Four Flies on Grey Velvet

"When the flies start to crawl, so will your flesh..."

1971 1h 44m IT

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 440

HorrorMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Roberto, a drummer in a rock band, keeps receiving weird phone calls and being followed by a mysterious man. One night he manages to catch up with his persecutor and tries to get him to talk but in the ensuing struggle he accidentally stabs him. He runs away, but he understands his troubles have just begun when the following day he receives an envelope with photos of him killing the man. Someone is killing all his friends and trying to frame him for the murders.

“When the flies start to crawl, so will your flesh...”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Michael Brandon
Roberto Tobias
Mimsy Farmer
Nina Tobias
Jean-Pierre Marielle
Gianni Arrosio
Aldo Bufi Landi
Pathologist
Calisto Calisti
Carlo Marosi
Marisa Fabbri
Amelia, the Maid
Oreste Lionello
The Professor
Fabrizio Moroni
Mirko

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dario Argento
Writers: Mario Foglietti, Dario Argento, Dario Argento
Languages: Italian
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dario Argento, shot by Franco Di Giacomo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Françoise Bonnot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Brandon and Mimsy Farmer and Jean-Pierre Marielle carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When the flies start to crawl, so will your flesh...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0066735 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dario Argento directs. Franco Di Giacomo behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Françoise Bonnot cuts. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
3Directed by Dario Argento, shot by Franco Di Giacomo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Françoise Bonnot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Michael Brandon and Mimsy Farmer and Jean-Pierre Marielle carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When the flies start to crawl, so will your flesh...".
8IMDB entry: tt0066735 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 24 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Franco Di Giacomo
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Françoise Bonnot
Production design: Enrico Sabbatini
Makeup / hair: Paolo Borselli
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: IT
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)

Also by

Dario Argento

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-08-10
★ 6/10
This could have worked better for me had Dario Argento not cast the pretty hapless Michael Brandon in the lead. He is "Roberto", a drummer in a mediocre rock band who gets it into his head that he is being followed! One night, he lies in wait for and apprehends this man in a derelict opera house - but in the ensuing struggle he manages to stab his phantom and kill him. If that wasn't bad enough, the next day he receives some photographs of him doing that very deed and his is now, of course, ripe for blackmail. But by whom? Why? In any case he'd better find out pronto as gradually we discover that many associated with him are falling foul of his new nemesis too! At times this is actually quite (deliberately) funny. Perhaps a little contrived at times, but there are moments that raise a smile as the characters all trip over themselves to get in (and out) of the action. The ending - well that's a turn up for the books that really does make the film worth sticking with. Not Argento's best work, though quite possibly Brandon's, and though it's a bit too long and a bit thinly spread, it's still just about worth a gander.

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