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THE MOVIE |
THE DVD |
REVIEWER |
REVIEW DATE |
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WesCraven |
21st October, 2004 |
Review Quote
 "Lucio Fulci filmed "Don't Torture a Duckling" years before he really got into the mainstream of horror. His style on this film is wildly different. Closeups on the eyes: gone; Zombies: gone; causing intense moments from nothing: gone; work done with Giannetto De Rossi and Fabio Frizzi: gone."
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The Plot
Boys in a small Italian village are turning up dead. The townsfolk go mad, as a reporter and a young women team up to find the killer and solve the mystery. With so many possible culprits, just who is behind it all? You just might be in for a surprise.
The Movie
Described by fellow director and peer, Dario Argento, as "One of Lucio Fulci's best films," I have to say that I totally agree with him. With such controversial themes in this film, it was highly banned, and up until 2000 was never (legally) brought to the US. Well, I'm glad this film finally made it.
Lucio Fulci filmed "Don't Torture a Duckling" years before he really got into the mainstream of horror. His style on this film is wildly different. Closeups on the eyes: gone; Zombies: gone; causing intense moments from nothing: gone; work done with Giannetto De Rossi and Fabio Frizzi: gone. Really though, it's not as if these aspects have been removed, they just haven't become a part of Fulci's films yet. However, that doesn't mean this film isn't good, because it is.
More of an extreme murder mystery than anything else, "Don't Torture a Duckling" works for many reasons. One of the first things I noticed was just how much sense the plot made. Usually with Fulci you get a mishmash of a plot; it doesn't always make sense, it doesn't flow, things are never explained. With this film we get none of that. It flowed wonderfully, everything made sense, and things were explained. There were no major plot wholes, and really not any minor ones either (at least noticeably). Another thing that was well done was how the film kept you guessing who the killer was. I must admit I thought I knew several times, only to change my mind (including picking certain characters more than once). I don't know if I've seen any movie that really kept me so unsure this much, this movie gets cheers from me. The music by Riz Ortolani was also a strong point. The music had a good combination of subtle eeriness, and in-you-face intensity. It wasn't the best score I'd ever heard, but I thought it was excellent nonetheless.
One thing that was somewhat of a let down was the gore. Yes, there was some gore in this film, but it just wasn't up to my Fulci standard. There wasn't enough of it, and overall the effects weren't as good as they usually are (with both good effects, and really hokie ones (mannequins anyone?).
Overall I'm glad I got this film, it gave me a chance to see Fulci in a different light. As one of my favorite directors it was cool to see a film that was a little different from his normal stuff; plus I liked it. This movie is for just about everyone, though gorehounds and Fulci fans may be a little disappointed. In the end though, if you really like second guessing yourself, you may just enjoy this little number.
The DVD
The DVD is OK. The audio and visual transfers are just OK, but they could have been better. The extras are almost worthless. We get a talent bio of Lucio Fulci. It's pretty much the same ol' rehashed bio we get with every Anchor Bay Fulci film, and so even the fairly interesting bio was a bit boring this time around. In the end I wish Fulci's films got better extras, and my sentiments are no different with this film.
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Director
Lucio Fulci
Cast
Tomas Milian
Barbara Bouchet
Florinda Bolkan
Marc Porel
Irene Papas
Screenplay
Lucio Fulci
Roberto Gianviti
Gianfranco Clerici
Country
Italy
Classification
Not Rated
Year
1972
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Format
NTSC
Region Coding
1
Aspect Ratio
2.35:1
16x9 Enhanced
Yes
Running Time
102 minutes
Year Released
2000
Packaging
Keep Case
Extra Features
Talent Bio
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This Version On DVD
Region 1: Buy Me Now
Other Versions On DVD
None
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If you find any errors in this review, know of any other versions of this DVD available or no longer available, send us an e-mail so we can get the word out to the horror community.
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