I literally traveled through the film, as if I were placed in a painting where everything is still and always breathing with the same rhythm. That breathing is the constant sound of the wind that allowed me to smell the sand, sometimes the saltiness in the film.
Dallamano is a master unjustly underrated in Italy, just as underrated is this film, really among the least known of his productions. The cause is surely the roughness of the subject matter, but … yay for the 1970s where such reckless films could be made without lapsing into fear of the attacks of today's keyboard moralists.
alchemy implied an experience of growth or rather a process of spiritual liberation of the practitioner: in this view, alchemical science comes to represent metaphysical and philosophical knowledge, taking on mystical and soteriological connotations … in the sense that alchemical processes and symbols, in addition to material meaning, related to physical transformation.
The found footage/mokumentary mix mixed with traditional storytelling holds up well, and is well orchestrated… moving the haunted house theme to an underwater mansion could have really offered an opportunity to create something unique, but the opportunity was really wasted.
As Above, so Below is nothing less than an alchemical journey in search of the philosopher's stone, which scholars have always compared to the search for the self.
The direction is essential, made up of few movements: the director just tells the story (and that is no small thing) dwelling on well-dosed expectations and actors of undoubted quality
Let's face it: it seems that the script does not go beyond the 6 lines I quoted above, that the film is the result of an inconceivably "stretched" idea…
Written by Fulci, BLACK CAT is an unusual film where even the hand of the gore master fades into sophisticated and different stylings of broad international scope.
The plot presents the classic structure of the siege (so dear to Carpenter): characters embraced within a place, where they have to play their lives to face the evil one. On this basis come to mind films like Deliria, District 13, The Night of the Living Dead, and the place in question is a former courthouse where homeless people abusedly camped under Christmas to have a shelter from the cold and a house to celebrate.
Let's say right off the bat that BITE is a film that wobbles in every area--and that it came close to being a real gem because of it, while not completely disappointing.
GORE GALAXY 