Dir: Michele Soavi
Cast: Rupert Everett, Anna Falchi, François
Hadji-Lazaro, Mickey Knox
Rated R, Approx: 100 Minutes
Medusa DVD (Region 2), Anchor Bay DVD (Region 1)
- Dellamorte Dellamore
- Mi Novia es un Zombie
- Demons '95
- Of Love and Death
underrated film of all time.
I supposed to summarize my feelings on such a multi-layered film that I hold so close to my heart in a brief review?
Another part of me was arguing that it was a crime to have a site dedicated to the genre I love without including my
feelings on my favorite film of all time. So, in the end I've come to a compromise: I will do my best to scratch the
surface of this dense and beautiful film here and promise to myself, and anyone else who might be interested in
reading it, a more in depth theoretical critique to appear in the 'Writings and Rants' section of this site.
directed by Michele Soavi. Soavi has worked with such genre names as Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Lucio Fulci,
and Joe D'Amato in various positions in his career. Soavi's past features were all quite impressive, but Dellamorte
Dellamore is the first film to realize his full potential. Attaining a separate identity from one's predecessors is never
an easy task when they've made some of the most influential and stylish films in the history of the medium (just ask
Lamberto Bava!). His first two features (Stage Fright and The Church) were both strong efforts to be sure, but
were marred by close stylistic similarities to the work of those before him. With 1990's The Sect, Soavi began to
explore slightly different thematic territory while maintaining his identity as an Italian genre director. He took this even
further with Dellamorte Dellamore. Not to put down other Eurohorror though, this is an area of film for which not
many other subgenres even come close. I do not want to alienate Soavi's masterpiece from such flawless works as
Black Sabbath, Suspiria, or The Beyond. This film in no way puts itself on a pedestal as being better than other
works, although I realize that I sound as if I myself am sometimes doing so when attempting to convey my admiration
for this particular film. To sum it up briefly, this film still works comfortably within the subgenre but also warrants
individual analysis on it's own merits (as do many other films from Italy).
Love. Since it is generally regarded by distributors that
American audiences are dullards, we get the retarded title
Cemetery Man. On it's own the title sounds kind of
interesting in a comic book sort of way, but it lacks the
poetic value of the film itself. The literal translation gives
you a much better idea as to what you should expect. We
get a film that flirts rather liberally with both existentialism
and determinism in dealing with a cemetery watchman's
exploits involving his introspective views of life (and of
course, love and death are the most common modes of
expression).
surrounded in every way by death. Burying death no longer does the trick, since in the Bufalora Cemetery the dead
rise from their grave 7 days after they first pass on. He is forced to put an end to them with his assistant and only
real companion in the world, Gnagi ('On his ID card it reads - distinguishable characteristics, all') by splitting their
skulls. Generally they shoot them but a spade will do the trick as well. His only connection to the outside world is
through another government employee, Franco. Franco is the only person Francesco tells about the cemetery
problem (he says that 'It's easier just to shoot them' when he is confronted by all the paperwork it requires to report
this sort of thing). Franco maintains a stronger facade of social conscious than his friend but in the end is equally as
disillusioned.
beautiful vision of life in the form of a young widow. He immediately sparks to life, lying about his educational
background in hopes of impressing her. In the end it is his world of death that wins her over in the form of an old
ossuary. From here the two begin an intense affair that is interrupted by the return of the woman's dead husband.
looms over our characters (and the
viewer).
the film. An in depth analysis of such a complex title deserves more
room than alloted it a simple review. Suffice it to say though that
Francesco continues to struggle to come to terms with his own
existence and take control of his fate. The films dialogues range
from scathing social criticisms to philosophical debates discussing
the indifferent nature of death ('the whore'). Gnagi plays off of
Francesco beautifully, offering an excellent comparison between
'intelligence' and contentment. Eventually the leads have to decide
whether or not they want to live their entire lives under the veil of
death, or take control of their own fates. No matter what the
outcome though, death is inescapable as ever and always looms
over their (our) heads.
makes this movie so great though, is the sheer ambiguity left in its wake. I would never be arrogant enough to say
that my explanation of the events in the film are the be all and end all. There is so much room for interpretation here
that I feel this film will endure as a timeless classic. If you haven't seen this yet, I probably sound like a pretentious
blow hard by this point. Let me assure you though, Soavi avoids such dangerous pitfalls that are so common with
movies of this depth. Never does he get caught up in himself and come across as conceited. Throughout all the
headache inducing philosophical undertones of the film is a well told, fun story. He throws in just enough slapstick
comedy and fantastic gore scenes that he's sure not to alienate fans of his macabre roots. All of the jokes hit the
mark for me here, I haven't laughed as much since Peter Jackson blew up a sheep with a rocket launcher in Bad
Taste. Soavi so masterfully balances the madcap fun with the dense philosophical and political themes that almost
everyone save the most prudish should be able to find something to enjoy.
already said, Soavi proves to be a master of his craft. The film
moves along with poetic fluidity thanks not only to Soavi's superb
direction but also Mauro Marchetti's fantastic cinematography (he
also served as assistant camera on Four Flies on Grey Velvet
and Apocalypse Now) and Manuel DeSica's (Vittorio's son)
haunting score. The film is also aided by some truly unforgettable
performances. Standouts include Rupert Everett turning in a
flawless performance as the introspective title character and
French musician Francois Hadji-Lazaro as his mute assistant
(injecting a great deal of life into his character with very limited
dialogue - gnah!). To be completely honest though, everyone
involved does an excellent job and deserves a special mention, not
the least of which being Anna Falchi in her breathtakingly gorgeous
performance in multiple roles.
of injected fresh blood in the slowing crop of top notch Eurohorror. Instead Fox has pretty much let this one fester on
video shelves, never releasing it at a sell through price or on DVD. I was lucky enough to see this print on the big
screen in Boston over this past summer, this is truly an awesome experience. On a positive note, the film was able to
obtain an R rating with no cuts whatsoever (a lot of sites will try to sell you on an uncut version, don't believe it...the
only thing different is the title). Not that the US version is the definitive one by any stretch. This is a movie that
should be seen widescreen at any cost. There are a few DVDs released internationally that I know of. The best of
which to get would be the one from the fine folks at Medusa. This one features a stunning anamorphic transfer,
great sound, and some interesting extras (that are unfortunately in Italian only). A word of warning though, there is a
slight confusion regarding the running time. The package lists it as 108 min but it is still the standard 100 min cut.
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