The Girl Who Knew Too Much
 (AKA La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo)
 NTSC Region 0 DVD
review by Black Gloves

Mario Bava's first thriller, "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" (TGWKTM) is generally acknowledged as a major influence on the development of the "Giallo" — an especially Italian breed of thriller (named after a popular series of mystery books from the 1930's) chiefly preoccupied with the lurid depiction of violent acts and sexual perversions. Although probably not the first Italian thriller as such, TGWKTM brought more of an atmosphere of the macabre to the proceedings than was usual, and it was the first film of it's kind to get some attention from international audiences in the form of it's AIP incarnation "The Evil Eye".

The film also has major historical importance for fans of Dario Argento. TGWKTM seems to have made a big impact on Argento while he was working as a film critic; he appears to have become fascinated with certain elements of the plot, and has gone on to develop them in some of his better known films, especially his debut "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" and the classic "Profondo Rosso". For instance, the female protagonist of Bava's film has to become an amateur detective in order to solve a mystery. The process of solving mysteries involves restoring or imposing order on chaotic events, but by the end of the film Bava's protagonist discovers that her assumptions and prejudices have misled her, and the apparent solution to the mystery is overturned by a final confrontation with the real killer, who turns out to be the last person she would have suspected. Argento utilises variations on this scenario repeatedly throughout his career, and certain scenes in TGWKTM have an uncanny resonance with many similar ones dotted throughout his work. Although some of the most recognisable stylistic flourishes of the gialli — such as the black gloved killer and an almost gleeful depiction of violence — are absent, the blueprint for the genre (which Bava himself would have a major roll in developing with films such as "Blood and Black Lace" and "Bay of Blood") is clearly in place.

The story concerns an innocent young American woman, Nora Davis (Leticia Roman) who takes a vacation in Rome, intending to stay with her aunt Edith. Upon arrival at Edith's house she meets Dr. Marcello Bassi (John Saxon) who informs her that her aunt is very ill and needs lots of rest. When Bassi leaves, Aunt Edith promptly dies in front of a shocked Nora! The panic stricken young woman rushes into the deserted streets for help, but after being assaulted by a purse snatcher, she knocks her head and passes out. As she groggily comes to her senses she hears a scream and witnesses a woman and a man engaged in a struggle; the woman falls to the ground with a knife in her back, and Nora faints from shock!

The next morning a stranger tries to revive Nora with whisky but runs away when he spots an approaching policeman. Nora rants about the murder to the policeman but is horrified to discover that there is no body and, smelling the whisky on her breath, the policeman thinks that she is just a delirious drunk. She is taken to the local hospital where she again meets Dr. Bassi whom she persuades to help her get to the bottom of the mystery.

While attending Edith's funeral she meets one of the old lady's friends, Laura Craven - Torrani (Valentina Cortese). Since she is leaving Rome the next day, Laura asks Nora if she will look after her house while she is away, and since she has nowhere to stay, Nora agrees. On her first night in the house, Nora discovers some newspaper clippings which reveal that Laura's own sister had previously been murdered on the very spot that Nora witnessed the woman being stabbed! She reads that the murder was one of a series of crimes known as "The Alphabet Murders" and after a series of crank phone calls she begins to realise that since the last murder victim's initial was C, she might be the next target on the murderer's list!

The film was originally intended as a romantic, comedy thriller parody of Alfred Hitchcock's films (hence the title); but Bava, who found the story preposterous, determined to film it 'straight' — emphasising the more horrific elements of the script, with the light-hearted scenes confined mainly to some comedic flirting between Saxon and Roman. When judged purely within the context of Bava's filmography, TGWKTM might well be considered one of the directors 'lesser' works — merely a pointer to his later masterpieces, where his pessimistic theme of the inherent corruptibility of human relationships would blend seamlessly with a distinctive, romantic use of colour to create one of the most recognisable and idiosyncratic voices in cinema.

But if one takes a wider view, and looks at the film within the context of the gialli tradition as a whole, then it has to be admitted that there is something undeniably compelling and daringly original about TGWKTM. Bava weaves together such a rich tapestry of styles that the whole thing could have collapsed in a schizophrenic mess. Instead, whether by accident or design, we get something truly unique.

Unusually for a Bava film, a lot of the exteriors were shot on location and Bava shoots these from peculiar angles in noir-ish black & white to create an atmosphere of expressionist angst and an all pervading dread. The directors gothic sensibilities are also very much on display in a number of scenes; most notably the death of aunt Edith, which is given a macabre twist reminiscent of one of Bava's most terrifying pieces of film "A Drop of Water". After the old lady dies, Nora notices the body twitching — which frightens her out of her skin. It turns out to be caused by Edith's cat trying to claw it's way onto the bed! As well as a number of so-so comedy scenes between Saxon and Roman, there is also an almost fairy-tail quality to some scenes and set-pieces. A voice-over is utilised throughout (an effect that Argento has used sporadically in a number of his films), and one amazing scene where Roman rigs up a home-made burglar alarm in the Craven house with a ball of string after being menaced by a shadowy figure outside, is a perfect blend of the romantic and the horrific.

There are actually two completely different cuts of the film. The version I have been reviewing is Bava's cut for the Italian market but the film was re edited for the American market by AIP. All of the comedy scenes that Bava left out of the Italian version are included (including a 'Hitchcock' style cameo by Bava himself) and some drug references were removed. The whole thing was re-titled "The Evil Eye" and marketed to appeal to children. Both versions include material exclusive to each other, but it is Bava's original version that has the most appeal. To modern viewers, it seems fresher than ever — especially for gialli fans who may have found themselves sitting through crap like "The Cold Eyes of Fear" and "In the Folds of the Flesh" in an attempt to placate their giallo addiction.

Image have given the film a fine outing on this DVD release. It is presented in it's 1.66:1 original theatrical aspect ratio and is enhanced for widescreen TVs. The extras are rather light on the ground, but you don't expect too much for rather obscure films such as this. There is a photo and poster gallery, a theatrical trailer and director and cast filmographies. The disc is beautifully packaged in a fold out sleeve with liner notes from Tim Lucas.
Highly recommended.