Malastrana

A body is discovered on the streets of Prague. Only hours before an autopsy is performed on him, we learn he's not really dead, but trapped inside his body and trying desperately to recall the events leading up to this predicament. And hopefully avoid the autopsy.

This Aldo Lado directed giallo has a lot going for it. Not a traditional giallo, but rather an inventive spin on the formula. It's cleverly written, decently acted and quite suspenseful at times but somehow misses the bull's eye. It drags a bit, could have used some trimming perhaps. Also, the end solution is bit of a letdown, but maybe that's just me. I found it a bit much, the buildup was better than the conclusion. But a big thumbs up for the chilling ending.

Lado is very stylish at times but Argento he's not. Quite good all the same.

Outstanding Giallo where the Giallo tag barely applies, every shot looks like it was painted by an Italian maestro, and Ennio Morricone's soundtrack just adds to the eerie disorientation.

The films starts with the dead body of Jean Sorel being found in a park in Prague, although as we can hear his thoughts, he's not quite as dead as he seems. After his initial horror at his predicament, and his futile attempts to communicate, Jean tries to figure out why he ended up in this situation in the first place - while laying out on a mortuary slab.

Way back before he was a faux-corpse, it turns out Jean was a groovy US journalist based in Prague and just about to move home with his Czech girlfriend, Barbara Bach. Obviously this is back in the communist era, so he's having to do a bit of bribery in order to get her out of the country. He attends a party where most of the high-ranking politicians are present, and ends up leaving Barbara surrounded by cooing strangers while he fends of the advances of his co-worker and gets bogged down in a pointless conversation with his other co-worker, boozy Mario Adorf!

The next day Barbara has gone missing, which leads Jean and Mario on a city spanning hunt to find out where she's gone. The police aren't much help, and Jean uncovers a history of young woman going missing in Prague that leads to a truth far more sinister than a mere black hatted-killer going around knifing folk for kicks. Of course, everyone who could actually help Jean ends up dead, but this film isn't all about body count.

And that's just the flashback portion of the film, because in real time Jean's being rolled here and there, tested for responses, poked, probed, and all the while screaming in his head for help. The two plot strands come together nicely in an ending that'll have you thinking: "This is an Italian film."

Just stunning to look at it (that means when you look at the film, you fall over your coffee table or just fall off the couch), jaw-dropping (which means your mouth just falls open for no reason), mesmerizing (you starve to death looking at the film). Watch out for the nightmarish visuals and the old person orgy! Recommended.

The 'Creepy Eastern European City' plot would return in the Spider Labyrinth, probably the last genuinely creepy Italian film ever made/

Aldo Lado's first movie, "Short Night of Glass Dolls" is an effective and atmospheric giallo from the early '70s. Jean Sorel plays the cop who, it appears, "wakes up" dead. Paralysed in his body and unable to communicate with the outside world, we see the events leading up to this situation unfold in his memory as, in the present, an autopsy is started to be prepared for him.

The film contains a memorable cast. The delightfully beautiful Barbara Bach plays Sorel's missing love interest, Mira. The late Ingrid ("Salon Kitty") Thulin appears as work colleague and ex-lover, Jessica. Mario Adorf is excellent as the friend and fellow cop, Jacques.

The film is fast paced and the premise is gripping but I found the film less satisfying overall than many other giallo movies. Worthy of a viewing, without a doubt, but not in the same league as Argento's finest efforts.

With a score by Ennio Morricone and impressive cinematography by Giuseppe Ruzzolini, "Short Night" is a hauntingly beautiful and memorable film.

A strong 7 out of 10.

I had really high hopes for this new remaster from Blue Underground. In the last few months, I have become a big giallo fan. I've gained a real appreciation for the genre after viewing several.

"Short Night of the Glass Dolls" is without a doubt one of the most well-produced giallos I have seen to date. I think the budget was probably pretty large, compared to contemporaries. The cinematography is masterful and the soundtrack is amazing.

Where this film fell short for me was the plot and continuity. I found myself getting bored throughout. There is no gore. The murders are minimal. The sex is tired. I just din't think it was all that interesting. I get the point of it: old people take advantage of the young in order to better themselves and their world. It will always be their world, they feed off the blood of the young...etc. The problem is, this isn't even alluded to until the very end of the film. It's also vague and the plot takes too many twists. I lost interest because so many things were never explained.

Perhaps it would have been better viewed in Italian with subtitles. Maybe it was lost in the dubbing. (Which is good, compared to other Italian films.) Or maybe it was just the overly artsy feel, but somehow, it just failed to grab me. The last scene is pretty decent though. Does it make up for the slow pace? I guess it's up to the viewer to decide. If you can make it without falling asleep.

6 out of 10, kids.

Aldo Lado's directorial debut known by its English title Short Night Of Glass Dolls is a unique, cerebral experience. For those in the United States that have been searching, in 2002 was first released on DVD by Anchor Bay -- I got mine as part of a four-disc "Giallo Collection" that also contains Lado's second feature Who Saw Her Die? Currently in 2018 it's on Blu-ray from Twilight Time and 88 Films.

Short Night Of Glass Dolls was originally titled Short Night Of The Butterfly (also a song in the film), but right before its release another film came out with with the word butterfly in its title, thus the retitling of this one. Malastrana is a title Lado was originally going to call this film but at the insistence of others involved, it was then on to Short Night Of The Butterfly. Too bad Short Night Of Glass Dolls was the main choice, as the Butterfly title would have made much more sense to the story.

Jean Sorel stars as an American reporter found allegedly dead, and yet we hear his thoughts as he is examined in a morgue. His memories take us back to the beginning where he tries to find out the reason for his girlfriend's disappearance (played by a very young Barbara Bach). What follows is not your typical giallo, but a very thought provoking mystical mystery. It evokes the tone of films like Suspiria and The Tenant, and was made years before those. It really does transcend the typical Italian giallo -- most are just murder mysteries with a cast of characters that all have skeletons in the closet and you have to sort through their hangups to see if they have relevance as to "who done it." Here, there is much more going on amidst political unrest and metaphors for "power being fed by the blood of the young." I usually yawn at heavy political stuff the likes of Lina Wertmuller, but Aldo Lado's take is a nicely blended comment as well as visually stunning storytelling.

I really enjoy films from that period of time, as the actors are not so "GQ" looking, nor are they too young for the parts they're playing. The moustached Jean Sorel is nicely cast and easy to sympathize with, you'll find yourself really hoping he solves the mystery and gets out alive. The locations are used well and extremely scenic (another reason I love giallos from the early 1970s). Add to that a really well-written story along with a wonderful Ennio Morricone score and it just couldn't get any better than that! Even the famous "group" scene is handled so well that it does not come across as gratuitous nor cheap.

Short Night Of Glass Dolls is very accomplished filmmaking, and now that it has been restored and looking better than ever on DVD, those with a hunger for something very unique will be quite satisfied.