BAVA, MARIO

(1914-1980)

Writer, cinematographer, director. Now internationally acknowledged as the master of Italian B-gradehorror films, Bava learned the craft of special effects photography from his father, Eugenio, a set and special effects designer and cinematographer of the silent era. By the early 1930s Bava had joined his father at the IstitutoLUCEand helped to photograph two ofRoberto Rossellini's earliest shorts,La vispa Teresa(Lively Theresa, 1939) andIl tacchino prepotente(The Bullying Turkey, 1939). He subsequently joined the Scalera studios and worked as a camera operator on Francesco De Robertis'sUomini sul fondo(Men on the Sea Floor, 1941) and Rossellini'sLa nave bianca(The White Ship, 1941) before graduating to cinematographer on Luigi Menardi'sL'avventura di Annabella(Annabella's Adventure, 1943).

In the immediate postwar period he made a number of documentaries before initiating a partnership with directorPietro Francisci, for whom he photographedNatale al campo 119(Christmas at Camp 119, 1948) andAntonio di Padova(Anthony of Padua, 1949). After also working with, among others,StenoandMario MonicellionVita da cani(A Dog's Life, 1950) andGuardie e ladri(Cops and Robbers, 1951) andMario CamerinionGli eroi della domenica(Sunday Heroes, 1954), he provided sets, special effects, cinematography, and codirection forRiccardo Freda's seminalIvampiri(The Devil's Commandment, 1957). He then worked with Francisci again onLe fatiche di Ercole(Hercules, 1957), the film that initiated thepeplumgenre, before making his solo directorial debut withLa maschera del demonio(Black Sunday, 1960), the film with which he is generally regarded as having laid the foundation for all subsequent Italian horror films.

There followedErcole al centro della terra(Hercules and the Haunted World, 1961), an interesting mixture of the peplum and horror genres, and the Viking adventure fantasyGli invasori(Erik the Conqueror, 1961) beforeLa ragazza che sapeva troppo(The Evil Eye, 1962), regarded by many as the first truegiallo.This was quickly followed by several more accomplished, if small-budget, exercises in gothic horror:I tre volti della paura(Black Sabbath, 1963), three separate stories, one of which stars the legendary actor Boris Karloff; andLa frusta e il corpo(The Whip and the Body, 1963), made under the pseudonym John M. Old. A year later,Sei donne per l'assassino(Blood and Black Lace, 1963) confirmed Bava's unequalled mastery of thegiallo. Ever resourceful and versatile, Bava then tried his hand at a Western,La strada per Fort Alamo(The Road to Fort Alamo, 1964), before merging science fiction with horror inTerrore nello spazio(Planet of the Vampires, 1965), a film that in many ways anticipated Ridley Scott'sAlien(1979). After the hilarious spy-film spoofLe spie vengono dal semifreddo(Dr. Gold-foot and the Girl Bombs, 1966), Bava returned to the supernatural horror genre withOperazione paura(Kill, Baby, Kill, 1966), which he followed with the stylish, if rather kitschy, adaptation of the exploits of the comic-book master criminal,Diabolik(1968).

After another foray into the Western genre, Bava returned to thegiallowith5 bambole per la luna d'agosto(Island of Terror, 1970), a remake of Agatha Christie'sTen Little Indians, which was quickly followed byEcologia del Delitto(Twitch of the Death Nerve, 1971) andGli orrori del castello di Norimberga(Baron Blood, 1972), both of which were generally regarded as disappointing.Lisa e il diavolo(Lisa and the Devil), made in 1972 but only released internationally in 1975 in a much reedited version (and retitledLa casa dell'esorcismo The House of Exorcismin order to cash in on the release of William Friedkin'sThe Exorcist), also proved to be something of a flop. His final feature,Shock(Beyond the Door II, 1977), the story of an apparently possessed child, similarly failed to restore his stocks. After codirecting an episode of a television compilation film,Il giorno del diavolo(The Day of the Devil, 1978), with his son, Lamberto, Bava's last contribution to film was as cinematographer and special effects director onDario Argento'sInferno(1980).