The Cat o' Nine Tails 1971: Movie and film review from Answers.com

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The Cat O' Nine Tails

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DVD Release: The Cat O' Nine Tails [WS]

Release Date: 2001
Widescreen presentation [2.35:1] enhanced for 16x9 TVs
Interviews with director Dario Argento, writer Dardano Sacchetti, and music composer Eninio Morricone
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DVD Release: The Cat O' Nine Tails

Release Date: 2002
DVD special features
Digitally mastered
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DVD Release: Cat O' Nine Tails

Release Date: 2003
Interactive menus
Original graphics
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Biography
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DVD Release: Cat O'Nine Tails

Full length feature film
Fully restored and enhanced Digital masters
Interactive menus
Original graphics
Chapters - direct scene access (go straight to your favorite scenes)
Biography
Film information
Facts & trivia

DVD Release: Cat o' Nine Tails

Release Date: 2004
Interactive menus
Scene selection
Region free

Rating:
Genre: Thriller
Movie Type: Psychological Thriller, Whodunit
Themes: Serial Killers, Amateur Sleuths
Director: Dario Argento
Main Cast: Vittorio Congia, Emilio Marchesini
Release Year: 1971
Country: FR/IT/WG
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: R

Plot

In this flawed mystery-thriller from flamboyant horror director Dario Argento, Karl Malden portrays a blind man who joins forces with a reporter (James Franciscus) to catch a killer with an extra chromosome. Much of the action occurs at a research hospital, where the killer seeks to conceal the original crime with still more murders. Easily the least interesting of Argento's early thrillers (which include the superior L'Uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo and Quattro Mosche di Velluto Grigio), this film seems almost a parody of the genre at times, with preposterous coincidences and bogus Freudian analysis substituting for genuine mystery. Those familiar with the director's work may find it difficult to believe that Argento was responsible, but some undeniable stylistic touches -- such as one victim's wallpaper resembling a blood-splattered wall -- reveal that even a genius can make bad films. Ennio Morricone's soundtrack and a cast including Catherine Spaak and Pier Paolo Capponi offer little relief. The American version is missing approximately twenty minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Cast

Vittorio Congia - Righetto
Emilio Marchesini - Dr. Mombelli

Carlo Alighiero - Dr. Calabresi
Pier Paolo Capponi - Police Superintendent Spimi
Tino Carraro - Prof. Terzi
Tom Felleghy - Dr. Esson
Horst Frank - Dr. Braun
Karl Malden - Franco Arno
Werner Pochath - Manuel
Rada Rassimov - Bianca Merusi
Catherine Spaak - Anna Terzi
Cinzia de Carolis - Lori
James Franciscus - Carlo Giordani
Corrado Olmi - Morsella
Aldo Reggiani - Dr. Casoni

Credit

Dario Argento - Director; Dario Argento - Screenwriter; Salvatore Argento - Producer; Franco Fraticelli - Editor; Carlo Leva - Art Director; Carlo Leva - Costume Designer; Erico Menczer - Cinematographer; Ennio Morricone - Composer (Music Score); Bruno Nicolai - Conductor; Dardano Sacchetti - Screen Story; Luciano Vittori - Special Effects; Roberto Pariante - First Assistant Director; Luigi Collo - Short Story Author

Il gatto a nove code
Poster art for Dario Argento's The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)
Directed by	Dario Argento
Produced by	Salvatore Argento
Written by	Dario Argento Luigi Collo Dardano Sacchetti
Starring	James Franciscus Karl Malden Catherine Spaak Horst Frank Aldo Reggiani Carlo Alighiero Rada Rassimov Tom Felleghy Emilio Marchesini Ugo Fangareggi
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Cinematography	Erico Menczer
Editing by	Franco Fraticelli
Release date(s)	1971 (Italy)
Running time	112 min 90 min (edited version)
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Il gatto a nove code

Poster art for Dario Argento's The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)

Directed by

Dario Argento

Produced by

Salvatore Argento

Written by

Dario Argento
Luigi Collo
Dardano Sacchetti

Starring

James Franciscus
Karl Malden
Catherine Spaak
Horst Frank
Aldo Reggiani
Carlo Alighiero
Rada Rassimov
Tom Felleghy
Emilio Marchesini
Ugo Fangareggi

Music by

Ennio Morricone

Cinematography

Erico Menczer

Editing by

Franco Fraticelli

Release date(s)

1971 (Italy)

Running time

112 min
90 min (edited version)

Language

English

All Movie Guide profile

IMDb profile

Plot summary

The film begins with an unseen assailant breaking into a genetics laboratory, but when the police arrive to investigate it appears that nothing has been stolen. Newspaper reporter Giordani (James Franciscus) is intrigued by the incident, and soon thereafter one of the laboratory's geneticists dies after falling in front of a train.

Giordani teams up with a blind man, Franco Arnò (Karl Malden), who used to be a reporter before he lost his sight. Arnò discovers that the dead scientist is the same man he heard whispering to a shadowy figure in a car right before the burglary, and his investigator's instincts tell him that the scientist's death might have been the result of a failed attempt at blackmail.

Soon, the photographer who took a snapshot of the geneticist's fatal stumble is himself murdered, strangled to death and cut up. Both Giordani and Arnò realize he was killed to hide something, probably an incriminating clue in the uncropped negative of the photograph. But what is so important that the killer is trying to cover up, and why was nothing stolen from the lab? As they get closer and closer to the truth, more people die and several attempts are made on their lives before the secret is finally revealed.

Additional info

This was Argento's second film as a director. It enjoyed moderate success in Europe but was dismissed in the United States, and Argento has admitted to being less than pleased with it.

A heavily edited version running 90 minutes also exists.

The title The Cat o' Nine Tails does not have much to do with the story.

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