A tourist spends the night in a derelict Spanish villa seemingly held in the supernatural grip of an eccentric butler, who resembles a depiction of the Devil she had seen on an old fresco.A tourist spends the night in a derelict Spanish villa seemingly held in the supernatural grip of an eccentric butler, who resembles a depiction of the Devil she had seen on an old fresco.A tourist spends the night in a derelict Spanish villa seemingly held in the supernatural grip of an eccentric butler, who resembles a depiction of the Devil she had seen on an old fresco.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLeandro frequently having a sucker in his mouth was a trait added by Telly Savalas. Savalas had recently quit smoking and used the suckers as an alternative. The suckers would become a popular character trait on his American television series Kojak (1973) which started that same year.
- GoofsDriver's hands are crossed when butler asks the woman crying to be quiet, but in the previous shot they weren't.
- Quotes
Sophia Lehar: I prefer ghosts to vampires, though. They're so much more human; they have a tradition to live up to. Somehow they manage to keep all the horror in without spilling any blood.
- Alternate versionsTo capitalize on the success of The Exorcist (1973), some new footage, featuring Robert Alda as a priest, was shot. It involved Lisa (Elke Sommer) being possessed by a demon. The original cut of Lisa and the Devil (1973) was edited and used as flashback material to surround the possession theme. This resulting version was released in 1975 as "House of Exorcism."
- ConnectionsEdited into The House of Exorcism (1975)
- SoundtracksConcerto of Aranjuez
Composed by Joaquín Rodrigo (as Rodrigo)
Directed by Paul Mauriat
Philips record L 6444'504
Well, this was the first film I've seen of director/writer Mario Bava and I got to say I was truly amazed by it. Bava's "Lisa and the devil" is a slickly well-crafted surreal thriller that messes with our minds with its simply fetching details and a disquietingly grim atmosphere. It's one very picturesque film that holds superb composition and such flair in the lighting, backdrop, score and atmosphere. From the elegant scenery of the ancient city to the old fancy villa that holds such a morbid awe and to what builds on that is a strikingly eerie, but delicate score. While the brood atmosphere is sheer alienating and the fluid camera-work truly does capture that disorientating mood. The villa is covered with colourful artwork and luxurious furniture, which fills every room. The film is gracefully shot with plenty of zooms and also catching reflections and silhouettes. The location photography was excellent. These sublime images and score really built on the absorbing texture and peculiar state of the film. Plus under all that are an elegantly erotic undertone and a film that flows with pure originality.
Premise is incredibly absurd and there's hardly no characterisation. Maybe there was too much going on in the flawed story, as it was downright confusing at times to know what was actually happening because the story would lead to a dead end. Overall it just felt like a blur. Though, yet again maybe it was meant to be like that? You are definitely lost and put off-balance just like Lisa is to what's reality and what's not. It's a baffling mystery that you could say comes across as rich poetry and art and you also pick up on little subtle hints throughout the story. The dialogue is rather sparse, but interesting if a little cheesy at times. You could probably say not much is going on with Lisa just wandering around the villa and there's a fairly slow pace to it all to begin with, but this is an atmospheric and physiological builder. Some scenes did drag on for too long and sometimes it gets a bit too sappy, but these things didn't take away from the film. The horror isn't that horrific, but it plays more on the images, sounds and atmosphere. Definitely the second half of the film is when it starts to get exciting and even more unnerving. This is when Bava tightens the screws with some well-designed shocks and jolts. By achieving some haunting images and a heart-stopping finale, literally. As each one the characters give into jealousy, hatred, lust and finally into their own demise. The characters turn out to be nothing more than pawns in this story and you question who's pulling whose strings. Most of the acting does come across as rather one-note or melodramatic. Telly Savalas steals the film as a lollipop sucking butler, who seems to have some hidden agenda and playing with these people's souls. His performance is sinisterly impressive in a manipulative nature and his dialogue is always a play on words. The gorgeous Elke Sommer shines in her role. Her dialogue might be pretty limited but her presence is enough to fit the bill.
Incredibly lavish film-making that is particularly dreamlike and a marvel to look at. When it ends you'll be left scratching your head.
- lost-in-limbo
- Jul 4, 2005
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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