Review of A Whisper in the Dark

Eleven-year-old Martino, in the 1976 Italian thriller "A Whisper In The Dark," seems to have a very unusual playmate: It is the ghost of his brother Luca, who had died in infancy many years before. His parents, well played by Nathalie Delon and John Phillip Law, who many will remember as the blind, angelic Pygar in "Barbarella," believe Luca to be a mere product of Martino's youthful imagination, but how then to explain all the weird occurrences (a freak storm, a sudden flat tire, a toad in the bathtub, a suddenly arrested soccer ball, an electrocution, an invisible kiss, et al.) that have been going down in and around their stately palazzo? While the filmmakers are careful to leave matters ambiguous, most viewers, I have a feeling, will have no doubt that Luca most definitely has some form of existence. Although the picture is never really scary, and does take its sweet time building what eerie atmosphere it does have with a slow accretion of detail, there are many rewards to be had here for the patient viewer. The film features elegant direction from Marcello Aliprandi, a chilling lullaby theme from Pino Donaggio (I know, I know...sounds more like a wine than a composer!), and perhaps best of all, stunning cinematography from Claudio Cirillo, who, on this great-looking DVD from No Shame, gives a very fascinating 32-minute interview on the picture's production. Cirillo's lensing shows to great effect the sumptuous 16th century Villa Condulmer in Mogliano Veneto, where most of the picture was shot, as well as a dazzling children's costume party and the wintry canals of Venice. (Funny how many superior thrillers, such as "Don't Look Now" and "Who Saw Her Die?," are set in Venice in winter.) In all, a modestly effective, very-well-made suspenser that is well worth a look.