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:

He robs from the rich to give to the girls!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Phillip Law was asked to audition for Diabolik by Dino De Laurentiis as a favor because the filming of Barbarella (1968), for which Law had already been cast in as Pygar, had been postponed. An avid comic book fan since childhood, Law studied Angela Giussani and Luciana Giussani's original "fumetti" for inspiration, as he had done for Barbarella. Upon realizing that the most distinctive aspect of Diabolik's physical appearance was his eyebrows, he applied mascara to his own and trained himself to convey a wide array of expressions with them. Upon meeting with De Laurentiis and Mario Bava, the director exclaimed "Ah, questo Diabolik!" ("This is Diabolik!"), indicating to Law that he had won the part.

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Goofs

When Eva stops at the filling station, the road is only slightly wet. Two shots later, when she's being watched by the agent, it is raining distinctly and the road is really wet.

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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 most widely seen version, seen on Mystery Science Theatre 3000, has trimmed many scenes so it could fit in the 2-hour time slot, along with the host segments.

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Connections

Referenced in Frankenstein 90 (1984)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

If you enjoy 60s pop culture, comic books, Pop Art, psychedelia, trash and the Bond and Flint movies then don't miss 'Diabolik'!

A quick glance at the user comments for 'Diabolik' will show that it is a movie which divides people to say the least. Some misguided fools and the asinine Mystery Science Theatre 3000 gang (who actually screened an edited version of the movie when they parodied it in their last episode) think it is one of the worst movies ever made. I pity them. The rest of us (including Mike Myers and The Beastie Boys - see their "Body Movin'" video for an affectionate homage) love it as one of the best examples of 1960s Pop Art kitsch. 'Modesty Blaise' was I think the first of the 60s European comic book adaptations in this style, followed closely by 'Barbarella' and then 'Diabolik'. Later in the early 70s there was 'Baba Yaga', the last gasp for this short lived genre. Too bad, because I just can't get enough of this stuff! 'Diabolik's director Mario Bava is a horror legend largely because of brilliant movies like 'Black Sunday' and 'Kill, Baby... Kill!' but he was in fact very versatile, not just making Gothic horror classics, but also science fiction, westerns, Hercules movies and hard boiled crime thrillers. And then there's 'Diabolik', something else again. John Phillip Law, who played the blind angel Pygar in 'Barbarella', as well as appearing in cult favourites like 'Death Rides A Horse' and 'Open Season', is perfectly cast as Diabolik. Many criticize Law's performance, which is admittedly pretty wooden, but I didn't have a problem with it. He suits the material, which let's face it, isn't exactly Shakespeare. Marisa Mell ('Mad Dog') plays Diabolik's beautiful partner in crime Eva Kant, Bunuel regular Michel Piccoli ('Belle De Jour', 'La Grande Bouffe') is Diabolik's nemesis Inspector Ginko, Adolfo Celi ('Thunderball', 'That Man From Rio') plays Valmont, a rival criminal mastermind, and Terry-Thomas ('I'm All Right Jack', The Abominable Dr Phibes') is the Minister Of Finance. Bava was working with quite a small budget (less than half a million US dollars - for comparison 'You Only Live Twice' cost nine MILLION more!) but achieved wonders, a testament to his skill and creativity. It's a very stylish movie with some wonderfully inventive visuals, especially Diabolik's cave which is very impressive considering the lack of money you'd generally expect for this kind of movie. Added to that a fantastic score from Morricone, which many fans believe is one of his very best, if not THE best. If you want to see one of the inspirations for the Austin Powers series, especially if you enjoy 60s pop culture, comic books, Pop Art, psychedelia, trash and the Bond and Flint movies then don't miss 'Diabolik'. The rest of you can wait until 'Bad Boys 3' or whatever drivel you think is a good, fun popcorn movie. In my opinion, anyone who slams this movie is beyond redemption!

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