Danger: Diabolik

Danger: Diabolik

  • Author: Hunt, Leon
  • Publisher: Columbia University Press
  • Serie: Cultographies
  • ISBN: 9780231851121
  • eISBN Pdf: 9780231851121
  • Place of publication:  New York , United States
  • Year of digital publication: 2018
  • Month: February
  • Language: English
Danger: Diabolik (1968) was adapted from a comic that has been a social phenomenon in Italy for over fifty years, featuring a masked master criminal—part Fantômas, part James Bond—and his elegant companion Eva Kant. The film partially reinvents the character as a countercultural prankster, subverting public officials and the national economy, and places him in a luxurious and futuristic underground hideout and Eva in a series of unforgettable outfits. A commercial disappointment on its original release, Danger: Diabolik's reputation has grown along with that of its director, Mario Bava, the quintessential cult auteur, while the pop-art glamour of its costumes and sets have caught the imagination of such people as Roman Coppola and the Beastie Boys.

This study examines its status as a comic-book movie, including its relation both to the original fumetto and to its sister-film, Barbarella. It traces its production and initial reception in Italy, France, the U.S., and the UK, and its cult afterlife as both a pop-art classic and campy "bad film" featured in the final episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
  • Table of Contents
  • Acknowledgements
  • Introduction: Diabolik, chi sei?
  • 1. From fumetto nero to ‘wild and kooky cape-opera’: Production, promotion, initial reception
  • 2. ‘Uh-oh – it’s getting groovy!’: The cult afterlife of Danger: Diabolik
  • 3. Fantômas all’italiana: Analysis
  • 4. Genius of Crime: The place of the film
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

By subscribing, you accept our Privacy Policy