Dany Carrel

La Prisonnière

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Josée opens her front door

To that list of 1960s films about voyeurism add La Prisonnière, the great Henri-Georges Clouzot’s last film, his only (completed) one in colour and a worthy, if weird entrant in the canon containing Psycho, Peeping Tom and Blowup. There is definitely something very, very Hitchcock going on in this offering from 1968, made when Hitchcock had gone off the boil. And so had Clouzot, to be honest, though Clouzot has the edge on his old rival here. Looking, seeing, watching but not taking part is one of the ideas. Alongside a vague discussion about women’s complicity in their own enslavement in the story of a TV editor who becomes fascinated with a gallery … Read more

Mill of the Stone Women

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Scilla Gabel as Elfie

1960’s Mill of the Stone Women was the first Italian horror film to be shot in colour – Technicolor, no less – and is a landmark film which opened the door to the lurid looks and titillating scenarios of the giallo genre. Also known as Drops of Blood (or Il mulino delle donne di pietra, in the original Italian), but not in the slightest bit frightening no matter what you call it, it’s soaked in atmosphere only enhanced by the dislocating effect of the foreign language dubbing. It’s dubbed no matter which language you watch it in – originally it came in German, French, Italian and two different English dubs (one more US, the … Read more