(aka "5 bambole per la luna d'agosto" or "Island of Terror" or "Five Dolls for an August Moon")

 

directed by Mario Bava
Italy 1970

Obviously taking its inspiration (uncredited) from Agatha Christie's mystery thriller, Ten Little Indians, Bava's film is about a group of decadent jet-setters on holiday on an virtually deserted Mediterranean island. Soon they will be picked off, one by one, by a mysterious killer. Since this is Mario Bava behind the wheel, you'd expect this film to deliver some distinctive shocks in the style of his later effort, Twitch of the Death Nerve, but FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON is less a violent thriller than a black comedy. Some may even consider it an abstract exercise, closer in form to a jazzy improvisation. Not only do most of the murders occur off-camera but standard suspense techniques are abandoned while Bava goes in for the odd detail - a character hiding a feather boa in a rock, a plastic wrapped corpse in a deep freeze, a dish of marbles spilling onto a floor. All of this nonsense is set to a hypnotic, percolating score by Piero Umiliani which will make you deliriously happy, even as the corpses are piling up on the screen. Why Bava hated his film is hard to fathom but it's easy to see why fans of his gorier thrillers were disappointed. However, as an exercise in cinematic style, FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON is hard to beat and there is nothing else quite like it, something that is obvious from the first five minutes of the film where Eurotrash sexpot Edwige Fenech is undulating on a living room table while her companions look on with a mixture of boredom and bemusement. The references to Fellini's La Dolce Vita are apt but this is guilt-free decadence and FUN is the operative word here.

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 14 February 1970 (Italy)

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for all the Screen Caps!

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Distribution

Image Entertainment

Region 0 - NTSC

 Anchor Bay
Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime 1:18:12 1:21:06
Video

1.81:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.11 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.84:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.22 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

 

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:

 

Image Entertainment

 

Bitrate:

 

Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2)

 

Audio Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)

Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles English, None English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Image Entertainment

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.81:1

Edition Details:
• Isolated Music & Effects Track
• Mario Bava Biography & Liner Notes by Tim Lucas
• Director, Stars & Composer Filmographies
• Photo & Poster Gallery
• Trailers for other Mario Bava Collection titles

DVD Release Date: May 15, 2001
Snapper Case

Chapters 12

Release Information:
Studio: Anchor Bay

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.84:1

Edition Details:
• None
 

DVD Release Date: October 23, 2007
Slimline

Chapters 16

 

Comments

Unfortunately, this film loses more than it gains from the Anchor Bay reiisue. The plus is anamorphic transfer and a bit of digital cleanup. However, compared to Image disc, Anchor Bay transfer looks a bit squeezed on the sides and has less red, more blue color. We also don't have all the extras and tracks from original soundtrack, that are presented on Image disc over a menu screens. Anchor Bay also didn't bother to include music and effects track which is not essential, but nice to have just to enjoy Bava's beautiful cinematography.

We recommend to upgrade to Anchor Bay disc only if you're buying the whole box set (right now, you can't get it any other way), but don't discard of your old Image disc just yet.

 - Gregory Meshman

 


DVD Menus
(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)


 

 

 

 

 

Screen Captures

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
Subtitle sample NOTE: Not exact frame!

 

 

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Anchor Bay (Mario Bava Collection Volume 2) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Anchor Bay

Sound:

Anchor Bay / Image for isolated music and effects track
Extras: Image
Menu: Image (for complete tracks from film's soundtrack over menus)

 
DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Distribution

Image Entertainment

Region 0 - NTSC

 Anchor Bay
Region 1 - NTSC

 

 




 

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