Mario Bava on Blu-ray

The Italian-born director Mario Bava (1914-1980) worked mainly in the horror genre (as well as Westerns, thrillers and Viking films), worked with international casts who were subsequently dubbed into a single language, and was never very good in the plot department. Because of these three factors, he has been unfairly kept from his proper place in the world pantheon as a master filmmaker. But looking through his films certainly confirms that there were few filmmakers as gifted as Bava was.
Now, happily, Kino Lorber has released three classic Bava titles on Blu-ray, which may help to launch a newfound appreciation.


Black Sunday (1960)Apparently based on a story by Nikolai Gogol, Black Sunday (a.k.a. The Mask of Satan) was Mario Bava's first film as director and a huge hit for distributor American International Pictures, though this version is actually Bava's preferred cut. Ironically, this black-and-white film is still his best known work, even though Bava's greatest skill is his use of color.
Nonetheless, the striking, gothic imagery demonstrates Bava's extraordinary skill with light and motion and shadow, used to suggest unholy things. It contains such memorable images as a witch's face dotted with punctures from a sinister mask, as well as leering portraits, twisted tree branches and strangling spider-webs.
Barbara Steele stars as a resurrected witch and her modern-day double. She and some ghost/witch/vampire cohorts try to possess the modern girl's living body. A young doctor (John Richardson) tries to help, and -- of course -- falls in love with her. The sensuous, powerful Steele captivated filmgoers everywhere and offered a whole new subtle alternative to the day's sensational films like The Giant Gila Monster.
In 2012, Kino Lorber released a glorious new Blu-ray edition, with a rich black-and-white transfer. The source material isn't pristine, so don't expect perfection, but do expect an unforgettable experience. Bava biographer Tim Lucas provides an in-depth commentary track, which includes details about the AIP cut. There are trailers for other Bava features, including Lisa and the Devil and Hatchet for the Honeymoon, as well as a high-def trailer for Baron Blood (1972). Does that mean more Bava titles are coming?


Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)The general consensus on this Bava film is that it's a departure from the traditional Giallo formula and that it's not one of his best, but it's one of my favorites. It's certainly one of Bava's most audacious efforts: as we begin the film, John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth) announces in his narration that he's mad. We know that he's killed several women and will probably kill again, and yet he becomes the film's protagonist and -- against all logic -- we root for his success.
He's a wealthy designer of wedding dresses married to the shrewish Mildred (Laura Betti), and it's fairly obvious what's going to happen to her, even if she refuses to give up the ghost. There's no murder mystery to solve, since we know the identity of the killer almost immediately, and Bava fans know that plot is not his strong point. If we instead consider mood, approach and cinematic poetry, Hatchet for the Honeymoon is another Bava masterpiece.
The Blu-ray comes with another great Lucas commentary track, and trailers.


Lisa and the Devil / House of Exorcism (1973)One of Bava's own personal favorites Lisa and the Devil stars Elke Sommer as a lost tourist who stumbles into a den of weridos, complete with plastic dummies, preserved corpses, past lives, doppelgangers and chocolate cake. Alida Valli plays a creepy, blind old woman, and Telly Savalas plays a bald butler who sucks on a lollipop! (This was Savalas' trademark on his hit TV series "Kojak," which debuted the same year.) Sommer gives a most peculiar performance, with barely any lines of dialogue and jutting her neck and eyes out at every moment like a startled rooster. (Thankfully, she's still quite beautiful.) Yet the movie contains some of Bava's lushest cinematography.
Oddly enough, this strange brew is actually a love story, which probably explains why Bava and producer Alfredo Leone were unable to sell it. So they were forced to re-edit, incorporating some demon possession/exorcism elements cribbed from The Exorcist, and finally released it a year later as House of Exorcism. This cut contains about one-third new footage with the original footage serving as a kind of flashback/dream sequence. There's also some nudity added, and strong language as well.
The new Blu-ray contains both versions, and both looking startlingly beautiful, though the garish new footage in House of Exorcism doesn't quite match the colorful, dreamy cinematography of the original film. As on the older Anchor Bay DVD release, Lucas provides a commentary track for Lisa (which is helpful in establishing the history of the two films and their differences), and Ms. Sommer and producer Leone provide a track for House. Other extras include trailers, and an interview with Bava's filmmaker son Lamberto.