Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur (Global Exploitation Cinemas)

This book is framed by the question of how to approach a figure like 'maestro of horror' Mario Bava, but also uses his films to broaden our understanding of key issues in film studies. What issues do his films raise for authorship, given that a number of them were released in different versions, and he is known to have made uncredited contributions to others? How might he be understood in relation to genre, one of which he is sometimes seen to have pioneered? This volume addresses these questions with a thorough analysis of Bava's shifting reputation as a genre pioneer in different eras and contexts, and also discusses the formal and narrative properties of a filmography marked by an emphasis on spectacle and atmosphere over narrative coherence, and the ways in which his lauded cinematic style intersects with different production contexts. Featuring new analysis of cult classics like Kill, Baby ... Kill (1966) and Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970), Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur sheds light on a supposedly formulaic and disposable body of films that continues to fascinate us today.

• | Author: Leon Hunt
• | Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• | Publication Date: Mar 24, 2022
• | Number of Pages: 240 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover
• | ISBN-10: 1501356542
• | ISBN-13: 9781501356544