Liz et Helen

If we did not know when this film came out we could easily tell with a potential error of no more than +/- 12 months. The psychedelic elements put it in a 1967-1970 interval and the lesbian love scenes rule out the early part of that interval.

Klaus Kinski being cast against type is certainly quite memorable, but when I think of this film I mostly recall the special effects for the train crash. Or rather the lack of them! Although the moment is brief it is blatantly obvious that we have a crash of a model train, and even more clearly a burning model train. This is the special effects school of early Japanese Godzilla movies!

Some Gorgeous and Slick Color Images Embody the Late 60's Psychedelic London Vibe of New "Freedoms" On-Screen.

Such as Nudity and Drugs, coupled with Outrageous Hair and Clothes Styles.

Klaus Kinski, in a Tempered Role, is Involved with His Wife, a Rich Heiress, and Her Sudden and Tragic Death by Sabotage.

It Sends Him to the London "Underground" Scene and Assorted Characters such as Models and Pornographers.

Typical "Who-Done-It" Plot is Ramped by some Beautiful Cinematography and a Neo-Noir Feel.

It also Employs Modern Tropes of Italian and German Cinema Packaged for an International Market.

It's a Great Film to Look At and Kinski, as always, is an Intriguing Screen Presence.

The Story has some Flow-Problems as the Plot gets Complex but Nevertheless is a Good Example of B-Movie Making in the "Times That Were A Changin".

It has to be said that Riccardo Freda wasn't the greatest Italian director to ever live and, as such, his films don't tend to rank among the best of the genres he's worked in. Double Face is not one of the best Giallo's ever made, though it's a hell of a lot better than Freda's later The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire, and it's a pretty decent genre entry in its own right. As is the case with most Giallo films; the central focus of the plot is on murder, but rather than following a string of murders as many of these films do; this time the focus is on just one murder and the investigation into said crime. The plot centres on John Alexander, a successful business man whose wife just happens to be a lesbian. She is, unfortunately, killed in a car crash towards the start of the film and John then encounters Christine; a sexy and uninhibited blonde seductress who seems to have a keen interest in him. One thing leads to another, and John ends up seeing a blue movie starring Christine and, apparently, his wife! The mystery then builds as John comes to believe that his wife is still alive.

The stand out star of the film is definitely Klaus Kinski. It's quite odd seeing him in this role as I'm so used to seeing him play the bad/insane antagonist, whereas here he finds himself in the hapless victim role. Kinski keeps it together well and while this performance isn't as great as the ones where he gets to go over the top; it has to be said that he gives a solid performance in the lead role. He is joined by fellow German Christiane Krüger, who takes up the role of sexy leading lady well and the central cast is rounded off by Margaret Lee, who appeared in a handful of Giallo's, including Slaughter Hotel and The Killers Are Our Guests. The film is never overly exciting and sometimes it seems too content to just wallow in the plot; but there are some interesting scenes to help fill out the running time. The film is set in London, although it wasn't shot on location and that fact clearly shows. The final ten minutes are the best of the film as the plot finally reveals itself and mostly makes sense. Overall, I cant say that Double Face is one of the best Giallo's ever made; but it's good enough and certainly worth seeing.

Is Riccardo Freda's "Double Face" a giallo, yes or no? Many people are likely to say no, but it's definitely a giallo in the humble opinion of yours truly. I think there exist two types. The prototypic and most common (and certainly also the most entertaining) giallo deals with a perverted, masked & black-gloved killer butchering scantily clad fashion models with a variety of sharp objects. There's usually a high body count, lots of gratuitous sleazy and nudity, and a fun "whodunit" aspect even though the end-twist regarding the identity of the killer is grotesque and far-fetched. The second, and slightly less popular, type of giallo generally deals with unfaithful husbands driving their mentally unstable wives crazy, for example via framing them for murder or faking their own deaths. These gialli have low body counts, psychedelic atmospheres, and for some strange reason they often star Carroll Baker as the leading lady in distress ("The Sweet Body of Deborah", "Orgasmo", "So Sweet So Perverse", "Paranoia", ...).

I really think "Double Face" fits neatly into this second giallo-category, although admittedly the trademarks are turned upside down. Here, it's the male protagonist - Klaus Kinski - who's being cheated on by his wife (with another woman, moreover) and driven insane. It's a highly unusual role for Kinski, but he's absolutely splendid as John Alexander who suspects that his wife Liz still hangs out in sex clubs and appears in pornographic movies, even though she supposedly died in a horrible car accident. The plot is a little thin to full a complete film with, so "Double Face" is overall rather dull and contains too much pointless padding footage. The climax is tense and fairly surprising, though, and the cast is full of beautiful people! Kinski's charisma and grimaces are indescribable, and the male spectators are spoiled with no less than three gorgeous women: Christiane Krüger, Annabella Incontrera and Margaret Lee. If you're still not convinced, I can also add that the idea for the story comes from the almighty Lucio Fulci! Check it out, Italian cult-cinema lovers!

On a less relevant note: watching the DVD-version that I own was an adventure to itself. It was a restored version, so poor quality footage constantly interchanged with high quality images, and the spoken language randomly switched back and forth between English, German and French.

I fell in love with this movie from its first frame. Or, at any rate, the first BOOM-BANG-CRASH-WALLOP of its fabulously over-the-top piano soundtrack - as if Liberace were stationed just off camera, with blazing gold candelabra and rhinestone-studded Steinway grand. Its visuals are, if possible, lusher than its score. Crystal vases weep rose petals over the photo of a murdered woman. Venetian glass mirrors reflect the elegantly chiselled face of Klaus Kinski - glowering at us seductively over a polka-dotted silk cravat.

If you are used to Kinski hamming it up in a Herzog epic, his role here is a revelation. As a London millionaire who may or may not have murdered his lesbian wife, he is so subtle and ambiguous, so - dare I say it? - restrained that he keeps us guessing right up until the last few seconds. Seeing her 'come back to life' in a porno film (shot after her death) Kinski's face takes on a haunted look that outdoes all his raving, eye-rolling and tooth-gnashing in more famous roles.

Proof, if proof were needed, that director Riccardo Freda was not just a great unsung visual stylist, but a maestro of mood and suspense. Imagine a Chabrol or Hitchcock with the eye of a Renaissance painter, and you come close to the splendours of this film. So exquisite in its visual detail that its minor flaws - i.e. blatantly fake model car wrecks; continuity howlers such as Kinski walking bareheaded through Soho, then sitting in a nightclub with his hat on - simply evaporate before our eyes.

Oh, and I even like the tacky Italian pop ballad that keeps recurring as a 'clue' - to oddly chilling effect. So perhaps I'm just a sucker for this type of film.

David Melville