This 1977 Italian thriller (also known as “The Girl in the Yellow Pajamas”) is being trumpeted as a lost giallo, but fans of the subgenre will no doubt be disappointed. Though this is indeed an Italian production and a murder mystery – there is very little here that could be viewed as classic giallo. “The Pyjama Girl Case,” very loosely based upon a true incident, begins with the discovery of a badly burned body of a young woman on an Australian beach. Elderly Inspector Thompson (Ray Milland) comes out of retirement to aid in the case - which has the local officials baffled. The only evidence that might help identify the victim is the yellow pajamas she was wearing. As Thompson investigates the murder, scenes of the young woman’s life leading up to the tragedy unfold. It seems that the girl in the yellow pajamas was one troubled soul. Glenda (the beautiful Dalila Di Lazzaro), the title girl, is having an affair with a rich, married doctor (Mel Ferrer). She’s also intimately involved with a couple of best friends, one of whom, Antonio (Michele Placido), she ends up marrying. Glenda proves to be a restless and undependable wife and ends up cheating on Antonio. As her inauspicious drama unfolds, Inspector Thompson and his fellow “Australian” detectives run through one red herring after another. Often strong-arming several poor individuals who had nothing to do with murder. The crackerjack police force, with no strong leads in the case, even resort to showcasing pyjama girl’s dead body in an art museum hoping someone will come forward with information. (Evidently a photo in the newspaper would have been too bizarre.) Eventually Thompson puts the disparate clues together and figures out the killer’s identity. But since there’s at least another 50 minutes of movie, more detective work is intercut with even more of the increasingly dull drama of Glenda and company. Who really did kill the girl in the yellow pajamas? Or, more appropriately, who really cares? The main problem with “Pyjama Girl,” other than its ponderous pacing, is that the lead character is so unlikable it’s impossible to care about her inevitable demise. Glenda is such a manipulative enigma that one begins hoping her character will be killed.

Writer/director Flavio Mogherini is probably best known as the art director for the cult favorites “Danger: Diabolik” and “Satyricon.” It’s too bad that he couldn’t bring the same visual panache to “Pyjama Girl.” Cinematographer Raul Artigot beautifully captures the Australian landscape, but generates little dramatic energy in his composition. Mogherini’s resume as a director is rather obscure; lots of low-budget Italian crime and action films pepper his eclectic resume. His intriguing construction of the narrative is the one aspect of this film that brings a modicum of suspense into the proceedings. However, this is suspense in the most general of terms. The first hour or so promises an intriguing puzzle that never fully materializes. Half way through this “mystery,” the person responsible for the murder becomes rather obvious. “Pyjama Girl” is only a giallo film in the sense that there is a murder (off screen) and a resulting investigation. There are no extended scenes of violence or any of the key ingredients that make up the popular cinematic definition of giallo. (See Dario Argento’s “Deep Red” or “Four Flies on Grey Velvet” to see how it’s done.) “Pyjama Girl” is ultimately a combination of uninvolving drama and mediocre mystery. It has a typically bizarre score that veers from strange to annoying and back again. Riz Ortolani composed the music (and the two horrible pop songs played throughout). He’s a prolific Italian composer best known for his work on “Mondo Cane” and “Cannibal Holocaust.” His contribution here is not one of his more memorable works.

The performances by the lead actors are surprisingly strong, given the fact that the film is poorly dubbed and the script is so mediocre. Milland, who will forever be known to genre enthusiasts as “The Man with the X-Ray Eyes,” gives a solid turn as the inspector. It gives the film an added kick to see the distinguished actor in an adult crime/exploitation film. Ferrer, who must have made a small fortune slumming in these cheap Italian productions, once again plays an authority figure with dignity. The best performance is given by Placido as the jilted husband. It doesn’t hurt that his character is the more sympathetic of everyone involved. Lazzaro (from “Flesh for Frankenstein”) has a movie star face and a great body but has little offer aside from her physical beauty.

This DVD release by Blue Underground showcases a crisp widescreen print of the film. It’s a vibrant presentation and indicative of the company’s amazing attention to detail. The Dolby Digital mix is clear with the awkward dubbing and ugly pop interludes present and accounted for. The extras are an odd mix, focused mainly on the true story that this film was based on. An intriguing documentary “The Pyjama Girl Mystery: A True Story of Murder, Obsession and Lies” is included. The author of the book “Pyjama Girl Mystery” is interviewed to give the piece some weight. The real story of the 1934 murder, a famous case in Australia that for years went unsolved, is a fascinating tale filled with conspiracy and strange drama. Too bad that Mogherini’s film has precious little to do with the actual case. Also included in the package is the original trailer and a curious “8 page graphic novel” by Eddie Campbell. The novel is a cool little companion piece but, again, has nothing to do with the film. Evidently Blue Underground knew that the film was a slight work and thought it would carry more weight if billed as a “true story.”