Death Laid an Egg

Death Laid an Egg (also known as La morte ha fatto l'uovo) is an Italian avant-garde giallo film from 1968. Directed by Giulio Questi, the film stars Gina Lollobrigida, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Ewa Aulin. This illustrious trio offers a sublimely unnerving performance element to the already hazy atmosphere. The film is a unique hybrid of psychological thriller, murder mystery, and sci-fi horror, combined with bursts of odd humor, social commentary, and visual experimentation.

The narrative elevates the mundane to the discordantly surreal as it is primarily set in a high-tech poultry farm. Lollobrigida and Trintignant play Anna and Marco, a married couple who run this experimental chicken facility, where through genetic modification, they are trying to create the perfect, headless, boneless, wingless chicken for mass consumption. This symbolic critique of industrialization and commodification of living creatures underlies the other layers of narrative complexity.

The film explores the dynamic between Anna and Marco represented by Lollobrigida and Trintignant respectively, which becomes more intense with the introduction of the young and beautiful Gabrielle (Ewa Aulin), who is Anna's cousin and secretary. The complex relationship between the three main characters pervades the narrative, adding depth and intrigue to the plot.

Jean-Louis Trintignant's portrayal of Marco is as a seemingly level-headed man who is caught in a web of restlessness and deceit of his own creation. Behind his calm exterior, he leads a double life as a secret frequenter of a local hotel that serves as a haven for kinky, upper-class individuals looking to shed their inhibitions.

Gina Lollobrigida's Anna, on the other hand, is alluring and shrewd. She is a money-minded capitalist, fearful of her husband's strange behaviors and the silent threats that seem to hang in the air around her. Aulin's Gabrielle is a serene beauty, her naivety starkly contrasting the wariness and seriousness of Anna and Marco.

As the movie throws light on Marco's double life, the plot thickens with parallels drawn between his inexplicable desires and the unorthodox business he runs. Marco's hidden passions coincide with a series of bizarre murders, intensifying the unfolding mystery.

At the same time, the narrative sinks deeper into a dreamlike world as Questi opts for experimental avant-garde cinematographic techniques over traditional narrative storytelling approaches. Unexpected shifts in time, surreal settings, diaphanous figures, strange symphony of noises, and odd realities — these all challenge the viewer's comprehension.

The lingering question is whether the ruthless world of poultry farming and the record of gruesome deaths are related. Or is Marco's dual personality responsible for the baffling events that blur the boundary between the ordinary and the bizarre? The film leaves these interpretations to the audience, making for a thoughtful and engaging viewing experience.

Stylistically, Death Laid an Egg goes beyond your average giallo. It combines elements of aesthetically pleasing yet disturbing art-house cinema with the speed and unease of commercial thrillers. The result is an eerily beautiful film with an innovative visual language that is entirely its own.

In terms of background score, Bruno Maderna adopts an unconventional music palette – incorporating avant-garde sounds and electronic music that intensify the uncanny surrealism that pervades the film. The sound design is haunting and illuminating at the same time, amplifying the sense of impending dread.

So, whether you are a fan of the giallo genre, fascinated by cinematic experiments, or interested in the critique of capitalist exploitation, 'Death Laid an Egg' provides a viewing experience that you simply cannot categorize or forget. The essence of the film lies not in its plot's resolution or the satisfaction of an explained mystery, but in the mood it creates: an unsettling, hallucinatory journey beneath the surface of sanity and reality.

An unsettling film in many ways, 'Death Laid an Egg' is ultimately a sophisticated masterpiece of late 60s Italian cinema. With its immersive narrative, notable performances, and experimental editing, this film beckons for multiple viewings to truly grasp and appreciate its complexity. A truly unique piece, the movie 'Death Laid an Egg' continues to captivate audiences of today, more than fifty years after its initial release.