The Bava Box Set, Vol. 2
by Mario Bava
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anna Maria Rosati, Chris Avram, Claudine Auger, Claudio Camaso, Luigi PistilliDirector: Mario Bava
Brand: Fox
Writer: Mario Bava
Writer: Carl Ross
Writer: Dardano Sacchetti
Writer: Filippo Ottoni
Writer: Franco Barberi
Writer: Giuseppe Zaccariello
Writer: Guido Leoni
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 191 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-10-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Movie Reviews of The Bava Box Set, Vol. 2
Movie Review: Bravo for Bava!
Summary: 5 Stars
I believe that it's hard to be a true horror fan unless you're familiar with the history of the genre. It's not enough to merely catch the latest slasher or torture porn movie (whether good or bad) and revel in the blood and shock; to enjoy these movies on a deeper level requires knowing the older movies too. Yes, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi may not truly scare the modern fan, but their films established much of the ideas that would follow.
In addition, it is necessary to go beyond the borders of the United States. While Japan seems to draw most of the attention nowadays, Italy also has a wonderful history when it comes to horror, and perhaps no Italian director did more for Italian horror than Mario Bava. The Mario Bava Collection Volume 2 collects eight of his movies, not all of which are horror.
In order of my viewing, my first movie watched was Roy Colt and Winchester Jack, which is kind of a Spaghetti Western with marinara sauce: somewhat tasty but with no meat to it. A take-off on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the movie follows the two title characters as they work both together and separately to find a hidden gold treasure (which also evokes The Good, The Bad and the Ugly).
Next was Four Times That Night, Bava's attempt at a sex comedy, in which various characters related, in Rashomon-like fashion, the misadventures of a date. Did she seduce him, did he try to rape her or was something else going on? It's a rather lightweight movie, but also looks nice. After these two films, we get more into Bava's forte: horror and crime.
5 Dolls for an August Moon is reminiscent of And Then There Were None, with its plot of characters trapped on an island where they're being killed one by one. It's a stylish example of giallo, an Italian form of mystery stories.
Lisa and the Devil is a true horror story, with Elke Sommer as a tourist in Spain who gets trapped in a surrealistic world and goes to a house with a history of dark secrets and a butler played by Telly Savalas who's really the Devil. As good as this movie is, it actually was never released in Bava's lifetime. Instead, it was recut as House of Exorcism, awkwardly incorporating elements of the original movie with an Exorcist-like plot. This version includes Robert Alda (Alan's father) as the priest out to stop a possession.
Bay of Blood is non-supernatural horror and an influence on slasher films like Friday the 13th. Various characters converge at an isolated bay which is possibly targeted for development as a resort. The killings are done creatively and viciously, leading to a conclusion that is both unexpected and rather fitting.
Baron Blood is one of those tales of a character who decides to try out an old spell just to see what happens. What happens is exactly what is promised by the incantation: the resurrection of a notorious Baron who had a real flair for torturing. This movie also has Elke Sommer as well as Joseph Cotton.
Finally, there is Bava's penultimate film, a crime movie called Rabid Dogs. The story here focuses on four thieves who commit a payroll robbery. One dies in a shootout that also disables their car, leading them to a carjacking to get out of town with three hostages including a small, sick child. Most of the story takes place in the car, and this is another film that ends with a nice little plot twist. Similar to Lisa and the Devil, Rabid Dogs also has an inferior version called Kidnapped.
With the exception of Roy Colt (and maybe House of Exorcism), these are all good to great movies, showing why Bava has his loyal fans. In addition to the films, we get commentaries on five of the films (all but the first three above), four by Bava scholar Tim Lucas, the other on House of Exorcism by Elke Sommer and producer Alfred Leone. Between this boxed set and the first one, we get much of Bava's work, but there is room for at least one more set, with such horror movies as Hatchet for the Honeymoon, Blood and Black Lace and The Whip and the Body as well as films like Danger: Diabolik, Planet of Vampires and Hercules in the Underworld. That's why Lucas's last comment on Rabid Dogs is welcome: "More commentaries to come" After watching both these sets, that is good news indeed!
Summary of The Bava Box Set, Vol. 2
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