Danger: Diabolik!

Watching the featurette that accompanies this DVD did help me to appreciate this movie more. Namely, that Diabolik (pronounced Dee-abolik in the Italian) is an anti-hero thief rather than a government sponsored spy and is all about 'sticking it to The Man' as befits the 1960s counterculture. Being Italian, it also contrasts with the American idea of a superhero. The Italians lost the last war, they had Mussolini and no faith in the government. This anti-hero is on the same page, whereas Superman is all in favour of the President. I suppose this is the superhero's answer to Burlesconi.

Point no 2: unlike Fleming's James Bond, Diabolik is based on a comic strip hero and many of the shots mirror that panel shape in the way they're framed: the shot of the couple talking, reflected in the rear view mirror of a car, for instance. For all that, the style is more dynamic than other comic-based films like Barbarella.

Otherwise, it's astonishing how many scenes anticipate similar ones in Bond films, from the opening helicopter car chase along the winding mountaintop road which predates that of The Spy Who Loved Me by nine years, along with other scenes that pop up in Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, A View to A Kill and GoldenEye.

Sadly Diabolik (played by John Philip Law, who was the angel in Barberella) is a humourless blank, a charisma-free zone who scarcely utters a witticism in the entire film. I think the only reason such lusty or promiscuous attitudes prevailed in the 1960s is because the likes of Sean Connery and Michael Caine put a positive spin on it.

This is a guy in superhero guise who has no alter ego - and therefore no social life. Batman has Bruce Wayne, Superman has Clark Kent. He is just Diabolik and when he retreats to his lair to bang his bird, fine, but he doesn't actually have any mates at all so it's hard to connect with him. It's like if Superman decided to not bother to save lives but just went on Viking-like pillages once in a while, holing up in the Fortress of Solitude every so often to shag his mistress and count the cash.

The anti-hero and his girl are so unlikeable and ruthless that you do feel excluded from their activities. They remind me of the charmless pair from Topaki, though the film has more to offer than that and is superior to many Bond knock-offs of the day.

What's the matter with you people? Doesn't anyone enjoy a good, fun, cheesy Italian spy flick anymore? These are the same people who don't like Godzilla films because they can't get over the low-budget special effect and the "silliness", and who can't tolerate anything different than mega-budget hollywood blockbusters, and that just breaks my heart. I kind of enjoyed seeing it on MST3K, but I was dissappointed that they included it in the same league as the truly awful (but no les enjoyable) Hobgoblins and Space Mutiny. This is one of the great 60s films as far as i'm concerned. What really sets the films apart is stylish cinematography and direction by the great, sadly underappreciated Mario Bava, also responsible for great films like Black Sabbath, Planet of the Vampires, Bay of Blood, Lisa and the Devil, and the gritty, cynical Rabid Dogs, which was a real surprise after Diabolik. (Even if you hated Diabolik, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of Rabid Dogs). Also noteworthy is the psychedelica-tinged score by the great Ennio Morricone, my favorite film composer.

This movie has instantly become one of my very favorite Mario Bava features. Think James Bond, as a suave master thief, filmed in a psychedelic, occasionally campy, comic book style. (Diabolik was a comic first.) Add to that some fun humor and very fitting themes by the legendary Ennio Morricone, and you have one cool, little cult flick! The cheap DVD comes with some great extras, like a pleasant and informative commentary by star John Phillip Law and Bava expert Time Lucas. The short featurette was very good too, going over just how well Bava captured the comic book stylings in the film. Recommended purchase! By the way, Diabolik's mask and laugh---perfect.

A quick glance at the user comments for 'Diabolik' will show that it is a movie which divides people to say the least. Some misguided fools and the asinine Mystery Science Theatre 3000 gang (who actually screened an edited version of the movie when they parodied it in their last episode) think it is one of the worst movies ever made. I pity them. The rest of us (including Mike Myers and The Beastie Boys - see their "Body Movin'" video for an affectionate homage) love it as one of the best examples of 1960s Pop Art kitsch. 'Modesty Blaise' was I think the first of the 60s European comic book adaptations in this style, followed closely by 'Barbarella' and then 'Diabolik'. Later in the early 70s there was 'Baba Yaga', the last gasp for this short lived genre. Too bad, because I just can't get enough of this stuff! 'Diabolik's director Mario Bava is a horror legend largely because of brilliant movies like 'Black Sunday' and 'Kill, Baby... Kill!' but he was in fact very versatile, not just making Gothic horror classics, but also science fiction, westerns, Hercules movies and hard boiled crime thrillers. And then there's 'Diabolik', something else again. John Phillip Law, who played the blind angel Pygar in 'Barbarella', as well as appearing in cult favourites like 'Death Rides A Horse' and 'Open Season', is perfectly cast as Diabolik. Many criticize Law's performance, which is admittedly pretty wooden, but I didn't have a problem with it. He suits the material, which let's face it, isn't exactly Shakespeare. Marisa Mell ('Mad Dog') plays Diabolik's beautiful partner in crime Eva Kant, Bunuel regular Michel Piccoli ('Belle De Jour', 'La Grande Bouffe') is Diabolik's nemesis Inspector Ginko, Adolfo Celi ('Thunderball', 'That Man From Rio') plays Valmont, a rival criminal mastermind, and Terry-Thomas ('I'm All Right Jack', The Abominable Dr Phibes') is the Minister Of Finance. Bava was working with quite a small budget (less than half a million US dollars - for comparison 'You Only Live Twice' cost nine MILLION more!) but achieved wonders, a testament to his skill and creativity. It's a very stylish movie with some wonderfully inventive visuals, especially Diabolik's cave which is very impressive considering the lack of money you'd generally expect for this kind of movie. Added to that a fantastic score from Morricone, which many fans believe is one of his very best, if not THE best. If you want to see one of the inspirations for the Austin Powers series, especially if you enjoy 60s pop culture, comic books, Pop Art, psychedelia, trash and the Bond and Flint movies then don't miss 'Diabolik'. The rest of you can wait until 'Bad Boys 3' or whatever drivel you think is a good, fun popcorn movie. In my opinion, anyone who slams this movie is beyond redemption!

Austin Powers simply couldn't have existed without this film, an Italian production (produced by the estimable Dino De Laurentiis, who also brought us Barbarella, Amityville II: The Possession, Orca, the 1976 King Kong, and numerous other cheesy gems). With it's swingin' 60s sets, outfits and attitude, this movie (and Barbarella) is essential viewing for those curious about the origins of Austin Powers. In fact, this movie can be seen as a sort of companion piece to Barbarella, as it shares a very similar tone and look, as well as one of the stars, John Phillip Law. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it's Pygar, here without his wings and in tight black leather.

Unlike Barbarella, which comes off as far more cheesy than its makers intended, this one has its tongue firmly in cheek from the start, and never seems to lose control. Diabolik steals whatever the biggest loot around is, seemingly for the thrill of it, and the way it seems to enhance sex with his fabulous girlfriend Eva. They enjoy having sex on a spinning round bed with 10 million dollars in cash splayed all over it. I suppose I would, too, if anyone were ever to ask. They never do. Anyway, they perpetrate a number of crimes, making Scotland Yard look like fools in the process, and that's pretty much the movie.

The sets and costumes are--there's no other word--fabulous. And what really makes this movie fun is how freely the director will just stop everything to show how cool a set is, how outrageous an outfit is, whatever. He really shows how fun it would be to be Diabolik, and Diabolik himself seems to really enjoy what he does, which makes the film enjoyable for everyone.

The DVD for this film includes a Beastie Boys video that cleverly interweaves shots from the film with the boys playing Diabolik and various others, which is all based on a sequence from the film. There's also a documentary, which I didn't watch. Amazingly, the trailer gives away the very end of the movie! It's inexplicable.

Not much more to say about it. The plot is so simple you can very clearly follow it even with the movie on silent fast-forward, but the point is not so much the story as the look, clothes, and attitude. And it's got all of those in spades.

--- Check out my website on bad and cheesy movies, Cinema de Merde. Find the URL in my email address above.