 Thanks for checking out this movie review video This is for the 1973 giallo film the corruption of Chris Miller and when I'm doing this review It's available on the shutter streaming service. That's where I watch it now because this is an older film You know, I'm gonna be doing all the spoilers. It's all about spoilers with this. I'm really trying to break these movies down You know the other thing is you need to know if you are a fan of giallo And you want to see more movie reviews for giallo films I have an entire playlist on the channel for giallo films I also have entire ones for Argento films and Bava films and Fulci films and more and more and more stuff. So check out the playlist. Anyway, so The corruption of Chris Miller directed by Juan Antonio Bardem who just goes by J.A. Bardem for the credit Did other films such as death of a cyclist at five in the afternoon The uninhibited and Belle Belle from hell and foul play those those aren't all the films It's just I picked out picked out some ones that were horror related. So that's how I do this Written by Santiago Moncada Who wrote scripts for films such as macabre? Hatchet for the honeymoon the fourth victim curse of the black cat and rest in pieces a few of those also giallo films Jean Seberg who plays Ruth in this film had stated that she was actually embarrassed to be in the film and Only took the job for financial reasons I Mean you wouldn't know it based off watching the film because she did an excellent job Well, I mean, I guess I can't say you wouldn't know it know it because she did an excellent job I guess what it shows is she's a professional even if her heart's not in it She didn't really want to do it. She's there and she gives it her all She's a professional and that's great too many times you see people phoning it in Prime example, if you want to see someone really phone it in to the worst degree Chris Christofferson in the film deadfall. Oh my gosh That film you have to see just for the reason of the push and pull between two actors and that One who could care less and one who's trying so hard Eric bann on one side Chris Christofferson on the other deadfall check it out. It also has Olivia Wilde in it Who does a pretty good job? The film starts with a very with very ominous music and heavy rain Which obviously there's a foreshadowing of terrible things to come and the rain features heavily in this film Obviously the rain's not just there as a as your typical Dark and gloomy and this is when the terrible things happen But it's also there because it has a specific tie-in to trauma from Chris Miller's past She obviously if you get the flashbacks and you know you by the end You do get kind of a more full flashback so you can really tell what was happening It's kind of weird because the way they just give you like these pieces of the flashback in the beginning And then they finally give you the thing at the end I feel like they should have just explained that up front because it's not really I Mean you could kind of guess where things were going and it's just odd the little bits of pieces They give you in the beginning it also doesn't change much about the film or impacted all that much if they would give you all that Information up front in my opinion So they should have just given the full flashback up front and let you know She had been raped and that is part of her trauma And that is what ties into the sound of the rain and her just kind of losing it Because the sound of the rain was tying into the sound of a shower that she was in when she was assaulted, so I Just think they should have put that up front But anyway, so the rain plays a much bigger part was kind of my point of that whole thing Between the whistling the chicken leg chomping and the Charlie Chaplin cosplay It's a super odd beginning. Yes, the the actress who was known for playing her Charlie Chaplin role is killed by a person dressed as Charlie Chaplin Who we at the end find out was Lewis the friend who's shown briefly and then barely ever mentioned again of Chris one of her friends So you know basically he's going to be the killer and yes I did guess the first time watching it, which I've only watched it once at this point I guessed immediately as soon as he was briefly introduced I was like a he was very briefly introduced and he's not gonna be talked about again That makes me think he's the killer as a way of doing this kind of you've seen them So you know who they are then maybe you'll be surprised later when you forget about them because we haven't come back to him The other thing is I noticed that Lewis looked a lot like Barney. They had the same body type They had the same kind of hair. They had very similar facial features It was meant to kind of be like oh who it could have been either So the Charlie Chaplin in the beginning where they're dressed up It's kind of funny, but it's kind of more odd than anything now the actual killing of that Actress I was gonna say director that actress is Particularly gruesome and I thought they did a great job with it And you also don't really see it coming because it's a shocking moment with the scissors through the hand That was crazy and then they show the aftermath of the actual killing and there's just blood everywhere I like how gory they made it it looked really good It looked particularly violent and that's a really good setup to let people know who you're dealing with here How over the top this killer is so it's in he says at the end when Lewis ends up getting arrested he basically Says that the motive was so that he could take money because he did take money from whoever he killed He was saying that you could so he could take money so he could feed his horses but He obviously revels in it like he has a great time because that level of killing and how he does it and how messy it gets That's not a I'm just killing because I need money That's a I'm killing because I need money, but I'm also really killing because I enjoy it so But the the whole thing with the actress like chomping on a chicken like the whole time It's very weird the Charlie Chaplin dance very weird But I think on a rewatch I'd still enjoy it because it's weird, but it's like a nice cork, you know It's pretty out of character for a Jala film to show the killer like it does although I guess it's kind of supposed to be this Shock when he's running away in the rain and he throws the mask off because it's actually I mean you can tell it's not actually mask. They just painted his face put on a wig put on a mustache all that but then they you know Make it look like he's pulling a mask off and throws it in the rain But you know what he looks like basically and you know it's either Barney or it's Lewis Basically because you can tell what they looked like in the beginning So it's not that typical because Jala really doesn't do that, but you know doing something new was fine with me Like I said before those those pieces of the flash packs of Chris's trauma just didn't really work And they're especially weird because of showing that gap toothed weightlifter just like doing deadlifts or whatever It's just weird. That's just another one. There's just weird things Yeah But it also kind of gives you the idea of why she keeps Intimacy at I put at the a-knife's length because of her old stabbing How she likes to stab things when she starts flipping out But you see it come into play numerous times when she's when she's trying to be intimate with Barney because she wants to she Really does but once she starts to become intimate the trauma comes back She's having flashbacks. She's having a hard time dealing with it and then she Gets violent just like the rain makes her like that whole situation just brings her back to the moment of the trauma of being raped and Yeah, I do think with this film. It's kind of an over simplification of you know That type of trauma that happens to people But you also have to consider that this was in the 70s and not a whole lot was known about How traumas like that actually affected people also Society was not as Let me say nuanced about how they deal with Subjects like that. So just consider that it's way more crude for that reason What the hell is with Ruth she's flickering the lights and then trying to make out with Chris is she manufacturing mental illness issues To keep Chris dependent and those are kind of questions I put down while I was watching and to you know to speak to it to speak to the title the film the corruption of Chris Miller Basically, yes, she was corrupting her She even admits to it at the end of the film and it was a way to her to get back at her father So it's interesting to note though too that the the introduction of Ruth and Chris starts with them bickering about her father about Chris's father and how Ruth hates him and actually all men because she says all men are terrible. They're only gonna hurt you and injure you They're holding out for bad things basically Whereas Chris is more hopeful and she says, you know, my father might come back, you know He may he had a problem with you, but he may still love me and he may still want to be in my life but by the end they have that same argument again in the end of the film after they've killed Barney and That's then when it's revealed that Ruth has actually sought to corrupt Chris hence the title of the film Because that was her way to try and get back at Chris's father and another portion of it was You know moving out to that villa in the countryside so that he couldn't even get to her So filling her head with all these things I think further playing into her trauma and making her violent was another aspect of it Everything in the film that she does bad or that happens to her ends up being kind of guided intentionally or unintentionally by Ruth Ruth is the corruptor and that is how Chris becomes corrupted Notice in the kitchen is a hanging board the part where Barney comes in He's oddly invited into the house by Ruth after she found him in the barn naked sleeping and said get the hell out I don't know who you are then he turns on the charm. She invites him in which makes no sense whatsoever that change But hey, it's the 70s whatever writing wasn't that great back then But you then see in the kitchen there's this board hanging up and there are all these nights But then there's also a pair of scissors, which I think is kind of a call to The murder in the beginning of the film. I just thought that was something interesting to pick up on Like I said very unrealistic how Barney is then sitting down to breakfast with Ruth and then not only that but then it takes it a step further Of they sleep together and then she's basically like oh well you got to get out of here though before my Stepdaughter shows up and he says mm-hmm stepdaughter I might have to stick around long enough to see what that's about Certainly he does and then he's more interested in Chris than he was in Ruth Which sets up the whole jealousy issue, which is in the end kind of what ends up getting Barney killed A whole lot of people not being great in this film because obviously Barney's you know He never deserved to be killed But he's not a good person either, you know, and it's not just because he was just out of prison We don't know why he was in prison in the first place. Maybe it was really horrible. Maybe he's a murderer I don't know well probably not if he was actually released, but you know, maybe he's a bad person I don't know but he at least broke back into the house. He was Trying to move in on them basically he was trying to kind of mooch off of live off of Ruth and Chris Then he was trying to move in on Chris after he was having a relationship with Ruth So it's there aren't any good people in this basically like there really aren't there are substantial characters. That is not any good people Barney's comment on being into anthropology and finding human being Fascinating is a lead into his manipulative behavior behaviors because he does act in a manipulative Manor and to that degree he kind of does throw some Wood on the fire for Ruth's hatred of men and you can see that in the film So you do end up feeling for her a little bit in that situation When Ruth tells Barney about Chris's room not being locked at night and saying he should go in when she has Her nightmares seems like she's actually trying to set him up to be killed by Chris because she knows that she kind of goes Into that stabbing fit when she really starts freaking out And then later she sends him into the basement when Chris is clearly freaking out and going into a stabby sort of Situation and I I definitely think in both those instances. She was kind of not feeling good about Barney Understanding what was going on and he was kind of looking to be more with Chris and Trying to set him up to be murdered honestly, which you know it ends up happening in the end and she's involved So, uh How is it Barney knew who Lewis was when they passed him on the road and he pointed him out to Chris? Notice that when they were going into town The time when they meet the family who ends up getting murdered eventually They're driving into town and there's a quick comment where he says oh, hey look, it's Lewis How does he know who Lewis is I don't understand that and I I thought that may have come into play later That like they actually knew each other but No, I think maybe it's just a mistake and in this I won't even necessarily say script because it's dubbed over So maybe it wasn't even in the original script, but it's a mistake in my opinion It's messed up that Chris comes on to Barney after he kills a rabbit in front of her and she puts his hand to her throat And I think this is kind of this thing that you know It's come up in older films in particular like 80s 70s and further back where it's Women who have had trauma Subconsciously seeking out men who are dangerous and can do them harm that has come up in film so much It's obviously not really a thing in that sense and it's a sign of the times Like I was saying you know these types of things not dealt with nuance back then and not understood all that well either so It's just crazy now watching this film and seeing how he kills the rabbit in front of her then she's like Oh my god I'm so turned on and horny and then places his hand around her throat like he could kill her now when that happens I guess I don't understand why she doesn't start freaking out then. I Don't know because it seems like a dangerous situation to I don't know Barney being kicked out and walking in the rain is supposed to be seen as a catalyst for him starting to kill That is supposed to be the setup for the misdirection of you thinking that after you see him leaving and he's walking In the rain that he then goes into that barn picks up the rain slick that kind of has the hood to it and the Weird cape thing and grabs the scythe and kills that whole family because of the progression of that and how it looks You're supposed to think it was him when in actuality. It was Lewis All along. Yeah, so not not bad in the setup for the misdirection of my opinion The young kid saying he saw a monk outside is supposed to play to the audience as the kid Thinking that he saw that because the the person had a hood on that they were a monk And where that ends up coming from is if you remember when they were in town When the family was going to leave the kid almost ran into a monk and the monk kind of turned around and looked at him So his reference was from earlier where he sees a monk So he looks outside and the person to him is dressed like a monk now because he relays that information to his family They say oh go ahead and let him in otherwise He would have said oh, there's some man outside in the rain and they would have been like well That's weird. Let's investigate this or don't let him in but because he says it's a monk and once again That's in his mind because he kind of looks like the person he saw in town They let him in and then the mayhem ensues So that's interesting How did Barney get into the basement? That's one big thing when Barney breaks back into the house after he's been kicked out How did he get into the basement? They don't show you that they don't talk about that. They don't tell you that Plot hole like how did he get in all that? I knew of is it we could see that there was a window down there I don't know. I just feel like they should have covered that in my opinion The key indicator the Barney is actually not a killer Is when he hears someone in the house when he's you know cutting up the sofa and He goes to investigate above it before he does he closes his pocket knife Now if he was a killer he would have kept his pocket knife out for defense or with the intention of killing someone But that little action of folding it and putting it away Shows that he is not a killer and that's that small indicator that it's not him who killed that family at all Just saying Barney getting stabbed does not look good in this The way they shot that it looks very fake. It doesn't look very good Yeah, just they should have done something else. Maybe not show it up close so much You know, it was the 70s. It looked better back then I guess I Assumed Lewis would be the killer in the end because he was so briefly introduced and then not seen again I think he was only referenced that other that one other time like that And that's one thing to know about these types of films where it's like who's the killer Usually it's someone who's introduced very early on who you don't see or hear from again Because it's this thing of when they pop back up at the end Even though you haven't seen them or heard from them any long time you've forgotten about them But you remember when they pop back up. Oh, yes, we saw this person in the beginning of the film So I know who it is, but they you know, we're never on my suspect list An opening conversation between Ruth and Chris is repeated at the end Yes, we're talking about that The scene of the peas growing through the asphalt was ridiculous First of all the peas would not grow through the asphalt like that and second of all it just looked like crap with their time-lapse There was no need I mean it could have just flash forward and there's there's a crack there now They need to dig it up and take care of it. It just is a bad choice It's minor, but it was a bad choice and I also think that the very end of the film was drawn out way too much everything leading up to You know what you're assuming would end up with Chris and Ruth eventually being caught It just took way way way too long. So it kind of lost its impact in the end in my opinion Now some overall thoughts about the film itself Beautiful settings beautiful settings really nice directing really nice cinematography this film just visually looks awesome It is very stunning. That's one of the things I love most about this film is it looks so good It is beautiful beautifully shot beautiful scenery all that stuff I love this film and would rewatch it for that reason. That's what I love about it overall. I don't think it's an amazing film It's definitely not even close to one of my favorite giallo films, but I enjoyed it for sure There are some real dialogue volume issues in this unfortunately if you notice when you're listening or when you're watching it and listening at the same time that There will be moments where the dialogue starts to drop down so low that you can't Barely hear it and then it will come back to normal level. So some volume issues I'm assuming that has to do with kind of moving it to another media Getting it to DVD Blu-ray, whatever It's a fun watch for the intrigue and character interactions in my opinion But in the end it feels a little bit disjointed and the endings kind of disappointing The fact that the killing that Louis being the killer and the killings of the family and the actress The fact that those don't really tie into the story I don't like I wish that they could have kind of integrated that stuff a lot more So it kind of seems like it's two films kind of mashed together I mean I understand that the whole thing with Louis was put there to make it look like Barney was that person But I just wish the stories went together more because they just really don't and that's why I say it feels disjointed And it's kind of disappointing But like I said like visually great and I also really like the acting in it and I love the character interactions They're interesting characters. There's a lot of intriguing stuff going on and the first time you watch it It really does keep your interest because you really do want to know where it's going. It is compelling So anyway out of five stars with half stars in play. Where am I gonna put this one? I'm gonna go three stars. I thought about between three and three and a half But I think it's more appropriate given the story and how everything plays out and the fact that the ending is drawn out Too long a three So let me know your thoughts if you've seen this one put some comments down here Let's get nerdy about it and we can just talk about giallo in general because obviously I'm a big giallo nerd Are you let's talk anyway? Do me a quick favor hit that subscribe button if you can that is your best way to repay me if you like this video Or any video you've ever seen of mine. 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