''Smile Before Death'' ( it, Il sorriso della iena/ translation: ''Smile of the Hyena'') is a 1972 Italian
giallo film
In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, l ...
written and directed by
Silvio Amadio
Silvio Amadio (8 August 1926 – 19 August 1995) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1957 and 1981. His film ''Wolves of the Deep'' was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival. He is kno ...
, and starring Rosalba Neri.
Plot
Marco, a bankrupt nobleman, is unhappily married to the wealthy Dorothy Emerson. Her best friend, Gianna, is his mistress. Marco murders his wife (making it appear to be suicide by slashing her throat with a shard of glass) and becomes the administrator of his wife's estate, with the proviso that Nancy, Dorothy's daughter from a previous marriage, takes over control when she turns twenty. Marco has retired to live with Gianna in a luxurious lakeshore villa.
Marco's daughter Nancy contacts him to notify him that she will be taking control of her mother's estate very soon. Nancy has been living in a boarding school for years and hadn't seen her mother for a long time. Gianna tries to encourage Marco to kill Nancy, since Marco's standard of living will drop severely once she takes over the estate. But Marco ends up falling in love with Nancy, which complicates the proceedings.
Cast
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Jenny Tamburi
Jenny Tamburi (27 November 1952 – 1 March 2006), born as Luciana Tamburini, was an Italian actress and television hostess. Her first stage name was "Luciana della Robbia" and after her first film she changed it to "Jenny Tamburi".
Born in Rom ...
as Nancy Thompson
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Silvano Tranquilli
Silvano Tranquilli (23 August 1925 – 10 May 1997) was an Italian stage, television and film actor.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Silvano Tranquilli attended theatre lessons at the Sharoff Academy, and started his stage activity with the th ...
as Marco
*
Rosalba Neri
Rosalba Neri (born 19 June 1939) is a retired Italian actress.
Early life
Born in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Neri was regarded for her beauty even in youth, winning a beauty pageant when she was still young. Eventually pursuing an acting ca ...
as Gianna
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Dana Ghia
Dana Ghia (born Felicita Ghia; 13 July 1932) is an Italian former actress, singer and model. During her acting career, Ghia was sometimes credited as Ghia Arlen.
Life and career
Born Felicita Ghia in Milan, Ghia started her career as a runway ...
as Magda
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Zora Gheorgieva as Dorothy Emerson
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Hiram Keller
Hiram Keller (May 3, 1944 – January 20, 1997), born Hiram Keller Undercofler Jr., was an American stage and film actor who starred in European films. He is best known for his role as Ascyltus in Federico Fellini's 1969 film ''Satyricon''.
...
as Paolo
See also
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List of Italian films of 1972
A list of films produced in Italy in 1972 (see 1972 in film):
References Footnotes
Sources
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External linksItalian films of 1972at the Internet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Italian Films Of 1972
1972
Within t ...
References
4. Adrian Luther-Smith. ''Blood and Black Lace''. Stray Cat Publishing, 1999.
External links
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1970s Italian-language films
Giallo films
1970s crime thriller films
Films directed by Silvio Amadio
Films scored by Roberto Pregadio
1970s Italian films
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