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Danger: Diabolik
DVD/APPROX. 100 MINS/1968/ITALY PG13+
DVD/APPROX. 100 MINS/1968/ITALY PG13+
6
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Welcome to the swinging 60s Baby, with Mario Bava's brilliantly stylish and completely wacko crime caper in which a man in a sexy gimp suit
bamboozles the cops in a series of ever more daring and ridiculously stupid criminal raids.
This is psychedelic cinema at it's best as we follow the adventures of anti-hero Diabolik (John Phillip Law), a suave, not-so-gentlemanly thief who's
out to steal the finest jewels and the biggest shipments of money just for the merry hell of it. While other folk hero criminals are portrayed as
benevolent good guys, Bava's movie has the good sense to paint the central character as a bit of a heel. He's cold and calculating, kills with
impunity and loves only sparkling valuables, crisp money and his blond bombshell girlfriend, a mini dress wearing Nico lookalike with a fetish for
making love on huge piles of cash. He steals vast reserves of money, gold and emerald necklaces using a host of gadgets, snazzy Europeon sports
cars and his innate criminal cunning which keeps him one step ahead of the police, all the while looking extremely cool and happening.
Aiding Diabolik's quest is a far out funky score from Morricone which ranges from string laden lounge music to wigged out funky jazz. This means
that every time Diabolik pulls off another unique scam, his soundtrack makes him look extra groovy!
The colour saturated, outrageous sets are a sensation, with Diabolik residing in one of the greatest secret underground lairs ever captured on film.
As well as being high tech and foreboding, it features the very best in mid 60s interior design and has to rank as one the best space age bachelor
pads on the planet.
Director Mario Bava knows how to tell a fast paced story and uses every filmic trick in the book to move the completely ludicrous plot along. He
doesn't stop for long enough to let the audience ponder the logic of dosing the worlds press with "exhilaration" gas or faking his own death with
Tibetan magic herbs. He just throws one funky scene after another at the screen such as Diabolik interrogating a mob boss while free-falling out of
an airplane or scaling the side of an unclimbable tower with suction cups.
The lighting and wardrobe date the film in the most splendid fashion and will delight fans of other 60s films like Barbarella. Everything about the
film is excessive; The clothes, the music, the stunts... This film has car chases seemingly every five minutes as well as underwater gold robberies,
hippie nightclub scenes and a thousand other weird delights for the discerning fan of euro-trash cinema. Mario Bava was a master of Italian Gothic
cinema but when he turned his hands to pulpy fare like this, his candy coloured eye for movie making really helped to produce a popcorn classic.
Danger: Diabolik is a fantastic piece of corny 60s trash...seek it out!
The extras on the disc include a full commentary from Diabolik himself, John Phillip Law and Bava biographer, Tim Lucas. A featurette throws some
light on the movies comic-book origins but the best bonus feature has to be The Beastie Boys "Body Movin'" video which has the hip hop trio star
in their own version of the movie using clips lifted from Bava's film combined with their own goofy footage. MCA from the group turns up for a brief
commentary on the video. A couple of Trailers round out a decent package.
Anyone whose suffered through an Austin Powers movie and wants to see where a lot of stylistic touches and happening dialogue comes from will
find their answers here. UK viewers can also look out for a cameo from well known cinematic lecher, Terry Thomas as an ineffectual government
minister.
bamboozles the cops in a series of ever more daring and ridiculously stupid criminal raids.
This is psychedelic cinema at it's best as we follow the adventures of anti-hero Diabolik (John Phillip Law), a suave, not-so-gentlemanly thief who's
out to steal the finest jewels and the biggest shipments of money just for the merry hell of it. While other folk hero criminals are portrayed as
benevolent good guys, Bava's movie has the good sense to paint the central character as a bit of a heel. He's cold and calculating, kills with
impunity and loves only sparkling valuables, crisp money and his blond bombshell girlfriend, a mini dress wearing Nico lookalike with a fetish for
making love on huge piles of cash. He steals vast reserves of money, gold and emerald necklaces using a host of gadgets, snazzy Europeon sports
cars and his innate criminal cunning which keeps him one step ahead of the police, all the while looking extremely cool and happening.
Aiding Diabolik's quest is a far out funky score from Morricone which ranges from string laden lounge music to wigged out funky jazz. This means
that every time Diabolik pulls off another unique scam, his soundtrack makes him look extra groovy!
The colour saturated, outrageous sets are a sensation, with Diabolik residing in one of the greatest secret underground lairs ever captured on film.
As well as being high tech and foreboding, it features the very best in mid 60s interior design and has to rank as one the best space age bachelor
pads on the planet.
Director Mario Bava knows how to tell a fast paced story and uses every filmic trick in the book to move the completely ludicrous plot along. He
doesn't stop for long enough to let the audience ponder the logic of dosing the worlds press with "exhilaration" gas or faking his own death with
Tibetan magic herbs. He just throws one funky scene after another at the screen such as Diabolik interrogating a mob boss while free-falling out of
an airplane or scaling the side of an unclimbable tower with suction cups.
The lighting and wardrobe date the film in the most splendid fashion and will delight fans of other 60s films like Barbarella. Everything about the
film is excessive; The clothes, the music, the stunts... This film has car chases seemingly every five minutes as well as underwater gold robberies,
hippie nightclub scenes and a thousand other weird delights for the discerning fan of euro-trash cinema. Mario Bava was a master of Italian Gothic
cinema but when he turned his hands to pulpy fare like this, his candy coloured eye for movie making really helped to produce a popcorn classic.
Danger: Diabolik is a fantastic piece of corny 60s trash...seek it out!
The extras on the disc include a full commentary from Diabolik himself, John Phillip Law and Bava biographer, Tim Lucas. A featurette throws some
light on the movies comic-book origins but the best bonus feature has to be The Beastie Boys "Body Movin'" video which has the hip hop trio star
in their own version of the movie using clips lifted from Bava's film combined with their own goofy footage. MCA from the group turns up for a brief
commentary on the video. A couple of Trailers round out a decent package.
Anyone whose suffered through an Austin Powers movie and wants to see where a lot of stylistic touches and happening dialogue comes from will
find their answers here. UK viewers can also look out for a cameo from well known cinematic lecher, Terry Thomas as an ineffectual government
minister.
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| "Out for all he can take, seduce, or get away with" |
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