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Diabolik
Mario Bava and Diabolik. Two criminal masterminds. A wizard of the
handcraft's cinema and the other a cult gentleman thief, designed
by the Giussani sisters. Two genes. Of course, the encounter between
these two personalities can only create something explosive. A visually
stunning sixties movie, a pop masterpiece, fun and also trash in the
right way.
A meeting that was not even planned a long time ago. The producer Dino
De Laurentiis bought the movie rights of Diabolik and entrusts the
project to Tonino Cervi. But it does not work. Instead of Cervi is
called Mario Bava, who in his hands has two hundred million lire
of budget, the highest sum most of his career.
This union work, very well can be said, and after two months of filming
in Rome, Turin and Tor Caldano, arrives exactly in 1968, an
irresistible pop movie.
A film that after time has entered with maximum honors in "cult movie" circle, thanks to a certain craftsmanship background.
Bava, thanks to his ability creates with four ideas, special effects,
situations and solutions, which although are little rustic work
well and give a comic good for a history of "Diabolik".
History says that the director has created environments with pictures
and glass placed on the lens of the cameras. The bottom of the
Diabolik's cave doesn't existed, for example. Bava worked well with
lights and pictures wonderering the actors and saying, how we can hear
in a special DVD, which he would have told the producers, that he had
spent hundred thousand dollars.
The vision of this movie, however, shows that the good Mario had fun
placing his eyes a bit 'here and a little' there, in a simple manner,
being able to create big action effects.
A beautiful piece of Italian craftsmanship this film, which pays homage
to the famous comic with a transposition from paper to celluloid that
it's among the best of the time, and it gain charme thanks to the
soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, on whose staff was also Bruno Niccolai.
Diabolik the masked robber, is the protagonist, the cause of many
events that follow one another here, including twists and improbable
situations that only he is able to deal with.
The structure follows the canons of comics, using the same key
characters. The antagonist of the hero is usually the Inspector Ginko,
starring a good Michel Piccoli, the Italian-French actor who we
recently have seen in "Habemus Papam" by Nanni Moretti, an actor who
has absolutely no physical similarities with the Ginko cartoon, but
manages to be crebile and create the best character in the movie.
Eva Kant instead, the beloved, the beautiful dark lady, is played by
Marisa Mell. To say only the name of the Austrian actress, opens the
correct comparison as designed by the Giussani sisters. Eva Kant could
not have best actress than Marisa Mell, among other things, replacement
of Catherine Deneuve.
It's easy on paper for the beautiful Marisa, playing this character,
but she is incredibly bad in the movies, wasting all and creating a
character apathetic, dull, almost useless. And then there's him,
Diabolik, of course, played by American John Phillip Law, who in the
same year starred in "Barbarella". Apart from a resemblance with no
connection to the English Jude Law, the actor was not really
appreciated by Mario Bava, even if his performance is not bad.
The main characters ended with Ralph Valmont, created for the occasion and played by Adolfo Celi perfect as always.
Our hero is launched as usual in a series of incredible thefts. He
steals ten million under the nose of Inspector Ginko, then mocks the
police eliciting laughs with the laughing gas at a press conference and
still dedice to give to his Eve a beautiful emerald necklace and
especially tries to steal a gold ingot of twenty ton.
Ginko is always on his path and even the bad Valmont, Diabolik must use
every trick, not to fall into enemy hands. And it's a carnival of
brilliant ideas that would make James Bond envious, from smoke from the
car to the picture placed in front of a camera to get the suction cups
to scale a castle to a substance that gives an apparent death.
Colorful and fun paper mache this film is really fun from beginning to
end and has become a cult classic, as we said, but over time, cause the
not good revenue at time and for the usual bad reviews.
The posthumous homage to this film known in many countries as "Danger
Diabolik" are many. The most famous is undoubtedly the video "Body
Movin '" by Beastie Boys album "Hello Nasty". The New York-based
group for the few that have not seen, is in a sort of parody and remake
style "Diabolik".
Not convinced at all of this movie, Mario Bava, refused to shoot a sequel and we have only this unique and wonderful chapter.
Technical
Orginale Title: Diabolik
Alternative Titles: Danger: Diabolik (USA), Danger: Diabolik! (France),
Diabolik - Pantertyven the jaguar (Denmark), Diabolik - mies mustassa
Jaguarissa, Mies mustassa Jaguarissa (Finland), Diabolik ger ingen NAD
(Sweden), Gefahr: Diabolik! (Germany), I ekdikisi tou Spaterman, or
Spiderman me you Mavri maska (Greece), Perigo: Diabolik (Brazil)
Year: 1968
Directed by: Mario Bava
Starring: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, Adolfo Celi, Claudio Gora, Mario Donen
Duration: 96 '
Production Company: Dino De Laurentiis Film Studios
