The first gialli films are considered to be Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much and Blood and Black Lace. However, it was Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage which really announced the birth of a new sub-genre. Sergio Martino made a total of six gialli films (including Torso), introducing erotic elements into all his work. His final giallo, The Suspicious Death of a Minor, mixes all the usual elements with those of the emerging ‘poliziotteschi’ crime thrillers.
Following the death of an underage prostitute, Paolo Germi (Claudio Cassinelli), a cop, goes undercover to try and bring a Milanese crime syndicate to justice. Along with the hapless petty criminal Teti (Gianfranco Barra), they set out to find the killer. However, there’s a hitman on the loose determined to get rid of any witnesses and tie-up all the loose ends. Not to mention Germi’s boss (Mel Ferrer) who is forever getting in the way.
The Suspicious Death of a Minor is a humorous take on crime drama. Germi is not your average detective. He’s a maverick. Half Dirty Harry, half Austin Powers. At times, it’s hard to distinguish him from the bad guys. It’s a stylish whirlwind of a thrill-ride. There are all the horror/mystery/stylish components you’d expect from a giallo film, including a vibrant soundtrack from Luciano Michelini. However, the emphasis is on the police thriller. The Suspicious Death of a Minor is a successful melding of two Italian popular cinema moments.
Special Edition Contents:
• Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
• New interview with co-writer/director Sergio Martino
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Barry Forshaw
The Suspicious Death of a Minor is released on Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD by Arrow Video on 25 September.
