The Case of the Scorpion's Tail (1971)

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail begins with the mysterious death of a millionaire and spirals into the murder of his suddenly rich wife, which draws the attention of a dogged investigator, who follows a trail of blood to the bitter end.

Director:

Sergio Martino

Writers:

Eduardo Manzanos (story) (as Eduardo M. Brochero), Eduardo Manzanos (screenplay) (as Eduardo M. Brochero)

Stars:

George Hilton, Anita Strindberg, Alberto de Mendoza

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Hilton	...	Peter Lynch
Anita Strindberg	...	Cléo Dupont
Alberto de Mendoza	...	John Stanley
Janine Reynaud	...	Lara Florakis
Luis Barboo	...	Sharif
Tom Felleghy	...	Mr. Brenton
Lisa Leonardi	...	Hostess (as Annalisa Nardi)
Tomás Picó	...	George Barnet (as Tomas Picot)
Evelyn Stewart	...	Lisa Baumer
Luigi Pistilli	...	Inspector Stavros

Storyline

A plane explodes; one passenger is a London businessman who's insured for $1 million. His unfaithful wife is the beneficiary. The insurance agency arranges to pay, but also assigns their top investigator, Peter Lynch, to sniff out irregularities. The widow goes to Greece for the payout; Peter follows her, introducing himself. He becomes her protector and her companion, but the relationship is short lived. She has decided to take the money in cash and plans an immediate trip to Tokyo. Is she guilty of her husband's murder, and if so, who's her accomplice? An Athenian police inspector, an Interpol agent, and a French photojournalist join Lynch in the investigation.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | female frontal nudity | bra and panties | gore | female rear nudity | 

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy Spain UK

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

16 August 1971 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail

Filming Locations:

Hammersmith Bridge, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Devon Film, Copercines, Cooperativa Cinematográfica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

70mm blow-up version released in Spain.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lisa Baumer: Hello, this is Lisa. Yes, it's alright. Yes, his plane will be leaving in a few minutes. You know I'm dying to see you. Soon, hurry darling, I'll be waiting. Bye.

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Connections

Referenced in Eugénie (1973)

User Reviews

Pay attention -- there's so much going on

While she makes love to someone else, Lisa's husband dies in a jet crash. She stands to inherit all of his money, despite them being basically separated. An ex-lover has a confrontation with her, threatening her with blackmail. She pays up — some money now, then some when she gets the letter where she wished that her husband was dead. But a gloved hand finds the letter and kills the ex-lover!

Lisa has to go to Athens to collect the money, but runs into one of her husband's ex-lovers, Lara Florakis (Janine Reynaud, Succubus) and a knife wielding maniac. Peter Lynch (George Hilton from All the Colors of the Dark) saves her and takes her to the hotel. She asks for all of the money in cash, despite warnings to how dangerous that is.

That same maniac tries to kill Peter, then comes back to kill Lisa, sharp jazz wails staccato punctuating each stab of the knife, each rip across her body. Jump cuts and flashes and the room is covered by the police, who question him.

An INTERPOL agent, Inspector Stavros (Luigi Pistilli, The Good, the Bad and The Ugly, Your Vice is a Locked Door and Only I Have the Key), offers to help Peter with the case and the moment he goes to talk to Lara, he's attacked by the gloved man.

That brings in Cléo Dupont(Anita Strindberg, Who Saw Her Die?), a journalist who pretty much instantly falls in love with our hero. They go up to his room, but it's been turned over by the police, with even the bed sliced open looking for the million dollars that went missing when Lisa was killed.

Turns out the gloved man wasn't on Lara's side — he or she slits her throat, then runs up a spiral staircase as a guard gives chase. This reveals a room full of one eyed baby dolls and a strange oil painting. Between the woman's face against the glass with blood spraying everywhere and these reveals, this film is really tipping its hat toward Argento.

The bodyguard chases after the killer, but is knocked off the roof. One slash across the fingers and we have another dead body. It's 45 minutes in…and most of the IMDb cast is already dead!

That said — there's a stewardess that gets the gift of scorpion earrings from an unseen lover. So there's that.

Meanwhile, Peter and Cléo make love on an orange shag couch while a peeping tom watches from the window. You know how Bruce Banner always has on purple slacks and you wonder, "Who wears purple slacks?" Peter does.

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