A
Wealthy Family with a Terrible Secret...
Now Facing Death... One by One
Original
Italian Title: NOVE OSPITI PER UN DELITTO [Nine Guests for a
Crime]
director: Ferdinando
Baldi
starring: Arthur Kennedy · John Richardson · Sofia Dionisio · Dana Ghia
· Massimo Foschi · Venantino Venantini
A wealthy
family decides to vacation on a remote Mediterranean island owned by
the patriarch, Ubaldo. As the title suggests, there are nine family
members, consisting of dad (played with crusty glee by Arthur Kennedy),
his new, much younger wife Patrizia, a troubled sister, his three sons
and their wives. However, the family is the very definition of dysfunctional,
living in a whirlwind of sexual frustrations (one of the sons is even
trying to seduce his father's wife) and all haunted by a dark secret
from years ago. Eventually, after a score of perverted sex encounters,
the guests start mysteriously dying in grisly fashion. Meanwhile, their
boat has drifted from shore so the family must brace and participate
in the deadly game of whodunit.
Obviously inspired by Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians, this
film delivers that drawing-room motif in cringing sleazy fashion. The
proceedings are complimented by an exceptional cast which includes American
veteran Arthur Kennedy who left Hollywood in the late Sixties (after
winning Best Actor and four Best Supporting Academy Award nominations)
"to work in the freeform European studios." Many legendary
cult films came from that decision, among them LET
SLEEPING CORPSE LIE, ANTICRISTO,
SHARK'S
CAVE and EMANUELLE
ON TABOO ISLAND. Costar John Richardson is a British actor who
also made the dark Giallo VICE
WEARS BLACK HOSE, Riccardo Freda's MURDER
OBSESSION and the Spaghetti WesternJOHN
THE BASTARD.
Filmmaker
Ferdinando Baldi (sometimes Fernando Baldi) was considered one of the
all-time best directors of Spaghetti Westerns, helming a number of the
truly great entries (including BLINDMAN
and HATE
THY NEIGHBOR). He also made other genre favorites, like THE
OPIUM CONNECTION and the sex/horror opus TERROR
EXPRESS!. Director Baldi - who sometimes signed his films as
Ted Kaplan or Ferdy Baldwin - retired from filmmaking in 1988. He died
peacefully in his sleep at age 90 in November 2007.
An
Italian film with English subtitles; widescreen format, fully uncut (88
minutes),
DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC WORLD FORMAT; extras include original
trailer.
Nudity/Graphic
Violence/Rape/Strong Sexual Situations:
Recommended for Mature Audiences
