settima

thriller

Maléfices [Sorcery / Where the Truth Lies] (Henri Decoin, 1962)

Sep

10

Maléfices (1962)

Myriam Heller (Juliette Gréco) sharing a bed with Nyète, her cheetah. DP: Marcel Grignon.

Nuits rouges [L'homme sans visage / Shadowman] (Georges Franju, 1974)

Sep

6

Nuits rouges (1974)

A faceless man in black wearing a red balaclava (Jacques Champreux) holds his right wrist, which is bleeding profusely. DP: Guido Bertoni.

La horse [Horse] (Pierre Granier-Deferre, 1970)

Aug

28

1923

La horse (1970)

Francis Grutti's (Armando Francioli) ID, handled by someone wielding a large stamp. His birthday is August 28, 1923. DP: Walter Wottitz.

La horse [Horse] (Pierre Granier-Deferre, 1970)

Aug

23

baguette

La horse (1970)

Auguste Maroilleur (Jean Gabin) at the head of a long table, covered in Good Things (wine, butter, coffee, and fresh milk). He cuts a baguette with his pocketknife. DP: Walter Wottitz.

Plein soleil [Purple Noon] (René Clément, 1960)

Aug

20

1959

Plein soleil (1960)

A contract for Marge, a sailboat, dated August 20, 1959. DP: Henri Decaë.

“Marge, my love, my angel.”

Al filo del hacha [Edge of the Axe] (José Ramón Larraz, 1988)

Aug

16

1978

spoiler warning: click to toggle image Al filo del hacha (1988)
spoiler warning: click to read

A computer screen with the admission date of Lillian Nebbs (Christina Marie Lane) in the psychiatric ward on August 16, 1978. Diagnosis: Psycho Amnesia [sic]. There are small pop magazine stickers on the display's bezel. DP: Tote Trenas.

Vergogna, schifosi!… [Dirty Angels] (Mauro Severino, 1969)

Aug

14

fruit

Vergogna, schifosi!… (1969)

A group of people in skimpy swimwear sits on space-agey white plastic seating – Archizoom's radical Superonda (1967) – while decadently eating luxurious tropical fruit from a round table that futuristically descends from the ceiling via a steel pole. DP: Angelo Lotti.

“Matto, caldo, soldi, morto… girotondo…”

Plein soleil [Purple Noon] (René Clément, 1960)

Jun

15

croissants

Plein soleil (1960)

Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) going though his passport over breakfast. Multiple passport photos, a fountain pen, and a magnifying glass take precedence over his fresh croissants. DP: Henri Decaë.

“Why bother having money when you can spend other people's?”

– Philippe Greenleaf

Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948)

Jun

9

Rope (1948)

A man in a dark suit has his clenched hand on top of a stack of fancy gilded dinner plates. He's holding a piece of rope, just an ordinary household article. DPs: William V. Skall & Joseph A. Valentine.

“Mr. Cadell got a bad leg in the war for his courage. And you've got your sleeve in the celery, Mr. Phillip.”

– Mrs. Wilson

Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951)

May

16

doubles

Strangers on a Train (1951)

Guy Haines (Farley Granger) and Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), two strangers on a train. DP: Robert Burks.

“I still think it would be wonderful to have a man love you so much he'd kill for you.”