Big in Milan

Milano Calibro 9 (Pre-Opening Credits Sequence)

(Fernando Di Leo, 1972)

 

 

When it comes to opening scenes from a film, not many come close to Fernando Di Leo's Milano Calibro 9 (1972), aka Calibre 9, for me. Bold statement for sure, but it's the one film intro I return to again and again on YouTube, far more frequently than the rest. The sequence of events themselves have their own beginning, middle and end; which could easily class them components to an amazing short film, if one deemed it necessary. 

The logistical complexity of a shady and convoluted money exchange, switching from the various people involved, from one location to the next, earns my attention instinctively. To then follow it with a double-cross and the eventual spectacular payback, all while prog-rock band Osanna's rousing Preludio accompanies the scenes, takes it to a whole new stratospheric level of appreciation from me. It's such an amazing film prelude, that the rest of the film hardly lives up to it, even if Lionel Stander, better known as Max the butler from Hart to Hart, plays a mob boss in it. However, it is kind of unique to have a heavy set looking actor like Gastone Moschin, familiar to most as Don Fanucci from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II (1974), as the film's protagonist, Ugo. Last film I saw him in was as a goofy British copper in the Agatha Christie inspired giallo, The Weekend Murders (1970), so he's way more suited on the other side of the law for me.

 

Not even going to pretend that I'm a massive fan of the film, nor that I understand the love for much of Di Leo's work, but to keep it all positive, I will add that Milano Calibro 9's intro scene for Barbara Bouchet, Dada Debaser's second favourite giallo queen after Edwige Fenech, is the stuff of legend and the best scene, other than the sublime pre-opening credits; especially after the recent go-go dancer post I made.

Milano Calibro 9 (Nelly's Dance Scene)

(Fernando Di Leo, 1972)