''A Lizard in a Woman's Skin'' () is a 1971 ''
giallo
In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...
'' film co-written and directed by
Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including Commedia all'italiana, comedies and spagh ...
and produced by
Edmondo Amati and
Robert Dorfmann. It stars
Florinda Bolkan,
Stanley Baker,
Jean Sorel,
Alberto de Mendoza,
Silvia Monti,
Anita Strindberg,
Mike Kennedy,
George Rigaud and
Leo Genn. The film is an Italian-Spanish-French co-production.
Set in London, the film follows Carol Hammond (Bolkan), the daughter of a respected politician, who experiences a series of vivid, psychedelic nightmares consisting of debauched sex orgies and
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
use. In the dream, she commits a graphic murder of a neighbour whose life she is envious of (Strindberg) and awakes to a real-life criminal investigation into the murder of her neighbour.
The film was released in France as ''Carole'', and was later re-released in the United States as ''Schizoid''. The French release print is the longest at 101 minutes.
Plot
Carol Hammond is the daughter of Edmund Brighton, a wealthy lawyer and politician, and the wife of Frank, a partner in Edmund's law firm. They all live together in a large apartment in London with Joan, Frank's teenage daughter from a previous marriage. Carol has been visiting a
psychoanalyst
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious processes and their influence on conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on dream interpretation, psychoanalysis is also a talk th ...
, Dr. Kerr, because she has been experiencing disturbing dreams involving her libertine next-door neighbour, Julia Durer, who often hosts raucous, drug-fueled parties in her apartment. In the dreams, Carol, wearing a fur coat, makes her way through a long hallway filled with naked people, before engaging in sexual activities with Julia.
While in his office with Frank, Edmund receives a phone call from an anonymous woman, claiming she has damaging information about his family. He then asks Frank if he is cheating on Carol, which Frank denies. Unknown to everyone else, Frank is indeed having an affair with his personal secretary, Deborah.
Carol recounts her latest dream to Dr. Kerr, which culminates in her stabbing Julia to death with a
paper knife; Carol then notices a hippie couple who have seemingly witnessed the murder from a mezzanine. The following day, Carol is shocked to learn that Julia has actually been found murdered in her apartment, in exactly the same way it happened in Carol's dream—including the fur coat and paper knife, which are both found at the crime scene. Inspector Corvin from
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...
arrives to lead the investigation.
During a shopping trip with Joan, Carol spots the two hippies from her dream. Joan asks the hippies if they know Carol or have seen her before, which they deny. As the evidence against Carol mounts, the police surreptitiously obtain her fingerprints, which match those found on the fur coat and paper knife. Carol is soon arrested and charged with murder. However, Corvin second-guesses whether Carol is really the killer, as she had described the murder scenario to Dr. Kerr before it actually took place.
As Carol is awaiting trial at a maximum-security
sanitorium
A sanatorium (from Latin ''wikt:sanare, sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a Hospital#Specialized, specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence.
Sa ...
, the male hippie breaks in and chases her through the grounds. Carol escapes into a room where four live dogs are being
vivisected, causing her to faint. When she comes to, there is no trace of the intruder. Meanwhile, Edmund, eager to exonerate Carol, discovers that Julia had been blackmailing Frank for money as not to expose his affair with Deborah. While Frank worries about being named as a suspect, Edmund gets Carol released on bail.
At Edmund's country estate, Carol is contacted by the female hippie and agrees to meet at
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...
. There, Carol is attacked by the male hippie in the cellar and chased through the building. The male hippie corners Carol on the roof, stabbing her in the process, but flees when the police arrive. Later, Joan asks the hippie woman about the male hippie's whereabouts, hoping he will give her any information that could exonerate Frank. The next day, Joan is found murdered in a field.
Corvin questions Carol about the phone call that Edmund received from Julia; Carol admits she learned about the call from Edmund, but is unsure whether Frank is aware of it. Corvin finally tracks down and arrests the hippie couple, Hubert and Jenny. Although Hubert admits to stalking Carol and murdering Joan, they insist they do not remember anything about the night of Julia's murder except for recalling "a lizard in a woman's skin". Corvin is informed that Edmund has killed himself at his estate, leaving a note confessing to Julia's murder.
At Edmund's grave, Corvin confronts Carol, saying that Edmund would have mentioned to her that Frank was with him when Julia called him. Corvin asserts Carol's guilt as she was with Julia on the day the phone call was made. After Julia threatened to expose their lesbian affair, Carol killed her that night and fabricated her nightmares to Dr. Kerr in a bid to plead
temporary insanity. Carol was fearful that the hippies would identify her, though she was unaware that they were too high on
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
to make their testimony credible. Corvin ultimately leads Carol to a waiting police car.
Cast
Uncredited:
Production
Filming locations
Filming locations included
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, ...
and
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...
, which was featured heavily in the film's climax.
Dog scene
The film is known for a scene in which Carol opens the door to a room filled with dogs that are apparently being experimented on. The dogs are cut open with their hearts and guts still pulsating. The scene was so graphic and realistic that several crew members were forced to testify in court to disprove the accusation that real dogs were used in the film.
Carlo Rambaldi, a special effects artist, saved Fulci from a two-year prison sentence by presenting the fake dog props in court to a seemingly unconvinced judiciary.
This was the first time in film history that an effects artist had to prove his work was not real in a court of law.
Critical reception
Donald Guarisco of
AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was ...
described the film as "a wild ride that offers plenty of bizarre moments that will stay stuck in the viewer's mind."
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lizard in a Woman's Skin, A
1971 films
1971 LGBTQ-related films
1970s French films
1970s Italian films
1970s Italian-language films
1970s mystery thriller films
1970s psychological thriller films
1970s Spanish films
American International Pictures films
Films about female bisexuality
Films directed by Lucio Fulci
Films scored by Ennio Morricone
Films set in London
Films shot in Bedfordshire
Films shot in London
French LGBTQ-related films
French mystery thriller films
French psychological thriller films
Giallo films
Italian LGBTQ-related films
Italian mystery thriller films
Italian psychological thriller films
Italian-language French films
Italian-language Spanish films
Lesbian-related films
LGBTQ-related thriller films
Murder mystery films
Spanish LGBTQ-related films
Spanish mystery thriller films
Spanish psychological thriller films