Mario Bava

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Lamberto Bava.

Mario Bava (July 31, 1914-April 27, 1980) was an Italian director and cinematographer remembered as one of the greatest names from the golden age of Italian horror movies.

[edit] Biography

Mario Bava was born in Sanremo, Liguria.

In 1960 he directed one of the first Italian gothic horror movies of the 1960s: La maschera del demonio (Black Sunday) which made a star out of Barbara Steele. His use of light and dark in black and white movies is widely acclaimed along with his use of colors in films like I tre volti della paura (Black Sabbath) (1963) and La Frusta e il corpo (The Whip and The Body) (1963).

His work has proved very influential: Bava directed what is called the first Italian giallo movie, La ragazza che sapeva troppo (The Girl Who Knew Too Much) (1963), and his 1965 sci-fi horror Terrore nello spazio (Planet of the Vampires) was a key influence on Alien (1979). Diabolik (1968) was one of the world's first comic book adaptations, while 1971's Reazione a catena (also known as Twitch of the Death Nerve & Bay of Blood) is considered to be one of the earliest slasher films.

Mario Bava has a son, Lamberto Bava, who also achieved a movie-directing career.

[edit] Filmography as director

I Vampiri (1957 uncredited co-direction)
Caltiki - Il mostro immortale (1959, uncreditec co-direction)
La Maschera del demonio (Black Sunday, 1960)
Ester ed il re (Esther and the King) (1960, co-directiobn)
Le meraviglie di Aladino (The Wonders of Aladdin, 1960 - Only some scenes)
Ercole al centro della terra (Hercules in the Haunted World, 1961)
Gli invasori (Erik The Conqueror, 1961)
La ragazza che sapeva troppo (The Girl Who Knew Too Much, 1963)
I tre volti della paura (Black Sabbath, 1963)
La frusta e il corpo (The Whip and The Body, 1963)
Sei donne per l'assassino (Blood and Black Lace, 1964)
La strada per Forte Alamo (The Road to Fort Alamo, 1964)
Terrore nello spazio (Planet of the Vampires, 1965)
Ringo del Nebraska (Savage Gringo, 1966 - Uncredited)
Operazione paura (Kill, Baby... Kill!, 1966)
I coltelli del vendicatore (Knives of the Avenger, 1966)
Le spie vengono dal semi freddo (Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, 1966)
Diabolik (Danger: Diabolik, 1968)
Roy Colt & Winchester Jack (1970)
5 bambole per la luna d'agosto (Five Dolls for an August Moon, 1970)
Il Rosso segno della follia (Hatchet for the Honeymoon, 1970)
Reazione a catena (A Bay of Blood/Twitch of the Death Nerve, 1971)
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga (Baron Blood, 1972)
Quante volte... quella notte (Four Times That Night, 1972)
Lisa e il diavolo (Lisa and the Devil, 1973)
La casa dell'esorcismo (House of Exorcism, 1974 - Edited version of Lisa and the Devil)
Cani arrabbiati (Rabid Dogs, 1974)
Shock (Beyond the Door II, 1977)