Italy, 1972
83m (UK), 103m, 7470 ft (UK)
35mm film, Cinescope, Eastmancolor, 2.35:1
mono, Italian
An Italian giallo directed by Alberto De Martino. Production began in Brussels on 5 June 1972 1Variety vol.267 no.11 (26 July 1972) p.26] and the three week shoot was beset by terrible weather conditions 1Variety vol.268 no.4 (6 September 1972) p.61]
Plot Summary
After encountering a hitman, actress Eleanor suffers amnesia and forgets everything that has happened in the last five years. The killer, Drasovic, attempts to assassinate a man acting as a go-between between oil producers and petrochemical companies.
Credits
* = uncredited
Crew
A film by Alberto De Martino
© 1972 [company not given]
A Difnei Cinematografico production
Executive Producer: Guy Luongo
A Film Produced by: Vittorio Bartattolo, Aldo Scavarda
Screenplay and Story: Vincenzo Mannino, Adriano Bolzoni, Renato Izzo, Alberto De Martino
Director of Photography: Aristide Massaccesi 2better known as Joe D'Amato
Edited by: Otello Colangeli
Music/Music Director: Stelvio Cipriani
Sound Recordist: Giovanni Fratarcangeli
Costumes: Enrico Sabbatini
Art Director: Antonio Visone
Cast
Anne Heywood (Eleanor Loraine)
Telly Savalas (Ranko)
Giorgio Piazza
Osvaldo Ruggieri
Antonio Guidi
Willeke van Ammelrooy (Dorothy)
Roger Van Hool (Peter Verwood)
Rossella Falk (Margaret)
Leonardo Scavino
Ada Pometti
Alessandro Perrella
Marc Audier *
Georges Bossair *
Sandra L. Brennan *
Suzy Falk *
Alternative Titles
The Killer is on the Phone
Ein Mann geht aufs Ganze – German title
Moordenaar aan de telefoon – Belgian Flemish title
Scenes from a Murder
Press
1975
Monthly Film Bulletin vol.42 no.503 (December 1975) p.256
Presumably issued on the strength of Telly Savalas' current popularity, The Killer Is on the Phone will surely disappoint even his most ardent fans as his contribution consists of scarcely a dozen lines and a series of identical non-expressions presumably intended to appear menacing. The bulk of the film depends on Anne Heywood's incarnation of neurotic confusion (which is understandable, given the tortuously plotted and ill-directed memory flashes she endures), and motivation generally must be deduced from appearances, particularly with Rossella Falk's misconceived and humourless rehash of her Modesty Blaise role. But the greatest mystery of all is the title, which (in this version, at least) bears no relation whatsoever to the plot. – from a review by Scott Meek
References
Periodicals
- Bianco e Nero vol.35 no.3/4 (March/April 1974) p.32 – review
- Monthly Film Bulletin vol.42 no.503 (December 1975) p.256 – credits, synopsis, review (by Scott Meek)
- Variety vol.267 no.11 (26 July 1972) p.26 – note (Italian films shooting)
- Variety vol.268 no.4 (6 September 1972) p.61 – note (Chatter: Brussels by John Florquin)
Books
- Film Review 1976-1977 by F. Maurice Speed p.172
