Wednesday, September 18, 2024

God Save the Little Birds

Say goodbye to logic and restraint, it's time to talk about another giallo movie. This time it's 1972's Don't Torture a Duckling. A hazy chain of events in a small town links together a series of child murders in this mildly engaging horror flick.

Get ready to see a lot of obvious mannequins covered with obviously fake blood to stand in for the dead children. One of them was so bad that the film was obliged to cut back to shots of the actor to show which character we were supposed to recognise the dummy as being.

Investigating the murder are a number of fabulously moustachioed cops and one journalist (Andrea Martelli). Who are the suspects? There's a witch (Maciara) whom we see repeatedly putting pins in voodoo dolls. There's a very pretty, spoiled rich girl (Patrizia) who belittles one little boy's sexuality while she relaxes naked by a pool. There's a priest (Marc Porel) who considers himself a brother to all of the town's unfortunate youths.

The movie repeatedly shows one character in suspicious circumstances with all the victims before they die. Then the killer ends up being someone totally different. Never expect a giallo to play fair, however dispiriting it might be.

Don't Torture a Duckling is available on The Criterion Channel.

X Sonnet #1881

A family name consumed the robber bank.
Persuasive barrels blocked the servant's door.
Concessions built to pay the thieves a tank.
The prideful heart would leave the liver poor.
With grapes at heart, the damage won a spar.
Deserted ships convene to anchor void.
Contain the wooden deck with pails of tar.
Diverted pizza slams against the Noid.
A small town of beans was wrought with wheat,
Diminished time arose again for clocks.
For silly watchers, any bug was meat.
A lad's collection starts with special rocks.
The smallest birds will bear the logic quiz.
In ancient times, the beer was bubbly fizz.

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