Dark Purpose
- Year: 1964
- Country of origin: Italy, France, USA
- Genre: Mystery
- Director: George Marshall, Vittorio Sala
- Length: 97 min
Film Synopsis
Dark Purpose (1964) follows a young American assistant traveling in Italy who accompanies her employer to appraise the art collection of a wealthy aristocrat. As she becomes romantically involved with the charming count, she gradually encounters troubling signs linked to his household and concealed past. This Italian-French mystery thriller blends romantic intrigue, gothic suspense, and psychological tension.
Critical Perspective
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Dark Purpose is simultaneously part of a small run of “Americans abroad” gialli instigated by Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963), and something of a precursor to the later run of gialli inspired by the plot of H.G. Clouzot’s Les Diaboliques (1955). … The combination of some appealing characters in such a slick and well-made production helps to make Dark Purpose a breezy and enjoyable experience. Viewers looking for plenty of sleaze and a high body count would do well to bypass this one, however.
Troy Howarth, So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, Volume 1, 1963-1973 (Midnight Marquee Press, 2015)
Dark Purpose Blu-ray & DVD editions
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