SoftInloveRox
Horrible, fascist and poorly acted
MonsterPerfect
Good idea lost in the noise
Allissa
.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
crystallogic
I like how experimental some of these early gialli are. This is another movie about kind of spoiled rich people playing games with each other and getting into sordid trouble. Murder is involved, but not in the way you'd think after seeing the first half of the film, and I think that's one of the clever things about it. The story is more engaging than some, and, for once, actually more involving than set pieces, of which they are few (no prolonged stalking/murder sequences or anything like that).Also, the movie is really funny at times, and I think it's absolutely intentional. The scene with the PR guy and all his "chicken poses" is priceless and like something you might find in a Monty Python sketch. I think there's some nice satire here of the rich industrial class, and a political subtext about automation and workers' rights. You see this sort of thing in vintage Italian genre films sometimes, and it's nice to see that sometimes, a thriller isn't just a thriller, if you know what I mean.Finally, this is a slightly experimental film, with lots of fast edits and artistic scene transitions that often tell you things that aren't explicit in dialogue or scene itself. Also, the music -- I think it's great, in all its clanging and banging around and discordance, but it definitely won't be to everyon'e staste. A tip from my partner: "if you imagine a chicken playing the music, it becomes a thousand times better".
BA_Harrison
With the sixties in full swing, and mind-altering drugs an integral part of the arts scene, it comes as no surprise to find that a large amount of the cinematic output from this era is more than a little bit 'out-there'. The makers of Death Laid an Egg must've consumed more than their fair share of LSD, 'shrooms and Marijuana. 'cos with its spaced-out visuals, experimental discordant soundtrack, wild editing and pretentious dialogue, it sure is one bizarre cinematic trip!And whilst I found the mix of European art-house cinema and proto-Giallo plot line seriously irritating and incredibly dull, it's not hard to see how this unusual effort has garnered a cult following among those who enjoy 'psychadelic' films.Set in and around a high-tech chicken factory, the film follows several characters whose lives intertwine with deadly consequences. Marco (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is husband to the beautiful factory owner, Anna (Gina Lollobrigida), but is also knocking off sexy blonde Gabriella (Ewa Aulin) who also has a connection with young publicist Mondaini (Jean Sobieski), who is called in to promote the benefits of chickens. Add a weird scientist who is developing headless and wingless fowl that yield more meat for maximum profit, and the roster of strange characters is complete.I can see this movie appealing to fans of the avant-garde (those who enjoy the work of Lynch or Jodorowsky, for example), but the whole thing is just too screwy for my (admittedly jaded) tastes. If I'm ever tempted to watch Death Laid An Egg again, I think I'll be getting myself some of those hallucinogenics I mentioned earlier, in order to make the whole experience more interesting.I give DLAE 2/10 (just missing the absolute lowest score, thanks to tasty Ewa Aulin and the freaky genetically enhanced headless chickens).
HumanoidOfFlesh
"Death Laid an Egg" by Giulio Questi is a wonderful giallo full of surrealism.Mark only married his wife Anna because of her chicken fortune.They run a chicken farm between the two of them.Mark has been having several affairs including one with Gabriella.Things start to complicate when Gabriella moves in with Mark and Anna.Gabriella and Mark continue their affair and plot Anna's death."Death Laid an Egg" is a psychedelic giallo that has to be seen to be believed.The acting by Gina Lollobrigida and Jean-Louis Trintignant is excellent and the score by Bruno Maderna fits the mood perfectly.So if you like weird Italian cinema give this one a look.My other recommendations:"Autopsy" by Armando Crispino and "A Quiet Place in the Country" by Elio Petri.
sirarthurstreebgreebling
This has to be one of the most cutting edge film's made to date , its wholly surreal and has a dreamlike quality that hypnotises me. When i first saw this film I don't think I blinked , then I watched it again straight off, it has an addictive charm that should be open for everyone too see, why its not being picked up by a distributor I will never know. The plot is an odd one , a mixture of industrial terrorism (who killed the new headless mutant chickens that yeild so much meat), Romance , Perversion and just plain odd. In the opening scene in a hotel while a prostitute is being brutally murdered we cut to a man covering his head in tape , someone pouring out toothpaste and various hideous rich people snorting with laughter. From the start it gives the message that everybody is mad, with their hidden psychosis and more obvious ones. Going any further into the plot will spoil the film so I will say nothing. Its worth trying to find this one , I got mine in Greece in the late 80's , but there must be some out there , somewhere.
