since this isn't on DVD certain fans talk it up as if it's a lost masterpiece but it really isn't. That's not to say this isn't a decent little film but it's certainly no way near the director's best. Argento brings his usual nice style to the film and has some great murder sequences, which are full of suspense. The murder on the stairs is certainly one of the film's highlights. The director also manages to get some good performances from the cast with Brandon making a good leading man. Mimsy Farmer is good as the wife but it's Jean-Pierre Marielle who steals the show as a gay detective. I think the film's biggest problem is the story, which isn't that special. The idea of a guilty man being stalked is an interesting one but Argento does very little with it and I picked up on who the killer was very early in the film. Ennio Morricone's score also adds a lot of tension to the film and fits the movie nicely.

I saw this on the big screen when it first was released in 1973 as a teen and later in 1992 at The Film Institute where it was shown with an unedited Susperia and Dario Argento himself was there to introduce both films and to discuss with the audience his craft after their showings. There must be something with this film since it was chosen for this unique seminar over all his other pre 1992 works. Upon the second viewing of this film, I still find it scary and spellbinding and the secret behind the title is quite chilling. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it. The stylish camerawork and storyline is pure Argento "black glove" period and this is my 3rd favorite film (tied with Deep Red) of his right behind #1 Susperia and #2 Tennebre. Why this film was never released on DVD or at least, after all these years, on VHS is a mystery in itself. I for one will be the first in line to purchase this if Anchor Bay or another reputable DVD distributor releases it.

Most established directors must look back on their earlier work and say "what was I thinking?" Horror maestro Dario Argento must think that when he looks at this rather odd early film. The premise is an intriguing one: a drummer accidently kills a man in self defense; a masked stranger who photographed the act blackmails the drummer, and then decides to go on a murder spree of his own. Unfortunately, Argento doesn't do much with it. He turns what could have been a fairly good movie into a boring and confusing mess. It's nearly impossible to figure out what's going on from one moment to the next, characters who have no bearing on the story are introduced and long overstay their welcome, and it never really is made clear exactly what the killer wants. Speaking of which, wait til you see who the killer is; it's an absolute impossibility for the killer to be this person. But, being as it is Argento, there are some nice visual touches: the laser that can photograph the last image an eye sees, a woman's head bouncing down the stairs (while still attached to her body), and the slow, slow motion death of the killer. Overall, a disappointment.

The story is garbage. The acting is horrible. The main actor cannot act, it's like they just took some dude from the street and put him in front of the camera. And his character is a dirtbag. Who sleeps in his jeans? Who takes a nap with a fully loaded gun in his hand? The wife, cannot act, not pretty, just a plain face, nothing to look at, just plain nothing. When she got the call that the maid was dead and told the husband, nothing, no shock, no oh my god, just plain nothing. Nothing. What's the story with the bum friends? The best line is when one of the bums asks for a light and switched the cigarettes! The comedy sucked. Some of the killings were OK, nothing great. The maid in the park idea was good, but seriously poorly executed. The rock music was horrible, Truly horrible. Some mentioned that Deep Purple was thinking about doing the music. I am glad they didn't get stuck in this garbage movie. The rest of the music sucked too, especially the drum/bongo crap towards the end. Truly annoying. Then we get to the part of the dead eyeballs capturing the last thing the victim saw. Was this supposed to be sc-fi? What the hell was that? Then the wife comes in with the medallion of the flies. Oh, now it all makes sense. She's crazy, so she concocts this elaborate scheme to torture and kill her husband. Then she tries to take off, and for dramatic effect, crashes her car into a truck and gets decapitated, with poor effect. After the car crash a head is shown rolling in the street, no blood anywhere. Very poor. Give me a break! Characters are show telling boring stories. Some of these characters are shown before the big reveal, a red herring. Editing is crap, real choppy. The scene where the main character is shown confessing to his wife about killing someone, and the wife's cousin casually walks in and he does not stop talking. Does this seem realistic? No! So, what we have here is someone who got a budget with no talent, and hired a bunch of people with no talent to produce a film, for all the no talent film viewers to see and say, "It's art". It's not art, it's crap. Inferior story, acting, cinematography, lighting, sets, editing, music, you name it, it sucks. I've watched enough giallo films and understand that not all the story is supposed to make sense. But at least the good ones present decent cinematography, acting and music. I recommend Don't Torture A Duckling by Fulci, or All the Colors of the Dark, by Sergio Martino This movie should be the basis of a semester in film studies. Scene by scene should be torn apart for what should not be done. To be fair there are some parts, like the park scene that had good ideas, but bad execution. I've read some of the IMDb reviews and most like or love this movie. I hate it. And I hate Argento. This is only the 2nd movie I've seen from him. First was Suspira, a complete garbage of a movie. Color gels for lighting and that's his set design. I can only guess that fans of Argento might be looking at his movies and disregarding the story and the acting. And they praise the cinematography and scenes. Sorry, he fails on all fronts. He does not produce art, or abstract art, it's just garbage. If you watch a film with black screen and no audio, you would have a better time, use your imagination and produce your own abstract art film. I've read most of the critic reviews. So far only Entertainment Maven and Bloodcapsules have given it a low or negative rating. So, I can only conclude that most reviewers here are deaf and blind and ignorant of true art. Most state that the story is lacking and the acting is amateurish, but disregard these important elements of movie making by giving it a positive review. So, I guess you need to make up your own mind. Please, do not be fooled by garbage disguised as art.