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Also known as Histoires Extraordinaires, this film combines three short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, and has each segment directed by a different European director. The first, entitled Metzengerstein, is directed by the man that helmed Barbarella, Roger Vadim. It tells the story of a beautiful yet debauched countess Federica (Jane Fonda) who falls in love with her family rival, Baron Wilhelm (Peter Fonda - bit weird, them being real-life brother and sister), who frees her leg from a trap in the woods. After he rejects her, she orders the burning of one of his villages, and the Baron is killed when attempting a rescue of one of his horses. The horse is taken in by Federica, who becomes obsessed with it once she notices its resemblance to the one painted on a damaged tapestry.

The second story, William Wilson, is directed by French film-maker Louis Malle. It tells a familiar doppelgänger story of the wicked William Wilson (Alain Delon) who is also interrupted by his 'better half' who shares his name and his appearance, but none of his evil ways. After winning a card game against Giuseppina (Brigitte Bardot) through repeatedly cheating, his other half exposes him, and the two face a duel. The third, directed by Federico Fellini and entitled Toby Dammit, follows alcoholic Shakesperean actor Toby Dammit (Terence Stamp) who is brought to Rome to star in an adaptation of the story of Christ, re- imagined as a western. Haunted by visions of a blonde girl who has lost her ball, he goes on a drunken ride through Rome in a Ferrari.

The biggest problem with this film is the variations of quality in the different episodes. Vadim's opener is a pretty poor effort, with a strange storyline focusing on a woman's obsession with a horse. It seems to be nothing more than an excuse to get Jane Fonda into some skimpy medieval outfits. That is all well and good (it was one of the key reasons why I loved Barbarella!) but it's a silly story and a waste of some beautiful cinematography. Malle's second story is a big improvement, but it is clear that his heart is not really in it. Apparently he agreed to take on the job in order to raise money for Murmur of the Heart, and compromised to make the film more accessible to mainstream audiences. But the eroticism of the card game, and the strange atmosphere that is evident throughout make it an enjoyable 40 minutes.

Fellini's final segment is very much the director's own vision. It is so far gone from anything resembling Poe's original vision, it could be easily called Fellini's own. Thematically similar to most of his key works, Terence Stamp's crumbling lead character is the main focus, and his disintegrating sanity is laid out on the screen with a collection of flashing images, bizarre characters, and unconventional camera-work. It is also an attack on celebrity, as the characters that Dammit comes across don't react or flinch at his increasingly strange and unpredictable behaviour. It's a shame that Fellini is restricted to a 40 minute portion of a 2-hour film, as I would have quite happily watched Toby Dammit as a full-length feature. An enjoyable, if unspectacular overall film, with the stories getting notably better as the film goes on.

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One really wonders what made these so different 3 movie directors to make such 3 different movies from 3 less known E. Allan Poe's novels. The first one directed by Roger Vadim is a complete failure. Mr. Vadim replaced the poetry, phantasy and mystery of Poe's work by a lot of cheap eroticism, depicting orgy scenes of third class brothel in a movie which is supposed to take place in 16th century if we give credit to most of the attire shown. It is true that in introduction Poe is supposed to say that epoch is irrelevant in the context of the story but that would require a totally timeless atmosphere not one of 16th century mixed up with Miss Fonda's attire, a mixture of Barbarella's clothes with medieval attire notwithstanding a generous view of her bare legs. Peter and Jane Fonda, two good performers seem totally lost in this uninteresting, dull and very clumsily narrated story. Then comes the story directed by Louis Malle a much more competent director than Vadim, if we remember such masterpieces as Les Amants and Le Feu Follet. Mr. Malle gives us much more consistent direction creating a much more credible atmosphere either by the convincing scenery or the adequate attire. The screenplay is again a bit poor but that's not his fault perhaps. The story of a man haunted by his duplicate is not very original indeed. But Alain Delon makes a good performance and you vibrate much more than with Vadim's movie. Finally we enter Fellinian universe with the 3rd movie. Federico Fellini brings us the usual lot of half freaks half normal people with his incomparable touch of humour but always caricaturing types we may meet in everyday life giving way to our inner fears, fancies and anxieties. This has little to do with Poe of course which is the mere pretext even because the story takes place in 20th century. The end of the story is a bit inconclusive but we may pardon it on account of the vividness of the narration. So we have here more than 3 different stories, 3 quite different narration styles.

'Spirits of the Dead' (1968), a French-Italian production narrated by Vincent Price, features three Edgar Allan Poe stories adapted for the screen and directed by three of Europe's most fascinating filmmakers of the period (choke!).

Vadim's segment (‘Metzengerstein'), starring Jane and Peter Fonda, is a real stinker. Has Vadim ever made a truly good film? Not really, so at least he's being consistent here by turning Poe's tale into a dull, silly mess. Striving hard for art's sake, he misses the mark each time. Q: Who wants to see Jane Fonda falling in love with Peter Fonda? A: Not me.

Malle's segment (‘William Wilson') is solid but not worth repeated screenings. Of note: Brigitte Bardot gets naked, verbally abused and whipped. No comment as to the merits of these actions or her presence; nevertheless, the tale's ending doesn't quite work.

Fellini's 'Toby Dammit' is classic, freakshow Fellini. Terence Stamp stars as a wasted British film star (looking like an effeminate junkie) and gives an awesomely convincing performance. Ultimately, his character gets a bit out of hand and, uh, loses his head. Good stuff that. It's probably fortunate that Fellini's is the longest and last segment; it is easily the film's strength and highlight. Unlike the first two tales, ‘Toby Dammit' was also released theatrically on its own, yet it is not available separately on dvd.

The ‘Spirits of the Dead' dvd first hit the market as an Image release. This is not the version to purchase. Image used a less-than-satisfactory source print, and the transfer looks crummy. Also, the menu is poorly designed and doesn't work quite the way one wants it to. Later, Home Vision released a higher quality version with four additional minutes of footage, using much finer source material. --- david ross smith

Or is it so?Because if the first sketch (it's a movie made of three of them)is poesque,then my dog can speak English.Roger Vadim,one of the most overrated French directors,casts the Fonda family (Jane,his then-wife and Peter) as cousins(sic).It's the Middle Ages,folks,and Dame Jane is making it rough all over.Needless to say,from the short story "Metzengerstein",nothing is preserved except a beautiful horse .Only Claude Renoir's splendid color cinematography redeems this one a little.Louis Malle rarely treads on fantasy films ,the exceptions being "black moon" and his sketch here "William Wilson".Poë's short story was very austere,some kind of stream of consciousness.Hence the necessity to add spice to the screenplay:so we have a dissection-scene-with-nudity,and,to top it all ,Brigitte Bardot herself,in a role that was not intended for her in the first place,but for Italian model Florinda Bolkan.The results are so-so,Alain Delon is not poesque at all,and Malle's style cannot generate a doomed atmosphere .Fellini wins hands down.Instead of adapting his style to Poë,he adapted Poë to HIS style,finding astonishing equivalents,with an end of the world feeling,and a smiling and scary little girl playing with a ball.Terence Stamp("Tobby Dammit") easily outclasses the rest of the cast of the three sketches put together.

Many of the reviewers were on the same page. I have to fall in line, I'm afraid. The first of the trio, "Mazzengerstein", was just plain dull. You have the beautiful young Jane Fonda becoming an heiress from hell. She runs the show at all times because of her financial power. Don't cross her. However, could they have chosen someone else but brother Peter as the ultimate love interest? Fortunately, I didn't notice him in the credits. Beyond that, the story was slow moving and downright dull. "William Wilson" is a great example for English teachers of the "Doppelganger" story. In this one the young Wilson does terrible things, primarily to women. He is a psychotic. Getting quite Freudian, we see where his corporeal superego moves in to stop him. Unfortunately, in at least one case, the damage has been done. The story works better than the first, but it is hackneyed. In the third, Terrence Stamp, "Far from the Madding Crowd," is an alcoholic actor who comes to Italy to make a weird western. He is accosted by the paparazzi and driven to distraction. Of course, he is drunk the whole time. But in typical Fellini fashion, he is met by a herd of surrealist images. He has been promised a Ferrari and when he gets his hands on it, he goes crazy. We can see this coming, but no one can create a nightmare world like the wonderful Fellini. All in all, I had never heard of this film and hung in there until the highly superior last offering.

Recently I reviewed "Boccaccio 70" (Fellini, Visconti, De Sica) and that made me curious to another Omnibus film of the '60s "Histoires extraordinaires" (Vadim, Malle, Fellini). The connecting link between the three episodes is that they are all (loosely) based on stories by Edgar Allen Poe. In "Boccaccio 70" the female characters are all strong characters, in "Histoires extraordinaires" they are in the first place male fantasies.

In "Metzengerstein" (director Roger Vadim, star Jane Fonda) baron Metzengerstein has turned into a baronesse (Jane Fonda). The main reason seems to be to showcase the beautiful body of Jane Fonda, who was still in her Barbarella period.

"Toby Dammit" is a mini version of "8,5" (1963, Federico Fellini), this time not about the writers block of a director but about the alcohol problem of a respected Shakespeare actor (Terrence Stamp). The cynical vision of the film industry remains however the same.

Against all odds in my opninion the "William Wison" episode (director Louis Malle, star Alain Delon) is the best of all. It has some similarities with the story of "Jekyll and Hide". In "Jekyll and Hide" the good person is the standard, and the bad person is brought about by chemical drugs. In "William Wilson" the bad person is standard and the good one takes the form of a double.

The stories differ in their messages. The first one,"Metzengerstein", from Roger Vadim, is quite simple and it has plenty of erotic scenes. Jane Fonda showed her beauty at that time when she was married to Vadim. I did not find anything interesting in this story, except that selfish always wants what is denied to them. The second is "William Wilson" with Briggite Bardot vs Alain Delon, who played two roles in this segment. The director Louis Malle probably wanted to show that each person has two faces or characters, one bad and another one good. The problem is that the good one dies normally before the bad. The scenes of this story are very much revolting. Fellini's "Toby Dammit" was the last one, which I saw with some skepticism of being able to understand it. Sometimes you should be inside Fellini's brains to understand what he really wants to say, but incredibly this was understood. An actor already tired of not having his own life and invited to receive an award suddenly he is becoming himself and doing some unpleasant declarations and gestures. The end of his life is his happiness, i.e. when he is able to do what he wanted.

Three Edgar Alan Poe stories, three directors, a genius director, a great director and a director. The top international stars of their day: Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Terence Stamp, Alain Delon and Brigitte Bardot. The Roger Vadim episode with the two Fondas is quite terrible, Jane with her left over costumes from Barbarella, is always watchable but what a mess. Delon and Bardot are fun to watch but the piece looks more a rehash of one of the weakest Hammer horror flicks than a film signed by the great Louis Malle. However, I wouldn't mind sitting through those turkeys once again for the sheer pleasure of the third segment: Fellini's "Toby Dammit" with a superlative Terence Stamp. Unique, unnerving, jaw dropping, funny, delightful gem of a film.

"Metzengerstein": the bored and corrupt medieval countess Frederica (Jane Fonda) spends her futile life in orgies and cruelties. When she moves with her friends to one of her castles nearby the lands of her poor cousin Baron Wilhelm (Peter Fonda), she desires him but is not corresponded. When one of her minions burns the stable, Wilhelm dies trying to rescues his stallion and Federica is haunted by her lost cousin.

This erotic female version of Caligula shows the delicious Jane Fonda, who was married to Roger Vadim at that time, wearing sexy costumes very similar to "Barbarella" (of the same year). But the story is weak. My vote is five.

"William Wilson": the sadistic and cruel soldier of the Austrian army William Wilson (Alain Delon) confesses to a priest the cruelties he committed along his sinful life and the participation of his double also called William Wilson in specific moments of his dreadful life.

This short directed by Louis Malle is the certainly the best segment of these adaptations, showing the fight between the dark side and the human part of the same character. Brigitte Bardot is very different with black hair. My vote is six.

"Toby Dammit": the cynical alcoholic and decadent English actor Toby Dammit (Terence Stamp) travels to Rome to make a Catholic Western, but only interested in receiving the Ferrari promised by the production.

This messy segment directed by Federico Fellini uses stylish images and a great performance of Terence Stamp, but the story is confused and the boring conclusion is too long. My vote is four.

My global vote for these adaptations is five.

Title (Brazil): "Histórias Extraordinárias" ("Extraordinaries Stories")

I'm a big fan of horror anthologies, especially the Poe/Hawthorne ones from Roger Corman and the Amicus films. Spirits of the Dead, based on Edgar Allen Poe stories and directed by Europe's most acclaimed filmmakers of the time, didn't disappoint...well, except for the first story.

#1, "Metzengerstein," directed by Roger Vadim. A cruel nymphomaniac countess (Jane Fonda) destroys the one man she can't have (Peter Fonda). That's right, this segment's biggest distinction is that it features a romance between real-life siblings Jane & Peter. Maybe I'm just a boor with no appreciation of high art, but watching those two gaze longingly at each other gave me the serious skeeves. Somewhere amongst the implied incest, the near- implied bestiality, and Jane's leftover costumes from Barbarella is the very thinnest of plots and narrative structure. Vadim doesn't seem to have any comprehension of suspense or what it takes to present a story that, if not scary, is at least spooky. You'll be constantly looking at your watch, but don't let "Metzengerstein" discourage you from seeing the other two stories.

#2, "William Wilson," directed by Louis Malle. An angel-faced but throughly rotten and sadistic man (Alain Delon) is hounded by a mysterious man that shares his name. This was a tight, satisfying little story. In contrast to Vadim, Malle is so talented at the art of suspense that he can make a simple card game exciting. Some reviewers have been put off by the scenes of misogyny--and to be honest, they did seem to spill over into exploitation. But I think it was necessary to present just how horrible the main character was, and to contrast it with how attractive he is physically (which to me was the most fascinating aspect of the segment). I found the ending slightly confusing, but still effective & tragic.

#3, "Toby Dammit," directed by Federico Fellini. This segment is so virtuoso and packed with Higher Meaning and Symbolism and Commentary On The Nature Of Man, God and the Devil that it really feels like its own movie. A jaded, alcoholic actor is invited to Rome to film a spaghetti western based on the life of Jesus Christ and attend a bizarre Italian version of the Oscars. The world as seen through Toby's eyes is populated with freaks, liars, and soulless puppets-- no wonder he prefers the Devil (uniquely and quite chillingly presented as a little girl). The scene where he is driving the Ferrari is a little overlong, but the ending is quite jarring and the last shot one of the unforgettable images of cinematic horror. The only real negative is that Terrance Stamp, who gives an incredible performance, has his voice completely dubbed by a French actor. If only we could have heard his own voice! It would be nice if Criterion could put this segment out on its own and give it the attention & study it deserves.

There's not much Poe here, except his name. Roger Corman did a better job of sticking to the original stories than this trio of "stellar" directors: Vadim, Malle, and Fellini.

In the spirit of the indulgent 60s, these three auteurs twisted Poe into the shape of their own imagination, rewriting and "sexing up" the stories to appeal to the pompous art-house crowd. There are some beautiful locations and striking visuals, to be sure...plus long, long stretches of boredom (Jane Fonda playing with a horse, Terence Stamp driving drunk). The music is also dated and laughable, especially Nino Rota's pop dreck under the Fellini segment.

Trivia: be on the lookout for Andreas Voutsinas as a bearded courtier in the Vadim segment. He was Jane Fonda's acting coach, but best-known to American audiences as the creepy Carmen Ghia in Mel Brooks's original "The Producers" (released the same year as this film).

It's interesting that no IMDb commenters seem to have caught Malle's significant homage in "William Wilson."

Malle makes Wilson far more sadistic than Poe's character. In the opening school sequence, Poe's Wilson is, to be sure, a leader of the other students: "the ardor, the enthusiasm, and the imperiousness of my disposition, soon rendered me a marked character among my schoolmates, and by slow, but natural gradations, gave me an ascendancy over all not greatly older than myself." Any sadism is, at most, implied: "If there is on earth a supreme and unqualified despotism, it is the despotism of a master mind in boyhood over the less energetic spirits of its companions." In Poe, Wilson does not try to strangle his doppelganger, nor is he expelled from the school. He approaches the other's bed at night, apparently sees his own face on the sleeping boy and "passed silently from the chamber, and left at once, the halls of that old academy, never to enter them again."

In Malle's film, Wilson is torturing another student as a snowball fight rages in the background. The doppelganger makes his first appearance by hitting Wilson with a snowball. The snow fight, the torture, the significant hit by a snowball, the expulsion from school are not in Poe's tale.

But all these elements ARE in Jean Cocteau's novel LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES. The snowball fight not only is featured in Jean-Pierre Melville's film of the novel, but Cocteau filmed the scene earlier in his own BLOOD OF A POET. The torture is briefly in Melville's film, but described more fully in the novel: "By the spasmodic flaring of the gas lamp he could be seen to be a small boy with his back against the wall, hemmed in by his captives...One of these...was squatting between his legs and twisting his ears...Weeping, he sought to close his eyes, to avert his head. But every time he struggled, his torturer seized a fistful of gray snow and scrubbed his ears with it." As the snow fight continues, Cocteau's iconic character Dargelos throws a snowball that hits another student and puts in motion the events of the novel/film.

Dargelos is the same sort of malignant leader of his schoolmates as Malle's young Wilson. The headmaster calls his influence on his classmates unhealthy, and after an outrageous act he is expelled from the school. Even more to the point, Dargelos has a doppelganger in the form of the character Agathe. In Melville's film Dargelos and Agathe are played by same person, and their mysterious resemblance is important to the story.

All of these added Cocteau elements are so strong that one assumes that Malle intended viewers to recognize the reference.

`Metzemgerstein' by `Roger Vadim'. This is the story about Countess Frederica, played by Jane Fonda.

This epic isn't the best out of these three. Though Jane Fonda tries to save the story by her beauty and her well-known acting. But this time she doesn't succeed in it. She plays the character of Frederica who has a certain Caligula idea of things. She is the one who decides what is going to happen and taking control over everything and everyone. We see her kissing and fooling around with more then one man or woman.

She loves also very peculiar sort of games. Like hanging a boy and showing she can shoot better as Robin Hood himself. She seems to have interest in everything and nothing, until she meets Baron Wilhelm (Peter Fonda). She feels immediately a big attraction to him. But the Baron doesn't bow for her interest and her beauty, and rejects her. This brings the necessary frustration to the top. And she seeks revenge; even so much she orders to burn his stables. The Baron loves animals and in particular his horses. Suddenly she is fascinated thru a carpet she has, with a black stallion on it. A few minutes later a wild black horse enters her inner court. Nobody can control the horse, except her. From this point on she only lives for herself and her best friend the horse. Because she feeling a lot off guilt thru the fact that the Baron died in the fire trying to rescue his fav. horse.

The moment she gat the news that the Baron died, the carpet burned half way down. She orders that it has to be fixed in the same way as it was before. After a few months the carpet is fixed with one mistake, the eyes of the horse aren't braun like in the org. but red. `Look you changed the colour of the eyes into red, the colour of blood', `No my dear not the colour of blood but the colour of fire.'

So this was 2/3 of the story line. The end I don't wanna spoil for people who want to see it.

This epic is really relaxing. The music the decors, the costumes everything is great. Only the story goes wrong the way it is brought into picture. The suspense, the thrill, the shiver, is in this epic replaced thru a relaxing and enjoyable setting. Everything seems so innocent, joyful and happy, while it should be the opposite. This isn't that great if you have the intention to make a horror epic. All seems to be perfect. Though, like always the costumes worn by Jane Fonda are as ever unbelievable sexy. So for me this one 1/5.



`William Willson' by `Louis Malle' The second epic out of this movie. Alain Delon takes the lead with halfway the story the back up of Brigitte Bardot. The story starts off with Mister Wilson running into a church, desperate for a confession. A murder. The moment the confession starts with the priest that's the moment the story takes off and returns to his child years at school as a boy at the age off 10. He seems to be always the leader and prick of the class as well the school.

He decides always who, what and where happens to whom. Like hanging a schoolboy half naked in a barrel filled with rats. While this is happening, we will see the first time a mysterious child pops up for a few seconds. With only one message, to stop torturing the child.

It goes even stranger when William asks his name. The answer I will keep for myself, so I don't spoil too much. Later in the dormitory he tries to kill this student. For this action he is banned from school. Then the movie takes a jump into time ( 7 years ). So we see William back at the medical University. Same again here, while torturing a woman; the same mysterious figure pops up, with one message. To stop torturing the girl, and at the same time he sets her free. Same story here as before at school, he gets suspended again.

The next time lap we encounter William is when he serves in the army as a Lieutenant. Always in for that extra thrill in his own extreme and perverse way.

Giuseppina played by Brigitte Bardot provokes William first in a word fight. Luitenant Wilson a little impressed by the black haired ( very strange side to see BB with black hair ) woman takes her for a challenging card game. And the rest of the story I will keep once again for myself because I spoiled already enough.

For me this was the best out of the three stories. The whole scene (card game) and the way in was brought into picture is just marvellous. You can feel the tension between the two rivals. It is beautiful filmed, no music no sound nothing. Just the faces and the clicks of the cards popping on the table. This whole scene lasts for about ten minutes but real ten minutes of suspension. Who is gonna win the game and against what price. Well find out for yourself. This is a must to see. Bardot and Delon are putting her on screen some brilliant and marvellous acting. The story is great and filmed in the way it had to be. And it could be the perfect story for the definition off ` The vicious Circle `

So for me 4/5.



`Toby Dammit' by `Frederico Fellini' The third story and the most bizarre of the three. It tells the story of a British famous actor. The story begins in the cockpit of an airplane, the moment we arrive at the airport (Rome) we are taken in a very deranged psychedelic trip. The trip on the airport is filmed in the view person perspective. And we see the most weird and freaky images and people pop up on screen. All flavoured with bright and lots of orange coloured vicinities Also a nice effect the director creates with his psychedelic images is creating the effect that all the other actors and conversations seem to be happening next to the character. This epic is from the start until the end just hell, the hell from a person on a nervous breakdown and completely loosing his mind.

If you see the org. version like I have, you will encounter the same problem as the actor/character has. This part of the movie is almost completely in Italian language. And like we see the character has problems with understanding the Italian men and women so will you. But this brings you closer, and gives you the change to empathize with the character.

Two things that crossed my mind while watching this movie.

1/ Salvo Randone who played Toby Dammit could be a look a like of Christopher Walken. 2/ The racing scene with the Ferrari, resembles in a great way and in many ways the racing scene we see in the beginning of Clockwork Orange.

So for me this one gets 3/5.

So, to end I just wanna say this, don't expect in this movie a lot of gore, blood or nudity. There is but, 0.5% of the movie. But are you looking for some real old good and quality filled movie with some big stars in unconventional roles. In three stories off Edgar Allan Poe, you're in for a good ride. Overall I will give this movie a 7/ 10.

Dario/ [skull]

This picture was partioned in three Edgar Alan Poe's tales, the two first are set place few centuries ago, the first one shining through Jane Fonda's breathtaking beauty, fantastic story about power and vengeance directed by Vadim, the second segment with Delon and Bardot has a psychological aproach by Loius Malle, this one maybe the best and is really cutting edge tale, that ended up in an intriguing and ambiguous final, the last and final set place nowadays directed by F. Fellini, there is the worst part, adapted in a surreal and distressed, cocky english actor it decrease the in Fellini esque way, not quite palatable, Toby Dammit disturb the audience whose the pain reachs strongly!!

Resume:

First watch: 2012 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25

Three short stories by Edgar Allan Poe are adapted for the screen, each under the helm of a different filmmaker. In the first one ¨Metzengerstein¨a ruthless princess (Jane Fonda) is haunted by her cousin's (Peter Fonda) stallion .The second segment is titled ¨William Wilson¨, in which William (Alain Delon) suffers repentance while confessing his sins before a priest (Renzo Palmer) and after he plays a card game with a pretty player (Brigitte Bardot); later on, the sadistic young man is haunted by his double or doppleganger. In the third one , when Toby Dammit, an alcoholic actor (Terence Stamp), arrives in the Rome airport, he is received by a Catholic priest (Saldo Randone) who introduces him to the cinematic team, he is then haunted by a pale little girl. The ultimate orgy of evil !. Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Jane Fonda, Terence Stamp & Peter Fonda dissect the anatomy of terror!. "Who will satisfy them, sooth those strangled sobs, those screams of panic pain that make no sound at all?". Edgar Allen Poe's ultimate orgy!

Histoires extraordinaires(1968) is an dventure in Terror beyond your wildest nightmares, in which three Edgar Allan Poe stories are adapted for the screen and made by three of Europe's finest. ¨Metzengerstein¨is directed by Roger Vadim, stars Fonda siblings in a tale of incestuous lust, which caused quite a scandal and uproar at the time. ¨William Wilson¨ finds Louis Malle directing Delon and Bardot in the story of a vicious Austrian army officer haunted by a murder victim that results to be his doppleganger, Alain Delon in a double role, while Brigitte Bardot provides some brief nude scenes that also caused a scandal in the sixties . Eventually Federico Fellini directs ¨Never bet the devil your head¨or ¨Toby Dammit¨ in which Terence Stamp plays a drunken British film star who has a gruesome date with destiny. Although Fellini's segment is generally considered the best (and was released on its own) all three provide an atmospheric, interesting vision of Edgar Allan Poe. And for those who enjoy hunting for familiar faces there are a number of regular supporting actors from all genres of Italian sixties and seventies, giving short but enjoyable performances, or cameos, including the following: Saldo Randone, Françoise Prévost, Renzo Palmer, Daniele Vargas, Milena Vukotic, James Robertson Justice, Philippe Lemaire, Katia Christine, Anny Duperey, John Karlsen, Rick Boyd, and Vincent Price as uncredited narrator.

The film was professionally made by these three great directors, although the result of the episodes is uneven. Roger Vadim, who married Jane Fonda, is considered the worst of the three directors, making several films with varying successes and flops: Les liaisons dangereuses , The Faithful Woman, Night Games, The Night Heaven Fell , The sun in Venice, although achieving some box office hits such as And God created Woman and Barbarella (1968). While director Louis Malle who married Candice Bergen is considered to be one of the best French directors of film history . He made good movies, usuallly with big name actors playing intelligent dramas and regarding interesting and brooding issues. As Malle directed various important films as "Frantic" , "The lovers" with Jeanne Moreau, "A very private affair" , "Viva Maria" with Brigitte Bardot and Moreau, "The fire within", "Spirits of the dead" , "Murmur of the heart", "Pretty baby" with Brooke Shields, My dinner with Andre, Atlantic City with Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, "Crackers", "Alamo Bay" with Ed Harris, "May fools" , "Damage" with Jeremy Irons and "Vanya on 42nd Street", among others. Costar Brigitte Bardot starred in three films directed by Louis Malle: "A Very Private Affair" (1962) "Viva Maria!" (1965), and "Spirits of the Dead" (1968). Finally, Federico Fellini is deemed to be the best italian filmmaker. His best works include dreams like imagery and nostalgia. He made Italian classics , such as : ¨8 and 1/2¨, ¨Roma¨, ¨Satyricon¨, ¨I Vitellone¨ , ¨La Dolce Vita¨ , ¨The clowns¨, ¨Casanova¨, ¨And the ship sails on¨, "City of Women" , "Orchestra Rehearsal" and directed his wife Giulietta in various films such as : ¨The white sheik¨ , ¨Il Bidone¨, ¨Juliet of the Spirits¨, "The Nights of Cabiria" ¨Ginger and Fred¨, ¨La Strada¨(1954) that won the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and N. Y. Critics Award to Foreign Film; in addition, including in his movies some auto-biographic elements, especially in ¨Amarcord¨ (1973). Histoires extraordinaires(1968) Rating : 6/10. The film turns out to be a peculiar curiosity for the followers of the three directors and for Edgar Allan Poe enthusiasts.

I'm currently studying surreal elements in film and stumbled upon this weird piece of movie making history. First of: I did not know what to expect, as Edgar Allan Poe is my all time favorite writer, but in my imagination the stories are placed in the 18th/19th century and surely filled with a lot of dark romanticism elements. So, a movie adaptation of these beautiful stories... could be - everything.

1.) Vadim's Metzengerstein. I loved the beautiful voice over, narrating bits of the original story. But hell - while watching my thoughts went from "is this actually a very bad film?" to "is this supposed to be medieval period?" to "oh lord, this looks like a fairytale film for children - gone wrong". Overall: I HAD MY FUN! It was great to watch that mix-max of 60s eroticism, random Barbarella costumes, medieval inspired orgies and cliche-mystery elements from fairytales. Overall, I suggest to not take this approach too serious, as many reviews here do. What Vadim did very well, was keeping the 'essence' of a dark romantic gothic-novel: the sentimental elements (love and desire), the mysterious scenery landscapes, the forsaken castle, the mysterious spells - and so on. These are nevertheless elements of a classic gothic novel! It's just that the mix-up of 60s elements and modern film making interrupted that style of narration and makes it absurd (and for many viewers 'lame'). And yes, for those who expected hands-on suspense, they won't get any. But don't forget: Poe wrote overall lovestories. Dark ones, yes. But still.

2.) Malle's Doppelgänger story "Wilson": I really enjoyed that one and would not be too critical about that one, either. Sure, the elements of Doppelgänger is widely known and used in dark-romanticism (and ever since), it's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all over again. The anatomy theatre scenes are for me quite bizarre (good Lord, I am happy I haven't seen this as a kid! And how did they shoot that cut-scene where they cut the corpse? Is this a real man? Lord...), even though I have seen quite a bit of horror genre films. I loved how Malle made the card game so exciting, without any action tricks, blasting music and so on - that is a true master. In this time, I really think this a nicely executed re-adaptation of a well known topic. Sure, maybe not the most inventive one ever, but effective. Wilson seems quite disturbing - and that was the goal, right?

3.) Fellini! Widely known as the MASTER, als the reviews here rage for this film to be just a Fellini film. Yes, he has his unique language and I really did enjoy every detail of it. The colors, the costumes, the differently lit scenes, the set design, all was on point to underline the main characters rising madness throughout the 40 minutes story. This story focusses very much onto the character (and mental health decline) development of one man... and is it just me or did he resemble Master Poe's old portrait photographs somehow? Deeply psychodelic, colorful, moody and surely Fellini executes the surreal mood and mystery of Poe's story well.

Don't be too harsh on the other two not-fellini-segments, I think there are some Poe-eske elements in there, too. I loved to have all 3 in comparison and would not vote for any to be the 'best' one, as all 3 delighted me and made me question the film and Poe in different ways!

My vote of 9 is only for Fellini's entry, Toby Dammit. The other two are below the level of the average Twilight Zone, in my opinion. But Toby is so fine that I wish it could have been expanded to feature length. Perhaps the tone of agonized despair wouldn't have held up for 90 minutes but it certainly is great for 40. Stamp is superb. His role isn't easy, he's in every scene and has to descend from a very low point to an even lower one. Terence is completely believable the entire time. I'm not a fan of Fellini but perhaps he found his metier in humanistic horror.

An anthology film from 1968 where a trio of European directors tackle Edgar Allan Poe. Roger Vadim, Louis Malle & Frederico Fellini each handle obscure stories based on cruelty & comeuppance which for the most part are wisps of story that rely heavily on atmosphere & set design. I felt the strongest story was Malle's in which we follow a hateful rogue of a child as he continues to torment people throughout his life only to find himself abused by another who has eerily similar traits to his own. Starring Jane Fonda, brother Peter, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp & Brigitte Bardot, this is a film that works as an art piece rather than one committed to the word of the original text. Of note the third story's visuals were used by the band Roxy Music for their "Love is the Drug" music video in the 70's.

"Spirits of the Dead"(1968) - adaptations of three Edgar Allen Poe stories by three European directors, Roger Vadim's "Metzengerstein" with Jane and Peter Fonda, Louis Malle's "William Wilson" (with Alain Delon and Briget Bardout), and Federico Fellini's "Toby Dammit". The universal opinion is that only Fellini's entry is worth watching and it is indeed, spectacular with Terence Stamp fitting so well in the Fellini's freak show that it is impossible to take your eyes off him. The reason I wanted to see the movie so much was the CD that I bought some time ago - a compilation of some of the most beautiful themes composed by Nino Rota for the films of Federico Fellini. "The Ultimate Best of Federico Fellini & Nino Rota" includes the tunes arranged in the medleys for 16 films directed by Fellini. These are the full orchestrations (as heard in the movies they come from) and just listening to the familiar melodies brings back the memories and the images. There was one track I kept listening to over and over. It was written for the Fellini's episode in the "Tre passi nel delirio" aka "Spirits of the Dead" (1968), "Toby Dammit". The soundtrack for "Toby Dammit" simply stands out among the romantic and poetic gems. It is rich, obsessive and creates uneasy and creepy atmosphere which is quite appropriate for an episode that features a desperate actor (Terence Stamp) in a pact with the devil. Besides the score "Toby Dammit" has plenty of great typically Felliniesque images , an unforgettable ending, and not the least, Terence Stamp who might've played one of his best roles as the famous English actor, drugged and drunk out of his mind who arrived in Rome for the Italian Film Academy Awards ceremony. Toby was also offered the role of Jesus in the Catholic Western but all he remembered that he had been promised a Ferrari for participating in the ceremony and Ferrari he will get...with the ride to hell that looks exactly like Rome at night where every turn takes you to the dead end and the Devil only knows the way out but you will pay him a price...

I found all three films interesting and involving in their own terms. I don't agree with the comments that call Vadim's adaptation a failure - it is certainly not. If anything, it is beautiful to look at and listen to and any film featuring Madam Roger Vadim (Jane Fonda was married to the director at the time) wearing the costumes that were certainly inspired by or even reused from "Barbarella" that was released in the same year, 1968 is worth watching. Vadim changed the short story by transforming a protagonist, 18 years old Baron Frederic Metzengerstein into 22 years old Contessa Frederica but he did not change her character. She is rich, bored, corrupted, and ruthless, a "petty Caligula", until she meets her cousin Wilhelm (played by Jane's brother, Peter Fonda). Making siblings playing cousins in love tells us something (or maybe a lot) about Vadim and his mysterious Slavic soul and reminds about Poe's own dramatic love for his first cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemm, whom he married when she was only 13 and whose death at the age of 25 from tuberculosis could have let to decline of his own mental state and his untimely death less than three years after her.

Poe explores in "William Wilson" very popular in the Art and literature subject of a man and his double that represents his conscience, his dark and hidden side. The short story brings to mind such famous works of literature as Hans Christian Andersen's "The Shadow", Adelbert Von Chamisso's "Peter Schlemiel: The Man Who Sold His Shadow", Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray".

In Louis Malle's short film, Wilson (Alain Delon) confesses his sinful and dreadful life to the priest recalling the outrageous and vicious deeds that have been prevented or disclosed by his exact double whose name is also William Wilson. Two scenes of the short film stand out. The first is a simply chilling Wilson's attempt to perform an autopsy on a living woman and the second – Wilson plays cards, cheating shamelessly, with rich and arrogant Giuseppina (Brigitte Bardot almost unrecognizable in a black wig that does almost impossible – makes her look ugly). While it may be not the best Poe's adaptation and perhaps the weakest of three films in the anthology, two Delons for the price of one is reason enough to see it. I am glad that I finally saw the film that has achieved a cult status with years but is not easily available (I had to wait for several weeks for it from Netflix even after I had bumped it to the top). What started with my interest in the musical score by Rota, ended as a memorable watching experience.

federico fellini's segment "toby dammit" is, what i consider it, the best movie of it's kind in all film industry after 1950. It has such a powerful emotional output, and terence stamp is absolutely perfect in his role of Mr. Dammit. What might be weak about the film is the part where Toby Dammit rides his car. This part is perhaps a bit too long but it actually gives the spectator a little while to pounder his thougts. The beginning of the film might be a bit too full of little details, so it might be better to be watched several times in a row to fully understand. I surely do promise you that this film gets better every time watched.

"Spirits of the Dead", or "Histoires Extraordinaires", is a horror anthology movie consisting of three short films based on Edgar Allan Poe stories. Each short film was made by a different filmmaker: Roger Vadim, Louis Malle, and Fellini, respectively.

I was surprised at how quickly the first story, entitled "Metzengerstein", grabbed my attention, and how it held it. You see, this is the Vadim entry, and he is unquestionably the least celebrated of the three filmmakers on offer here. Vadim has even been referred to as the worst filmmaker of the French new wave, a title I can't say I disagree with. What can you say about a director whose best films are only appreciated by camp afficionados?

What really helped "Metzengerstein" get my attention was the fact that, unlike in his most famous work ("Barbarella"), Vadim had here cast his wife, Jane Fonda, in a role that suited her talents. In this story she plays an immoral Elizabethan countess who hosts orgies, terrorises her people, and generally gets around in fetishistic attire - the costumes being the other main draw to this story. Anyway, she falls in love with a guy but he doesn't want her, and the story kind of falls apart. It would have been too much for Vadim to turn in a decent movie, I guess. I don't know if he ever made one in his career ("Pretty Maids All in a Row" sucked too). I think he was famous for making bad movies and marrying beautiful women.

Louis Malle makes the next story, which happens to be based on my favourite Poe short story, "William Wilson". Malle may not be a name that immediately comes to mind when you think of French New Wave, and that's a shame, because I believe his movies probably hold up the best out of all the new wave flicks - see "Lacombe Lucien", "Au Revoir Les Enfants", or "Murmur of the Heart".

"William Wilson" was Poe's take on the German folktale about the doppelganger - one's exact double whose appearance always signals doom. I remember a story about a young man who is shadowed by a man he is often mistaken for, and with whom he becomes obsessed with, the obsession leading to all sorts of dissolute behaviour until he is found out - with the help of his doppelganger.

What I don't remember is the protagonist kidnapping women with his other medical students and sadistically threatening to kill his captive, who is bound completely naked on a surgical table.

It surprised me that Malle decided to take this story in such an exploitation movie-like direction, but the story didn't hold my attention either. I had concerns that this story may not really work on screen, and the handling of it didn't allay them.

The last film is made by the most revered filmmaker of the three; indeed, he is easily one of the top five most celebrated filmmakers in history. A pity, then, that I enjoyed this offering the least of all. Terence Stamp plays a cadaverous actor who seems to be losing his mind, hallucinating a girl holding a ball. He appears on a talk show and an awards ceremony, and is working hard because he is going to be given a Ferrari for his next role. When he gets the Ferrari, we are treated to some very fake looking driving sequences. I think the end of the story explained the significance of the fantasy girl with the ball, but I don't know. I was truly past caring at that point; this was easily the most boring story of them all.

None of these stories worked particularly well. I don't know what went wrong. The cast is like a who's who of hip '60s actors - Fonda, Bardot, Delon, Stamp. Maybe I was right and the source material just doesn't work on screen.