by Linda Kay
Original Title: La Congiura del Dieci
Directed by: Baccio Bandini, Etienne PĂ©rier
This review contains a slight Kitty Carnage Warning!
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: English sword-for-hire Thomas Stanswood (the slightly aging but agile Stewart Granger) accepts a job to bodyguard Italian beauty of reputable family Orietta Arconti (Sylva Koscina) for the despised Spanish overlord Don Carlos (Riccardo Garrone) who controls Tuscany against the local people’s will. But will Orietta’s rebellious sister Serenella (Christine Kaufmann), who develops a crush on Stanswood, be able to change his mind about his employer?
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The first night woman-wooer Stanswood guards Orietta’s bedroom be bursts into her chamber to do a “check” for intruders. As he approaches her bed a tuxedo cat is lounging happily upon the mattress.
Stanswood apologizes for disturbing the cat and throws up the mattress while a Poor Cat Screech is dubbed in.
Finally leaving Orietta’s room, Stanswood settles on the uncomfortable chair without. Moments later the door of the bedroom opens and the cat is deposited outside. Stanswood bids the kitty good night.
Slight Kitty Carnage Warning! Some time later an assassin enters the corridor and approaches Stanswood who somehow managed to fall asleep even after requesting the uncomfortable seat. However the tuxedo cat is sitting in the hallway and the intruder steps on the kitty’s tail (for real, although the cat’s tail isn’t clearly visible), causing the poor animal to screech again and waking Stanswood in time.
Later in the film Stanswood approaches Orietta’s bedroom door to find the tuxedo cat sitting on his chair. “Ah, my benefactor!” Stanswood exclaims happily, to which the cat promptly leaves the chair and scurries away. “Affectionate creature,” Stanswood mumbles sarcastically, adding in regards to the cold-hearted Orietta, “You make a pair, you two.”
Final Mewsings: The cat had absolutely no reason to be affectionate toward Stanswood.
Many thanks to Nick Wale for letting us know about the cat in this film.
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