The Cat o' Nine Tails

The Cat o' Nine Tails
The Cat o' Nine Tails
	Italian theatrical release poster
Directed by	Dario Argento
Screenplay by	Dario Argento
Story by	Dario Argento; Luigi Cozzi; Dardano Sacchetti;
Produced by	Salvatore Argento
Starring	James Franciscus; Karl Malden; Catherine Spaak; Pier Paolo Capponi; Horst Frank; Rada Rassimov; Aldo Reggiani; Carlo Alighiero; Vittorio Congia; Ugo Fangareggi; Tom Felleghy; Emilio Marchisini; Corrado Olmi; Jacques Stany; Cinzia De Carolis; Werner Pochath; Tino Carraro;
Cinematography	Enrico Menczer
Edited by	Franco Fraticelli
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Production; companies	Mondial Te.Fi.; Seda Spettacoli S.p.A.; Labrador Films; Terra-Filmkunst GmbH;
Distributed by	Titanus (Italy); NGP (United States); Constantin Film Verleih GmbH (Germany)
Release dates	February 11, 1971 (Italy); May 26, 1971 (United States); July 15, 1971 (West Germany); August 11, 1971 (France);
Running time	112 minutes
Countries	Italy; France; West Germany;
Language	English
Box office	₤2.4 billion

The Cat o' Nine Tails (Italian: Il gatto a nove code) is a 1971 film produced in Italy, and directed by Dario Argento, adapted from a story by Dardano Sacchetti, Luigi Cozzi, and an uncredited Bryan Edgar Wallace.^[4] It stars Karl Malden, James Franciscus, and Catherine Spaak.^[5]

Although it is the middle entry in Argento's so-called "Animal Trilogy" (along with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Four Flies on Grey Velvet), the "cat o' nine tails" does not directly refer to a literal cat, nor to a literal multi-tailed whip; rather, it refers to the number of leads that the protagonists follow in the attempt to solve a murder.

The film was a commercial success in Italy but not in the rest of Europe. However, it was acclaimed in the United States. Argento admitted in the book Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento that he was less than pleased with the film, and has repeatedly cited it as his least favorite of all of his films.^[6]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Die neunschwänzige Katze". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
^ Paul 2005, p. 63.
^ Shipka 2011, p. 102.
^ "Cat o' Nine Tails". Electric Sheep. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
^ Luther-Smith,Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd. p. 20
^ DiVincenzo, Alex (27 January 2011). "Dario Argento's The Cat o' Nine Tails coming to Blu-ray - Horror Movie News | Arrow in the Head". joblo.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

[filmportal.de-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Die neunschwänzige Katze". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 26 November 2015.

[FOOTNOTEPaul200563-2] Paul 2005, p. 63.

[FOOTNOTEShipka2011102-3] Shipka 2011, p. 102.

[4] "Cat o' Nine Tails". Electric Sheep. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2017.

[5] Luther-Smith,Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd. p. 20

[6] DiVincenzo, Alex (27 January 2011). "Dario Argento's The Cat o' Nine Tails coming to Blu-ray - Horror Movie News | Arrow in the Head". joblo.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

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