5 bambole per la luna d'agosto

"Maestro of the Macabre" Mario Bava directs this island-set murder mystery, which owes more than a little to Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians. Although it has some of the hallmarks of giallo – a bevy of vixens luxuriating upon middle-aged sleazebags, ropey dubbing, and murder wounds that bleed peri-peri sauce – it isn't exactly a slasher. It's brief and bloody but not particularly brutal.

The opening starts like a fairy tale – albeit a very 1970s Italian one. Isabel (Justine Gall) prances through the woods like Carroll's Alice and comes to a house. Through the window she watches a forbidden party taking place. It appears that she witnesses a ritual murder – except it turns out to be a game.

But then a real corpse is found and the real game begins. On a remote island populated by self-interested, alcoholic, amoral millionaires ("Filthy swine from the same mould!"), everyone is a suspect.

The chief one initially is George (Teodoro Corra). He's brought a bunch of smug gits to the house to hammer out a business deal. They're all vying to purchase a secret scientific formula from Professor Fritz (William Berger). So when the professor cops it, the accusations start to fly and tensions start to fray. The bodies pile up quicker than you can say "Dario Argento".

Five Dolls wasn't a big release at the time and it's not a classic movie by any means (Bava himself disregarded it), but it's solid and reasonably tense. Naturally, once the murders begin everyone behaves like cogs in a movie narrative machine rather than a convincing human being, but that's par for the course. This is virtually a tech demo for Bava's craft – he's the Hitchcock of Italian cinema, as his choices of shots, focus, and fluid camera shifts show. And if nothing else you have a fantastic, unique jazzy score from Piero Umiliani, who even gives the bodies in the freezer their own jaunty piano theme.

Murder mystery fans will be frustrated by the film's pace, which sometimes gives us literally seconds between homicides. We're furnished with few clues to play with and the final twist is a dirty cheat. But let's not pretend there's no pleasure in watching these sharks eat each other; we're here to find out which of them makes it out alive, period.

Five Dolls is drenched in atmosphere and the production design gives a wonderful sense of the otherworldly – we could be on an alien planet. Silly and sexy, it's not an essential movie, but if you're interested in a macabre and hallucinatory curio from one of horror's most influential artists, look no further.

It has striking set pieces, sets, and color schemes. A pity the plot is not more original. But Bava's morbid sense of humor permeates the film.

Five couples come to an island for rest and relaxation. There is a maid and manservant. One of the guests tries a sacrifice--to whom, what or why isn't explained. The lights go out. The sacrifice is dead when the lights come back on--or is she? One of the guests is an inventor with an invention worth millions. After turning down three financial offers for the formula to it, people start dying. The boats that are an avenue of escape are stolen and the only telephone line is cut. The list of suspects dwindles. Will anyone survive the movie?

The cinematography was done by Antonio Rinaldi. Bava himself did the quick, jumpy editing, which contributes to the viewers' sense of unease. The dominant colors in this film are dark blue and purple, especially at night; in three scenes, the only colors used are black, white, and red. The actors are adequate.

The plot isn't exactly logical and the ending comes close to breaking the bounds of disbelief. It's like Bava gave up on everything but the visuals. So the plot may become unbelievable, but the film's a visual feast and Bava keeps things moving so I didn't have time to get bored.

George Stark (Teodoro Corrà), a wealthy industrialist, invites several business friends and their partners to his island retreat for the weekend, with the intention of convincing scientist Gerry Farrell (William Berger) to sell his secret formula for a new industrial resin. Philanthropist Gerry isn't interested in making a deal, intending instead to make his invention public, a fact that forces one or more of the guests to turn to murder.

The general consensus seems to be that this is one of director Mario Bava's weakest efforts (even Bava himself was reportedly not fond of the film, being contractually obliged to direct); I can't really comment much on that since I've seen too few of his films to compare, but what I can say is that, even though I found the twists and turns of this Italian variation of Agatha Christie's Ten little Indians virtually impossible to fathom (especially the twist ending), there were still enough positives to make it worth a go.

As with many a giallo, the female cast are very easy on the eye, with genre regular Edwige Fenech stripping off whenever possible as always. There are numerous murders, and although they all occur off-screen (we get to see just the aftermath), the hanging up of the steadily growing number bodies in a meat locker is wonderfully macabre and darkly amusing. The jazzy score is super cool, perfectly complementing the wonderful '60s/'70s architecture and decor of the island's house. And despite Bava's purported disinterest, there is still an unmistakable sense of style, with effective uses of whip-pans and rapid zooms, and at least one stunning scene worthy of a genius, wherein a display of glass balls roll down a spiral staircase, along the floor, and into a bathtub where a woman has committed suicide.

All said and done, if this is his worst, I really must check out his best.

This 1970 rendition inspired by "Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None" regarding the known plot , as various people (William Berger , Ira von Fürstenberg , Edwige Fenech , Howard Ross , Mauricio Poli , Ely GalleaniIi) are invited by a mysterious host , industrialist George Stark (Teodor Corra) , to relax on his desolate island so that they can exploit the monetary value of one of the guests' revolutionary resin formula . As the group of investment speculators attempt to talk scientist Gerry Farrell (William Berger) into selling the rights of the new formula while they stand at the wild weekend retreat on the private island . But Farrel seems disinterested and tempers rise with the stakes . The wives and girlfriends along for the fun and erotic games feel the tension as their men stray , or attempt to get them to use sex to close a deal . Then a murderer within the group disrupts the proceeding . Once the killings start the possibility of anyone trusting anyone is left far behind . As someone begins to kill them one by one , choosing grisly methods to murder . Freely based on the popular novel Ten Little Indians and subsequent stage play by Agatha Christie about a unseen killer who sequentially knocks off the visitors . Agatha Christie tale of 10 people invited to an isolated place , hovering around mouthing chunks of exposition while waiting to get murdered . The guests discuss and argue each other , only to find that an unseen person is killing them one by one . Just before the gripping climax of the film , you will be given some seconds to guess the killer's identity ! The film will pause and on the screen you will see clues to help you decide who the murderer is...but the person in suspect is always the person who is murdered next . There is no way for any of them to flee , so they set about attempting to determine who their hidden host might be and where he might be hiding . Island of terror!

Whodunit in which some guests have been invited by an entrepeneur , joining various colleagues and their wives , being key figure a brilliant chemist who has some investment ideas , when they are all gathered, they're distrusting to each other , while the competitors try to cheat one another with secret bids ; subsequently , the people are being killed off one by one . A psychological thriller in which a number of strangers are forced to come face to face with their sinister aims after receiving invitation to an isolated location off the civilization . Passable adaptation , though the script is unfaithful to the original Agatha Christie novel , being more an inspiration than a correct retelling . Excruciantly tense and so-so recounting with the usual suspicious characters , packing tension , thrills , chills , twists and turns , but being slowly paced . The whole cast overacts at times and playing cardboard roles against beach scenarios and a luxurious mansion . The cast of connivers is interchangeable , though there's a few familar faces such as : Edwige Fenech , William Berger , Maurice Poli . However , being hard to keep straight and in some cases more easily identifiable by their now-hideous 1970 fashions than the faces .

This medium-budgeted picture is a really slow with some interesting elements , being professionally directed by Mario Bava ; but it sticks little with the original and classic version . Allegedly a professional assignment given Bava with just two days' notice, the movie is a fair murder mystery in which even this filmmaker's visual tricks can't sustain interest enough . It packs an evocative cinematography by Antonio Rinaldi and Mario Bava himself , being shot in Anzio, Rome, Lazio, Dear Studios, Rome, Lazio, Tor Caldara, Lazio where in the Sixties were filmed lots of Peplums . Atmospheric and intriguing score by Piero Umiliani , including lounge sounds and catching songs by Alessandroni . The flick was nicely shot by Mario Bava who made decent horror films until his death .

This is one of the innumerable versions based on Agatha Christie famous novel . The best version (1945) resulted to be the classic by Rene Clair with Barry Fitzgerard , Roland Young , June Duprez , Mischa Auer , C Aubrey Smith , Judith Anderson and Richard Haydn ; furthermore , 1965 version set in Austrian Alps by George Pollock with Hugh O'Brian as Hugh Lombard , Shirley Eaton , Fabian , Leo Genn , Stanley Holloway , Wilfrid Hyde-White and Daliah Lavi. ¨Ten Little Indians¨ (1974) by Peter Colinson with Charles Aznavour , Maria Rohm , Adolfo Celi , Elke Sommer , Stephane Audran , Alberto De Mendoza , Richard Attenborough , Teresa Gimpera . And 1989 rendition ¨Ten little Indians¨, switching from an isolated island to African landscapes located in the sabana , it was shot in South Africa by producers Avi Lerner and Harry Alan Towers directed by Alan Birkinshaw , most actors are mediocre and unknown , though there are three important players as Donald Pleasence , Brenda Vaccaro and Herbert Lom who had acted in a previous remake playing the doctor . Furthermore , a Russian version (1987) by Director: Stanislav Govorukhin with Russia Stars: Vladimir Zeldin, Tatyana Drubich, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy .