Leofwine_draca A slim but occasionally thrilling giallo yarn with an offbeat plot that might be of interest to cult fans: the inclusion of a bizarre and spooky black and white science fiction film that makes repeated appearances throughout the movie, concerning an astronaut who finds himself abandoned on the lunar landscape after being deserted by his crew mates. What this has to do with the rest of the movie is unclear but it certainly makes things more interesting. Otherwise this is a character-focused mystery that falls under the definition of being a "giallo", although the main elements of the giallo - ie. the murders - are missing here, replaced by subtlety, atmosphere, and tons of mystery.FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON is a rather slow-going experience, tough to sit through due to the fact that absolutely nothing happens in the movie until the last ten minutes. Sure, lots of different characters are introduced and segments of the puzzle unearthed or remembered, but nothing in the way of action actually happens to further the plot in anyway. In fact, aside from the ending, the rest of the film chronicles Bolkan's attempt to discover what has happened in her past, events which are gradually uncovered in flashback. Despite being an uncomfortable viewing experience, there are numerous factors in this film's favour, not least the engaging turn from lead Florinda Bolkan, never better as the woman frustrated by her own identity. Although her amnesia is a done-to-the-death plot device, the formula still works in places and the heavy air of mystery and suspense makes things more bearable.Numerous familiar faces pop up in the cast, including fellow giallo veteran Evelyn Stewart (aka Ida Galli), wasted in a nothing role. Annoying redhead child Nicoletta Elmi (who later grew up in DEMONS) proves pivotal in helping Bolkan uncover some of her secrets, whilst veteran performer John Carlsen (THE SHE BEAST) makes an almost cameo appearance. But it's Klaus Kinski who is the most memorable, in an extremely small but important part as another kooky weirdo, and the film makes excellent use of his presence. Another memorable factor is the strong score by Nicola Piovani, which helps add to the experience. The ending, which I refer to repeatedly throughout this review, is unsettling and deeply horrifying stuff, best resembling a nightmare from which the protagonist cannot awake, definitely the strongest moment the film has to offer. Sadly the rest of the movie just can't match it.

Perception_de_Ambiguity 'Le orme' aka 'Footprints (on the Moon)' has an intriguing premise. What if you wake up and you apparently skipped two days? And you find out that people saw you during this time? In a different country. And the people there say they met you but you had different hair and a different name? It's a mystery that I was always interested in finding the answer to although it didn't give me much food for thought on the way. This changes about 55 minutes in when it isn't anymore all JUST about protagonist Alice Cespi asking one question after another to people who claim have seen her or talked to her and the film for the first time really hints at a possible solution to the mystery, a temporary solution that is sad and evocative. But things don't stop there and the film provides what appears to be the answer before delivering a twist and then finally a dramatic climax which while bringing everything together and creating a full picture of what happened is both satisfying but complex and open enough to stay thought-provoking after the movie is over as it is probably open to interpretation regarding at least some questions."Footprints" is a compelling mood piece with many nice locations even if I couldn't tell what country or even what continent this seaside town named "Garma" was supposed to be on. I guess it added to the mystery, it certainly didn't get in the way and now I know the film was shot in Turkey which, thinking back to that town, makes sense (what with the mosque).One element that is both compelling and a bit goofy in its execution are the moon dreams/visions. Alice claims that it is a movie that she saw years ago and those images now are haunting her for some reason and the scenes indeed seem like out of a different movie, especially the very brief bits with Klaus Kinski. It's compelling both because it made me wonder how this would fit into the mystery and because it addresses movies' likeness to dreams as well as dealing with the concept of movies having the power to transform in ones memory over time to become a dream or even something that you think really happened to you. Kinski seems wasted at first given his miniscule screen time but I'm sure it got him a nice paycheck for an hour's work so it really wasn't a waste at all. Erm, what I actually meant to say was that it wasn't wasted because those scenes indeed turn out to be memories of a movie she once saw (although I suppose it's open to interpretation) so it makes sense to cast a well-known movie star even for this very little role...and I guess it was cheaper to get Kinski than to get Marlon Brando.As for my personal interpretation, to keep it as short as possible, as a teenager Alice had a vacation fling with a boy named Henry. They were very much in love with each other but she told him her name was Nicole which would make it impossible for him to ever find her in the future. Their ways parted. Now she has a stressful job that she doesn't like and feels very lonely and unhappy. These days she often thinks of him and she comes to associate the moon movie with Henry, she feels like she abandoned him. One day she unexpectedly finds out where to find her childhood love and off she goes. She puts all her hopes into this reunion and pretties herself up for him but when she finds him, or rather when she finds the adult that Henry has grown into it's a devastating disappointment for her, her memories were so much more perfect than the real thing. Traumatized she flies back home and erases the past two days from her memory. But when she wakes up she starts investigating the mystery of two lost days and unwittingly traces back her steps to an event that already ended in an emotional disaster which this time has even more severe consequences.All this is told in surprisingly prosaic but consistently appealing images that shine even in a subpar DVD transfer and which often have something subtly futuristic about them, naturally this makes the whole space thing fit in quite well after all. As for this being a giallo, it's not, unless in the broader sense that it is both a mystery and Italian. This very much falls into the same category as Luigi Bazzoni's 'La donna del lago' but which in addition also has a crime at its center and has more of a horror feel to it. I found that film about male fantasy and desire to be more evocative throughout but apart from those things the two films have a lot in common and I think 'La donna del lago' would make a good companion piece if you liked 'Le orme'. I consider 'La donna del lago' to SORT of be the Italian 'Vertigo'. I guess this would sort of make 'Le orme' the Italian (and heterosexual) 'Mulholland Dr.', no?

smccar77 "Le Orme," or Footprints is an Italian film that is often loosely classified as a giallo. The film is mysterious and suspenseful, typical of gialli; however, footprints lacks the gratuitous nudity and gore typical of the genre. In addition, the themes of outer space and moon walking are atypical in a genre focused on more earthly endeavors. The most distinguishing aspect of this film is the mood created by the combination of story, camera work, and cinematography. Footsteps manages to elicit a darkly unsettling mood not commonly accomplished in gialli or any other genre for that matter.This film defies review for the simple and common reason that revealing the assumptions of the filmmaker means revealing the ending. Footprints is a film with a twist ending that ties up all of the loose ends left throughout the film. In that sense alone, the movie is quite well done. Without giving too much away, the film is comparable in mood to Scorsese's Shutter Island. The story hinges on a woman accounting for her whereabouts from earlier in the week. She seems to be suffering from amnesia. Yet, as the film progresses, something more sinister may be a foot. Like Shutter Island, the film takes the audience along on the confusing, cryptic, and paranoia fueled journey of a protagonist puzzling out what exactly the reality of the situation is. The story of Footprints is subtle and spooky. The lonely setting, sparse yet textured visuals, and use of a variety of camera techniques all act in harmony to create an oppressive mood that is both creepy and enjoyable. The main point being conveyed is that the film is aptly described as visceral. The crowning accomplishment of Footprints is that the audience experiences the palette of emotions in synchrony with the protagonist.As a whole, this is a wonderful film that truly engrosses the audience. As with many gialli, the movie comes off as a bit long. The filmmakers lavish time on creating the moods and ambiance wanted. This slowness is the only potential flaw in the film. "Potential," is used as pacing and contextual needs do seem to be very subjective. Overall, this is a wonderful exploration of confusion and the paranoia caused by said confusion.On a personal note, I will definitely be recommending this film to friends. Footprints does not make the best Friday movie night film, as it is noticeably downbeat. That said, this is a film to recommend for movie discussion groups. The title is often unknown and the story/techniques are extremely well done. 7 of 10 stars.

MovieGuy01 I was very impressed with with this film which was directed by (Luigi Bazzoni). The story was about a young woman translator who suddenly has lost all memory of the last three days and has suffered nightmares about astronauts on the moon. She can not explained how this has happened to anyone. One day a postcard arrives for her from the island of Garma, where she goes to visit. strangely though people seem to know her even though she has never been there before. Also her dreams of astronauts on the moon come back to her.I thought that this was a very strange Italian movie that seemed very haunting at times and there was also strange images in the film that seemed to stay with you throughout the the time you were watching the film. I would recommend this film to people just to see how good it is. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!