Darkling_Zeist Jean-Louis Trintignant's character finds himself at the center of a bizarre conundrum, an idiosyncratic thriller laden with obscure Freudian motifs, art house posturing, and bravura camera styling's; but it's the film's gleeful lack of conformity that engenders 'Death laid An Egg' with such a rabid cult following. While the film contains the requisite murder, squabbling in-laws, micro-skirted dolly birds, and it is a giallo in only the broadest sense, as Guigli's aesthetic is far more oblique and cerebral than the average black gloves of death approach. Naturally, thriller convention plays a part here, but it cowers betwixt layer-upon-layer of psychedelic absurdity. 'Morte Ha fatto L'uovo' might be a Bunuel-esque satire of middle-class malaise and big business avarice, but in point of fact this glorious oddity remains too enigmatic for simple reductionism, and remains forever that most precious of cinematic artifacts a genuine cult movie deserving of the highest praises indeed.

Bribaba Poultry is the key theme here. There are problems down on the chicken farm and so a marketing manager is brought in to sort things out. His belief is that 'chickens are an integral part of society' and before you say 'cluck' he's come up with some brand new concepts: playboy poultry, feathery smoking jackets and 'chicken happenings in the room of truth'.But then what to do about the mutations that have suddenly started appearing on the farm and which give a whole new meaning to the term' headless chicken'? Boss Jean-Louis Trintignant has been too busy with (possibly murderous) S&M sessions at the local hotel to notice. But then someone squawks to the cops and he's forced to go on the lam. Meanwhile, his wife Gina Lollobridgida and her dizzy blonde secretary hatch a plan of their own. Cameraman Dario Di Palma shoots it all with a flair that matches the abstract paintings on the walls of the interiors, while the editing evokes memories of the underground. The dubbing is terrible and I'd say switch the sound off but then you'd miss a great avant garde score from Bruno Maderna and some frankly unbelievable dialogue. Sum total: genius.

Prof-Hieronymos-Grost Morte ha fatto l'uovo, La aka Death laid an egg (1968) Giulio Questi Marco (Jean-Louis Tritigant)is a business man bored with life who is caught up in a love triangle between his wife Anna(Gina Lollobrigida), whom he married for the money and her cousin Gabrielle, a much more vibrant and younger lover. Marco's business is chickens, he runs a recently automated chicken farm and is having to be wary of the disgruntled former workers who are set on revenge. Marco is also hiding a secret fantasy, one he acts out in a local hotel on an almost daily basis, he likes to tie up the hookers that gather in the lobby and pretend to cut them up, it's a lurid fantasy but the hookers feel safe with him. He has been recently given the task by the poultry association of making poultry appeal to a wider audience and is given the assistance of an advertising specialist Mondaini (Jean Sobieski) whom he is immediately suspicious of and who it would seem has eyes for Gabrielle.Death laid an egg is a very difficult film to discuss as it doesn't follow any rules of the classic Giallo, in fact some might not consider it one at all, but it was made early in the genres history, it is also very short on plot as there are virtually no killings, blood or nudity and even the score by Bruno Maderna is a hideous thing to behold. The viewer is led to believe for a short time that the killing in the opening scene is a murder but as it turns out its just another of Marco's fantasies being acted out, as his sexual preferences are almost common knowledge, he is looked upon in society as a deviant and morally corrupt and yet as the plot develops it is clear that he is the only one with any sense of propriety, it is to some extent a modern re-enactment of the Grendel/Beowulf legend. The film as I have said is almost devoid of any plot and really centres around Marco's suspicions of his wife, his lover Gabrielle, his new assistant and the leaders of the poultry community, despite this the film is made in a psychedelic bizarre world that is handled with some very dark wit, but this may not be enough to keep the casual Giallo fan interested. Its still confusing as a film though and Maderna's score is extremely annoying, its repetitive acoustic guitar musings are very grating and only relieved by an equally manic piano version of the same composition, but strangely it fit's the film to perfection because the film is so bizarre. Dario Di Palma's photography is excellent, filmed from some odd angles this ploy adds immensely to the bizarre setting of a battery farm, there's also some stunning opening credits as the camera apparently explores the inside of an egg using psychedelic colours as filters. Another highlight is a scene involving some genetically modified chickens, needs to be seen to be believed but establishes the film firmly in the realm of the uber bizarre. The performances of the leads are all decent and as you might expect there is a surprise ending, a little abrupt perhaps, but fitting. To be approached with caution…..or a bag full of LSD.

sirarthurstreebgreebling This has to be one of the most cutting edge film's made to date , its wholly surreal and has a dreamlike quality that hypnotises me. When i first saw this film I don't think I blinked , then I watched it again straight off, it has an addictive charm that should be open for everyone too see, why its not being picked up by a distributor I will never know. The plot is an odd one , a mixture of industrial terrorism (who killed the new headless mutant chickens that yeild so much meat), Romance , Perversion and just plain odd. In the opening scene in a hotel while a prostitute is being brutally murdered we cut to a man covering his head in tape , someone pouring out toothpaste and various hideous rich people snorting with laughter. From the start it gives the message that everybody is mad, with their hidden psychosis and more obvious ones. Going any further into the plot will spoil the film so I will say nothing. Its worth trying to find this one , I got mine in Greece in the late 80's , but there must be some out there , somewhere.