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Four
Times That Night DVD released: November 28, 2000 Approximate running time: 83 minutes Aspect ratio: Anamorphic (1.85:1) Rating: NR Sound: ITALIAN: Dolby Digital Mono DVD Release: Image Region Coding: NTSC Region 0 Retail Price: $24.95 |
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| Quick links: [video] [audio] [extras] [overall] |
| The Film |
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A considerable departure from the gothic-tinged horror yarns and
larger-than-life adventure films on which he had forged his well-deserved
reputation, Mario Bava's Four Times That Night (Quante
volte... quella notte) is, to borrow a phrase from Winston
Churchill, a "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma". While at
first glance seemingly little more than a rollicking sex farce (albeit
more tightly scripted and choreographed than most), further analysis
reveals Four Times, like Kurosawa's Rashomon,
to be a cleverly-constructed exploration into the nebulous nature of human
perception. Delving deeper still, Bava's seldom-seen masterpiece (the last
of six collaborations with ace cinematographer, Antonio Rinaldi) is in
essence, like Quentin Tarantino's well-received Pulp Fiction
(and, to a lesser extent, his 1997 follow-up, Jackie Brown),
an investigation into the very mechanics of storytelling. Besieged by the playful advances of handsome, well-to-do Romeo, Gianni Prada (Brett Halsey, whose genre credits include Return of the Fly, Luigi Cozzi's The Black Cat, and an early, uncredited appearance in Jack Arnold's Revenge of the Creature), chaste beauty, Tina (Miss Italy, 1967, Daniela Giordano), reluctantly agrees to accompany the seemingly innocuous playboy on a date. Later that evening, Tina, the recipient of a stern Catholic upbringing, slinks back to her apartment much later than her mother, Sonia, had expected, vainly attempting to conceal her shredded dress. In tears, Tina recounts the details of her ill-fated rendezvous with Gianni, the events of which include her suitor's abrupt transformation from mild-mannered gentleman into salacious, sex-hungry "wild man with turbo hormones", and her successful struggle to retain her virginity. Nursing a throbbing memento of the occasion emblazoned across his forehead, Gianni later recalls a much different scenario to his lounge-crawling companions. In Gianni's tale, Tina is the aggressor, a wanton hellcat demanding hour upon hour of unbridled, uninhibited sex! On the verge of being consumed by Tina's insatiable hunger, Gianni narrowly escapes his fate thanks to the timely appearance of his television producer friends, Giorgio and Esmeralda (gorgeous Valeria Sabel). Yet another take on the evening is delivered by Gianni's voyeuristic doorman, Duccio (Dick Randall, producer of Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks and The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield), who, from his rooftop vantage point, paints Gianni as a cunning homosexual, cleverly luring Tina back to his apartment for delivery into the open arms of his bisexual friend, Esmeralda. The trio of tantalizing tales is followed by what is purported to be the truth behind Tina and Gianni's nocturnal adventures, a shockingly mundane revelation that, in Bava's capable hands, is rendered every bit as outlandish as those that had preceded it... |
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A master storyteller, Bava has littered Four Times That Night with symbolic clues, both subtle and glaringly evident, that hammer home the subjective nature of reality. In Bava's universe, every entity is cast as creator, casually making and remaking the world in their own image based upon their perceptions. Like David Lynch's landmark Twin Peaks, Four Times is rife with images of duality. From the Rorschach ink blots featured in the film's stunning animated intro (eventually transforming into butterflies, fortuitously fluttering to and fro, their flight illustrating the elusiveness of truth), to the doorman's two-sided nude paper dolls, Gianni's abstract art-bedecked bachelor pad, and the sequence during which Tina transforms her surroundings by staring through a rose-colored (how appropriate!) vase, everything in Four Times is up for interpretation and nothing, no matter how inconsequential, is really as it seems. In addition, Gianni is often referred to as a werewolf (an entity that, under the right circumstances, transforms from one state to another), the Devil (the master of lies and deception), and Dracula (a being whose true nature was very different from that which appeared on the surface). Even when taken at face value, Four Times is a deeply rewarding experience. Although Bava's lack of lira with which to realize his vision is apparent, the film nonetheless looks as lavish as his bigger-budgeted efforts, a staggering testament to the Italian maestro's total mastery of his chosen medium. Four Times' most stunning sequence, a cavernous gathering of wigged-out hippies and artists surrounded by what appear to be huge, candy-colored globes and massive sculptures was reported by Alfredo Leone to have been constructed by the director with little more than a handful of ornaments and some judiciously-placed camera setups! While Brett Halsey performs admirably as the film's lead, Ms. Giordano is undeniably the film's main attraction, her impossibly long, shapely legs and luscious lips stealing every scene in which they appear. And, a rare combination even today, she can act, as well. Note
about the ratings: Media Unleashed didn't
instate a number scale when this review was originally posted --
therefore, as editor of DVD Maniacs, I decided to add the scale with my
opinion on the video should rate. However the critiques below are Vince's.
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| Video | 3/5 | |
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| Audio | 3/5 | |
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| Coriolano Gori's jazzy, funkified score is serviced well by the disc's mono soundtrack, as is the dialogue, fleshed out further by unobtrusive, easy-to-read removable subtitles. |
| Extras | 1.5/5 | |
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| Wrapped in Michael Burg's wonderfully-designed, audio-enhanced menus, Four Times is accompanied by a seven-image still gallery (most of which are reproduced on the packaging and liner notes), comprehensive Bava biography and filmography sections, and an exhaustive liner essay by the world's preeminent Bava historian, Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas. |
| Overall | 3/5 | |
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| By all accounts, Image's restoration of Four Times That Night stands as one of the year's most surprising and essential releases. |
| Film Rating | DVD Rating | |||
| Director: | Mario Bava |
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| Writers: | Mario Moroni and Charles Ross |
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| Released: | 1969 |
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| Cast: | Daniela Giordano, Brett Halsey, Dick Randall, Valeria Sabel, Michael Hinz, Rainer Basedow, Brigitte Skay, Calisto Calisti, Pascale Petit, Marina Cavorgna |
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