The Girl Who Knew Too Much
"Oh mother. Murders don't just happen like that here. "
Nora
Davis (Leticia Roman) is a young American tourist and an avid reader of
crime novels, who has an exciting first day in Rome. First, the kind
man on the plane who offered her a cigarette is arrested at the airport
for smuggling marijuana. Then, after her elderly host dies unexpectedly
of a heart attack, she runs for help and is knocked unconscious on the
Spanish Steps by a mugger. In her delirious state, Nora witnesses a
woman getting stabbed to death nearby but when she awakes, no one
believes her story, dismissing it as the result of too many mystery
novels and a youthful imagination. When Laura (Valentina Cortese), a
neighbor of Nora's late host, lets Nora stay at her apartment, things
seem to return to normal – until the maid reveals that a murder really
did take place, just as Nora described... ten years ago! Did Nora
experience a psychic vision of the crime? Or could it just be a
delusion, brought on by the marijuana cigarette she accidentally smoked?
And who is the stranger in the shabby sport coat who follows her
around? With help from the handsome Doctor Marcello Bassi (John Saxon),
Nora intends to untangle the mystery!
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
is cited as the first giallo - the movie that started the craze for
stylish Italian murder mysteries. It's also Mario Bava's last black and
white movie. Even if the title wasn't a giveaway, it's not hard to see
that this film is Mario Bava's homage to Alfred Hitchcock. It borrows
many of Hitchcock's favorite themes and stylistic cues, like the
creative use of suspense, touches of humor to counter-balance the dark
subject matter, and a director cameo. Even though the killer's motives
don't really make sense and the plot is driven by an outrageous string
of coincidences, this is still an enjoyable film that I recommend
highly.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much is really the story of a young murder mystery novel-loving woman who discovers that she's the main character in a murder mystery. It's meta and self-referential before that was even a thing. Basically, it's the Scream of the 1960's.
Fashion Moment
Nora is looking FIERCE in this python-skin trench coat.
- Being the first movie of its genre, The Girl Who Knew Too Much sets up quite a few precedents: the curious amateur detective, a main character with a story that no one else believes, inept police, high body count, flirting with the paranormal, and a story that starts in the middle, expanding beyond the temporal boundaries of the film, just to name a few.
- Bava mixes genres beautifully in this film, bringing elements of romantic comedy to his crime thriller. It's a shame that more giallo film makers didn't emulate this.
- There are famous stories about how John Saxon and Mario Bava didn't get along during production of The Girl Who Knew Too Much. I met John Saxon once at a horror movie convention and, while he was charming and friendly and happily autographed my DVD, he evaded all my questions about the film.
- One of my favorite moments is at the end, when we see rays of light beaming through two bullet holes in a door. It's a dramatic effect that's been copied in countless movies.
- Dante DiPaolo, who plays the reporter, Landini, was married late in life to Rosemary Clooney. This makes him stepfather to Miguel Ferrer, stepfather-in-law to Debbie Boone, brother-in-law to Nick Clooney, and uncle to George Clooney.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much is really the story of a young murder mystery novel-loving woman who discovers that she's the main character in a murder mystery. It's meta and self-referential before that was even a thing. Basically, it's the Scream of the 1960's.
Fashion Moment
Nora is looking FIERCE in this python-skin trench coat.
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