La Casa del Buon Ritorno
La Casa del Buon Ritorno (transl. The House of Good Returns) is a 1986 Italian giallo written and directed by Beppe Cino. It is also known as The House of the Blue Shadows.[2] The film was theatrically released in Germany as Das Haus der Blauen Schatten (The House With Blue Shutters).[3]
| The House of the Blue Shadows | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Beppe Cino |
| Screenplay by | Beppe Cino[1] |
| Story by | Beppe Cino[1] |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | Amanda Sandrelli |
| Cinematography | Antonio Minutolo[1] |
| Edited by | Emanuele Foglietti[1] |
| Music by | Carlo Siliotto[1] |
Production company | Moviemachine S.r.l.[1] |
| Distributed by | C.R.C./Real Film |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes[1] |
| Country | Italy[1] |
| Language | Italian |
Plot
A little girl is pushed off a balcony to her death, and her murderer is never found. Fifteen years later, a young man named Luca and his fiancée Margit return to the house for a visit. Memories start returning slowly to Luca, and he begins to unravel the mystery of who killed the little girl. A strange woman named Ayesha turns up and unnerves Luca. Then murders begin to occur.
Cast
- Amanda Sandrelli as Margit
- Stefano Gabrini as Luca
- Lola Ledda as Lola
- Fiammetta Carena as Ayesha
- Francesco Costa as Bruno
- Eleonora Salvadori as Luca's mother
- Stanis Ledda (as Luca as a boy)
- Elvira Castellano
Production
La Casa del Buron Ritorno was budgeted at 300 million Italian lire and was shot in 12 days on 16mm film in and around Rome.[1][4] Actress Amanda Sandrelli commented that the film was shot quickly, "like pulling a tooth".[4]
Release
La Casa del Buon Ritorno was first exhibited at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 1986.[1][5] It was distributed theatrically in Italy by C.R.C./Real Film on 13 February 1987.[1] The film was never dubbed into English and did not receive any theatrical release in the United States or United Kingdom.[5]
Reception
The film received negative reviews on its initial premiere.[5] Lietta Tornabuoni in La Stampa stated that the film was "below an acceptable professional level" and that Stefano Gabrini could not act.[5][6][7] Maurizio Porro of Corriere della Sera stated that the film was not clear whether the film wanted to be a "thriller, a horror, a love story. ... or an analysis session: however, the unpleasant thing is that it seems like something already seen, and it wishes to remain deliberately obscure."[5][6][8]
Robert Firsching of AllMovie later described the film as an "atmospheric giallo" that "plays with the theme a bit more cleverly than most."[9] The review noted it recycled elements from older films such as Deep Red, Formula for a Murder and Onibaba but that the film was a "clever combination of rip-off and synthesis which has always been a hallmark of the national cinema, creates a unique, seemingly original story."[9]
References
Footnotes
- Curti 2019, p. 136.
- "The House of the Blue Shadows (1986)".
- Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd. p. 18.
- Curti 2019, p. 137.
- Curti 2019, p. 138.
- Curti 2019, p. 139.
- Tornabuoni, Lietta (September 2, 1986). "Una sola vita non basta, meglio due o tre". La Stampa (in Italian).
- Porro, Maurizio (September 2, 1986). "Una "casa"-trappola per Amanda". Corriere della Sera.
- Firsching, Robert. "La Casa Del Buon Ritorno (1986)". AllMovie. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
Sources
- Curti, Roberto (2019). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1980-1989. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476672434.