Paranoia (1969) Psychotronic Sexploitation Thriller / Twisted Pulp Noir

"Right off the cover of a sleazy pulp paperback novel."  

Orgasmo. You can imagine the heads of the members of the old Legion of Decency exploding with that original Italian title. Even with the new rating system it had to be changed to Paranoia in the US.

Directed by Umberto Lenzi, written by Umberto Lenzi, Marie Claire Solleville, and Ugo Moretti.  Bertrand Tavernier (Coup de Torchon, Round Midnight), was an assistant director.

Lenzi came out of the same era of Italian Directors as Sergio Leone. Started out with Sword and Sandal "peplums" the unlike Leone did some Spy films then Giallo. But this film is probably On The Cusp between Noir and Giallo. I see it as a Noir. 

The Cinematography by Guglielmo Mancori (a good Spaghetti Western Run Man Run, and So Sweet... So Perverse, )) Music was by Piero Umiliani.

The film stars Carroll Baker (Baby Doll, Something Wild, Sylvia, The Sweet Body of Deborah , A Quiet Place To Kill, Baba Yaga, The Private Lesson, Andy Warhol's Bad) as Catherine West.

Carroll Baker as Catherine West

Lou Castel plays Peter Donovan. He was a Swedish actor who became well known through his Italian films (A Bullet for the General, one of the top 20 Spaghetti Westerns, with Castel starring opposite Gian Maria Volonte), 

Lou Castel plays Peter Donovan

Colette Descombes as Eva Stuart, and Tino Carraro as Brian Sanders, Lilla Brignone as Teresa, Tina Lattanzi as Catherine's aunt, Franco Pesce as Martino.

Nine minutes of more detailed explanations of the affairs of Catherine and the estate were cut for the US release and a bit more "sexploitation" was supposedly added to make the US cut retitled Paranoia 1h 31m. 

The Story

Catherine West. 38. Rich American widow. Her more elderly husband just killed in a car wreck. He was a Texas oil baron worth $200 million. Catherine arrives on a flight to Rome, meets her lawyer Brian Sanders and is surrounded by paparazzi. 

Sanders advises her of the arrangements that he for her personal effects brought to the rental, and after she gets through customs, he takes her in a white Rolls to the villa. 

The villa is slightly crumbling with a that now familiar Neo Noir color pallet of aged yellows, intestine greens, and carnal reds, and dry bone whites. Here its used subtly. 

Lilla Brignone as housekeeper Teresa

Tino Carraro as lawyer Brian Sanders

The place is filled with decadent rococo gilt. At the villa they meet Teresa the stern but very efficient looking housekeeper. Catherine spends her days sketching, she has hung some of her oil paintings about the villa to make it more homey. 

One day an American named Peter Donavan about 26, has a radiator hose leak on his brit sports car a  1959 Morgan 4/4. He asks Catherine if he could borrow some tools. 

Catherine has the gardener assist him. Peter thinks its a loose radiator hose connection that is leaking. Catherine showing some friendly hospitality, invites him up to come up to the terrace when he's done for a drink. When Peter does show up for the drink. He explains to Catherine that the hose is actually cracked and leaking. He'll have to go to the village for the part. 

Later that evening, while Catherine is laying in bed a car horn blares. It's followed by the sound of a car radio playing jazz that gets louder as Catherine approaches the window. 

That blare was our sign post telling us with a jazz tune that we just crossed over into a Noir / Pulp Fiction Twilight Zone. 

It's Peter. He apologizes for bumping the horn. He's planning on putting on the new hose and splitting. Catherine invites him in for a drink. She tells him she's got plenty of room and that he can sleep in one of the villas empty rooms and fix the Morgan in the morning. 

While they are having a drink Peter notices a nude self portrait of Catherine. They talk about it. We even get some subtle subtext like in classic Noir when Peter offers Catherine a cigarette. 

Soon Catherine shows Peter to his room and then goes to retire for the night. She pulls off her nightgown and takes a shower. 

Shower Scene Italian Style

This is "Baby Doll" Carroll Baker at the height of her beauty, doing a tasteful nude shower scene. It should be up there with all the classic shower scenes ever filmed. 

Instead of getting stabbed "Psycho" style, Catherine suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder. 

Here we get more subtext when the look of surprise on Catherine face melts away after she turns and glances down and sees what Peter has brought to stab her with. Now how Noir is that?

We get more shower eroticism that leads, (just like it does in The Big Combo between Richard Conte and Jean Wallace), with Peter slowly dropping down Catherine's body. You known where he's going. 

Lenzi and Mancori then go back up to Bakers face where we get the "Orgasmo" of the original title. Fade to black. How Noir was that? 

All this happens within the first 15 minutes.

The next morning Catherine and Peter are sitting on the terrace having coffee. Peter is fondling Catherine's foot when Teresa walks up. Catherine asks her to get them more coffee.

After Teresa leaves Catherine tells Peter that Teresa is an old witch and she wishes that she no nothing of their relationship. Peter explains that its about time that he leaves anyway, and he wishes Catherine a good trip to London. 

When Catherine gets back from London she goes looking for Peter in Rome at the Piazza Navona address Peter had given her. 

She finds him and just as they are about to make love the owner of the apartment comes home and complains to Peter about bringing hookers to the apartment. 

Catherine pays off Peters three months back rent and they split. 

When Catherine arrives at the villa she tells Teresa to prepare a spare bedroom for Mr. Donovan and that he's staying for a week.

It starts going Noirsville when Eva, Peter's "sister" drives up in the Morgan 4/4. When she tells them that she is going to drive back to Rome Catherine invites her to stay.

Colette Descombes as Eva Stuart

It's party time. Eva likes to cruise on speed. when Catherine begins to crash and burn at a nightclub Eva talks Catherine into trying some.

Noirsville

You can say what you will, Lenzi had a way of elevating the old sleazy pulp paperback adult stories into high art. Carroll Baker is at the peak of her beauty, according to sources who have looked into it she was being groomed to replace Marilyn, got tagged as a trouble maker at Warner's and eventually got into a feud with Joseph E. Levine, which caused her to be blacklisted in Hollywood. Hence she went to Italy where B picture Western and TV stars became international superstars.  This looks good on the streamer. The Lenzi - Baker Blu must look phenomenal. The camera loves Baker. The Orgasmo cut has a bit more of the explanatory scenes and is a tad bit longer.  

Previous to this viewing I've only seen poor less than good quality clips. And those were towards the end of film where Baker is made up in pale skin tones with dark rings under her eyes as she suffers the effects of the drugs and booze mix. I like Carroll Baker and I said to myself why watch this if the quality is poor to boot. 

This has been advertised as a Giallo but the blood is minimal. It's a Neo Noir to me.

Lou Castel I saw before in a great Spaghetti Western called A Bullet For The General where he plays an American again, opposite Gian Maria Volonte. Colette Descombes reminded me of an evil Judy Carnes, she comes off a bit mechanical. Combine those two facts and Castel and Descombes playing American's seems a bit off right at the get go. But that all adds to the twist at the final denouement. 

This film is actually only an R. Back in the Swinging 60s it got an X rating. It should have boosted Bakers career as as a sex symbol but not if it got condemned by the Catholic Church. 8/10