"It's midnight let's throw the corpse" is an old giallo led in a sarcastic way like Arsenic and Old Lace. The film opens with a snoring policeman sleeping instead of watching on his screen a jewelry robbery by three masked characters. The police is as usual inefficient and it won't appear anymore. But a first surprise occurs when the robbers undress after having escaped: they are three young women, in fact three sisters of the aristocratic but broken family Davilas.

Sibilla (Luisa Rivelli, Crimine a Due), Elena (Lucia Modugno, La Ragazza che sapeva troppo) and Micaela (Gia Sandri, I due Mafiosi) want with this 500 million booty to save the family mansion which is to be auctioned for taxation, because, Noblesse Oblige, they don't want "a financial shark or a cinema actress" to grasp it. But they don't seem to be the only ones who want to seize the loot, for a mysterious killer starts to prowl around their safe, which each one of them possesses one of the three compulsory keys, like in the later Una Iena in cassaforte.

From whom should come the threat? From Dennis (Bruno Piergentili aka Dan Harrison, I Diamanti che nessuno voleva rubare), Micaela's boyfriend, an abstract artist who considers Renaissance painter Andrea del Sarto to be too colorful, and who desperately needs money to set up his own exhibition? From Ernesto (Cesare Gelli, La Notte è fatta per rubare), Sibilla's husband, liking erotic books and seeming not very smart but who could hide his game? From Gianni (Valentino Macchi, Tre Notti Violente), a friend of Dennis who often seems drunk but claims to be "stronger than the daemon"? Or more plainly from one of the three sisters who would not be quite ready to share the hoard?

They convene to the villa their German receiver Van Himst (the American star Gordon Mitchell, Bersaglio Mobile) who, after the usual plane landing scene, is to bring them the cash. And everybody gather to this closed circuit place, including the stylish bohemian friends of Dennis and Micaela, lured by "an exceptional treasure hunt". In a mood of joyful disorder corpses start to pile up under the invisible hand of the killer, who uses the very all means of death including gaz, poisonous darts and ropes. Fortunately, as Sibilla is a ceramist, she happens to have in her "den of a modern witch" a useful oven to get rid of cumbersome bodies, under the tune of Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette, which Hitchcock has already used for his part.

And in this Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians atmosphere, we gaze with our "wild eye", as quoted by a conceptual cinematographer guest of the party and fond of André Breton's surrealism, at the smoke which flows out the fatal workshop to see if the elected one of this "grotesque macabre" game could be, after the canonical and waited shower scene, finally chosen. And the deadly party should go on until the complete "exhaustion of the characters" for the final lot of the coveted jewels. (Viewed in Italian 1.66 aspect ratio 1h29 version.)

Italian cinema has deeply influenced world cinema through its socially conscious realism and modernist experimentation, but it also flourished in popular genres like peplum (sword & sandal), giallo thrillers, and broad comedies. Its narratives often weave together politics, contemporary social change, class consciousness, and family dynamics, balancing artistic ambition with entertainment that resonated widely.

Lamberto Maggiorani in Bicycle Thieves (1948)

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

The mystery genre features the investigation and solving of a puzzle, typically a crime or an enigmatic event. Mysteries are known for their suspenseful narratives, intricate plots, and the challenge they present to readers or viewers to piece together clues and solve the central mystery alongside the characters.

Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Chinatown (1974)

The thriller genre features suspense, tension, and excitement. These stories are known for keeping audiences on the edge of their seats and delivering intense emotional experiences by revolving around high-stakes situations, dangerous conflicts, and the constant anticipation of unexpected events.

Three aristocratic but broken sisters commit a jewelry robbery in order to save their family mansion. But a mysterious killer starts to prowl around their loot, and corpses begin to pile up.

È mezzanotte... butta giù il cadavere (1966)

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Louis Hayward and Kay Sutton in The Saint in New York (1938)

È mezzanotte... butta giù il cadavere

Photos

Top Cast21

User reviews1

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed