This fascinating proto-giallo sees writer Bernard (Peter Baldwin) returning to the small Italian village where he holidayed the previous year. He's hoping to revive a romance with hotel maid Tilde (Virna Lisi) but soon finds out that Tilde has apparently committed suicide. It isn't long, however, before he begins to suspect that there is more to Tilde's suicide than meets the eye and starts his own investigation into the mystery of her death. Co-written by director Luigi Bazzoni along with Giulio Questi and Franco Rossellini, "La Donna del Lago" is a moody and atmospheric black and white film that carries many giallo motifs despite the violence occurring off-screen and despite it not having the black-gloved killers, lurid colour photography or the standout musical score that became so redolent of the classic giallo period. It does, however, have many key giallo themes running through it - distorted memories, a reassembling of the past, a visitor caught up in a mystery, dream sequences, a blurring of fantasy and reality and of course sexual obsession. It also has an icily claustrophobic atmosphere and an eerie, haunted feel. For much of the runtime it plays as if it may be a ghost (or even a vampire) story and it isn't until the final resolution that the mystery comes into focus and the giallo-esque nature of the film becomes clear. Bazzoni's stylish directorial approach and cinematographer Leonida Barboni's stark black and white photography gives the film a cold, chilly look that works well with the downbeat story elements. The film does, however, get slightly bogged-down in the middle section and the resolution removes any sense of ambiguity but even so, "La Donna del Lago" is still a moodily fascinating and beautifully atmospheric film - a highly effective first feature from Luigi Bazzoni. ( )