An American journalist temporarily stationed in Central Europe searches for his new girlfriend, who has suddenly disappeared.
Giallo Movie Review: Short Night of Glass Dolls
Short Night of Glass Dolls is, again, like The Possessed different from the type of Giallo that I am accustomed to having been spoiled from the Dario Argento films and the subsequent formulaic films that followed. Gregory (Jean Sorel), an American journalist in Prague, is caught in a mystery when the sudden disappearance of his girlfriend sends him into a spiraling journey of intrigue and danger. When a man’s body is discovered in a park, police and ambulance act quickly to bring the man to a hospital. There are two problems with this; the man is Gregory, who is still alive. Gregory, for some reason or another, is unable to communicate with anyone as doctors painstakingly try to revive him, unbeknownst to them that, inside, Gregory is screaming and shouting for someone to take notice. He retraces his steps to try and remember how he got to where he is, atop a cold, silver table in the morgue. In a non-orthodox way, the story is told through flashbacks with a heavy reliance on Gregory’s voiceover narration to lead him, and us, through this puzzle as he tries to put the pieces back together.
Short Night of the Glass Dolls is another early entry into the Giallo sub-genre where the formula many are familiar with today has yet to surface; the disguised killer with his or her preferred weapon of choice (usually a sharp object – knife, razor, etc.), killer POV stalking victims, eerie phone calls from killer, extreme closeup of eyes/eyeball, extreme (some would say exaggerated) violence, etc., etc. This “template” would later be cemented and glorified thereafter when Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage hit the scene. There are aspects in Short Night of Glass Dolls that check some boxes such as the unknowing and amateur sleuth only there is a twist here in that Gregory is utilizing his memory as best as he can while being immobile and paralyzed. This is a unique and creative approach to how director and writer, Aldo Lado, was able to set Glass Dolls apart from other films at the time. Aldo would later get further recognition with his film, Who Saw Her Die? just one year later which is considered a great Giallo by many.
Short Night of Glass Dolls is an eerie and atmospheric film that, in my opinion, blends genres to great effect and the reveal can be, to some, shocking and unsuspecting which, as we all know, is what makes for a great Giallo. There is one scene in particular near the film’s conclusion that will leave some disturbed and even cringe. The conclusion itself is a tense and heart-pounding ride that will have you at the edge of your seat and whatever expectations you may have will be completely thwarted by the time the credits roll amidst the putrid and unsuspecting scream of terror. Short Night of Glass Dolls is a fantastic semi-Giallo entry in that it is different and unique with a plot and conclusion that you won’t see coming with a fantastic performance from Jean Sorel where he could have won awards by playing dead for a good portion of the film. I can’t say for sure if this is indeed a full-blown Giallo but it is certainly at the cusp of being considered one.
