Why Butcher Bava, The Maestro? Have it your way...
I don't really understand folks who claim to love Eurohorror, but won't watch films that are subtitled. Anyone with an 8th grade education can read subs, and seeing these classics dubbed by people who do cartoonish voiceovers is nothing more than insulting - to the viewer, to the director, to the actors involved, to the viewing experience. The entire film's focal point is diverted to the gutter and suffers as a whole. Many casual viewers will disagree, but devotees understand my point completely. The English-dubbed version is wretched to listen to - you will not hear ANY of the actual actors real voices, and the flick suffers as much as the viewer does who wastes his/her time screening it. How do I know this? I've seen it in BOTH languages, and it's like two completely different movies...
First off, these are Bava films, so you either love his late-60's work or hate it, period. The same things that we fans of his later 60's output love are usually the very same things that...
Blu-Ray Revelation
It's extremely unfortunate that Kino has chosen to release this Mario Bava film (as well as others) on Blu-Ray without the option of hearing it in Italian with English subtitles, especially since the release of a number of these works on region 2 has made it clear how readily available such options appear to be. For this alone, it would normally receive a one or two star deduction in my book. If I refrain from doing so in the case of FIVE DOLLS it is because the image quality is absolutely stunning, and the audio commentary by Tim Lucas is also truly first-rate. (One of the highlights: the discussion of Bava vis-à-vis Kandinsky.) In fact, the ideal way to watch this Blu-Ray may be with the audio commentary, since it allows you to focus not on the silly plot or egregious dubbing (neither of which can be attributed to Bava) but on the compositions and overall visual design of the piece. Bava, who spent nearly twenty years as a cinematographer before he directed his first feature,...
Like a Chess Grandmaster People Become Pawns
FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON is another classic film from director Mario Brava. Released in 1970 this film features William Berger (SABATA) who masterfully unfolds his master scheme on his unsuspecting guests like a chess grandmaster. And then there were none? Perhaps and then some. This atmospheric and moody film is very enticing.
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