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"Don't Torture a Duckling is [Fulci's] best entry in the giallo pantheon, and a shocking preview of his gory excesses to come." – FearNet.com
A big-city reporter (Tomas Milian) and a woman on the run from a sex scandal (Barbara Bouchet) attempt to solve a series of child murders in a remote Calabrian town. The superstitious townfolk are not welcoming of outsiders, and are keen to keep their secrets well hidden.
Before establishing himself as the godfather of gore, filmmaker Lucio Fulci delved into the giallo subgenre with a neorealist influence in Don't Torture a Duckling. The film was sharply criticised for its unfavourable portrayal of the Catholic Church, and not released in the US until 2000. In recent years it has been revived and reassessed as one of Fulci's most underrated works.
Also starring Irene Papas and Florinda Balkan, and featuring a beautifully sinister score by Riz Ortolani, of all of his films this is Fulci's personal favourite.
D Lucio Fulci P Renato Jaboni S Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti, Gianfranco Clerici WS Cineteca Nazionale L Italian w/English subtitles TD 35mm/1972