The Roaring Years (1962)

 "I'm teetotal, but I'll take a sip..."

This is, perhaps, a timely film to watch now that the current government of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, are literal fascists. It is sadly necessary to remind ourselves that such things, and such politicians, must not be tolerated. And satirical humour is a perfect way to do this. The fascist, after all, has no sense of humour. How else could they march around in such ridiculous ways?

We begin with footage of Mussolini, followed by a Nuremberg rally. It is 1937; Italian fascism is at its height. there then follows a farce, based on Gogol's "The Government Inspector", in which the notables of the town all mistakenly assume that a young, enthusiastically Fascist insurance salesman is an incognito inspector. The farce works perfectly, both as light comedy and a deeper, more excoriating examination of the kind of man who ends up in positions of authority in societies like this- corrupt, pathetic, with not one ounce of integrity or public spirit.

Nino Manfredi's... protagonist (a Fascist cannot be a hero, however honest) learns some hard truths about human nature, and perhaps there's hope for him: in the final scenes, he gives up the vice of teetotalism. Perhaps there's hope for him yet. And what drives him to this is the reality of the horrors of poverty while corrupt officials live it up. Alas, his honesty loses him the girl. She's not worth it. One must demand moral integrity in a life partner.

Made just seventeen years since the errant Duce was strung up on that lamp post, this film would have hit close to the bone. It depicts many of the absurdities of the era, not least the bachelor tax, or the October 28th tradition of commemorating the march on Rome by locking up dissidents for a day or two... while being really apologetic, civilised, and ensuring said dissidents were well supplied with good food and good wine. 

Black Sabbath (1963)

 "I do hope you haven't come alone..."

What is this that stands before me? Figure in black that points at me? Well, no, it's Mario Bava's most famous film, a highlight of Boris Karloff's career and, of course, famously seen at the cinema by one Geezer Butler.

It's also an extraordinarily shot film, wit studio and location made to look creepily effective by means of camera framing, movement and a thoughtful deployment of a colour palette based around magenta and green. This is a film that plays around, and has fun with, the concept of what is a horror B movie and what is a more serious film, and deliberately blurs the distinction. It's a portmanteau film based on short stories by such names as Chekhov, Tolstoy and Maupassant, yet the script cheerfully diverges from the source material in the pursuit of the grand guignol, artistically depicted.

The three tales are each very different, with effective twists, but all have in common the very effective use of tension- as well as the use of the camera to make elements that may look cheap or ineffective in the hands of a lesser director look terrifying. The first tale has overtones of male violence against women, yet is told from a female perspective (and gaze), while the second tale, with Karloff truly oustanding, is a clever take on the vampire myth, moving it to a creepy rutal Russia of Czernobog gloom. The third tale may be the slightest, but it perfectly illustrates how much Bava can do, even with relatively basic material, to wring the maximum amount of effectively paced and creepily shot horror out of whatever he's given with.

An impressive film but although, yes, Karloff is ecelent, essentially this is an example of a film raised from the ordinary to the extraordinary by superb direction. Bava is magnificent.