The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

One of my all time favorites.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This movie is just what you're looking for. If, what you're looking for is long, drawn out shots of a (bra-less) woman in a nightgown wandering around her apartment, not doing nearly enough radical self-love for someone who is almost certainly being indoctrinated into a satanic cult. That isn't really a spoiler, as it's pretty clearly the direction of the movie within the first ten minutes. And to be sure, this movie does deal in clichés. What does set it apart are the long, drawn out musical cues while our heroine stares ominously at walls and/or doorknobs, and the startling-ness of robotically acted scenes with actors who more act as vessels of personified terror than humans with personalities.Each scene in this movie is like an expressionist painting, pulling you into it's mood. It does this so well that I don't really care what the plot is. This movie has boobs in it.

"Beautiful" and "stylish" are naturally two words that automatically come to mind when describing this odd, dreamy, haunting movie. It's definitely not the typical "giallo", as it's not so much about being a murder mystery as it is being a character profile and a "Repulsion" style story of one young woman's mental decline. Lovely Mimsy Farmer is the woman in question, Silvia Hacherman, a chemist with an unhappy past who begins to see things that she can't make sense of. She doesn't know if she can even trust the people who are part of her life, from her would-be boyfriend Roberto (Maurizio Bonuglia) to another friend, Andy (Jho Jhenkins) to her subtly creepy neighbour Mr. Rossetti (Mario Scaccia). Just who is the strange Woman in Black that Silvia sees in her mirror? Or the equally off putting little girl (Lara Wendel) who insists on being part of her life? Right from the start, "The Perfume of the Lady in Black" promises to be an interesting trip, accompanied by a wonderful music score composed by Nicola Piovani. The look of the movie always helps, also, in insuring that one wants to keep watching even though there are parts of the story that drag. Those viewers expecting more traditional thrills will have to wait until the very end for some juicy bits of gore (that actually seem out of place amidst the low key nature of the rest of the movie). Co- writer / director Francesco Barilli (who wrote the movie with Massimo D'Avak, whose credits include "Who Saw Her Die?" and "The Man from the Deep River") keeps us, along with his main character, off balance with his deft balancing of real and fantastical elements. By the time that his movie is over, it may well have provoked more questions than provided answers, but I agree with others that by this very nature this becomes a highly intriguing if not entirely successful psychological thriller, made at a time when that phrase hadn't yet been introduced into the lexicon. It certainly leaves the viewer to think about what they've seen afterwards. It's good material that is worth a look for adventurous fans of Italian cinema. Seven out of 10.

Like Barbara Bach, Mimsy Farmer went to Italy and fell in love. She did, however, have a long career in the US, starting with Gidget Goes Hawaiian to a few biker movies. She remained in Italy making films until her divorce, and then moved to France where she continued acting.This is more a psychological horror film that a true giallo. It was a tale of a woman going mad over unresolved traumas from her childhood. Or, maybe it was a tale of a woman being driven mad for nefarious purposes. It was not totally clear, but there were little clues throughout.Whatever the case, the ending was a total surprise and nothing led you to expect it.

Contains spoilers.Barilli, main character in Before the Revolution (B Bertolucci , 1964) , basically directed just another film after this one, plus one episode in a 1991 film ("La Domenica Specialmente") He is more of a painter ( you could not have missed the painting on the wall of Silvia's room in this Italian cult gem: Il Profumo Della Signora In Nero). Apart from highlighting the odd references 1. this film seems inspired by Polansky's "Rosemary Baby" 2. this film seems to have inspired Polansky's "Le Locataire" 3. Mimsy Farmer seems a name inspired by Mia Farrow (even if it can't be as Mia is only 18 days older than Mimsy!) and that I think that this film is quoted in Society( B Yuzna, 1989). I would say the last scene CAN be taking place in the real world. "Other" scene settings seemed strangely odd, because they ARE dreams. Note how the wall paper of the 'seance' is the same as the wrapping of a box with Silvia's friend's ashes. The latter is a DREAM. Which points to the last odd reference: Mulholland Dr : I think one can work out which scene is a dream and which not (as in David Linch's film). And there might be this thing where in the end Silvia (while dreaming ?) COMMITS SUICIDE. And the other thing that all the characters come back in the final sequence. Because it's the "real world"!!!! NO HAY BANDA What I could not explain though: why does Silvia keep dreaming of the Italian flag ?