Short Night of Glass Dolls

It often happen to see movies in which it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to understand why some people decide to make evil actions. In Kubrick Eyes Wide Shut, for example, it is not clear why so many people decide to act in such a way (I refer to the orgy and rituals of the old mansion) and this is probably because such reason is eventually not functional to the real message of the story. On the contrary, in this obscure but very enjoyable Italian giallo, the ritual has its logical explanation, which is also nicely hidden in the title of the movie (short night...glass dolls...): it is a desperate and illusory attempt to keep young, to fight death. But also, as it has been suggested by the director himself, an attempt of the old generation to live at the expenses of the young ones (a political statement nowadays even more real and rue than it was back in the '70s). Beyond this simple concept, the movie itself develops quite nicely, supported by a good cast and a nice score by Morricone. Prague looks the perfect location and the final is quite unusual and strong... Definitely worth seeing and rediscovering it... another Italian hidden gem from the Seventies!