2014 is not only the Cabal’s 15th Anniversary. It’s also mine, at Braineater.com. To celebrate my own site’s Anniversary, I’ve decided to review one of my favorite Italian horror films. And for my Roundtable entry, my Anniversary-themed flick, I’m going with the Bollywood remake of that same Italian horror film.
First up, there’s Lucio Fulci’s 1977 giallo Sette Note in Nero (Seven Notes in Black), also known as The Psychic. Since it’s nominally a mystery, I’ve done two entirely different reviews for this movie: one without spoilers and one with LOTS of spoilers. The first review is ridiculously short, and the second is ridiculously long. You might want to read them both: even though it’s a murder mystery, Sette Note is not the sort of film that loses its interest when you know what’s going to happen in the end.
In any case, I recommend you read at least one of them before proceeding to my Roundtable entry: 100 Days (1991), the Indian version of Fulci’s film.
I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in: Bollywood Fulci… with singing and dancing. But don’t get any ideas about a Ziegfeld Zombie or Busby Berkeley’s Beyond. 100 Days is a surprisingly entertaining thriller, in which an anniversary brings with it a cruel twist of fate. Given a choice between the two films, I much prefer original; but then, I am not the target audience for 100 Days. All things considered, this total re-interpretation of Sette Note in Nero is a great example of how to make an authentic local version of a movie without simply going through the motions.
(That said, though, you’ll certainly see things in 100 Days you’d never expect to see in a giallo…)
#1 by The Rev. on December 1, 2014 - 9:33 pm
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Aw, DAMMIT. We finally get a new Braineater review…two, in fact…but I have to watch a movie first before I can read them.
And I know I have to wait because I did with Death Smiles at a Murderer and it was worth it.
And I still haven’t watched Exorcist II (don’t tell Lyz!)
Off to search…
#2 by The Rev. on December 2, 2014 - 9:13 am
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And once again, thank you to Amazon Instant Video!
Now I just need an evening free…actually two, so I can get to Exorcist II as well (also on there).
Which means I probably won’t be able to read this before the weekend, damn it all.
#3 by RogerBW on December 2, 2014 - 6:04 am
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For what it’s worth, the 100 Days review has something of a spoiler for Sette Note. I’m not a person why cares about spoilers, but some people might want to be warned.
I’ll admit I’m mostly on the “don’t remake” side, but I look at it in terms of the destination country. I’d rather see a film crew put together something original and interesting, even if it fails, than have them produce a remount of someone else’s story. So if there has to be a remake at all, I’d rather the “inspired by” than the “van Sant Psycho”.
My current favourite DVD cover (oddly enough, for another unnecessary foreign remake, though in this case also a bootleg version) is here.
I’ll see if I can get hold of Sette Note…
#4 by Braineater on December 2, 2014 - 9:40 am
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Yeah, it was just about impossible to comment meaningfully on the relationship between 100 Days and the original without spoiling something.
Frankly, in Sette Note..‘s case I find that knowing the plot in advance makes the movie clearer and more enjoyable; but then again I wasn’t in a very receptive frame of mind the first time I watched it, so — said the Reviewer (cough) — I’m probably the least qualified person to comment.
That cover is a thing of beauty. More DVD covers should have that level of honesty.