MURDER TO THE TUNE OF THE SEVEN BLACK NOTES

Italy, 1977, 95 minutes, Colour.
Jennifer O’Neill?, Gabriele Ferzetti.
Directed by Lucio Fulci.

An enjoyable Italian murder thriller. It is done in the lavish style of so many of the thrillers, making their own the conventions of the American thriller, that were made in the seventies, for example by Dario Argento. Jennifer O'Neill stars in this film and makes an impact. While the theme is murder, the atmosphere is that of premonition. The film has a good twist for, while we think that there is a murder to be solved from the past, after an hour of the film it appears that the murder is to be that of the heroine and the suspense builds up. Effective and entertaining thriller.

1. The perennial appeal of the murder mystery, thriller aspects, thriller fantasy, the puzzle and the mystery and the solution? How effective was this murder mystery? The puzzle of the murderer and of the victim?

2. The qualities of the Italian production, Italian locations, the score? Atmosphere?

3. The prologue with its dates and places, the premonition and the horror of death? The effect on Virginia? Audience presuppositions about parapsychology, premonitions and E.S.P., visions?

4. Jennifer O'Neill and her style as Virginia? Her background, her marriage, love for her husband? Seeing him off, the vision during her driving and its effect on her? The close-up of the details for the audience? Informing the police, the parapsychologist, the husband? Their varying reactions? The audience being on her side because of having seen the vision? The growing obsession with Virginia, the technique of focusing on her memories of the vision and their fulfilment? The challenge, the build-up of fear? A strong character, her love for her husband, her trying to solve the mystery?

5. The film's presentation of clues: the importance of the body found being that of Angela and Virginia's determination that the victim was an old woman? The professor and his appearance, his photo, the shaving? The search in the house? furniture, yellow cigarettes, etc.? The horse and the photo of Angela and the date? The audience being puzzled along with Virginia?

6. The personality of the husband, genteel, his arrest, the sequences in prison, the photo exonerating him? The change, the truth? The build-up to his walling up Virginia?

7. The parapsychologist and his help, the assistant and her furnishing information? The help at the end?

8. The professor, the gallery, the limp, his disappearance, Virginia's interview with his wife? The presence in the house with the dead woman? The pursuit in the church, his fall, his grabbing at Virginia, his telling the truth in the hospital, the audience making the wrong associations with Virginia? His explanation of the robbery plot and the implications of her husband, the woman and her presence at the house, on the tape recorder, her death?

9. The picture of the police and their scepticism, their help? The parapsychologist and his device to get the police arriving with him?

10. A growing sense of anticipation? Her sister-in-law and the cigarettes, the furniture, Virginia's turning over the bust and finding the letter? The momentum for the finale and the confrontation with her husband, his attack and Virginia's being walled up? The irony of the watch with its notes and Virginia's premonition of the music?

11. The suspense, scares and audience identification with this?

12. The minor characters and their contribution to the plot?

13. The culmination and the effect of the audience being left with her rescue? Audience presuppositions of right and wrong, good and evil? Values communicated through thrillers?