Customer Reviews

Mario Bava : All the Colors of the Dark

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I ordered this book directly from the publisher (Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog fame) about 8 years ago. If I remember correctly I paid $95 for it to save $20 off the original Pre-order price of $115. I thought I was making out like a bandit way back then. Being a huge fan of the magazine (and a subscriber for most of it's run) I kept reading updates about the book. It's coming. It's expanding. It's exceeded a 1000 pages! And finally the book arrives (after the price crept up - I believe it topped out at $250.00). Being one of those original Pre-Order people my name is actually in the book (along with - a guess - a 1000 others). Kind of cool, but was it worth the wait, was it worth the investment for that long.

Well, of course, it was. Anyone even remotely aware of the magazine knows about Lucas' perfectionism and quality standards of the magazine (which to this day accepts no outside advertising - only placing a few small ads for things like this book) and those standards are increased 100-fold for the production of this book. Besides the quality of the printing, binding, etc, it is the sheer attention to detail that makes this book overwhelming.

I'm not sure I'll ever read this 1100+ page book cover to cover. The 1/2 a dozen times I've opened it, it's almost overwhelming. The poster reproductions, rare stills, storyboards, unpublished art... pretty soon I'm just looking at the photos and drinking it all in. After an hour I'm pretty much exhausted! While this sounds negative, it's certainly not meant to be. I suppose that one can be exhausted by perfection?

To the book itself... obviously if you are a casual fan, or just love Black Sunday and have never seen another Bava film, this probably isn't the book for you. There are other, more manageable books out there (The Haunted World of Mario Bava by Troy Howarth is certainly a fine place to start). But of course, if you are truly an obsessive fan than there will be no other book to buy.

There is simply no way that you can heap enough praise on this incredible labor of love and obsession from Video Watchdog creator Tim Lucas. From an immensely detailed personal biography of Maestro Bava (complete with super rare family photos that few outside the Bava family have ever seen) to perhaps the most exhaustive career study ever published on anyone in the film world, Lucas offers up a book that is a work of art in and of itself.
Visuals are first rate. Layout, graphics, photo/art reproduction, and printing are exactly what you'd expect from a book bearing this price tag, meaning that it's a VERY lavish book. The quantity and general rarity of photos and art are completely beyond description. Tons of stuff you've NEVER seen before. Bava fans that have ever wondered what Black Sunday would have looked like in color need not wonder any longer. It's all here and then some. If Mario Bava was ever within 100 feet of a movie camera, Lucas documents it thoroughly both in visuals and text. As others have pointed out, it's an overwhelming treat for the mind and eyes.
Also first rate is Lucas' writing. He knows his subject matter as well if not better than anyone and displays a writing style that is very dense with information but yet fluid, organized, and entertaining. His criticism has depth but never veers off into pretentious psycho-babble and is gently provocative enough to cause even the most die-hard Bava fan to rethink many long -held notions. Completely splendid job throughout.
My one and only caveat is that this isn't a book that you curl up with in bed. Due to it's very formidable size and weight, you'll probably need a desk or table to properly savor it's contents, and that's not an exaggeration. It's kind of like trying to read a bowling ball, but that is a remarkably small price to pay for having this wonderful masterpiece.
As previously noted, this book was created and published by the Lucas family, so you would be performing a noble gesture if you bought it directly from them at the Video Watchdog website, but no matter how you do it, BUY THIS BOOK! Long after the mild sting of parting with your dollars subsides, you'll have a book that you'll treasure the rest of your life.

It took me some time to get round to reading this "weighty tome." Far from being disappointed I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of work that has gone into this study and the dedication shown by its author. MARIO BAVA is one of the great film books of the beginning of this century. It not only makes a plausible case for taking the director seriously but is a fascinating study of the cultural, historical, and industrial areas of Italian Cinema, especially in the post-war era. If you can not buy this book then get it from a library. If you can, then you will never regret the money since it is a great investment and a brilliant work by one of the real independent voices in American film criticism.

Excellent Book! I would suggest that people order this book directly from writer and publisher, Tim Lucas rather than buying used. It only cost a few bucks more plus it is autographed and brand new!!!!

Lucas' loving tribute to Italian cinematographer/director Mario Bava is so rich in the visual excesses that defined "cinema Italiana" of the last century, that it transcends it's subject, delivering an impressive overview of the very nature of exploitation cinema of the last 50 years.
Bava's career encompassed nearly every genre of "cinefantastique", and there's always going to be at least one film that any avid American moviegoer will identify here - be it a peplum, horror, science-fiction or western picture. Bava's gifts are explored in fabulous detail by someone who's obviously obsessed with his work, and it's impossible to ignore the passion put into this gigantic work, or the beauty of the presentation.
Mario Bava was basically a visual artiste, and Tim Lucas' book is exactly right for honoring that talent. It's a rich, colorful, imaginative literary achievement. You will be spellbound!