Before he became indelibly associated with the horror genre, director Riccardo Freda worked hardy in numerous genres, one of them the historical costume film. BEATRICE CENCI is the first screen retelling of the famous medieval story of the Italian woman harassed by her own father, a sinister count, and eventually driven to drastic action. It's a good story, one that's led to numerous adaptations over the years, but this film is nothing special. It looks okay but it has little life or 'oomph' to recommend it; the actors do their bit and the costumes look good, but that's about it. Lucio Fulci would attempt a more full-blooded version of the story at the end of the 1960s.
Review of Castle of the Banned Lovers
