Dont Torture a Duckling

 

 

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I haven't spent much time watching giallos, not for any particular reason really; I just haven't got around to them yet. I decided to start (again) with Lucio Fulci's "Don't Torture a Duckling." This is a rare film that I believe Fulci haters will tend to enjoy,

In a small village in southern Italy, young preadolescent boys are turning up dead from strangulation. Evidence points to a number of possible suspects, especially the local "witch," Martiara (Florinda Bolkan), whose voodoo practices and possible insanity make her a likely candidate. But what about Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet), the bored city girl hiding out after a drug scandal, who now passes the time by flaunting her naked body in front of children? The local Catholic Church, headed by young Don Alberto (The Psychic's Marc Porel) and his mother, Aurelia (Irene Papas), tries to keep the population under control, but even the local police are baffled by the case. A reporter from the north, Andrea (Tomas Milian), comes to investigate and recruits Patrizia to discover some genuinely ugly truths about the quiet provincial town.

There really isn't much gore except for two scenes; that of a woman being beaten with a chain and a man scraping his face down the side of a cliff (ouch!). This is probably my favorite Lucio Fulci film being that I did not enjoy The House By the Cemetery and Zombi 2 (25th Anniversary Special Edition 2-Disc Set) I enjoyed the acting, especially the man who played the priest, who is a dead ringer for Orlando Bloom (just in looks, though, not in lack of acting skill, thank goodness!). The rest of the cast did an excellent job as well, even the children.

This is a disturbing film, but not the typical slasher flick. Since it is a giallo, it is more murder-mystery than horror. If you're a fan of Italian horror and Fulci I would say to watch this movie, The Italian title is "Non si sevizia un paperino," which literally translates to "Don't Torture Donald Duck." Most people assume the name was changed to Don't Torture a Duckling because of licensing issues. A small Donald Duck shows up at one of the bodies although I still fail to see how this was enough to name the movie. I like to give extra thanks to Dave K. and M. for giving me that second push on Fulci because if it wasn't for them I would of givin up on this director a long time ago.

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is a rare bird in Lucio Fulci's very gilded cage of horror. Made a good seven years before his gorefests, starting with the excellent ZOMBIE, that defined his reputation here in America and the rest of the world, DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is just as intense and brutal, if a bit less gruesome, than the typical Fulci fan is used to. Yet still in all, the story alone (co-written by Fulci) is as much a testament to Fulci's uncompromising and gutsy approach to horror and suspense as any gore scene in his later films (two scenes ended up starting off two later Fulci films). Hell, even the great Dario Argento says that this is one of Fulci's best films (it says so on the cover), and after my first viewing of DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING on New Year's Eve, I can see why; I also saw a lot of George Romeroesque social commentary in this film.
Child murders and disappearances are very galvanizing experiences for any society, especially in a town like in this movie. Everybody is desperate for answers as to who would do such a horrible thing. There have even been a few cases where some townspeople resort to vigilante behavior towards a suspect to satisfy their need for justice. Fulci handles this story in a surprisingly tasteful matter, with only two instances of violence against children; the fact that little boys are being murdered is shocking enough!
There are no likeable characters in the village, which makes the story more immediate and brutal. Even the little boys that are the targets of murder are portrayed as nasty (e.g., spying on naked people, killing animals with slingshots). The recent scandal with Michael Jackson gives more importance to the story arc involving Patrizia, whom one of the boys sees naked. The only character with any appeal is the reporter Andrea Martelli, who is covering the murders. That character is like the outsider that Argento gets you to identify with in his movies, and that plot device works wonders in this story.
The chain-whipping of a local Wiccan by three men as pop music plays from a car radio is the most psychosocially relevant scene in horror history. It speaks volumes about how far some people will go to achieve a degree of justice in the wake of horrible crimes. In this case, these men are driven by superstition since the woman claimed to have placed a spell on the boys because they were messing around her property. That entire sequence, appropiately hard to watch and grisly, tells you all about the moral decay of the entire village. Fulci also used a chain-whipping scene to kick off THE BEYOND, my favorite Fulci film, and it holds the same meaning.
*SPOILER ALERT* We all know how terrifying killers are in slasher movies, but imagine the killer being somebody who should protect you-such as a Clergyman. Just as Romero has always taken potshots at the military (e.g., THE CRAZIES, DAY OF THE DEAD), so Fulci knocks organized religion front and center here. The ultimate motivation behind the killings is a shocking one because it is so misguided. In fact, the eventual demise of the killer (reused for SEVEN NOTES IN BLACK/THE PSYCHIC) is all the more shocking when juxtaposed with some other footage. This plot point has more shock value in the wake of the scandal with the Catholic church of last year! I have never been stunned by a horror film since childhood until this one!
If DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING were to be released in theaters today, it would generate a major firestorm of controversy, especially in light of the aforementioned events in the media. Yes, this movie was definitely too strong for Europeans to stomach back in 1972 (it didn't get released elsewhere at that time) and it remains potent today. A gritty and ground-breaking giallo, Lucio Fulci's DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is a definite must-watch!

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is a very well-made, atmospheric, creepy, disturbing, & effective horror film. What makes this movie very unlike what Lucio Fulci makes is that it relies more on suspense, characterization, & disturbing realism other than blood & gore that which he is noted for.

In a small Italian village, young boys are being murdered. Who is responsible for these horrific crimes?

Probably one of the first of its kind of films that deal with the grim reality of serial murder (along with Fritz Lang's M & Ulli Lommell's THE TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES). And when the revelation of the murderer is is truly astonishing & shocking for its time when it was released.

The Anchor Bay video transfer is crisp & bright. They did a marvellous job of bringing this well-made giallo on video the quality is just marvellous.

Barbara Bouchet is mesmerizing as the town tease. Nuff said!

If you're a horror film fan, you won't be disappointed with this classic, yet almost forgotten outing from one of the masters of Italian horror, Lucio Fulci.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Effective giallo thriller from Fulce--but what a title!
The idyllic Italian countryside, with a highway snaking along concrete supports, with church bells, houses clustered like barnacles on mountains, seems an unlikely place for... Read more

Published on April 21 2002 by Daniel J. Hamlow

5.0 out of 5 stars A DIFFERENT KIND OF FULCI
This is Lucio Fulci in rare form.If you think his movies only consisted of flesh eating zombies and disgusting throat rippings and harsh gore,then you must be a zombie. Read more

Published on Nov 23 2001 by Kevin Hodge

1.0 out of 5 stars aged
This film would almost work on mystery science theater. It might've been somewhat shocking 25 years ago, but these days it's pretty tame, pedantic, and predictable. Read more

Published on Oct 29 2001 by Cat

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Torture A Duckling, classic Italian giallo
Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling is a superb little giallo. It features a haunting score, beautiful cinematography, a gripping storyline about the murder of young boys. Read more

Published on Jun 12 2001 by S. Richardson

3.0 out of 5 stars don't overlook a giallo
"Don't Torture a Duckling" obviously comes from an era when director Lucio Fulci--known mostly for his latter-day gore flicks--was more conscious of his audience and... Read more

Published on May 2 2001 by man_invisible

3.0 out of 5 stars Wot, no Zombies?
Why does this film have such an odd title? Does it include zombie ducks? Or exessive scenes of bird torture? No. Read more

Published on Feb 20 2001 by A. Griffiths

3.0 out of 5 stars And Now for Something Completely Different
I didn't know what to expect when I rented this widescreen DVD. I knew it had a cult following but I had also seen a lot of the director's later works which although delightfully... Read more

Published on Sep 22 2000 by J. R. Reynolds

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood is afraid to make a film like this!
Because of some of the subject content, no major studio would touch it. I never heard of this before it came out on DVD, but it's definitely worth the money. Read more

Published on Jun 4 2000 by itskeith

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, Lucio Fulci's giallo is released!
We can finally throw away our 8th generation Video Search copies... Don't Torture A Duckling is here! Read more

Published on May 30 2000 by Mister Monster

4.0 out of 5 stars A great giallo...and so much more!
Don't be put off by the weird title (although it is a rather typical giallo title), this is Fulci in high-gear. Read more

Published on May 28 2000 by existential angster

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