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Danger: DIABOLIK

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westchesterweekly.com Danger Goes Digital Danger: Diabolik is a cinematic cocktail of demented set designs, surreal lighting effects, anarchistic overtones and stylized performances with a groovy soundtrack and unbelievably campy dialogue Paramount has put together a fitting digital tribute for this forgotten gem. Danger: Diabolik is presented in a crisp, bright widescreen transfer. The film's comic book production design shines with renewed clarity and vivid colors. Ennio Morricone's soundtrack has never sounded more fabulous. Diabolik is all about style and Paramount delivers plenty of it with this release. The treasure trove of extras includes an excellent commentary track featuring John Phillip Law and Bava historian Tim Lucas. An in-depth featurette includes interviews with Law, author/artist Stephen R. Bissette, director Roman Coppola (his film CQ is inspired by Bava's Diabolik ) and others. Hip hop icons The Beastie Boys are such fans of Danger: Diabolik that they used the film as a basis for their music video "Body Movin'." Read the full review by Mike Falcigno at westchesterweekly.com

dvdtalk.com A minimum 50,000 ardent DVD fans now have an opportunity to see Mario Bava's fabulous Danger: Diabolik in an absolutely wonderful presentation. After years of compromised video versions, Paramount held up last Fall's planned release to give the film an A+ special edition treatment through Zoetrope and disc producer Kim Aubry. The extra care has made a whopping difference. Disc producer Kim Aubry went to the trouble of tracking down the missing English original audio master, which restores the original (and far better) array of vocal talent. Adolfo Celi once again sounds like Emilio Largo and Diabolik is back to DY-abolik instead of the Italian-inflected DEE-abolik. But the new DVD also retains the slightly longer Italian cut - including an overhead shot of Eva and Diabolik making love on their revolving circular bed, covered in stolen 50-dollar bills. When that angle was trimmed for the American release we lost a couple of the best bars of Ennio Morricone's main theme. It was restored for the earlier versions, and this new DVD retains it.The extras start with a hotly-awaited commentary track with star John Phillip Law and Video Watchdog publisher Tim Lucas. They dispense a constant flow of desirable trivia - how nice to have a commentary that gets into detail on a movie we really want to know more about. Law's comments tend to be a little off the wall, but Lucas keeps the discussion on target. A nicely paced featurette From Fumetti to Film covers all things Diabolik from the original Italian comics to a Beastie Boys music video and Roman Coppola's derivative movie CQ. Main host Stephen R. Bissette explains why Bava's film interpreted the comic Gestalt so much better than other 'camp' attempts; I remember the Monthly Film Bulletin's review applauding Bava for returning the quality of panache to filmic adventure. There are also good comments from producer Dino de Laurentiis and composer Ennio Morricone. Savant has seen a lot of his favorite movies turned into DVDs, but this release of Danger: Diabolik is the first studio disc to take a complicated problem picture and all the problems to the satisfaction of picky DVD genre fans. It's 2005's outstanding disc of the year so far. Read the full review by Glenn Erickson at dvdtalk.com

New York Times 5/8/05 In Mario Bava's dazzling 1968 comic-book thriller, Danger: Diabolik, John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell, worn out from a hard day of thievery, roll around naked on a revolving round bed heaped with piles of money. If you do this sort of thing every day, as I know I do, then you probably won't be particularly interested in this stunningly restored fantasy action classic, which has previously been available only on scratchy, faded VHS. Based on a hugely popular Italian comic strip, "Danger: Diabolik" is often lumped in with turgid, campy Pop Art exercises like Barbarella and Modesty Blaise, but it's far superior. Bava's picture is made with wit, intelligence and a sharp eye: the sight of Law slinking around in his form-fitting jewel thief's mask and unitard is a vision borrowed from the French actress Musidora as Irma Vep in Louis Feuillade's 1915 film "Les Vampires," tweaked just enough to be seductively mod. Bava's compositions are colorful and gracefully balanced, but never static - there's always a sense of movement to them. (Be sure to watch the extras, in which the articulate and insightful comic-book artist Stephen R. Bissette explains why "Danger: Diabolik" is the greatest comics adaptation of the 1960's.) "Diabolik" was one of the chief inspirations for Roman Coppola's lovely, sorely underappreciated 2002 movie, CQ which confirmed that stylishness could have its own kind of depth. In a world where so many young (and not so young) filmmakers seem to think fast cutting is actually a style, "Diabolik" is a fast-moving textbook on how to translate the energy and vitality of comics to the screen - as well as a reminder that the only thing better than money in the bank is money on the bed. (Paramount, June 14). S. Z New York Times

dvdjournal.com "For a film that lays on so much color, it's good to see Diabolik in a restored and luminous print..." ...The film is accompanied by an audio commentary by Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas and star John Phillip Law, both of whom provide a wealth of anecdotes. Also included is the featurette "Danger: Diabolik: From Furnetti to Film" (20 min.) with comments from comic-book artist Stephen Bissette, producer Dino De Laurentis, composer Ennio Morricone, John Phillip Law, director Roman Coppola (whose 2001 film CQ aped much from Diabolik), and The Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, who directed the music video "Body Movin'," designed as an homage to Diabolik. The music video is also on board and comes with optional commentary by Yauch" Read the full review at dvdjournal.com

digitallyobsessed.com This stylish fumetti adaptation makes a first-class transition to DVD, with a beautiful transfer and loaded with sensational extras. Highly recommended. Read the full review at digitallyobsessed.com

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