AKA Enigma rosso
RINGS OF FEAR is the concluding part of Massimo Dallamano's unofficial "schoolgirls in peril" trilogy, following on from WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? And WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS. Dallamano wrote (in collaboration with Bruno Di Geronimo and Ettore Sanzò, respectively) and directed the earlier films, and had written RINGS OF FEAR before his death in 1976, at which time Alberto Negrin, a stalwart of Italian television films and mini series, was drafted in to direct, thus leading to a somewhat mixed bag of results.
The plot is standard fare: a young girl's body is found at a reservoir, leading a determined police detective (the always reliable Fabio Testi) to commence an investigation, with his enquiries unearthing a mystery that involves some of the victim's schoolmates, and in typical giallo style, a web of red herrings and intrigue.
The bottom line is that in RINGS OF FEAR Dallamano's directorial expertise is sorely missed. While Negrin does a credible job of creating a film that is in the thematic vein of SOLANGE and DAUGHTERS, his film ultimately plays out like a straight giallo, rather than the giallo/poliziotteschi it could have been. Although the film does have its moments (a standout scene involves an assailant using some marbles to despatch a victim on a set of stairs), the film isn't as stylish as either of Dallamano's films, nor does he pepper the narrative with the action set-pieces that his predecessor did so well; this is probably due to the fact that Negrin emerged from a career in television, with very little experience in orchestrating the cinematic. There are times when the film feels like a protracted version of the type of detective dramas that were a staple of US television during the seventies. That said, there's a sleazy atmosphere running through the film and that alone goes a long way to make up for its shortcomings.
On the plus side, the film has never looked better than it does on the DVD recently issued by German label Eyecatcher Movies. Sourced from a Spanish print, the transfer is marred by some damage, lacks fine definition and colours are a little washed out. However, the anamorphic framing (at approximately 2.20:1) is an absolute revelation when compared to the fullscreen UK Pre-cert (on the VFP label) or god awful budget release available in the US as VIRGIN TERROR. Many others have commented on how much better the film plays in the ratio it is presented here, and I am inclined to agree wholeheartedly. The compositions look drastically different and add a great deal to the enjoyment. Eyecatcher's disc allows the viewer to choose between English, Spanish and German soundtracks, and there's a German trailer as an added bonus.
All in all, RINGS OF FEAR is an above average giallo that only falls flat when compared to Dallamano's earlier films in the so-called series. It's probably unfair to compare this to the likes of WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS?, as it is one of the finest giallo the genre has to offer. Dallamano's screenplay has enough twists and turns to keep things interesting and there's a fine, toe-tapping Riz Ortolani score. Both disc and film should be a must-have for any self-respecting giallo collector.
(Paul Alaoui)
