Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971): Cast & Plot
Four Flies on Grey Velvet is a 1971 mystery thriller directed by Dario Argento, starring Michael Brandon as Roberto Tobias, Calisto Calisti and Mimsy Farmer. It runs 1 hour 44 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 44m (104 min)
- Director
- Dario Argento
- Original language
-
Italian - Studio
- Universal Productions France
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Four Flies on Grey Velvet About?
The premise of Four Flies on Grey Velvet without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Roberto, a rock‑band drummer, begins receiving bizarre phone calls and notices a mysterious stalker. After confronting the man, a struggle leaves the pursuer unintentionally stabbed. The next day an envelope arrives containing photos of Roberto committing the murder, and his friends start turning up dead, making him the prime suspect.
Four Flies on Grey Velvet Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- hanged cat
- killing a cat
- killing someone's pet
- closeted homosexual
- dead cat
- camera shot from inside a guitar
- doll mask
- threatened with a knife
- threatened with a switchblade
- eating raw fish
- head cut off
- witness to a murder
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- friendship between men
- talking to a parrot
- talking to a bird
- reference to frankenstein
- lighting a cigarette
- housemaid
- maid
- rape joke
- homophobic slur
- repeated scene
- gay stereotype
- two in a bathtub
- unfaithful husband
- cousin cousin relationship
- man's clothes ripped off
- murder by lethal injection
- hiding in a closet
- loss of cousin
- man slaps a woman
- man hits a woman
- father daughter relationship
- daddy issues
- killed in a car accident
- poetic justice
- death in a car accident
- traffic accident
- hairy chested man
- man with long hair
- man and woman share a bathtub
- female cousin
- sadistic psychopath
- male nudity
- public execution
- death of pet
- giallo
- severed head
- head bashing
- bludgeoning
Four Flies on Grey Velvet Cast & Characters
Michael Brandon leads the cast as Roberto Tobias, with Calisto Calisti as Carlo Marosi and Mimsy Farmer as Nina Tobias. Directed by Dario Argento; 35 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Dario Argento
- Michael Brandon as Roberto Tobias
- Calisto Calisti as Carlo Marosi
- Mimsy Farmer as Nina Tobias
- Marisa Fabbri as Amelia, the Maid
Also Starring in Four Flies on Grey Velvet
· 31 more- Francine Racette Dalia
- Jean-Pierre Marielle Gianni Arrosio
- Bud Spencer Diomede / Godfrey
- Tom Felleghy Police Commissioner Pini
- Fulvio Mingozzi Music Studio Manager
- Jacques Stany Psychiatrist
- Giovanni Di Benedetto Funeral Exhibition Attendant (uncredited)
- Luigi Cozzi Masked Killer in Theater (uncredited)
- Aldo Bufi Landi Pathologist
- Dante Cleri Coffin Salesman
- Renzo Marignano Funeral Exhibition Attendant (uncredited)
- Corrado Olmi Porter
- Guerrino Crivello Rambaldi, the Neighbor
- Sandro Dori Funeral Exhibition Attendant (uncredited)
- Oreste Lionello The Professor
- Stefano Oppedisano Bearded guy with girlfriend
Show all 35 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Stefano Satta Flores Andrea
- Shirley Corrigan Girl at Party (uncredited)
- Fabrizio Moroni Mirko
- Pino Patti Funeral Exhibition Attendant
- Quinto Marziali Funeral Exhibition Visitor (uncredited)
- Maurizio Streccioni Funeral Exhibition Visitor (uncredited)
- Pupita Lea Scuderoni Funeral Exhibition Visitor (uncredited)
- Anna Maria Perego Delia's Mother (uncredited)
- Laura Troschel Maria
- Ada Pometti
- Gildo Di Marco Postman
- Franz Colangeli Funeral Exhibition Visitor (uncredited)
- Fortunato Cecilia Funeral Exhibition Visitor (uncredited)
- Leopoldo Migliori Musician
- Diego Morreale
More from Dario Argento
More films directed by Dario Argento, best-rated first: Deep Red, Tenebrae, Suspiria and Opera.
Four Flies on Grey Velvet Plot Summary
What happens in Four Flies on Grey Velvet from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Roberto Tobias, Michael Brandon, a drummer in a rock band, has been stalked for days by a suspicious man in sunglasses. One night, the chase leads him into an empty opera house, where the stalker closes in with a knife. In the struggle that follows, Roberto accidentally stabs the man with his own knife, and the assailant collapses. A masked figure on a balcony snaps several photographs of the incident. In the days that follow, Roberto is bombarded with threatening letters, pictures from the scene, and the dead man’s identity card, which reveals the name Carlo Marosi. He is also haunted by a recurring nightmare in which he is publicly beheaded in a square somewhere in Saudi Arabia, a vision he believes might be a premonition.
Full summary
The whole story of Four Flies on Grey Velvet, scene by scene
Four Flies on Grey Velvet Trailers & Videos
3 videos: 3 trailers.
- Trailer Four Flies On Grey Velvet ≣ 1971 ≣ Trailer
- Trailer Four Flies On Grey Velvet (Modern Trailer)
How Well Do You Know Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the drummer protagonist?
Four Flies on Grey Velvet Also Known As
28 alternative titles, including “Négy légy a szürke bársonyon” and “Vier Fliegen auf grauem Samt”.
- Also known as
-
- Négy légy a szürke bársonyon
- Vier Fliegen auf grauem Samt
- 4 mouches de velours gris
- Cuatro moscas de terciopelo gris
- Quatro Moscas Sobre Veludo Cinza
- Четири мухи върху сиво кадифе
- Fire fluer
- Neljä kärpästä harmaalla sametilla
- Τέσσερις Μύγες σε Πράσινο Βελούδο
- 4 légy a szürke bársonyon
- 4匹の蝿
- 4 moscas de terciopelo gris
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- Het mysterie van de 4 vliegen
- Fire fluer på grå fløyel
- Cztery muchy na szarym aksamicie
- Quatro Moscas de Veludo
- Четыре мухи на сером бархате
- 4 Moscas sobre terciopelo gris
- Den djävulska fällan
- Fyra flugor på grått sammet
- Cetiri muhe na sivom barsunu
- Quattro mosche di velluto grigio
- Quatre mouches de velours gris
- 회색 벨벳 위의 네 마리 파리
- 灰天鹅绒上的四只苍蝇
- Fyra flugor på grå sammet
- Čtyři mouchy na šedém sametu
- 灰天鵝絨上的四隻蒼蠅
Seen Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
Movies Like Four Flies on Grey Velvet
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The 4th Man, Death on the Fourposter and The Cat and the Canary.
-
The 4th Man 1983 -
Death on the Fourposter 1964 -
The Cat and the Canary 1978 -
The Killing Kind 1973 -
The Night of a Thousand Cats 1972 -
Sexy Cat 1973 -
A Cat in the Brain 1990 -
The Crimes of the Black Cat 1972 -
The Black Belly of the Tarantula 1971 -
Crazy Desires of a Murderer 1977 -
The Bloodstained Butterfly 1971 -
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 1970
Four Flies on Grey Velvet FAQ: Cast & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Four Flies on Grey Velvet, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
Four Flies on Grey Velvet runs 1 hour 44 minutes (104 minutes).
When was Four Flies on Grey Velvet released?
Four Flies on Grey Velvet was released on December 17, 1971.
Who directed Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
Four Flies on Grey Velvet was directed by Dario Argento.
More films by Dario Argento Who is in the cast of Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
Four Flies on Grey Velvet stars Michael Brandon as Roberto Tobias, Calisto Calisti as Carlo Marosi and Mimsy Farmer as Nina Tobias, among 35 credited actors.
Does Four Flies on Grey Velvet have a post-credit scene?
No. Four Flies on Grey Velvet has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Four Flies on Grey Velvet in?
The original language of Four Flies on Grey Velvet is Italian.
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