Primal Impulse

1975

1h 32m

Sci-Fi

List

Reviews

60%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

A woman becomes possessed by the mental screams of an astronaut who was stranded on the surface of the moon.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

This is Lynch avant la lettre, with an archetypal paranoid-neurotic ‘woman in trouble’ undergoing a psychogenic fugue in which she tries to trace, in the footprints of mystery and madness, a meaningful yet forever misunderstood ending.

Apr 11, 2024

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…as a giallo, this is unusual in lacking almost any violence or sex, but plays out like an eternal conundrum…you’ll probably be none the wiser by the end, but it’s a lot of fun unravelling the kinks of this luscious, endlessly watchable enigma…

Rated: 4/5

Apr 29, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

With Klaus Kinski as an astronaut (!) plus exceptional photography by Bernardo Bertolucci’s usual collaborator Vittorio Storaro, it’s a singular mix of psychological suspense, sci-fi and scrambled-narrative puzzle.

Oct 9, 2023

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Audience Member

The film doesn't deserve to be bundled wiht Giallos as it's an arthouse moodpiece and a very good one i must say.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

The whole story hinges on a red herring that is revealed near the end but by that time you no longer care!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

"Le orme" works very well while it is focused on its protagonist and her interactions with those around her. In those moments, which basically occupy at least 90% of the film, we are watching a very well crafted and intriguing film. On the opposite pole, there is the "Footprints on the Moon"-related subplot, which feels like it was written and directed by Ed Wood(not even Klaus Kinski managed to save this from complete embarrassment) without having the "so bad that it's good" advantage. However, given it's length, this is forgivable and, sometimes, even funny.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

An intriguing basic premise and some shots of beauty are the only positive aspects of this monumentally tedious picture. Large swathes of the film have literally nothing of any worth taking place. A failed attempt at surrealism.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Overall a slow, confusing, and uninteresting plot with weak characters and dumb dialog. There's not much to say about this film, it's just bad.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

Slow, but atmospheric - I really enjoyed it; partly for the locations. Definitely one I want to go back to and re-watch in the future. Nice and mysterious.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Luigi Bazzoni

Director

Mario Fenelli

Director

Florinda Bolkan

Alice Campos

Peter McEnery

Henry

Nicoletta Elmi

Paola Bersel

Klaus Kinski

Professor Blackmann

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Synopsis

A woman becomes possessed by the mental screams of an astronaut who was stranded on the surface of the moon.

Director: Luigi Bazzoni, Mario Fenelli
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 15, 2016
Runtime: 1h 32m

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