The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

"Who Saw her Die?" follows an artist in Venice whose daughter is murdered in cold blood. In his search for her killer, it is revealed that a young girl met a similar fate at a ski resort in the French Alps five years earlier. His search leads him to various suspects, including a pedophile lawyer, a priest, and others.Stylishly directed by Aldo Lado, who some credit as an auteur, "Who Saw her Die?" is a fairly standard giallo in that it doesn't offer its audience much in the way of innovation or newness—the narrative follows the giallo route through-and-through, hitting its marks along an intriguing (albeit sometimes slow) trajectory. It is at times dialogue-heavy with lots of "he said, she said" interactions and red herrings, and at times this grows tedious.The upshot here is the film contains some inventive and disturbing murder sequences, including a covert movie theater strangulation (predating 1980's "He Knows You're Alone" and 1997's infamous "Scream 2" scene), and the opening murder of the young girl in the Alps is palpable and disturbing. The killer in the film is also remarkably spooky, shrouded from head to toe in black garb and donning a funereal veil; the POV shots take advantage of this, as the veil is literally lifted over the audience's eyes. An eerie score by Ennio Morricone permeates through these scenes, sometimes over-played, but no less effective.The final reveal of the killer is rather bold given the time period and nation in which the film was made, although there is a slight twist that punctuates the last moments. All in all, this is a fairly routine giallo that is well-done in some regards, and a bit wonky in others. Fans of the genre will likely find something to be enjoyed in this mildly atmospheric outing. 6/10.

Aldo Lado is surely one of the most under-rated Italian directors of the 70's. He seems to be relatively forgotten, while several lesser contemporaries get a lot more attention. But whatever the case, Lado was responsible for three excellent horror/thrillers in the mid-70's. There was the nasty revenge thriller Night Train Murders and a couple of gialli - the Prague-set Short Night of the Glass Dolls and the Venice-set Who Saw Her Die? All films were very distinct from one and other and all had considerable style to burn.Who Saw Her Die? is the one which follows the classic style formula of the giallo most closely. In it a serial killer is on the prowl in Venice. Like Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now, this one used the crumbling streets of that famous ancient city to great creepy effect. It begins, however, in the French Alps with a nicely atmospheric prologue in which a young child is killed by a black-veiled killer in the snowy expanses. This villain is a very good one and is presented throughout the movie in a very sinister manner indeed, with close-up shots of their shoes as they menacingly advance toward their victims and shots of their obscured veiled face. Additionally this character is accompanied by an absolutely rivetingly creepy Ennio Morricone theme which is a controlled cacophony of a children's choir over a steady beat. It's one of his most memorable individual bits of music and that's saying a lot considering the sheer volume and quality of Il Maestro's output. The cast is solid with George Lazenby appearing in his first starring role following his solitary turn as James Bond in the under-valued On Her Majesty's Secret Service; while he is ably supported by genre regular's such as Anita Strindberg (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail) and Adolfo Celi (Danger: Diabolik).As far as I am concerned, this is an excellent giallo by one of the most reliable Italian directors from the period. It works well as a pretty intriguing mystery, while it delivers the requisite vicarious thrills too. And most importantly it presents these things with a healthy slice of style and verve. Well worth seeing…!

You might be inclined to watch this just to hear another brilliant score by Ennio Morricone. Of course, it is available on CD, if you can find it.You might tune in to see George Lazenby, who did a turn as James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and also did Universal Soldier between that film and this one.Or maybe you just want another lecherous look at Anita Strindberg (Women in Cellblock 7, Your Vice Is a Locked Room, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin). There is also Rosemarie Lindt (Salon Kitty) and Dominique Boschero (All the Colors of the Dark) Enjoy.More than likely, you are a Giallo lover like I am and, even though this isn't the best one available, it is still worth the time.

Superior to his directorial feature, Short Night of the Glass Dolls, Aldo Lado delivers a one-two punch with this movie. Before getting to the plot points, I must Gush over Ennio Morricone's score. It is so haunting and wonderful that I rank it up there with the top horror scores like The Omen, The Exorcist, and Halloween(perhaps not a great score musically speaking, but potently effective). If you haven't time to watch the film yet, look up the trailer and you can hear bits of the main theme. Excellent.We find old George Lazenby hanging up his tuxedo from playing 007 and donning a shaggy hair-do and a 70's porn mustache. And, though physically fit, when shirtless, his body seems disproportioned and ugly. Someone else dubs his voice, which is moronic. A child killer is on the loose in Venice, often targeting little red-haired girls and beating their little brains out. Lazenby's daughter is stalked by a woman wearing funeral attire complete with black veil. Gloved hands? Check. Extended camera shots of killer's black shoes reverbing on cobblestone? Check. Point of view shots? Check. So, the little ginger gets nabbed and it is heartbreaking to see her floating facedown in the canal, bobbing slightly next to a boat. Lazenby, tortured by the death of his only child and blaming himself, finds comfort with this estranged wife as they try to work together to piece his daughter Roberta's murder with other similar murders in recent years.There aren't many bloody scenes, but we do get a very typical giallo kill where a man is stabbed with large shears next to his budgie aviary and as his body slumps, bloody, to the ground, the killer opens the cage door and the room fills with parakeets. Some of them even land on the body and hop around. Birds are a reoccurring visual theme in Lado's gialli. Very effective.Again, the score. God, it's great. If you haven't seen Aldo Lado's work before, check out Short Night of the Glass Dolls first, then this film. Even if you aren't a big horror or giallo fan, you will be drawn in. I feel his work rivals Argento in many ways.