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9
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10 |
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10
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Guest
Review by Troy
Howarth |
Diabolik
(John Phillip Law), a criminal mastermind, steals and kills
with the help of his luscious lover, Eva (Marisa Mell)...
Based on the popular fumetti, Danger:
Diabolik (or just plain old Diabolik,
as it's known in Italy) is Mario Bava's most lavish directorial
outing. Accustomed to working on a shoestring with a minimum
of interference from production, the director found himself
under more pressure than usual and, in one of the few interviews
he ever gave, spoke of the film as being a nightmare from a
production standpoint. Whatever Bava's feelings were on the
film, his efforts certainly delighted producer Dino De Laurentiis,
who put three million dollars at the director's disposal — a
huge sum for just about any director in 1967 but certainly untold
of for somebody like Bava, who preferred to rely on his imagination
and succeeded in bringing the film in for a measly $400,000!
In many respects one of the most successful
comic book adaptations ever filmed, Diabolik
shows Bava at the top of his game. A painter with a tremendous
interest in graphic design, he clearly understood the comic
book medium exceptionally well. Compared to other films of its
ilk — including the better known Barbarella,
shot at the same time with some of the same cast and crew —
it never comes across as condescending to its subject matter
or stiff in its attempts to translate the art form to the cinematic
medium. Bava allows the story to take whimsical turns and his
use of artificial, terrifically stylized mise-en-scene
helps to put the proceedings in the proper context. With its
eye busting production design by Piero Gherardi (8½)
and Flavio Mogherini and irresistably catchy soundtrack by the
great Ennio Morricone, Diabolik
not only does a commendable job of translating the comic book
to the big screen, but works as an invaluable time capsule of
1960s pop culture.
The cast is perfection. John Phillip Law
looks as if he were literally born to play the arch super criminal,
Diabolik. With his cocked eyebrow and sardonic laugh, he totally
fulfills the central function of being a badass, but he's also
able to invest the role with a depth of feeling that goes beyond
other such screen characters. True, Diabolik is a thief and
a bad guy — on the commentary track for the DVD, Law and Bava
biographer Tim Lucas aptly refer to him as being a "terrorist"
— but he shows genuine warmth and humanity in his relationship
with Eva, played with statuesque perfection by Austrian born
Marisa Mell. Mell, a last minute substitute for Catherine Deneuve,
who balked at doing some of the saucier scenes and showed zero
chemistry with Law, is not only a stunningly beautiful performer
but a slyly amusing one as well. Like Law, she walks the tightrope
between camp overplaying and genuine acting with grace and style;
together, the two make for the sexiest pair of criminals imaginable
and they generate no small amount of heat in their numerous
love scenes. The supporting cast includes standout performances
from Michele Piccoli (Belle du Jour),
as Diabolik's nemesis Inspector Ginko, Adolfo Celi (Thunderball),
as slimy gangster Ralph Valmont, and British comedian Terry-Thomas
(It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World)
as the comically pompous Minister of Finance.
Sumptuously photographed by Bava, with assistance
from Antonio Rinaldi, Diabolik
is a visually stunning experience. It's also a light, playful
affair bound to surprise viewers accustomed to the heavier tone
of the director's Gothic masterpieces.
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Paramount's
SE of Danger: Diabolik is cause for
celebration. Originally announced as a barebones release, it was
then pulled from an approaching release date and given the special
treatment by Kim Aubry of ZAP (Zoetrope Aubry Productions). Aubrey's
efforts pay off in one of the best Bava DVD releases to date.
The 1.85/16x9 image is stunning. Some dirt and wear are evident
in a handful of shots, but there's nothing distracting to complain
of. Colors are absolutely fabulous, sometimes eye-poppingly so;
Bava was a real master of color and this film shows that off in
spades. Taken from an English language source print, unlike the
previous VHS and laser disc releases, this actually includes the
English titles, which add a couple of new names to the screenplay
credit (Tudor Gates, later to write the Hammer horror The
Vampire Lovers, being one of them).
This being taken from a new source, the DVD
offers a different soundtrack from the one many viewers may be
accustomed to. The English mono track is the original English
dub prepared for U.S. consumption in 1968. The vocal performances
of Law, Mell and Thomas, also preserved on the alternate English
track, are included, but the other dubbed performers feature different
voices. This track is, in some respects, superior to the one included
in the previous video releases, though some of the voice casting
(notably Piccoli) sounds a little campy and overly theatrical.
The track is clean and robust, doing ample justice to Morricone's
soundtrack.
Extras include a featurette — From Fumetti
To Film — with appreciative comments from Law, director Roman
Coppola (who helmed the 2001 Diabolik
homage CQ) and comic book artist
Stephen Bissette, as well as less complimentary 'insights' by
Beastie Boys frontman Adam Yauch. A lively and informative commentary
track with Law and Tim Lucas is the definite highlight, with Lucas
(sounding far more at ease than in his previous solo commentary
tracks) enthusiastically tossing out Bava factoids and Law relishing
the opportunity to relive it all. A teaser trailer and theatrical
trailer are also included, both in surprisingly good condition
and framed at 1.85, as well as the Beastie Boys video Body
Movin', which pays tribute to the film. The video contains
optional commentary by Yauch who, as in the featurette, displays
a generally flippant attitude towards "old, campy" movies.
The video itself, however, is worth a look.
6/21/05 |
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UPDATE
This disc went OOP in 2008. Maybe we'll get a Blu-ray edition
someday...
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