Ramon Fernandez (1894–1944)

"La Muerte Ronda a Mónica" is an obscure, enjoyable Spanish giallo style mystery full of twists, turns, surprises and plenty of gratuitous female nudity. The story concerns Federico (Jean Sorel) and Mónica (Nadiuska) whose marriage is on the rocks. Federico's mistress Eva (Bárbara Rey) is in a lesbian relationship with Mónica's close friend and confidant Elena (Karin Schubert). Eva and Elena have developed an elaborate scheme to take control of Federico's business. Complicating matters show more is the sudden reappearance of recently released criminal Diego (Damián Velasco) and the antics of Federico's philandering partner Arturo (Arturo Fernández). It isn't too long until the bodies are piling up. Written by Juan José Alonso Millán and directed by Ramón Fernández "La Muerte Ronda a Mónica" is a complicated and elaborate, but always engaging mystery. It isn't as highly stylised as the classic gialli, but it carries many of the classic elements - twisted plotting, elaborate staging (of particular note is an intricate double hanging), gloved and masked killers, a sleazy, amoral milieu and copious sex and nudity - all three lead actresses spend plenty of time in the nude or engaging in energetic love-making. Ramón Fernández's direction is clever. He smoothly moves the action through some complex plotting that could easily have lost the audience's attention, keeping everything visually understandable while ensuring an always crisp pace. The main cast are all fine - French actor Jean Sorel is classically handsome, but radiates a feeling of untrustworthiness, while the German-born Nadiuska brings a Sophia Loren beauty and style. Karin Schubert, who went on to a career in porn in the late '80s, is particularly good as the scheming Elena. Overall "La Muerte Ronda a Mónica" is a fine mystery giallo. It is complex and twisted but never loses the key plot elements and keeps the audience guessing all the way to its shock conclusion. On top of all that there is plenty of nudity to keep the audience engaged and entertained if the complex plot becomes too much. show less

Présentation de la réédition : "[RF] dégage les grands thèmes de l'oeuvre, mais il la replace dans le courant de la tradition romanesque française, en montrant qu'elle représente l'aboutissement d'une recherche commencée depuis Balzac. Pour réussir cette somme sur un auteur aussi complexe et aussi proliférant, il fallait une longue familiarité avec son oeuvre. Dès 1914 Ramon Fernandez avait été un des premiers lecteurs de Proust, et, dès la fin de la guerre, il devint un ami show more personnel de l'écrivain, avec qui il eut de longues conversations et échangea plus d'une lettre." show less

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