Luigi Bazzoni's 1971 thriller "The Fifth Cord" stands out as one of the most visually stunning entries in the giallo genre, offering a perfect gateway for newcomers to this distinctly Italian strain of horror cinema. The film combines breathtaking cinematography with architectural beauty to create what many consider the most beautiful giallo ever made.
Giallo, a subgenre of slasher films that originated in Italy during the 1960s, typically features hyper-stylized visuals, extreme fetishized violence, black-gloved killers, and elaborate murder sequences. While directors like Dario Argento and Mario Bava are household names among horror enthusiasts, Bazzoni's contribution to the genre deserves equal recognition for its artistic merit and visual sophistication.
The film draws its source material from D.M. Devine's Scotland-set novel of the same name, which was published in Italy in 1968 under the Il Giallo Mondadori imprint. These pulp novels, distinguished by their yellow covers ("giallo" means yellow in Italian), gave the entire genre its distinctive name. Bazzoni cleverly transplanted the story's action from Scotland to an affluent bourgeois section of Rome, creating a milieu that would have been familiar to audiences of 1960s Italian arthouse cinema, particularly the works of Michelangelo Antonioni.
Franco Nero delivers a compelling performance as Andrea Bild, a crime reporter whose life oscillates between heavy drinking and romantic entanglements with a series of beautiful women. His world becomes increasingly dangerous when a near-fatal attack in a tunnel—one of the film's most gorgeously constructed set pieces—triggers a chain of murders. The killer's signature calling card is a black glove left at each crime scene, and since all victims have connections to Andrea, he becomes the prime suspect in the investigation.
Unlike many giallo films that prioritize grisly and inventive death sequences, "The Fifth Cord" takes a more restrained approach with relatively stately murders. What truly distinguishes the film is the consistently astonishing cinematography by Vittorio Storaro, who was just beginning his illustrious career but had already demonstrated his exceptional talent. Storaro's work on this film showcases the visual mastery that would later earn him acclaim on projects ranging from arthouse cinema to major Hollywood productions.
The film's architectural elements play a crucial role in creating its distinctive atmosphere. Bazzoni uses Rome's urban landscape not merely as a backdrop but as an integral component of the storytelling, with buildings and spaces becoming almost characters in their own right. The geometric precision and modernist aesthetics of the settings complement the film's themes while providing a striking contrast to the violence that unfolds within these refined environments.
For viewers new to the giallo genre, "The Fifth Cord" offers an ideal introduction that balances the stylistic elements that define these films with exceptional artistic merit. While classics like Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace" (1964) or Dario Argento's "Suspiria" (1977) might be more widely recognized, Bazzoni's film provides a more accessible entry point without sacrificing the visual splendor and psychological complexity that make giallo cinema so compelling.
The film represents one of only five features directed by Luigi Bazzoni, whose other works included two spaghetti westerns, a mystery thriller, and an earlier proto-giallo called "The Possessed" (1965). This limited filmography makes "The Fifth Cord" even more remarkable as a standalone achievement that demonstrates what might have been had Bazzoni continued working in the genre. The movie stands as a testament to the artistic possibilities within genre filmmaking when vision, technique, and craftsmanship align perfectly.
