There are two very striking things about the (relatively) minor Giallo The Fifth Cord:
1. The cinematography. This film is absolutely gorgeous. To be honest, I remember very little about the plot. It was basically a by-the-numbers whodunit that (like most other Giallos) follows a detective on the path of a gloved serial killer. Sounds like you've seen this before in the genre? You have. But you haven't seen one that is shot this well. This movie gives Argento and Bava a run for their money when it comes to the images on the screen. Each scene is beautifully framed and the subdued color scheme is simply ravishing. The camera movements and angles/placements are impeccable. I can't even reasonably describe it with words. It has to be seen to be understood. Think Antonioni meets De Palma meets early Coen Brothers. It's that good.
So after I saw it I thought to myself, "Wow, that movie looks a lot better than it is. How did this happen?" Well it turns out that the cinematographer is none other than Vittorio Storaro! You might be familiar with him. He photographed Apocalypse Now and The Last Emperor (he won Oscars for both). He's a bona fide master that, in this case, happened to be picked up at the beginning of his career. It's true that he shot Argento's Bird with the Crystal Plumage right before this, but his work in The Fifth Cord is even better. Maybe the director, Luigi Bazzoni, has something to do with the film's great look, but I doubt it. He never really did anything this great before or after. Storaro steals the show.
2. The women. The other aspect of the movie that I can't forget is the incredible display of beautiful women. Each one is simply gorgeous. Not only that, but being that the film was shot in Italy in 1971, the styles they wear are amazing. If you could scoop any one of the girls in this film out of the screen and bring them to a party with you today (without even changing their clothes or hairstyle), you would be the ultimate envy of all your friends. Today's best "hot" actresses have nothing on the women here. Trust me.
