All the Colours of Edwige Fenech

This December, on Christmas Eve, French-Italian actress and producer Edwige Fenech turns 75, which offers as good a reason as any to celebrate this living legend.

If you’ve never so much as dipped a toe in the beautiful and strange world of 1970s Italian giallo films, you might be questioning that “living legend” assertion. For those who have spent time exploring that sexy and gloriously bizarre corner of the cinematic universe though, no explanation is necessary: lovers of giallo just know that Edwige is The Queen.

Edwige Fenech was most prominently known for her work in both giallo and in countless commedia sexy all’italiana. In my experience, fans outside of Italy associate her most with giallo, the film genre named for its similarities to pulp crime novels of the 1930s whose covers were often colored yellow (“giallo” in Italian). This is likely due to the fact that giallo films have been easier to find, especially here in the United States, thanks to countless boutique home video labels putting out lavish Blu-rays and streaming services like Amazon Prime and Tubi that are positively overflowing with giallo to choose from. Modern directors like Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino, both huge fans of Edwige’s work, have also raised her profile among younger generations over the last twenty years or more.

My experience with Edwige Fenech is definitely via lurid, erotic murder-mysteries like All the Colours of the Dark (1972), The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972), and Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975). They don’t call her the Queen of Giallo for nothing. While not nearly as familiar with her work in “sexy Italian comedies,” I would love to be—especially based on everything I’ve seen of her work in that genre. For example:

I suppose now is probably the best time for a gratuitous, but heartfelt mention of Edwige’s jaw-dropping sex appeal. Obviously, anyone with eyes can see she’s outta-this-world gorgeous and, especially during her peak giallo years, a fashion and style icon. I dare say the raven-haired beauty with hypnotic eyes is the ultimate cult film sex symbol. I know that’s a déclassé term these days, but if the nylon stockings, garter belts, and high heels fit, you must acquit. Or something like that.

In her best work, Edwige masterfully leverages that otherworldly beauty to command the screen—and therefore the audience. In Edwige’s case, screen presence—that most ephemeral of qualities for an actor—is practically a measurable commodity. She’s simply impossible to ignore whenever present in front of the camera.

Let’s be clear: she’s not just riding on the coattails of her sex symbol status; she’s an actress too. Watching hilariously dubbed giallo films might make it difficult to discern the quality of any of the actors’ performances, but once you’re used to it, you begin to adjust and understand. With Edwige, this often means appreciating how well she utilized those mesmerizing, dark chocolate eyes of hers to express a range of emotions—fear, anxiety, desire, playfulness, and more.

I’m particularly fond of her devastating performance in Sergio Martino’s giallo classic All the Colours of the Dark. A definitive woman-in-peril film, it features Edwige playing a woman tormented by nightmares of a knife-wielding maniac. Her toxic husband thinks she’s crazy, when in fact she’s in serious danger. Martino masterfully frames Edwige’s face for maximum emotional impact throughout, but especially in the scene where three distraught mirror reflections stare back at her, emphasizing the fractured reality she now inhabits. It’s a terrific performance of a woman gaslit and traumatized by the world (men) around her. It also has one of the best movie posters of all time:

Another reason Edwige’s giallo career is so revered by fans is that she absolutely rocked several iconic looks during those years. Her signature seventies style combines cascading, luxurious, jet-black hair; smokey eyeshadow; and distinctive, thick black eyeliner, all of which accentuate her already-lioness beauty. Giallo films—hell, all Italian films—are positively overflowing with unspeakably, unbelievably gorgeous human beings (usually women, but also the male leads are often Adonnises). The “giallo girl” is the Italian precursor to the “final girl” of American slasher films. The fact that Edwige always manages to stand out in a beautiful, mesmerizing crowd of giallo girls—seriously, there are so many—is testament to her unique ability to draw all eyes straight to her. She also wears the most glamorous and groovy seventies attire in most of her giallo films. The woman has style for miles.

If you need further proof of Edwige’s fabulosity, even after reading the 700-800 words I’ve just lovingly written about said fabulosity, read this Austin Chronicle piece from several years ago. Writer Sarah Jane encapsulates what makes Edwige such a star, a fashion icon, and an aspirational figure. For me, and for so many others, Edwige is often the giallo girl that springs to mind when we think of the genre. She’s a legend and an icon of Italian—and worldwide—cult cinema. Viva la Edwige!

Here’s a gif gallery, followed by a photo set of Edwige to send us off with a bang.