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Three new 16x9 cult Mario Bava titles due out in R2 in November... (1 Viewer)

Anthony Thorne

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Raro Video-Columbia Tristar in Italy have new 16x9 transfers of some Mario Bava titles due out in November with special features. LISA AND THE DEVIL/THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM (a double-feature with both cuts of this title) features Italian and English tracks, along with a documentary. (The Region 1 version of LISA is a non-anamorphic LD port). REAZIONE A CATENA is Raro's title for Bava's gory BAY OF BLOOD/TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE, again in 16x9 with both English and Italian soundtracks. (Again in comparison, the Region 1 TWITCH from Image Entertainment has a nice transfer but notably substandard sound, so the new disc will hopefully be an improvement.) Finally, LE SPIE VENGONO DAL SEMIFREDDO is the original cut of Bava's DR GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS. These all seem an improvement over the problematic Region 1 editions - especially the first two - so fans of Italian horror should keep an eye out for them. They'll likely be available to buy at the usual Stateside importers of other-region cult titles. (I'll be getting the first two for sure).
 

Gordon McMurphy

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Great! Although word on the street is that Tartan Video in the UK will be releasing a Bava boxed set in 2005, so you might want to wait until the specs are out.

The Whip and the Body and Blood and Black Lace will hopefully be included with superb anamorphic transfers like the OOP French and German editions.

Kill, Baby... Kill! badly needs an anamorphic 1.66:1 transfer. The German edition good, but it's non-anamorphic. A commentary by Scorsese (a huge Bava fan, especially this film) would be great, but I doubt we'll get that! :D
 

RobD

Second Unit
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Jan 21, 2003
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264
I'll keep an eye out for those, Raro normally do a pretty good job.

Gordon,

Is the German Blood and Black Lace really OOP. I have the velvet cover version and didnt realise it was oop. Havent seen many Bava films, could you jot me down a top 5?
 

ArthurMy

Supporting Actor
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Jul 27, 2004
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My top five Bava:

Black Sunday - a brilliant film
Black Sabbath (I Tre Volti del Paura)
Kill, Baby, Kill
Blood and Black Lace (I, too, have the velvet german thing - very nice transfer)
Danger Diabolik
 

Gordon McMurphy

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The German DVD was a limited edition:
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/sea...237976-8718933

Or, $40 from www.xploitedcinema.com/dvds/dvds.asp?title=1033

Schock (1977 - good)
Rabid Dogs (1974 - great)
Four Times That Night (1972 - good)
Baron Blood (1972 - good)
Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971 - good)
Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970 - good)
Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970 - good)
Danger: Diabolik (1968 - fun)
Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966 - great)
Planet of the Vampires (1965 - very good)
Blood and Black Lace (1964 - great)
The Whip and the Body (1963 - great)
Black Sabbath (1963 - great)
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963 - good)
Hercules in the Haunted World (1961 - fun)
Black Sunday (1960 - masterpiece)

I Vampiri (1957, Riccardo Freda - completed by Bava, which is a beauty and is a milestone in Eurohorror)

That's how I feel about his films, at least. His best films just explode with style and atmosphere. But the storytelling is rarely abandoned in Bava's films; the style always complements the situation and the pacing is always rythmic during suspense scenes, unlike the many Giallos by other filmmakers in the Seventies.
 

RobD

Second Unit
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Jan 21, 2003
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I think Kill Baby Kill and The Whip and the Body look good for the price. Image stuff is quite pricey.

What is Hatchett for the Honeymoon like?
 

Michael Elliott

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Michael Elliott
Has anyone heard about the MARIO BAVA COLLECTION from Image? These price reduction box sets are great for their money and I had planned on picking these up but the first volume was canceled during the last minute. If these are canceled for good I'll probably go the overseas route.

I wish Criterion or Kino would get the rights to RABID DOGS and re-release it as a Special Edition. Perhaps include both versions of the film or just simply leave the new version off.
 

Gordon McMurphy

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It's good. It's about a psychotic fasion designer who kills women in bridal dresses. He and his wife despise each other. It's funny, weird and, as ever, beautifully shot. The Anchor Bay UK R2 edition would is the one to go for: good anamorphic transfer, mono (DD5.1, DTS 5.1, which are unnecessary, but welcome nonetheless) and the documentary, Mario Bava: Master of the Macabre which is a good, albeit light, introduction to the World of the Baron.
 

R-T-C Tim

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Jul 26, 2006
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Tim Young
There are some recent R2 discs of Bava's films recently released in Germany, reviewed here:

Black Sunday (1960)

Bava’s directoral debut is a well directed and very scary film, although the plot is a little creaky. A decent E-M-S R2 DVD.

The Whip and the Body (1963)

Often plugged as Bava’s best horror film, his direction and subtle visual nuances are over-shadowed by a very poor plot. A decent looking E-M-S R2 DVD.

Baron Blood (1972)

A return to gothic horror with a rather generic story, loads of missed opportunities and uninspired direction. Decent looking E-M-S R2 DVD.
 

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