Mario Bava’s Caltiki comes to Blu
Review of Caltiki: The Immortal Monster (1959), directed by Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda, and released in a near-perfect Blu-ray package by Arrow Films / MVD Visual.
Tag: Mario Bava
Journeys to the Center of the Earth
Reviews of two films in which characters go below the Earth’s surface: the 1959 classic adaptation of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and Mario Bava’s fun Hercules in the Haunted World (1961).
DVD: Hercules in the Haunted World (1961)
The success of Black Sunday (1960) for American studio AIP and his special effects work on Hercules and the Captive Women (1961) in Italy led to Bava being hired to helm a new Hercules film with a three week production schedule. Lucky for Bava, the franchise mandated colour and ‘scope cinematography…
The Films of Jack H. Harris, Part 1: The Blob and its unlikely spawn
First of a multi-part retrospective on producer Jack H. Harris starting with the original 1958 production of The Blob + its 1972 sequel, the 1988 remake (new on Blu from Twilight Time), Mario Bava’s fun Blob riff, Caltiki (1959) + respective soundtrack reviews.
BR: Caltiki – The Immortal Monster / Caltiki – il mostro immortale (1959)
Already an esteemed cinematographer and wonderful effects whiz, Mario Bava remained a reluctant director – reportedly wanting to move into the director’s chair, but keeping a deliberate distance – so it took some clever maneuvering by Riccardo Freda, Calitiki’s original director, to give Bava a taste of directing a full movie…
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