I would love to see Dario Argento's 1971 giallo Quattro mosche di velluto grigio (Four Flies on Grey Velvet) get a DVD release. This was the third of Argento's so-called "Animal Trilogy," following The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and Cat O'Nine Tails (1971). These two early films from the "Italian Hitchcock" are available with beautiful transfers and sound, as are most of Argento's other works. Flies is one of the few Argento films never officially released (as far as I know) on VHS or DVD anywhere, making it a real rarity. I scored a VHS dub off an online retailer, but the picture and sound are horrible. Some scenes are so dark, you can't tell what's going on.
Paramount currently holds the U.S. distribution rights. That could be one of the reasons why this film is M.I.A. The studio is slow in releasing catalog titles. There are still some Danny Kaye movies sitting in the vaults. Several more Jerry Lewis flicks, such as Visit to a Small Planet, Who's Minding the Store, It's Only Money and Boeing-Boeing. Two Martin & Lewis titles, Three Ring Circus and Money From Home were omitted from the last box set for some reason.
On the plus side, Paramount did release a beautiful, uncut version of Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik (1967). This is one of the ultimate cult movies, and the disc boasts a colorful transfer, excellent dubbing (different from the VHS version), and a nice collection of extras. Now if only Flies received the same treatment...
In a nutshell, the story is about a rock drummer (Michael Brandon) who accidentally kills a strange man in a struggle. The moment is captured on film by a creepy figure wearing a doll-like mask. Soon the drummer receives strange messages, and people around him suddenly end up dead. Argento's "gimmick" in identifying the killer comes when the drummer learns that the last known image a human sees is imprinted on the retina, just prior to the moment of death. With the latest victim, the police hope to put this theory to the test.
Flies was Argento's third feature as a director, and he wanted it to be his last thriller. His next film, the non-genre Five Days in Milan, was a failure, so the director returned to the suspense/horror genre with the spectacular Deep Red in 1975. Like his two earlier films, Flies was scored by the legendary Ennio Morricone.
Interesting bit of trivia: before Argento cast Michael Brandon in the lead, he sought John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Terence Stamp and Michael York. All turned him down.