The Sweet Body of Deborah (1968)

Soapy Euro study of romance, murderous threats, deception/betrayal and greed

A newlywed couple from Boston (Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel) honeymoons in the hubby’s hometown of Geneva, where he is accused of murdering his ex-fiancé, who actually committed suicide. Fleeing to France isn’t helped by a strange, voyeuristic neighbor, not to mention increasing deathly threats.

“The Sweet Body of Deborah” (1968) is a psychological drama/thriller, often categorized as a giallo. The best thing about it is the awesome Western Europe locations (listed below) and the décor/styles of the 60s. Take for instance Carroll’s peculiar skintight green outfit and the couple playing lawn twister at their French villa. For those not in the know, the game debuted the year before this was shot in 1967 and was popular at the time.

Unfortunately, the story starts to lag until the twisty last act, not to mention the characters are shallow and, ultimately, unlikable. It doesn’t help that Baker isn’t really that physically alluring here. She’s attractive, sure, but she lacks the voluptuous appeal of, say, Yvonne Craig or Claudia Cardinale.

It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Switzerland (Geneva and the Alps), France (the Nice region of the French Riviera) and Rome.

GRADE: C+