Monday 29 February 2016

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (2005)



THE CABINET OF CALIGARI (2016) Directed by David Lee Fisher **

Impressive but ultimately pointless remake of the classic silent film which brings nothing to the table except sound. The original existed as part of the German post WW1 expressionist movement and a slavish remake which recreates the stylised sets of the original can only replace innovative originality with pastiche however clever the production is. The acting is adequate without being outstanding. An interesting experiment, no more. Available on You Tube.

Saturday 6 February 2016

MY DVD COLLECTION 12

Mario Bava (1914 - 1980)

Mario Bava is easily the most famous and most talented of Italian horror film directors. His films are triumphs of style over content but are rarely boring thanks to his visual flair (he was formerly a noted cinephotographer). There were a few disasters along the way - his film with Vincent Price was an unhappy experience for both director and star - but the classics outweigh the less interesting films.
His films have many alternative titles but I have listed the titles of the copies I own. The first two films on this list were credited to Riccardo Freda but were completed by Bava. Films in my collection are : LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1957) CALTIKI THE IMMORTAL MONSTER (1959) BLACK SUNDAY (1960) HERCULES AT THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH (1961) THE EVIL EYE (1963) BLACK SABBATH (1963) THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963) BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964) PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965) CURSE OF THE DEAD (1966) DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE SEX BOMBS (1966) DANGER DIABOLIK (1968) BLOOD BRIDES (1970) BAY OF BLOOD (1971) BARON BLOOD (1972) LISA AND THE DEVIL (1973) HOUSE OF EXORCISM (1975) SCHOCK (1977)