Welcome to Mario May, where we’ll be discussing the films of Mario Bava. Now, we’ve already discussed several of them over the years, so be sure to review our thoughts on those by searching “mario bava” from the Home page (or by clicking the links in the filmography below.) This month, we’ll discuss some Bava films I watched for the first time, beginning with…
There’s a sublime sequence near the end of Hercules in the Haunted World (1961.) Princess Deianira (Leonora Ruffo) is shown in an angled close-up as she hears a scream and whips her head around toward the hallway. Venturing slowly toward it, she finds her friend, Electra (Grazia Collodi), dead and lying in a pool of blood. As the camera slowly pans up toward the edge of the red pool, we see Lico’s (Christopher Lee) face reflected in it.
Unfortunately, it’s too little too late for this mixed bag of a movie. The biggest disconnect for me was the contrast between the two worlds where the story unfolds. In the “haunted world” or “underworld” or “center of the earth,” we bask in the colorful glory of director Mario Bava’s vision. However, on the surface of the real world, the contrast of plain old rocks, hills, foliage, and streams looks washed out and even slightly out of focus.
It’s too jarring for some reason with no smooth transition or acknowledgement like we might see in something like The Wizard of Oz (1939.) No, I’m not comparing the two films. This is a different type of fantasy, one grounded in mythology and a character most of us learned at one point was the son of the god, Zeus. Scantily clad with bulging muscles, Hercules (Reg Park) can toss huge boulders in the air like they’re baseballs.
Using character names from the original Italian version, Ercole (Reg Park) and Teseo (George Ardisson), along with comic relief Telemaco (Franco Giacobini) go on an adventure to retrieve a green rock (that looks like Kryptonite) in order to save La principessa Deianira (Ruffo) and possibly the entire world. Harryhausen without any effects, this part of the plot is familiar.
Believe it or not, this is the first peplum/sword and sandal movie, much less Hercules movie, that I’ve ever seen. I get the feeling they lean more heavily toward impossible feats of action rather than the imaginary creatures of Sinbad. The monster made of rock that is obviously a man in a suit, though, is surprisingly effective, especially as Ercole throws it through the wall, opening the gate to vibrantly colored Hell.
Little does Ercole know, although we witnessed it before the credits rolled, that Lico has orchestrated events to make him the master of light and dark. He’s responsible for the mist that rolled down from the mountains to sicken the kingdom. It’s the unseen god, Pluto, though, that causes more damage when his daughter, Myosotide (Ida Galli), escapes from Hell with the lothario, Teseo.
There are decent plot complications and a terrific finale where Ercole faces various specters of the dead in signature Bava style. Overall, though, the movie is inconsistent. Having nothing with which to compare it, I enjoyed the experience. On the other hand, there’s nothing other than the appearance of Lee and the participation of Bava to cause me to venture further down this sub-sub-genre rabbit hole.
I watched the Hercules at the Center of the Earth version on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray because I’ll always favor a film in its original language with subtitles. At least, I think that’s what I got? I also wanted to hear Christopher Lee dubbing his own voice, but I honestly can’t say if this was it.
Mario Bava Filmography (Director)
1957
Lust of the Vampire (uncredited)
1958
The Day the Sky Exploded (uncredited)
1959
Hercules Unchained (uncredited)
Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (uncredited)
The Giant of Marathon (uncredited)
1960
Black Sunday
Esther and the King (Italian Version)
1961
The Wonders of Aladdin
Hercules in the Haunted World
Erik the Conqueror
To be continued…
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