Orgasmo

Not to be confused with Orgazmo.
Orgasmo

Italian film poster for Orgasmo
Directed by Umberto Lenzi[1]
Produced by Salvatore Alabiso[1]
Written by Umberto Lenzi
Ugo Moretti
Marie Claire Sollenville[1]
Story by Umberto Lenzi
Starring

[2]

Music by Piero Umiliani[1][2]
Cinematography Guglielmo Mancori[2]
Edited by Enzo Alabiso[1]
Production
company
  • Tritone Filmindustria
  • Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie

[1]

Release dates
  • February 7, 1969 (1969-02-07) (Italy)
Running time
 90 minutes[2]
Country Italy
France[2]

Orgasmo (released in English-speaking countries as Paranoia) is a 1969 Italian-French giallo thriller film starring Carroll Baker and Lou Castel and directed by Umberto Lenzi.[3][2] The plot focuses on a wealthy American widow who is exploited and terrorized by two siblings.

Plot

Kathryn West, a glamorous American widow, arrives in Italy several weeks after the death of her older, extremely wealthy husband. With the help of Brian, her lawyer, Kathryn moves into a luxurious villa and proceeds to lead a lonely, uneventful existence until one day, a handsome young man named Peter Donovan shows up at the front gate, looking for tools so he can fix his sports car. Kathryn lets him stay the night, and the next thing she knows, she's madly making love to him in the shower. Peter eventually moves in, and is soon joined by a free spirit he introduces as Eva, his sister. Kathryn enjoys their company and partying with them - until she begins to suspect that Peter and Eva aren't what they seem to be.

Cast

Release

Orgasmo was released in Italy on 7 February 1969.[2] The film's title has led to confusion as on its international release, the film was titled Paranoia.[4] Lenzi's next film (also starring actress Carroll Baker) was titled Paranoia in Italy but was given the international title of A Quiet Place to Kill.[4]

Like other giallo films, Orgasmo was not popular among the Italian film audiences on its initial theatrical release as the genre never gained popularity in its home country until the releases of Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971).[5]

Reception

From contemporary reviews, the Monthly Film Bulletin stated that "this high gloss melodrama rings enough changes on an old theme to keep one watching right up to the grisly retibution of the finale, even if the denouement is a trifle rushed"[6] The review concluded that "it might have been even more enjoyable-onits own low camp level-if Umberto Lenzi had not been so determined to match style to subject, with the camera deliriously sliding in and out of focus as the tormented lady totters down the stairs and every scene shot from behind a bit of the furniture."[6] Roger Ebert gave the film a negative review stating that "Only the haunting memory of Succubus prevents me from naming [Orgasmo] as the worst movie of the year."[7]

From retrospective reviews, The online film database Allmovie gave Orgasmo one star referring to it as less interesting as Paranoia and "there are some interesting moments, but this is clearly the lesser of the two films."[3]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Credits". BFI Film & Television Database. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Firsching, Robert. "Orgasmo (1968)". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Firsching, Robert. "Orgasmo (1968)". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Shipka 2011, p. 317.
  5. ↑ Brizio-Skov 2011, p. 64.
  6. 1 2 "Orgasmo (Paranoia)". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 37 no. 432. British Film Institute. 1970. p. 15.
  7. ↑ Ebert, Roger (August 20, 1969). "Paranoia". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved February 11, 2013.

References

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