The Dead Are Alive (1972)

An Italian/German/Yugoslav co-production, the fact that The Dead Are Alive (1972) isn't better known is possibly related to it being misleadingly marketed in various territories.  It's English language title seems to imply a zombie movie, while the German release title and marketing - which translates as Mystery of the Yellow Grave - plays up a tenuous Edgar Wallace connection, (it was actually loosely inspired by a short story by Wallace's son, Bryan Edgar Wallace).  The Italian title, which translates as The Etruscan Kills Again, also implies some kind of supernatural horror.  In reality, the film is a giallo movie, made at the height of the genre's popularity - there are no supernatural elements (although this is implied as a plot device a few times) and certainly no zombies.  Unfortunately, it isn't exactly vintage giallo, being far too slow moving with clunky plotting that all too often gets bogged down in various personal melodramas.  While the genre always relied upon throwing in plenty of misdirection in order to keep audiences guessing as a twisty plot unfolded, The Dead Are Alive suffers from having far too many sub-plots going on, with the film's constant jumping between them hurting the story's progression - the film's narrative has a halting quality, with tension and momentum built up in one plot strand being dissipated by abrupt switches in direction to pursue other sub-plots.  There are so many false trails that the film generates enough red herrings to stock a kipper factory.  The sheer number of characters these multiple plot strands bring in also becomes confusing - trying to keep up with who they are and what their relationships are is hugely distracting.

The film's initial set up is certainly intriguing - a group of archaeologists led by recovering alcoholic professor Jason Porter (Alex Cord) open up an ancient Etruscan tomb in Italy, revealing a series of violent wall paintings depicting an ancient Etruscan god and a ritual of human sacrifice to the deity.  Pretty soon, a pair of youths are found dead in the tomb, beaten to death in a manner similar to that depicted in the paintings.  Everything seems to point to the professor - who, when drinking, is prone to violent outbursts and memory lapses - but there are plenty of other suspicious characters: could it be that creepy site security guard who is trading in stolen artefacts and likes burning insects to death?  Or is it the world famous composer (John Marley), who is married (bigamously as it turns out) to the prof's ex (Samantha Eggar) and is also prone to violent outbursts (he disfigured his first wife in a fit of anger years before)?  Then again, could it be the composer's son, who works with the prof and is the son of the disfigured ex-wife?  More murders ensue and 'clues' pile up, the murder weapon is a missing probe used by the archaeological team in surveying tombs, pairs of red shoes, apparently taken from a live theatre production the in which composer is conducting the orchestra, are left at the murder scenes, while the prof keeps hearing snatches of classical music close to the murder scenes.  The audience's constant bombardment with characters, clues and incidents rapidly becomes both confusing and wearing.

Still, the film does look very good, its colourful photography making good use of some attractive Italian locations.  While Armando Crispino's  direction is steady enough, with the murder scenes harrowingly well staged and the scenes in the tomb suitably atmospheric, it is never able to build up the tension and suspense required to make this sort of film work.  Despite the frenetic cutting between sub-plots, the film overall is far too slow in progressing its central narrative and is far too long - you can't help but feel that it would have benefitted greatly from tighter editing.  The film cast strongly, with its three Anglo-American stars and a smattering of Italian, German and Yugoslav actors, most recognisable from other continental films of the era, making up the supporting cast.  Alex Cord as the lead makes for particularly interesting casting - never an exactly charismatic or sympathetic actor, here his lack of sympathetic qualities is deployed to good use, in what is, in effect, an anti-hero role.  For the plot to work, it is essential that, for once, the audience should be able to feel that the lead is something of a bastard who might well be capable of murder - Cord's complete absence of charisma makes this very easy, with his character, even when he does eventually unravel the mystery and identify the real killer, remaining essentially dislikable.  By no means a bad film, The Dead Are Alive is simply too crowded, in plot terms, to work effectively as a giallo, its plethora of sub-plots and proliferation of red herrings meaning that it never fully develops and explores an interesting opening scenario.