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LA VENERE D'ILLE (1978, TV Movie)
Director: Mario and Lamberto Bava
Cinematography: Nino Celeste
Story: Based on the story by Prosper Merimee
Screenplay: Lamberto Bava and Cesare
Garboli
Editing: Fernando Papa
Music: Ubaldo Continello
Main Players: Marco Porel (Matthew); Daria Nicolodi (Claire); Mario Maranzana (Mr. De Perolade); Fausto Di Bella (Alfonzo)
Alternate titles: The Venus of Ille
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 |
SYNOPSIS:
 Set in the 1800s, LA VENERE D'ILLE opens with the discovery of a large
bronze statue of Venus on the estate of wealthy landowner Mr. De
Perolade. Taking its discovery as a sign of good fortune for the
impending marriage of his son Alfonzo, De Perolade orders it to be
uncovered and displayed in the garden for all to see. In the process of
doing this, one of the workers is badly injured when the statue falls
over and crushes his leg. From the start, many of the townspeople
believe the statue to be cursed, but De Perolade is proud of his
discovery and sends for Matthew, an authority on antiques. Matthew is
also impressed with the statue, which seems to exert a strange
fascination over him, but before he can search the area for other
artifacts, De Perolade implores him to stay at the house as his guest
until the wedding is out of the way. He agrees to this and spends much
of his time in the garden trying to capture the statue's eerie beauty in
a series of drawings.
For most of the film, the wedding takes center stage. Bava establishes
Alfonzo as a vain, insufferable idiot for whom Matthew feels obvious
contempt. Things become more awkward for Matthew when his introduced to
Alfonzo's betrothed, the beautiful and intelligent Claire. Matthew is
particularly struck by her resmblance to the statue of Venus, but
rejects her requests to paint a portrait of her. "There is something
strange about you," he confesses. "I can't keep you still. You change
under my very eyes. You are like two people." She is impressed by
Matthew's thoughtfulness and sensitivity, but professes to prefer
Alfonzo's easy charm.
On the day of the wedding, Alfonzo joins in a game of tennis. Renowned
in the village as the best player in Ille, Alfonzo is aggravated when
Claire's wedding ring, which he is wearing for safe keeping, costs him a
shot, so he removes it and places it on Venus' finger. De Perlodade
breaks the game up and rushes Alfonzo to the church, accidentally
leaving the ring behind. During the ceremony, Alfonzo substitutes
another ring, a gift from one of his earlier "conquests," in place of
the old one.
Afterwards, during the reception, De Perlodade drunkely rambles on about
the black Venus (the statue) and the white one (Claire), stating that
Alfonzo did well to select the latter one for his bride. Amid all of
this merriment, only Matthew and Claire seem to be uncomfortable.
Suddenly Alfonzo appears and takes Matthew aside. He swears to Matthew
that when he tried to remove the ring from the statue's finger, it
grabbed hold of his hand and pushed him away. Though he is obviously
skeptical, Matthew agrees to investigate. As he makes his way through
the garden, he encounters Claire. She recognizes his infatuation with
her, and they kiss. At this point, Bava reveals that the girl is not
actually Claire. It is really the animated statue of Venus, whose
identity is betrayed to the viewer -- but not to Matthew -- by the ring
Alfonzo had earlier put on her finger. When Matthew refuses to tell
"Claire" why he is in the garden, her manner turns cold and unemotional.
"Youre just like all the others," she says. "You don't know how to
sacrifice for love." Before he can reply, Matthew is distracted by the
sounds of approaching footsteps. As he turns to face "Claire," Matthew
is startled to find that she has disappeared. Abandoning his mission,
he returns to the reception, only to find Claire talking with some of
the other guests. He then retires to his bedroom to work on some
sketches.
Meanwhile, Claire is prepared by her servants for her wedding night.
She then waits in bed fro Alfonzo, who is still drinking with his
friends. At this point, Bava shifts gears and introduces the first real
indications of horror into the scenario. Hand-held point of view shots
reveal that something is making its way into the house. It is the
animated statue of Venus, though Bava wisely opts to withold its
appearance from the viewer, and it is slowly making its way to the
bridal chamber. It enters the room. Claire, sitting in the dark,
thinks it is her husband and calls out to no reply. When she sees the
apparition before her, she goes into shock and recoils into a corner.
The statue then takes its place in the bed, and when Alfonzo climbs in,
he is crushed to death in the statue's metal embrace.
The next morning, Matthew is awakened by the sounds of screaming and
sobbing. De Perolade and his wife discover their son's mutilated body,
still lying in bed. In the corner of the room sits Claire, who is
destined to never recover from shock. The statue is still in its normal
place in the garden, but De Perolade gradually comes to realize the
awful truth, and later has it melted down and made into a bell.
CRITIQUE:
LA VENERE D'ILLE is Mario Bava's last directorial work. Even with the
limitations of the television framework and the added encumbrance of a
co-director, LA VENERE D'ILLE stands out as one of Bava's very finest
achievements. Artfully paced, the film maintains an elegant and
romantic mood from beginning to end. Doubtless most horror buffs will
find the film to be a bit soft, but part of the film's effectiveness
derives from the fact that the horrific elements are so gradually
worked in. Apart from the opening scene depicting the worker's injury
when the statue falls on his leg, the bulk of the film concentrates more
on character relationships than on shock effects.
 Whatever his faults as a director may be, Lamberto bava certainly
manages to provide his father with a solid and well-structured script
which is graced with believeable dialogue and interesting
characterizations. Despite the period setting, Bava adopts a more
naturalistic style which is far removed from the fairy tale worlds of LA
MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO or OPERAZIONE PAURA. With a scrupulous eye for
period detail, Bava creates an enchantingly elegant atmosphere, but he
refuses to lose sight of character. Of all of Bava's films, this is one
of the most concerned with characterization. It is essentially a love
story, and a very compelling one at that. The film is all the more
successful for avoiding cloying sentimentality. The very fact that the
film is so successful reveals Bava's growth as a dramatist since LA
MASCHERA, which is at its weakest when detailing the budding romance
between Princess Katia and Dr. Gorobec. In some ways, Matthew's
obsession with Claire recalls Maximilian in LISA E IL DIAVOLO. Yet,
unlike Maximilian, Matthew is quite normal; he has no intention of
forcing himself on Claire, or of doing any harm to the other characters.
The repressive conventions of the period prevent him from voicing his
emotions, though he comes close to doing so in the garden when nobody is
watching. Paradoxically, his one big emotional moment is when he kisses
the statue, believeing it to be Claire. The casting of Daria Nicolodi
is crucial to the film's success. Apart from being a gifted actress,
she possesses a natural beauty and is able to project strength in her
characters. It is quite easy to sympathize with Matthew for being so
hopelessly in love with her.
By contrast, Alfonzo is chiefly interested in Claire because she is a
wealthy woman. At one point he even jokes that his Venus, unlike his
father's, is solid gold. Truthfully, Alfonzo is not wholly unlikable.
Unlike most Bavian anti-heroes, he is not at all deceptive. Yet, like
so many bava characters, he is both greedy and self-absorbed. The
delicious irony that he is crushed to death by an expensive statue is
not lost on the director; it is the ultimate form of "choking to death
on a silver spoon." Alfonzo's death also forms a neat connection to the
ending of DIABOLIK, in which the titular character is transformed into a
gold statue by the forces of greed he unleashes.
Through his unique directorial style, Bava establishes early on that the
statue is not what it appears to be. For example, in one brilliantly
executed scene, Matthew attempts to draw a picture of the statue, but
gets the feeling that it is actually watching him. As he paces back and
forth, Bava shows the viewer his point of view, and indeed the statue's
eyes do seem to be following him -- Bava used a similar tactic for comic
effect in EVIL EYE, the American cut of LA RAGAZZA CHE SAPEVA TROPPO.
Yet, it is the subtlety of expression in this film which is most
striking. In refusing to ever show the statue in motion, Bava refuses
the viewer and opportunity to laugh. As the final scenes are so
important to the film's success, it is doubly fortunate that he
approaches the film in so restrained a manner. The shrieking music,
effectively orchestrated camera movements and moody lighting create a
great deal of suspense, without lapsing into absurd histrionics. A
completely over-the-top film like CINQUE BAMBOLE PER LA LUNA D'AGOSTO
might be able to get away with something so exaggerated as the opening
party scene, but LA VENERE is a much more somber affair. If SCHOCK is a
disappointing end to his cinematic career, at least this film provides
the Maestro with one last chance to shine.
Review © Troy Howarth
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