Sublime to Ridiculous
Ruggero Deodato was a late comer to the 'Giallo' genre with the half cooked 'Off Balance' (1988), deciding to make a move away from the shock tactic films he had made a name for himself with; namely 'Cannibal Holocaust' (1979) 'The House On The Edge Of The Park' (1980), and 'Cut And Run' (1985).'The Washing Machine,' set in Budapest, begins with Vida and her businessman boyfriend Yuri arguing about an engagement ring he has given her (it has the wrong name on it), Vida is displaying an awesome amount of cleavage which forms a large part of the character she plays. That night, Ludmilla claims to have found Vida's boyfriend chopped up and stuffed inside her washing machine, and thus Police Inspector Stacev is called to the house of the three Kolba sisters; Vida, Ludmilla, and Maria.
Upon his arrival the body is gone without a trace and Ludmilla is accused by her siblings of being a drunkard with a far too lively an imagination. However it is obvious something happened, as individually they approach the inspector with strange tales of what happened that night. Resistant at first, he can't help himself from being drawn in as they one by one seduce him;
"Why do you think she spied on us, half naked, every time we came home we could see her watching us, which only made it more exciting. We'd do things for her alone That night we gave her quite a show Does this excite you Inspector?"
Dialogue such as this lends the film a strange sort of eroticism (not Eros, not Mania, but I would say Ludus).
Of course the Inspector is caught in the 'eye of the storm' of the sisters' erotic games. This is too much for his partner Irina, who commits suicide after he opens a closet (literally) revealing his secret passion for sado-machosism. This suicide does not seem to trouble him though, actually the viewer becomes unsure if it actually happened, or if Irina just disappeared from the film.
The youngest sister Maria is in a favourite scene as a volunteer with the blind, she takes them on an outing to a museum. The scene becomes very 'black' as silently Maria and the Inspector 'make out' in full view, and the blind whose care she is charged with panic thinking she has left them stranded. A darkly humorous and erotically charged 'Giallo' sequence, that would be at home in the seventies heyday. This voyeurism is well served by Deodato's use of high angled shots looking either up or down on the action throughout the film. Deodato came late to the 'Giallo,' indeed waiting until the genre was passed its prime. In order to make a Dario Argento style film, Deodato involved people with 'Giallo' credentials. Cinematographer Sergio D'Offizi shot Lucio Fulci's 'Giallo' Don't Torture A Duckling (1972), and Argento collaborator Claudio Simonetti of 'Goblin' fame composed the score.
Short on strong 'Giallo' themes, like seeing and not seeing, the 'gaze,' (although strong on voyeurism), and not containing gender confusion (although strong on Ludus), the film is essentially an exercise in Argento style.
score 7/10
grahamcarter-1 14 May 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3707501/34917
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