5 Bambole per la Luna d’Agosto [Five Dolls for an August Moon] *** (1970, William Berger, Ira von Fürstenberg, Edwige Fenech) – Classic Movie Review 7826

Director Mario Bava’s 1970 Italian giallo film 5 Bambole per la Luna d’Agosto [Five Dolls for an August Moon] is fascinating as a work of the much-admired cult film-maker and as a loose, uncredited adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None. Though dismissed at one time as a confusing and unexciting whodunit, even by Bava who regarded it as one of his worst films, it is now re-evaluated and considered playful, beautiful and innovative. The screenplay is by Mario di Nardo.

A group of people have gathered on the remote private island retreat of wealthy industrialist George Stark (Teodoro Corrà) for some fun and relaxation. One of the guests is Professor Gerry Farrell (William Berger), a chemist who has created a revolutionary new chemical process, and several industrialists seek to buy it from him, but someone begins killing off the attendees one by one.

The cast are William Berger as Professor Gerry Farrell, Princess Ira von Fürstenberg as Trudy Farrell, Edwige Fenech as Marie Chaney, Howard Ross as Jack Davidson, Helena Ronee as Peggy Davidson, Teodoro Corrà as George Stark, Justine Gall as Isabel, Edith Meloni as Jill Stark, Mauro Bosco as Charles and Maurice Pol as Nick Chaney.

5 Bambole per la Luna d’Agosto was released in France as L’île de l’épouvante. It was not released in America until 2001 when Image Entertainment distributed it on DVD. Anchor Bay re-released as part of the Mario Bava Collection Volume 2 box set on 23 October 2007. In 2013, Kino International released the film on Blu-ray in the US.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7826

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