Don't Torture a Duckling 4K 1972 Ultra HD 2160p

Storyline
In the backward village of Accendura, the boy Bruno Lo Casio goes missing and the police inspector and the local commissioner and the village Captain Modesti investigate the case. When his father receives the request of a ransom, the police arrest the local Giuseppe and realize that he is innocent. Then the boys Michele and Tonino are also murdered and the police suspect of the local witch Maciara, who practices black magic, might be the killer but they find she is also innocent. However the superstitious and ignorant locals brutally kill her. Meanwhile that village is crowded of journalist, including the experienced Andrea Martelli (Tomas Milian) from Rome. He befriends Patrizi, a daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur that is living in the village after a drug scandal. They meet the village priest Don Alberto Avallone, who has a group of boys that plays soccer at the church and is the son of the weird Dona Aurelia Avallone that raises her slow six year-old daughter. They believe the child has witnessed the murders and might know who the killer is.

User Review

Don't Torture a Duckling is a very atmospheric, stylish and colorful picture by genre maestro Lucio Fulci. The viewer is faced with a competently directed work. It is at the same time a thriller, drama and detective, and all this is seasoned with elements of jallo. The action of this tape director placed in a secluded, closed space, which is filled with fear and horror.

A small, closed village appears before us. In it there is a series of murders of children. An investigation into these atrocities begins. Suspicion falls first on the local fool, then on the local sorceress. All of them turn out to be innocent, but the locals are not ceremonious for a long time and are cruel to the suspects. The ending is very interesting and unexpected.

This movie by Lucio Fulci in his directing career stands very high for me, all because it is not similar to his previous and subsequent works. In this picture of the master of genre cinema there is not a hint of the thrashiness that is so obvious in his other works. Here the main aspect is made on the detective component. Lucio keeps the detective intrigue from the beginning to the end of the picture, preparing the unsophisticated viewer a stunning denouement. Tension or better to say suspense in the picture is amazing and sustained to the end. In this picture physical violence, massacres and bloody scenes are certainly enough, but the main thing here is a detective plot. And one thing does not interfere with the other, but only adds more drama to the whole picture.

There are no questions about the acting in the movie. All played splendidly. Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Bouchet, Thomas Milian, Irene Papas are cult actors and actresses. They all proved to be incredibly accurate in their portrayals. Especially memorable image was the heroine of the delightful F. Bolkan. She plays the role of a witch in the film, her game is mesmerizing and stunning. The last scene with her appearance on the screen is an absolute masterpiece. Only Fulci could come up with such an idea. Barbara Bouchet is charming. How could one pass without her beautiful, naked female body, all this Lucio showed us.

Sergio D'Offfizi's camerawork too can only be commended. All the beauty of nature and the remote village, lost somewhere in the mountains, is transferred very cool and spectacularly. The picture simply mesmerizes and envelops with its indescribable beauty, completely immersing in what is happening on the screen. All this visual action takes place under the beautiful music of the great Ritz Ortolani. The soundtrack turned out to be very memorable, dark and frightening. As a composer for movies, Ortolani left an incredibly vivid mark on history.

Don't Torture a Duckling is a great example of European genre cinema of the past. A competent script, excellent visuals, superb suspense, unique atmosphere, great soundtrack and great direction make this movie unmissable. This is a true Eurocult from Lucio Fulci. To all fans of Italian horror my recommendation. Bravo Lucio Fulci!

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (87.5 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Info Audio

#Italian: FLAC 1.0
#English: FLAC 1.0

Info Subtitles