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Thursday, February 8, 2024

NAKED YOU DIE

Mark Damon and Eleonora Brown

NAKED YOU DIE (aka Nude ... si muore/1968), Director: Antonio Margheriti (Anthony Dawson). 

In the exclusive girls' school, St. Hilda College, students and faculty are either going missing or being murdered. Meanwhile student Lucille (Eleonora Brown) is having an affair with teacher Richard Barrett (Mark Damon), something of which headmistress Miss Transfield (Vivian Stapleton) would certainly disapprove. Other potential victims and assailants include the strange Mrs. Clay (Ludmila Lvova); physical education instructor Di Brazzi (Giovanni di Benedetto); the gardener (Luciano Pigozzi), who spies on the young ladies in the shower; mystery-loving Jill (Sally Smith), who proves to be quite courageous;  elderly Professor Andre (Aldo De Carellis); Betty Ann (Caterina Trentini); and others. 

The headmistress with her girls
More of a mystery film than a true giallo, Naked You Die features some fairly lame strangulation sequences and hasn't much style. Still, the picture builds up considerable suspense as you wonder who will get it next and who is behind it all and why. Alas, when the murderer is unmasked it is not too big a surprise (it's also sort of given away if you're paying attention). It's hard to judge the acting. The biggest name in the cast, Michael Rennie (of The Lost World), who plays a police inspector, is dubbed. Considering how bodies keep turning up, no one seems as frightened as they should be. 

Verdict: Okay Italian time-passer. **1/2.  

2 comments:

  1. I would check this one out too. Michael Rennie is another one who had to go to Italy to work...he was so great in Day the Earth Stood Still. Still immortalized in the opening song of Rocky Horror Picture Show ("Michael Rennie was ill the Day the Earth Stood Still...")
    -C

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  2. Saw the movie years ago but didn't remember that song line! So many aging actors wound up in Italy ...

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