Danger: Diabolik (1968; Mario Bava)

Danger: Diabolik is no doubt the finest of the entire Italian superhero-supervillain subgenre, featuring the exploits of master criminal Diabolik (John Phillip Law) and his assistant Eva (Marisa Mell). His rival, Inspector Ginko (Michel Piccoli), pressures gangster Valmont (Adolfo Celi) to recruit the underworld (shades of Fritz Lang’s M) to help capture him!  

 

The screen adaptation of the durable super criminal fumetto originally began as a project produced by Tonino Cervi, to be directed by Seth Holt. Producer Dino de Laurentiis was so displeased with the footage, that he started all over again with director Mario Bava, a different cast, and half the original budget, utilizing some of the same cast and crew from the producer’s own Barbarella, while that project was on production break. Although Danger: Diabolik is a very enjoyable film to watch, making it was an unhappy experience. The producer wanted more of a family oriented film, while Bava wanted to stay close to the heart of its source material, but was forced to tone down a lot of the violence. This clashing of approaches actually gives the film an interesting mix of tones. The violence is so baroquely outrageous that it disguises the loathsomeness of Diabolik’s deeds. There is humour, but it’s instead derived from the bizarre situations the characters find themselves in. There is no self-referential attempt at camp here: the only wink to the audience is in the very last shot. 

John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell make a sexy couple with lots of onscreen chemistry. While this genre’s close cousin, the Europsy film, often features libidinous characters with healthy libidos, they all emerge as second-rate hustlers compared to Diabolik and Eva, who just breathe sex! The scene where Diabolik puts emeralds on Eva’s wet torso is extremely erotic. The architectural Law (still sporting his Barbarella hairdo), with his sinuous, toned body is perfectly cast. He wisely is given very little dialogue; but when he does speak, the actor’s customarily wooden delivery is actually an asset to the larger-than-life character who is devoid of morality.

Although, amusingly, Danger: Diabolik has multiple screenwriters (Dino Maiuri, Brian Degas, Tudor Gates, and Mario Bava, from a story by Maiuri, Angela Giussani, Luciana Giussani, and Adriano Baracco) the plot is actually very simple. The film devotes more attention to the details than the exposition.  The pacing is often surprisingly serene: twenty minutes of screen time deal with just the aftermath of a heist! Bava is more interested in creating a world. This film is as beautifully photographed as any of his horror films, the lighting and colours are just marvellous. The film is an art director’s dream: when the smoke screen emerges during a robbery, of course it has to be multi-coloured! Even more impressive is the diabolical duo’s futuristic underground lair, with their Jaguar, gadgets, his and her showers, and, of course, big bed.

The movie is also very pleasing to the ears, with its psychedelic score by Ennio Morricone, showcasing the great soprano Edda Dell’Orso on vocals, oft repeating the same phrase “Deep Deep Down”. This vocalese is probably a pun on where the criminal masterminds spend their off-hours, rolling on a mattress filled with dirty money.

Although Danger: Diabolik was largely ignored in its day, it has since emerged as a cult classic. It remains a high watermark not only for the genre, but it is also one of Bava’s finest works in fantasy cinema. Paramount has released this film in VHS and DVD, plus as of this writing, a Shout! Factory Blu-Ray is forthcoming, so you should have no trouble finding a copy.