Une nuit mouvementée

While walking in the park with her dog, Tina Brandt (Daniela Giodarno) is flirted by the playboy Gianni Prada (Brett Halsey) in his fancy sport car. They schedule a date for the night, and Tina dresses her elegant and expensive dress. They go to a night club to dance and Tina returns home late night. Her mother Sofia (Valeria Sabel) sees Tina sneaking with her dress torn apart and Tina tells that Gianni tried to rape her. On the next morning, Gianni tells a different story to his friend. Later, the doorman (Dick Randall) tells another version of the story. Last but not the least, the possible truth is disclosed.

"Four Times That Night" is a surprisingly delightful and erotic romantic comedy of the master of horror and thriller Mario Bava. The plot brings an immediate association with "Rashômon", with four versions of the same story told by four different people. Daniela Giordano, the former Miss Italy 1966, is gorgeous, sexy and hot and it is delightful to see her wearing miniskirts or naked. In 1991, Elizabeth Perkins and Kevin Bacon filmed "He Said, She Said" where they are reporters and give their perspective and opinion of the same event in a variation of this storyline. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Mario Bava, renowned for his gothic horror masterpieces, took an unexpected detour into the realm of sex comedy with "Quante volte... quella notte" (1971). This departure from his usual fare showcases Bava's versatility as a filmmaker, as he infuses the film with his signature visual flair and playful sensibilities.

The film's episodic structure presents a series of vignettes that explore the complexities of modern relationships and sexual dynamics. While some segments are more successful than others in terms of humor and insight, the overall tone remains lighthearted and charming. The ensemble cast delivers engaging performances, particularly in the more comedic moments, adding to the film's overall appeal.

However, "Quante volte... quella notte" is not without its flaws. The pacing can feel uneven at times, with some segments dragging on longer than necessary. Additionally, certain aspects of the film's portrayal of gender roles and sexual politics may come across as dated or problematic to modern audiences.

Despite its shortcomings, "Quante volte... quella notte" remains an enjoyable and often insightful diversion from Bava's more renowned works. While not a masterpiece, the film's lighthearted tone, charming performances, and occasional flashes of insight make it a worthwhile entry in the director's diverse filmography.

Usually known for gothic horror flicks, Mario Bava took a break from that and made this sex comedy in 1971. "Quante volte... quella notte" depicts multiple people giving their accounts of a tryst that took place between a male model and woman whom he came across in the park.

A previous review compared this man to Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon". I wouldn't have initially picked up on that, but I see the similarity. An obvious difference is that "Rashomon" is a multilayered movie while this is simply a fun romp. Personally I thought one scene missed a chance. During the part where the doorman is giving his version, he runs up and down the stairs to music. I thought that they should've used either Jacques Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld" (commonly known as the can-can song) or Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" (commonly used in cartoons to evoke something building up; Daffy Duck and Donald Duck played it on the pianos in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit").

Otherwise, a fun movie. Daniela Giordano was a real piece of eye candy.

It's ironic that Italian horror maestro Mario Bava might have made with this movie what is literally the best sex comedy ever. Not that that is saying a lot--American sex comedies generally range from awful to downright painful, and let's not even speak of British sex comedies. Italian and continental sex comedies are slightly better (but that may only be because they rarely bother to translate them to English so most of the lame jokes and wretched double entendres go over my head, and I just wait around for Edwige Fenech or whoever to take off her clothes again).

Since it was directed by the famed Mario Bava,this movie has been translated into English, but it has an intelligent, conceptual humor that really requires no translation. It's a comic variation on the Japanese melodrama "Rashomon" where a first date between a man and a woman is told from the very different perspectives of him, her, and the doorman. Of course, being a comedy there is no rape and murder as in "Rashomon", but simply a torn dress and scratched forehead. Also, where "Rashomon" eventually resolves the differing accounts with an objective fourth story, the fourth story here is told by a blowhard pop psychologist and is at least as implausible as the other three. The message here seems to be that the truth itself is subjective, which makes this more akin to "Last Year at Marienbad" than "Rashomon" (although it's a lot more fun than either). It's also very subversive--the doorman, for instance, interrupts his obviously very fabricated tale (involving lesbianism and swingers) at the worst times to clean his glasses or go get a pair of binoculars (to the hilarious chagrin of the lecherous milkman he's telling the story to).

The female lead is Daniela Giordano, a former Miss Italy. She was not nearly as ubiquitous in continental sex comedies as Edwige Fenech, but she's very memorable here. She is introduced to the audience bending over in a short skirt playing with her dog,"Coolie", so named she says because of his "coolie nose" (this is a joke people who only speak English might not get, but suffice it to say that Giordano has a really nice "coolie"). The male lead is Brett Halsey who appeared years later in several latter-day Lucio Fulci films. He's not quite as funny here, but at least this movie is SUPPOSED to be a comedy. Definitely recommended for Bava fans and non-Bava fans alike.

A great looking couple share an evening of dancing and groping. But just what happened isn't exactly certain as she has one version of the evening's happenings, he has another and the pervy concierge has yet another tale to tell. And finally there's "the truth" which is explained away be some shrink. Or is it the truth?

Well, this could have been a disaster of a film. Luckily it isn't as Mario Bava, one of Italy's finest visual directors, imbues the film with enough striking imagery, beautiful set design and fluent camera work to keep viewers interested. It's not particularly funny but it has a strange kind of charm to it. But hey, if you're a nut about light sex farces you may find it great.

One thing's for sure; the leading lady (Daniela Giordano, a former miss Italy) is one of the most striking eye candy ever to grace the screen. She also delivers a spirited performance and American Brett Halsey is also quite lively.

Give this a spin on a slow night.