I've seen a version of this film where they all speak italien. But some of you talk about an American version. Are there on in american and one in italien?
"I wonder who the real cannibals are"
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AIP released an English version.
The three tales were presented in a different order with Boris Karloff introducing each one.
There was also a different score, missing / extra scenes & it was minus the "comedy" ending".
Read the notes on the US DVD for the full details!!
I just decided to convert my original VHS of the AIP version to DVD!!
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I have both versions and its really not worth your time to track down the English one unless you are a HUGE Karloff fan. The score is nowhere near as good and "The Telephone" is missing some key scenes.
shareYes there was once the abomination that is the AIP cut. Luckily it has not been released on DVD to corrupt more viewers with its nonsense.
Here's what I hate about it:
-It changes the order of the episodes. Bava wanted progression in different types of fear, hence the original Italian name of the film "The Three Faces of Fear", he intended to start of the film with a stylish thriller; The Telephone. This was structured like a giallo (only they weren't really invented yet) and even saw fit to throw in a lesbian subplot, which was totally ahead of it's time. This worked like a regular suspense driven thriller. AIP cut this segment down, nixing the lesbian subplot, cutting out much of the actual suspense, changing the ending and made it the second segment; which doesn't make sense in any way.
-The second intended story was the Wurdulac, a haunted, creepy tale of vampires, full of atmosphere and dread. AIP made this the last segment. This ups the antsy a bit and is scarier than the first suspenseful entry.
-Drop of Water was placed last. This segment is still today one of the scariest shorts ever made, highlighted by a dummy made by Mario's father.
It ends the film with the right kind of jolt to the system. AIP placed this first!? Obviously it makes no sense to place the most frightening story first, and then the other stories will seem dull in comparison, especially the intended first story The Telephone especially since AIP saw fit to cut it down and sanitize it.
AIP didn't stop there though, they, thinking that the audience needs music to tell them how to react to the scenes removed Roberto Nicolosi's impressive and sparingly used score, (another feature well ahead of it's time) and replaced it with a droning old school score by Lex Baxter using the technique of "Mickey Mousing"; telling the audience what to feel through the music at any given time in the film. This effectively dumb down the film and the music is not fitting for the action on screen, although it does strike the chords at the right time.
What AIP did when making all these changes was to insult Bava by effectively ruining his film, short changing his artistic vision and rendering his excellent film impotent. The worst thing about this whole ordeal was that this cut was shipped around to all English speaking nations. What a nerve!
And some people still champion this as their favourite version of the film; their reasoning being either nostalgic or the ability to listen to Boris Karlof's English speaking voice in an Italian film. Absurd!
One should judge a man mainly from his depravities.Virtues can be faked.Depravities are real.Kinski
Thanks for the thoughtful reflection on the differences between the two versions. I just got the Bava Box set, and I'll admit that I'm curious about the American versions of the films, but it's good to know they pail in comparison so that I'm not missing too much. Still, I'm sure the comparison is interesting. But between the Tim Lucas commentary and your reflections I have a better idea of what the differences are, so thanks!
"I grew up watching TV and I turned out TV." - Homer Simpson
i like the AIP version... so *beep* you.
share The AIP version is a disgrace and I agree that nostalgia seems to be the only reason some people give it the edge. I can see someone liking it because they grew up with it. I grew up watching BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, and while it holds a nice place in my heart, I have to agree that it's a terrible hackjob of GATCHAMAN and in many ways very similar to what AIP would do to Bava.
Someone else said in a different forum: If AIP distributed Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA in the US, they would have added an opening narration by Peter Graves explaining witchcraft and extra scenes of Raymond Burr as Suzy Bannion's father looking for her.
By the way, AIP's version would have been on the Mario Bava Box set with the Italian version but they couldn't get the rights to it.
I grew up watching the AIP version but just recently watched the European one. It is like watching two different films in a way. AIP's "The Telephone" is played as a GHOST story and removes the lesbian relationship between the two women. It seems less like a BAVA feature by changing his set up and how certain scenes were supposed to be more suspenseful.
The European version is played like a murder/revenge story. It's more brutal on how the story unfolds for the characters.
I cannot imagine that story mangled into a ghost story. The mind reels. It's a testament to Bava's immense talent as a filmmaker (and maybe AIP's talent at mangling films, haha) that this movie has been regarded as a classic for decades even among people who only know the altered version.
Let's not have the same weight in 1978. Let's have more.
If you like the American version then i am assuming you are not a fan of Mario Bava? Because that AIP version is not really his vision. It is the product of someone else, and the people who edited and altered Bava's film were most likely not artists in any way, but talentless salesmen, marketing the film to international audiences. It would be the same if someone took the Scorsese film "Raging Bull" and removed the classical soundtrack and rplaced it with action music, and then colorized the picture. it would no longer be a Scorsese film at all. so i really don't understand anyone who says they prefer an altered version of an original classic. Is it just because you don't like reading subtitles or what?
"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'
But, the AIP version makes no sense with the 'Telephone' segment.
http://www.cgonzales.net & http://www.drxcreatures.com
That sounds awful but I'd still like to see both versions on one dvd just for the sake of comparison and history, especially if Karloff did his own dubbing for the AIP version.
Let's not have the same weight in 1978. Let's have more.
... and on American Television thruout the Late-1960s/1970s/1980s , the Sequence was often changed yet-again , using "the Telephone" to open the Film (as a Kid , I considered This Segment to be a bit boring , compared to the Other Two. now knowing about the Original PlotLine , makes Me want to see the Italian/European Versions) ... I-do , however , prefer "the Wurdilak" as the Closing Segement ... maybe if I had seen the Original Print first ???
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The AIP version fixes "The Telephone" so it actually fits with the other two. Its the Italian version that has it wrong.
I actually like the American version better. I even think the American musical score was better.
sharezonefighter it only fits with your ignorance
shareI just watched Black Sunday and Black Sabbath on netflix streaming, and went online to find out there are two different versions for both movies. Netflix has the American versions streaming. Do all of Bava's films have two versions? Would I just be better off not watching the American versions, and ordering the Italian versions instead? I'm interested in reading opinions on the matter.
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