La Donna Del Lago (aka The Possessed) (1965)

A melancholy novelist (Peter Baldwin) returns to a remote lakeside hotel hoping to reconnect with an attractive maid (Virna Lisi) working there that he had previously been involved with. But to his shock, he discovers that during his absence, she has committed suicide. But rumors circulate that it was not suicide but, in fact, murder. Based on the novel by Giovanni Comisso and directed by Luigi Bazzoni and Franco Rossellini. A most unusual mystery film that is more artistic than usual for the genre. The novelist's crisis is not all that different than the malady infecting the protagonists of L'AVVENTURA or LA NOTTE. But rather than exploring the novelist's personal critical period, it evolves into a complicated thriller involving a family's dark secrets that will eventually destroy them. The creative B&W cinematography of Leonida Barboni (AFTER THE FOX) aids the film immeasurably. If the film's vague denouement proves unsatisfactory, the journey to it is quite intriguing. With Valentina Cortese, Philippe Leroy, Salvo Randone and Pia Lindstrom (Ingrid Bergman's daughter).