 Thanks for checking out this movie review video. So this is for the 1972 giallo film the French sex murders This one This is from if people don't know the volume 2 of Forgotten Gialli by Vinegar syndrome that they put out and thus far I enjoyed ish the first volume I'm actually thinking that at the moment I might be enjoying the second volume more and I have a review for the first one This is the second one and then I'm going to be doing the third one So I'll have all those available and also if you're finding this as the first Video you've seen on my channel. Just know that I have an entire playlist on there for giallo film reviews So I'm big into giallo. So let's talk about this one. I'm a fan. I did enjoy this one It doesn't crack my top 10 or anything like that, but I will rewatch this one. It's a good time. It's fun So the French sex murders like I said done in 1972 directed by Ferdinando Marieke This was written by Marieke and also Marius Matei Who also wrote scripts for the daughters of Emanuel and moving target? Just name a few also Dick Randall who wrote some scripts for let it all hang out the Mad Butcher The erotic adventure of Robinson Crusoe hadn't heard about that one when I was a kid the real Bruce Lee which is a documentary which is interesting and Pieces which people may know about pieces. It is a giallo film. I do plan on doing a review for it at some point I think it's still on shutter that one by Picare Javier Picare, I think is the name. Anyway, I do like that one. I will do a review on it at some point So the police chase off the bat in this film is definitely setting a stage for killer on the loose Situation especially with the high-paced music that they kind of have it's very like upbeat Like get your blood pumping, you know get things exciting type music that's going on with the chase is going on now Obviously you find out in the end that this is the what ends up happening in the end of the film Chronology wise where they're chasing whoever, you know, they end up finding out as the actual killer Which ends up being Theodore the professor and yeah, they're on the chase But they obviously make sure they don't show his face is that at that point But it's an interesting way to start the film because it gets you into action immediately It pulls you in it grabs your attention and I'll let you know that this isn't gonna be your typical You know, just take its time. There isn't a whole lot of excitement going on type giallo film It's it says to you there's gonna be a lot more of this It's gonna be more interesting more engaging and that's I think what ends up happening The jump from the Eiffel Tower though. It just looks really weird and funny Just a sign of its times because it's 1972 Obviously at that time that was probably a big deal It probably looked really good back then where that like shadow was coming at you and they played again at the end So I laughed at it just because nowadays it looks funny, but I realized it was probably pretty good back then oh A thief with a scar on their face This seemed like the red herring candidate immediately to me even before anything happened before anyone was dead we see Antoine stealing the jewels that he ends up giving to Francine and They make a point of showing that he has a scar on his face So I figured he's stealing he has a scar on his face This guy is clearly going to be their main red herring that they go after and that's exactly what ended up happening These things are so predictable sometimes But you know, it's still fun. It was a good time. I Love the flashy druid robes for concealing identities for a trip to the massage palace That was Madame Colette's Which basically it's a brothel as we all know and you find out at the end Obviously that in those cool flashy druid robes are Theodore and George Who unfortunately, I mean it seems like they were great friends So I'm sure it really sucked for Theodore to have to go and kill George Although he was kind of you know out there at the end so Maybe he wasn't thinking about George all that much in the end Antoine steals for Francine and says mine mine mine while he's having sex with her Which really sets it up as showing him as being obsessed with Francine as being very possessive of Francine Especially when he ends up hitting her because his time is up and she's like, you know, I got to go back to work I'm having sex with other men and he just flips because he's just spent this time with her He thinks that bringing her these jewels will bring her closer to him. He obviously has this obsession. That's not being reciprocated basically He just keeps saying all these things about like going her going away with him and all that and then the whole thing with that Saying mine mine mine while they're having sex Yeah, it just it's another step in them trying to really paint him as he's the killer He's the guy who did it and then obviously with how they edit the chain of events that happened where you know He beats the crap out of Francine and then he runs out of the house and then her body's found not long after that So obviously he was less one scene with her. He was seen running out of the house He did actually hit her the audience sees that and so you're supposed to believe Obviously he is the killer. Obviously he killed Francine, but he didn't he's a terrible guy, but he didn't commit the murder So, yeah If the police in a giallo film say the case is cut and dry, which they do in this film it most certainly is not The other thing to note which I talked about in other giallo reviews is that police are very inept They're almost always very inept within the film at least initially within these types of films most of them The whole time they're pretty inept But in this one it was actually kind of more refreshing to see that they weren't that the detective was actually Pretty solid at what he was doing. What was his name? Haven't in my notes at some point. I'll come across it and talk about him I can't remember his his name at the moment, but I'll get there I like how the police don't make any attempt to run after Antoine. They just slowly walk towards him That's when he first ran out of Madame Colette's and he's running then the police start coming for him Like they weren't running at him or anything They were just like slowly walking towards him Which I thought was like a weird strategy because he is running they are not I mean I guess it from the standpoint of they knew that they had him closed off because you had police on one side and police on the other But then again, did they know because they didn't have like they didn't have cell phones back then They didn't have what they didn't appear to have walkie-talkies with them. I don't know It just seemed a little odd to me that they would just be walking at him weird Madame Colette talking about having a party at her place after giving her statement on Antoine and Francine's death Seems like a pretty quick mood change and for that reason it did at that moment seem to me like maybe she would have something to do With Francine's death maybe some sort of personal grudge or something like that Because that seemed like an odd character thing But then again as we all know if we know giallo, there's always these weird corky characters who do weird corky things And that's just another one of them. It's you know Obviously Madame Colette is not that broken up over losing Francine because she's wanting to just throw a party after that the color changing When Antoine is giving his curse that kind of goes to like a reddish orangish hue At the trial. I took that as kind of a show Not it was I felt like it was a little bit of like a showing of Antoine's anger And how he was funneling it at these people but also I think it was used as a Visualization of kind of like a potentially super natural thing going on because that's when he's laying this curse on them that Obviously Theodore ends up using to try and throw people off and make them think oh no Antoine's curse is is coming true and that's why all these people are dying not because anyone else killed Francine yeah, so Which is an interesting aspect of the film and I like that for the story. It's not believable obviously It's not believable that people would believe that there's an actual curse But it's interesting nonetheless And I hadn't seen that done before so yeah When it's revealed Antoine escaped you think he's got a grievance and a list of names So let's get it on I thought what was gonna end up happening at that point is that? He Antoine was gonna go on a tear and actually start killing those people that he listed for his curse and Then you would end up finding out in the end who actually killed Killed Francine or that he would basically go and become his own detective in a way But no we get that very interesting twist that I did not see coming of him Riding the stolen motorcycle that he got coming up across around a turn and then having I don't even know what it was Like I couldn't even focus on was it a construction site? Was it it looked to me like it was a sharp piece of metal coming out of the back of like a Garbage truck or something. I don't know it was too fast for me All I know is a piece of met sharp metal was there. He turned didn't see it in time and Pops his head right off, which I thought was a really cool moment Not just story-wise because he didn't see it coming but for 1972 it actually didn't look too bad and the way they shot his Body on the motorcycle like on the side in the grass They they got it at a good angle where it did look like he didn't have his head anymore And this like the sculpt of the of the actual like severed head that they use the practical effect Looked pretty good for the time. I thought so I was pretty impressed with that. Oh by the way before that happened Antoine Getting past all the police on the motorcycle Was like kind of slapsticky type funny because they looked like total buffoons like with how many there were They definitely would have been able to catch him especially in the situations that unfolded there with that But it's just kind of the slapsticky Idiotic funny type thing which adds to the quirkiness of the film and I did like I I Sorry, it took a long time for Pepe to come to Eleonora's defense at the bar that moment where Marianne is singing and she's like looking at Pepe But then Eleonora is there was I don't know who this random guy was was I think just like drunk bar patron the guy with the mustache and the blonde hair and he was Just like getting all handsy with her and Pepe was seeing it Like they were making a point of showing you that Pepe was seeing it But kind of being bothered by it But he was also really wanting to focus on Marianne and I guess kind of not caring enough to do anything about it But he eventually does and like gets on the guy when they stand up But it went on for a long time So he's not really like a hero in that aspect it kind of seemed more like he was waiting for someone else to jump in and intervene and Then he was like God fine. I guess no one else is gonna intervene. I'm gonna have to do this. So yeah, but Also, I love how the guy stopped for a few seconds when he was harassing Eleonora He stopped briefly to clap for Marianne's song and then went right back to sexually harass or trying to sexually harass her It's just another one of those weird corky little moments that I laughed at I loved it I like that aspect of it. It's just ridiculous What's the issue with Roger Roger? I'll just gonna call him Roger, but they say Roger in the in the film What's the issue with Roger trying to be with Eleonora? I just don't get it like I didn't understand what the taboo was there at least not at first So then I guess at the end it kind of starts to make sense that it's just because Really Theodore Eleonora's father doesn't want her being with anyone because he wants to be with her Yes, like that you creepy you disgusting We'll talk a little bit more about that in a bit here The repeat shots of the bottom of the lamp coming at Madame Colette are annoying When she gets bludgeoned to death with the lamp The changes and they did that with pretty much all the kills where it changes colors. I think it was like blue red Like a purplish it went through a bunch of colors, but I did not Like that aspect of it. I don't know What the real reasoning was that was Like what was a real reason for that in the end? I don't know but I guess to show The craziness of the situation just to kind of like exacerbate it through some visuals I don't know. I didn't really dig it. It was distracting and disorienting. I didn't like it The eyeball cutting scene pretty nasty gets pretty gross Like they're literally taking that scalpel and like squishing the eyeball in essence and all that like fluid comes out from the inside That was pretty gross. I'm assuming it was like a sheep's eye I know back then that that's what they would use in Italy when they would do scenes like that had been done before So I assume it was like a sheep's eye, but yeah, look pretty grody. I'm sure some people got squeamish during that Uh-oh Pepe's cheating on Marianne with Alice. I didn't see that coming some infidelity but then again when the film's called the French sex murders and there's a Brothel in at the center of this whole thing. I guess you should expect something like that. I like the shot where The person moves up the stairs next to the open door and then flicks their switchblade open It looks cool. So that's the moment where well, we find out later who it is We didn't we don't know who the killers at this point, but it was Theodore Going up the stairs and standing next to Doris's bedroom where Mike Martin slash Mike is I don't understand that she literally later says that her boyfriend's name is Martin But she calls him Mike when they have sex. I don't I don't think that was actually what was going on though Because when he initially shows up he says something about Her her man not being around or something But then again, they could have been referring to George because that was Doris that was George's maid So I don't know that was a little bit confusing But her explanation at least of oh his name is Martin But I call him Mike when we're having sex was so random just another one of those weird things But anyway going back to I was initially saying When Theodore goes next to the to the how they shot it He's next to the open door and then he's standing there and he puts his hand out and then it just like the switch bait It's just like switchblade flicks out. It looks cool It was a real done real well done shot and that goes to one of the big things with this I think the directing is pretty good in this film a lot of good interesting camera movements a lot of Zoom in zoom out but not excessive because a lot of films back then they kind of got real excessive with the zoom in zoom out They did a good amount of those but they didn't feel like they were too much and they weren't over Exaggerated or too fast when they did them. So I did like it cinematography looking good So I thought it looked really good. I was pretty impressed with that aspect of the film Fontaine okay fontaine is the detective's name So when fontaine tells randall he wants to meet with him later I had a feeling he would never make it there That is one of those things I talk about in these giallo reviews Which is if someone says they have something to tell you later or if they say they want to meet with you later or anything like that Trust that most likely they are not going to make it. They will be killed very soon That's usually what ends up happening. And that's what ends up happening randall Randall doesn't get the best death though I think the best death ends up going to maryanne when she gets her head lopped off But i'll talk about that in a second First we need to talk about the fact that maryanne goes over to randall's house when he's with tina And is about to start having sex and seems to be a bit put off by the fact that maryanne wants to talk Even though it's a pretty serious discussion So I I just like that he at one point doesn't even like ask her to leave or anything He's just kind of like, you know, I got something to take care of I think he literally says something like I have something to do or I have something to take care of And then goes to the next room, which isn't even really like the next room There's just like a sheet that is separating these two rooms Between where maryanne is in this bed and just like goes over to that next room and starts getting it on with tina voraciously His guest maryanne is still there like he can't even like see her out the door Or say, please see yourself out or anything like that He was just literally like, hey, I got something to do or someone to do and then he just goes over and he's just having sex You know, maybe part of him was hoping that maryanne would kind of come in and be like, oh, may I join? I kind of think maybe that's what was going on is that he was kind of like Maybe this will prompt her to come join. I don't know But it just another one of those weird quirky things in the film But it adds character So then the scene with maryanne getting her head lopped off with the sword which happens not long after randall starts getting it on with tina Cool, I didn't I did see it coming just because of the sword being grabbed off the wall I was like someone's getting it. I didn't necessarily know would be maryanne or a head getting lopped off But that was it was a good scene. So that's two decapitations in this film Good job. And then randall gets it. But the way randall didn't get it was The way the way randall got it wasn't the best Uh, but I understand that they did it the way they did it so that he was able to be alive for a little bit So he could do the m Or the w as he was dying. So I get it, but his death wasn't the best um Yeah, once again, really not sure why doris calls martin mike during sex I thought that was a weird kind of misdirect that they put in there and I guarantee you that's why they put it in there As the misdirect so that you would think for a bit that randall in blood had put an m and not a w But obviously it's found out not long after that Theodore is one sick bastard Wanted to bone his daughter. So basically what he ended up doing was that he Was going to the brothel and having sex with the women there and base Basically visualizing them as his daughter elinora And then the actual murder ended up happening with francine because he went to francine He seemed to be like mentally not there He was actually picturing elinora's face on francine's was trying to have an interaction with her and then things went bad for In in his mind and he just ended up killing her So then once he realized that's what happened obviously got out of there and then he needed to Set this thing up with the curse that antoine threw out there And be like well, I need people to now think this curse was happening So if you notice he comments on the curse throughout the film too I think to kind of like perpetuate it to keep it in people's minds To kind of introduce the idea more to people that this could be a real thing You know, he even talks at one point where it was him randal and fontaine Walking outside that he started talking about who was on the list and people should watch out type thing. So just saying Uh, I like how they looped everything back to the beginning with the murder and then the jump off the eiffel tower Which I I didn't you know say that until now it was a eiffel tower I do think it was kind of cool that they featured the eiffel tower in it Especially because it's called the french sex murders So that works Um, I already talked about the directing be good. Uh, oh also with the camera work Um, I like the way they kind of moved around and with characters That was very smooth and very interesting. I I really like that aspect of it Notice how george tells or i'm sorry how theodore tells george Not to take antoine's curse lightly and that comes at a point where they're playing chess Now once that was done once that scene happened I immediately thought it's got to be theodore because the image of them playing chess like it's a game of strategy I think was trying to show how theodore was playing this game of strategizing and trying to set things up With all these kills Also, he's once again, like I was saying it's talking about this curse is planning it in people's heads That it's the curse that's killing these people Just saying Roger reminded me a bit of ted bundy by the way. Uh, that's kind of my finishing thought the way he looked So for a moment, I was like I want to say that this guy might be the killer just because he looks like ted bundy But I don't think that's necessarily going to be the case, but He did seem a little weird from time to time. I will say that like the moment where For whatever reason they were able to have antoine's head as a favor Like george did theodore the favor of allowing him to experiment on antoine's head after he was dead That was weird. Uh, but roger is helping or roger is helping him with it And that's when he's like, oh, I I saw the pupils move and theodore's like no no no but then that that's called back at the end actually because Theodore then makes some sort of comment about The about antoine making him do it, which I think was just you know when alibi either he was He did have some stuff mentally going on and he was believing that antoine was actually You know forcing him to do things or what I think is more likely He was just trying to you know set up something for pleading insanity basically So yeah, but he makes a comment about how like Something about antoine's eyes and how like he made him do it. Yeah, so but anyway, like I said, I enjoyed this one I thought this was a good film a lot of fun. I will watch this again Quite enjoyed it. So I'd love to hear what other people I have to say go ahead and put it in the comments Or just giallo in general we can talk Um, so out of five stars with half stars in play. I'm gonna give it I'm giving a three star rating. I was between two and a half and three, but I think it's it's fun enough I'm gonna go the three. I'm putting it out of three. So yeah Real quick do me a favor hit that subscription button If you like this video or any video I've ever done that is how you repay me I really do appreciate it every time someone subscribes. 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