Danger: Diabolik (1968)

International man of mystery Diabolik and his sensual lover Eva Kant pull off heist after heist, all while European cops led by Inspector Ginko and envious mobsters led by Ralph Valmont are closing in on them.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Angela Giussani (story), Luciana Giussani (story)

Stars:

John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Phillip Law	...	Diabolik
Marisa Mell	...	Eva Kant
Michel Piccoli	...	Inspector Ginko
Adolfo Celi	...	Ralph Valmont
Claudio Gora	...	Police Chief
Mario Donen	...	Sergeant Danek
Renzo Palmer	...	Mr. Hammond - Second Minister of the Interior
Caterina Boratto	...	Lady Clark
Lucia Modugno	...	Prostitute
Annie Gorassini	...	Rose
Carlo Croccolo	...	Lorry Driver
Lidia Biondi	...	Policewoman (as Lidia Biondi C.S.C.)
Andrea Bosic	...	Bank Manager
Federico Boido	...	Joe - Valmont's Henchman
Tiberio Mitri	...	Valmont's Henchman

Storyline

In psychedelic swinging 60s style, the dreaded thief Diabolik wreaks havoc on a generic European country for his own financial gain and amusement. He shares an extravagant underground lair (and a giant bed of money) with his curvaceous, beautiful girlfriend...who uses her awesome powers to help Diabolik foil gangsters and steal billions from the government. As the anti-hero of the film, Diabolik must face off against bumbling cops and revenge-seeking mafiosi.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | death penalty | underground base | jaguar e type | crime syndicate | 

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Taglines:

Meet Diabolik. Slick. Suave. Gentle. Brutal. Wild. Out for all he can take, seduce, or get away with...

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to John Phillip Law, the first choice for the role of Eva Kant was an unknown model from New York, who was a friend of Charlie Bluhdorn, the CEO of Gulf & Western, the conglomerate that owned Paramount Pictures (which had been contracted to distribute the film in the US); she was fired from the film shortly before shooting began. At the suggestion of Barbarella (1968) director Roger Vadim, Catherine Deneuve was cast and lasted for about a week, until Law, Mario Bava and Dino De Laurentiis decided that she was miscast. Bava was asked to recast Eva; after considering both Marilù Tolo and Marisa Mell, he eventually settled on Mell, although he would later cast Tolo as the female lead in Roy Colt & Winchester Jack (1970).

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Goofs

After the emerald heist, as Diabolik is pulling the "mirror" across the road, he is wearing no mask as he begins, then it cuts to a shot with his mask on, then he is mask-less once again as he finishes pulling.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sergeant Danek: All right, how we doing?
Police Officer: The last bag.
[flicks through a small pile of white paper the size of dollar bills]
Police Officer: All plain paper. Hm, very clever! You know, I wonder how security would feel if they knew they were guarding waste paper instead of ten million dollars?
[puts the remaining "bills" into the bag]
Police Officer: Well, seems to be it.

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Alternate Versions

The Region 1/NTSC DVD features English credits and an alternate English dub while many US VHS versions retain the Italian credits and a different English dub than the DVD. Both versions feature the voices of John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell and Terry-Thomas.

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Connections

Version of Diabolik (2020)

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Soundtracks

Deep Down
(uncredited)
Music by Ennio Morricone
Lyrics by Audrey Nohra
Performed by Maria Cristina Brancucci

User Reviews

Under-rated, over-the-top, and down-right swanky!

I've rented "Danger: Diabolik" three times now, and each time I discover more to enjoy. I recommend setting aside any prejudice that may accompany Mario Bava's name (or John Phillip Law's, for that matter), and viewing it with the same frame of mind as you would for viewing a Connery-era Bond film or either of the "Flints": as stylish period pieces; heavy on action, light on plot logic, and all done with tongue-in-cheek.

Sure, Law's acting skills are slight, but so are Connery's. And Diabolik manages a most unusual thing for a super-dude: he is happily faithful to his mate (played by the ravishing Marisa Mell) for the entire film.

The sets are (with one exception) terrific - at least as good as Bond's or Flint's. The costuming, cinematography and action scenes are top-notch. Ennio Morricone's score is just about the best I've heard in it's genre. There are enough plot twists and clever bits to keep anyone interested.

Give it a try; I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

May 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Danger: Diabolik

Filming Locations:

Blue Grotto, Capri, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Marianne Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1