Giallo Cinema and Its Folktale Roots

A Critical Study of 10 Films, 1962–1987

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by Michael Sevastakis

Type

Studies

Subject

Countries > Italy

Keywords

Italy, giallo, violence, sex

Publishing date

2016

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 240 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-7864-9501-6

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Book Presentation:
The Italian giallo film genre—the equivalent of the American whodunit but incorporating extreme violence and sex—was based on popular British and American fiction of the 30s and 40s, adapted to the explicitly liberal filmmaking of 1970s and 1980s Europe. Seldom released in American theaters, these films were usually distributed as redacted bootlegs, awaiting digital technology to be restored to their original content and pristine visual form.

This book analyzes the censored sex and violence of giallo films, finding in them an inherent beauty and tracing their literary antecedents to the elements of the fairy tale as described by Russian folklorist Vladimir Propp. Each chapter covers a film and its director, from 1962 to 1987. The author argues that despite their formulaic production and designation as “Euro-sleaze,” these films are works of individuality and artistic virtue.

About the Author:
Michael Sevastakis has served as a full professor in the communication department at the College of Mt. St. Vincent in Riverdale, New York. He lives in Bronx, New York.

Press Reviews:
"makes the case for the giallo’s artistic merit"—Flick Attack; "detailed, insightful, and intelligent"—Bookgasm.

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co