"When we were too few left to fight, we packed our tents and went down to Pine Ridge." "There were already many Lakotas, and many soldiers there, facing each other in two rows." "Pointing their guns, and we went between those two rows." "And this is how it all ended." "When I look back from the high mountain of my old age" "I can still see the slaughtered women and children piled up along that twisting ravine." "Silence!" "You are offending America." "The United States of America" "Look at us, long hair..." "We are the United States of America" "This sky, this grass belongs to us, as it belonged to our ancestors." "Nonsense, we bought it from you." "You can take back your coloured beads." "I offer this as a sacrifice." "Look at my action with kindness." "The day of the sun has been my strength." "The path of the moon will be my cloak." "A sacred praise I make." "A sacred praise I make." "We cannot tolerate this violence and this looking anymore." "We cannot and we must not." "We will not surrender to an irresponsible minority of rebels who try to destabilize authority." "We will take all the necessary measures, to punish whoever supports violence." "And to re-establish order." "Look out!" "There's a police car coming!" "Let's go!" "Come Valentina!" "The limit of these political newspapers is that they can only reach very few people who in any case already know about the issue they agree with it or they pretend to be." "Anyway, with your work you've fully demonstrated that even with a comic strip, one can contribute to make a revolutionary statement." "Even Snoopy himself is a subversive." "Where were you?" "What a race!" "You know, Sandro let me try his Suzuki." "Well, lets say that I gave in to violence" "You are adorable." "I want to take a picture of you:" "Naked in a corn field." "OK" "Let's talk about it in the summer." "You got it wrong, brother." "Valentina Rosselli takes her own pictures." " Ciao Arno" " Ciao" "A photographer?" "Oh she only does fashion, advertising, arts, politics, reportage..." "Ever heard of Cartier-Bresson?" "What's Cartier-Bresson got to do with it?" "It is one of the pseudonym of Valentina" "Well, it's easier for you:" "Paper and ink don't cost you much!" "But if you made films, like I do, costs escalate to millions!" "It is not necessarily so." "Your friend Godard for example demonstrated that it not always the case." "Well Godard is always Godard, don't you think Valentina?" "I don't know, I still prefer Laurel and Hardy" "And as far as your idol is concerned" "I think he reached his peak with "Pierrot le Fou"" "You don't understand anything!" "Are you going back to Milan tonight?" "Yes, with Giorgio, if I manage to drag him out of that mount of cartoon comics." "Could you give me a lift?" "Yes, but I am driving the convertible, you will have to sit on Arno's knees." "No." "Why not?" "I feel like walking." "Thank you for the lift, Giorgio." "Good night." " Ciao Valentina." " Ciao Arno." "Wait for me." "Be reasonable, for goodness sake!" "Walking from here to your house it takes at least half an hour." "It's already three o'clock in the morning." "I like the night." "Also, it is really cold!" "Cold is my drug!" "Now you know it!" "And if you bump into somebody?" "At least let me come with you fora while." "Listen to me." "I don't feel like making love with you." "Not tonight." "Ciao." "And run home!" "At this time at night all the boy scouts are asleep!" "Ciao!" "Taxi." "So?" "How did it go?" "She is crazy like a horse." "And who are you?" "The Big Bad Wolf?" "What are you doing out so late?" "You've got to go home, you know?" "What a strange mark." "You are funny, you look like a cuddly toy." "'Night, doggy." "Careful!" "I am really sorry, miss," "I cannot understand how it could happen." "It's nothing." "It was my fault." "There was a dog in the middle of the street..." "Please!" "Get into my car." "Let me take you home." "Thank you but I live close by." "Please." "After giving you such a fright." "It's the least I can do." "Don't say no." "All right." "It wasn't a dog." "I beg your pardon?" "I was going very fast." "I knew something was about to happen." "We were destined to meet." "But, how do you know that I live here?" "There are many things that you can't understand," "At least for the time being." "Perhaps I will be able to explain them to you," "And I will do it gladly." "But first..." "First I have to be sure..." " Do you mind?" " Whatare you doing?" "Here we are." "You will forgive me." "But I needed something that belonged to you." "Don't worry." "I will give you back tomorrow." "Good night, dear." "And don't forget my name." "My name is" "Baba Yaga." "Yes yes." "I got it." "Yes, yes, I am coming" "Good morning." "I am your National Health doctor" "Oh go on, what's the time?" "You'll think it's unreal but nearly midday." "I'll make you some coffee, OK?" "Thank you" "Did you go to bed late last night?" "Yes, but it's not that." "What is it, then?" "I had weird dreams." "And then last night..." "Last night what?" "Nothing." "Did you bring the paper." "What's new?" "Not much." "Your left wing friends" "Keep occupying the schools in Milan." "You are a fascist" "And you are delusional" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Go Valentina, I can't stay like this for very long!" "What?" "Oh, right." "I'm sorry." "What are you doing?" "We've finished for today." "We'll finish tomorrow." "Good morning, my dear." "I hope I am not disturbing." "No, we have just finished." "Come in." "Bye bye Valentina." "Bye" "Bye." "See you tomorrow." "Well my dear." "I have come to give you back that delightful little thing" "I have taken from you last night." "Can I put it back?" "Live me alone!" "You can't..." "I am not wearing a suspender belt." "What a shame." "Last night you said that ours wasn't a chance encounter." "What do you mean?" "It's too early, Valentina." "Too early." "Do you always use this camera?" "Yes I often do it depends" "The eye immobilizes reality..." "Well, now I must go" "Come and see me." "Can I count on it?" "Well, I not sure," "I am very busy these days." "Take my advice." "Come and see me, Valentina." "My house is very old." "I am sure you will find it interesting." "Here," "I'll leave you my address." "So, can I count on it?" "I will try to come." "Good." "Yes?" "Valentina?" "This is Arno." "How did it go last night?" "It went very well." "Very well?" "I made a hundred thousand with an old gentleman." "Then I was robbed by a pimp who beat me up." "Then I ended up in jail, whilst there I was raped by a thief." "Is it enough?" "That sounds great!" "I am glad you had fun!" "Listen, I am in the suburbs, shooting an item for TV" "I need some stills, would you come over with your camera?" "Where are you?" "Wait a second." "I will ask." "Madam, where are we?" "Where do you think we are?" "In Milan!" "Piss off!" "I know we are in Milan, what's the address here?" "Via Moncucco 22" "What stupid question." "Everybody knows it!" "Via Moncucco, as you come out from Porta Ticinese follow the Naviglio." "Let me get changed and I will be with you in half an hour." "What's he doing?" "I got it!" "I got it!" "Look, look atit!" "What do you think you are doing with that rat?" "Wait and see." "Come, come pal!" "Is it ok here?" "A little to the right..." " Ok." " Don't move." "A nice close up!" "Careful not to include my finger." "Don't worry." "Action!" "What's going on?" "It just got stuck." "What did you do?" "No, everything seems all right." "But it doesn't work." "Don't worry, it doesn't matter, it means that tomorrow" " you are coming back to finish." " All right." "Listen, I only managed three or four shots" "That's enough." "If you take me to your place," "I can take the underground from there." "Ok, but you drive." "What do you want to do with the close up of the rat?" "I don't know, I might leave it on the cutting room floor" "Or I can edit it next to some big cheese from the industrialists lobby" "And do you think that that is allowed in TV?" "Of course not." "But at least I will have a director's cut print that I can show it in the alternative film circuit." "So, in other words your message will not reach ten million middle class viewers but only ten thousand so called intellectuals." "And it will not benefit ecology as you meant, but only your vanity." "If you don't use the means that the system offers" "What other possibility have you got?" "The revolution!" "Oh Yes?" "And who will do it, the Unions?" "Or intellectuals, writers, directors." "Don't make me laugh." "We are worst than all the others." "Take me for example" "Today I shot a documentary on ecological issues" "Tomorrow I am directing a commercial for some washing powder." "You are just an old whore!" "Of course I am." "Who isn't?" "The difference is that I admit it whilst all the others are selling themselves too but they make themselves look as they were messiahs." "Believe me Valentina, it's a big mess, a big game, and contradictions are the number one rule." "In any case contradictions are the only hope." "Of course!" "And you should know it!" "Because as far as I am concerned you are a contradiction yourself." "Really?" "Why?" "For example in a while you will stand me up in front of your house." "To be coherent you should at least ask me in for a drink." "All right." "Come up." "What did you say?" "I didn't want to disturb you." "No trouble atall." "Arno, Toni" "Who is she?" "Some kind of cowboy?" "With a little spray we send the fat away!" "When I saw that dragon yesterday" "I though you had jumped onto the other side!" "What do you mean?" "You didn't notice?" "She's madly in love with you!" "Shut up stupid!" "What are you talking about?" "Nothing." "Shall I put the bullets in?" "All right, so you are more in character." "Ok." "Shoot!" "Toni!" "What's wrong?" "Tell me!" "I can't breathe" "What's happening to her?" "Be careful." "What's happening to you?" "I don't know Valentina, I feel sick" "Do you want to go home?" "Will you be all right on your own?" "If you want I'll go with her" "It is better." "I am calling a taxi." "Hello?" "Please send a taxi over." "I am sorry Valentia, I made you waste yourday." "No problem." "I will find something else to do today." "Just try to get better." "The taxi will be here in a moment." "Thank goodness." "Will you be at home later?" "I don't know" " I'll call you." " All right" " Bye." " Bye." "I am glad to see you." "I was sure you would come." "Well..." "I" "I have to take pictures of some jewels so," "I thought that perhaps you would have let me do it here." "Of course." "My house is at your disposal." "I am a little lazy." "I will not come with you." "Do as you like." "You can go into any room." "And take all the pictures you want." "Thank you." "Oh what lovely necklaces!" "I would be grateful if you let me see them." "Nice to touch..." "And even nicer to feel..." "Leave that hole alone, Valentina." "That corner needs some repairs." "Upstairs, perhaps, you may find" "Some interesting things for your pictures." "Valentina" "Valentina" "Aren't you feeling well, dear?" "Is there anything I can do for you?" "No, thank you." "I had a moment of dizziness." "You are very kind" "Oh, nonsense." "I am always so alone here." "Your visit has been a pleasure." "In fact," "I want to give you a present." "Here." "This, is Annette." "You must never separate from her." "She will protect you from evil threats." "What do you mean?" "What evil threat?" "You never know, my dear." "You never know." "Of course..." "You can't answer." "You are only a doll." "GOD IS DEAD" "GOD IS DEAD NOW YOU KNOW IT" "I DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE" "GOD IS DEAD NOW YOU KNOW IT" "WHY ARE YOU STILL GOING TO MASS?" "What 's going on, Carlo?" "Carlo?" "Carlo?" "Quick come over, quick!" "Give me a hand to get him up" "Do something, quick!" "Is there a doctor?" "Hello?" "Bon jour, Valentina!" "Hello!" "Am I too early?" "Oh dear, I had totally forgotten." "Thank goodness," "Romina hasn't arrived yet!" "She mighthave been delayed." "Atthe University there is a meeting about Third World problems" "How irresponsible!" "A student's meeting might make the Third World problems worse!" "They are not going to solve them!" "And what possessed me to trust Romina's punctuality!" "Hi guys!" "Hi Romina." "What do we do today Valentina?" "Sex and civil rights!" "A demanding and interesting programme." "And this?" "Underwears Loup:" "No more taboos!" "No more hypocrisy, no more racial prejudices." "Wow!" "This is real political commitment." "Take your shirt off." "Keep your trousers on." "But try to forget that you have an education" "And live with civilized people!" "We didn't learn that at university." "Very witty!" "At least you could try and look rough." "Or like those ancestors you know, those who used to eat missionaries." "What a great doll!" "Don't touch it!" "What's wrong?" "I don't know, but there is something strange about that doll." "Where did it come from, Valentina?" "I don'tknow, it was given to me." "If you are ready we can start." "That's it" "Next time we could make love for real." "If not she'll kill us" "Ah for me it's fine." "How about now?" "No, thank you." "The Third World's future is in your hands." " Run!" " Ok." "Bye Valentina." "Bye" "Bye Romina." "Whenever you want!" "What's going on?" "The light is back on." "I should check the wiring." "What's wrong Romina, are you all right." "No, nothing..." "I must have had a dizzy spell." "How strange." "And then something pricked me." "Look." "It's not bleeding." "I wonder what it was." " Does it hurt?" " No, not really." "It stings a little." "I'm going." "I feel a little weird." "Call me when the photos are ready." "Bye" "Tonight or tomorrow." "Arno" "I need to talk to you." "Now." "I am waiting for you, Valentina." "Fantastic!" "How did you do it?" "Zoom in..." "It was easy, darling." "With Netto, the new washing power with instant action which, in few seconds eliminate any trace of grease." "Stop." " How is it for you?" " Good." "I would do anothera little less tight." "Lets do another one!" "This was the third." "Do you want a list of the good takes?" "You are good and that's enough." "What number should I put?" "The same, preceded by an A." "This is unexpected!" "Excuse me a second!" "Valentina, what are you doing here?" "I've got to talk to you." "Something wrong?" "Not just something." "Everything." "Arno, we are ready, are you coming?" "Can you take care of it?" "Everything should be like the one before." "All right." "Lets go." "Your dreams aside, and a few coincidences, it seems to me that all you have is this lady who would like to introduce you to the delights of Sapphic love." "You don't get it." "Baba Yaga is different." "As if she were from another world." "A world that obeys different forces..." "Her eyes..." "Ah, Valentina the world is full of people with strange eyes." "Not like that." "There is something different." "Something I don't understand." "That I can't even imagine." "This is what I find scary." "For example that doll she gave me." "It seems alive." "And that hole in her house... it is bottomless, you see, it ends nowhere." "Now you are going to say that it's Hell's door," "And that your Baba Yaga is the witch at the entrance." "Well, why not?" "You are crazy!" "We are in the twentieth century!" "We can do heart transplants, we can go to the moon." "Witches don't exist anymore!" "This is medieval stuff!" "If anything, hell is in this world." "Believe me Valentina, if hell existed," "I mean the classic vision of it with the damned and the flames" "Well, if it ever existed today they would turn it into a supermarket." "If only I could..." "You see today, when the light went off" "Something happened." "I don't know what, but there is... there is a detail that escapes me." "But it might be helpful to understand." "Even though I am afraid to understand." "But what are you afraid of?" "!" "You meet an old dyke, your friend has a headache, and you believe there is a spell." "A witch." "She's pale." "Her hands are cold." "Listen, I have an old aunt with teeth like these." "But she's not Dracula." "You don't seem to be all there." "You should go out more." "Why don't you come with me to a cineclub?" " Now?" " Yes." "What are they showing?" "German expressionist movies." "What fun!" "Better than staying at home." "Let's hurry." "Look who's here." "Hi!" " So, you are going to see the film too?" " Yes, tonight I must celebrate." "What?" "I sold my comic strips characters to a big publisher" "They want to make books from them" "Do you know what it means?" "It means no more small underground magazines." "But a big public finally." "And also loads of money!" "But will they let you carry on with your ideas?" "Your anti-capitalist message?" "Well..." "I will have to clean up a few things." "Change some words." "I'll have to make it a bit more commercial." "But it's a price worth paying, don't you think?" "Are you crazy?" "Nothing..." "I am sorry." "The time has come!" "The stars are favourable to the spell." "The art of giving life to dead things" "I obtained the terrible life-giving word from the Dark Powers..." "Now I am going to give life to the Golem!" "Let's go." " What?" " Don't waste time." "Let's go" "What's wrong?" "We have just..." "Damn..." "So, are you going to tell me what is wrong with you?" "I have remembered the detail that I couldn't recall." "When the light went off the camera was on the table" "In its case." "But when the light came on again it was on the floor" "Next to the doll, out of its case." "So what?" "Don't you understand?" "Someone used it." "Someone took some pictures with it." "Whilst the light was off." "It cannot be." "It's absurd." "I know." "Look, the film has all been used." "Are you sure it wasn't you?" "Sure." "I put in a new film whilst talking to Avojubi." "Then I thought of all the coincidences:" "Toni's illness, your camera's problem, that hippy's death." "I thought this camera was jinxed." "So I used the Canon, to avoid bad luck." "What are we waiting for, let's develop it..." "It was dark when they were taken." "They might not come out." "Are you sure?" "No." "Come on then." "Eh, is this Annette?" "Yes." "Not bad." "If it were a real girl, call me, I'll talk to her." "It's impossible!" "What's Romina's phone number?" "Hello?" "This is Arno Treves" "May I speak to Romina?" "I'm a friend of Valentina." "It's urgent!" "What?" "I am sorry." "Arno..." "She is dead isn'tshe?" "Two hours ago." "Hello?" "Good morning my dear." "I am sorry to have woken you up." "I just wanted to tell you that your camera is atmy place." "Come and get it now." "Don't wait until your friend comes back." "Now." "You understand?" "Valentina." "What do you want from me?" "Don't be afraid." "The wiring is very old." "It often happens to have black outs." "Your camera." "Why did you kill that hippy guy?" "Why did you kill Romina?" "Me?" "I didn't want it to happen." "This doesn't mean anything, my dear." "Ther eare forces which can strike at any moment." "These forces use us." "And there is nothing we can do about it." "I will do something." "You are very arrogant" "Like most of your people." "You think you have conquered the moon, but you don't even know the secrets of your planet." "You will come with me, Valentina" "I will teach you the secrets that men have tried to discover during the centuries." "You will become rich!" "Powerful!" "You belong to me don't you forget it." "I have demonstrated that I can do whatever I want with you." "No." "I don't care about power, about cosmic secrets, oreven about money" "I do what I want with my life." "And I haven't got any intention of making love with an old lesbian like you!" "What you want to do has no importance." "You will come with me, whether you like it or not" "Go upstairs, into the room" "Valentina!" "Valentina!" "Where are you?" "Arno!" "Annette!" "Annette!" "No!" "No!" "What are you doing here?" "Here they are..." "It's a long story." "There is a lady living here..." "What are you talking about?" "Stop telling lies!" "What lady?" "!" "There is nobody living here!" "This house is abandoned." "Abandoned?" "Yes, dear!" "It's been abandoned for a long time." "It belongs to the council which doesn't have the money to pull it down." "There is a "For Sale" sign outside!" "Understood!" "No!" "Found anything in there?" "Yes." "A lot of dust!" "Old furniture, bricks and rubble." "There is also a doll's head." "I am a photographer" "I needed some picture of a location like this" "At night?" "I will leave it for the time being." "Tomorrow come to the police station." "We'll certainly come tomorrow, thank you." "Subtitles © Shameless Screen Entertainment 2009." "Welcome to the text commentary for Shameless' release of Baba Yaga" "Director Corrado Farina sure knows how to grab the attention of an audience a graveyard at night, a creeping camera and most importantly - an attractive woman in skimpy leather showing a bit of tit." "Farina uses unconventional camera angles (not unlike the Batman TV series) to give the audience a sense of cinematic disorientation as the unfortunate character you are seeing right now." "When we were too few left to fight, we packed our tents and went down to Pine Ridge." "There were already many Lakotas, and many soldiers there, facing each other in two rows." "Pointing their guns, and we went between those two rows." "And this is how it all ended." "When I look back from the high mountain of my old age" "I can still see the slaughtered women and children piled up along that twisting ravine." "Silence!" "You are offending America." "The United States of America" "Look at us, long hair..." "We are the United States of America" "This sky, this grass belongs to us, as it belonged to ourancestors." "Nonsense, we bought it from you." "You can take back your coloured beads." "I offer this as a sacrifice." "Look at my action with kindness." "That sort of thing doesn't go down too well in America these days" "The day of the sun has been my strength." "The path of the moon will be my cloak." "A sacred praise I make." "A sacred praise I make." "Ah, it wouldn't feel like a REAL European exploitation movie without those particular gunshot sound effects, now would it?" "We cannot tolerate this violence and this looking anymore." "We cannot and we must not." "We will not surrender to an irresponsible minority of rebels who try to destabilize authority." "We will take all the necessary measures, to punish whoever supports violence." "And to re-establish order." "Look out!" "There's a police car coming!" "Let's go!" "There were moments during this opening sequence where the audience..." "Come Valentina!" "...suspected that what they were watching was not an authentic attempt at historical re-enactment." "The guy driving the car probably tipped you off!" "So here we are into the opening credits of Baba Yaga starring Baby Doll herself, Carroll Baker and the Anthropophagus beast, George Eastman" "The opening titles' graphics reflect the fumetti origins of the material more on this later" "Good grief!" "We could be flippant and say that it looks like that guy is still wearing a black crash-helmet, but we won't." "Here we have a verbal introduction to the main character responsible for many stuck together pages across Europe:" "Valentina Rosselli" "Needing no introduction is George Eastman (Luigi Montefiori to his mum)" "Ol' George discussing the merits of Goddard?" "Intoxically surreal stuff!" "Isabelle De Funes was cast purely to keep the French investors happy via a native actress in the lead ensuring box-office returns back home." "Although Farina was initially unhappy with this, his expectations" "were confounded when she turned out much better than anticipated." "Isn't that the cartoon kid with the funny shaped head?" "Animals are often used as a symbol of or prelude to evil..." "Animals are often used as a symbol of or prelude to evil... but Baba Yaga avoids cat clichés by a dog heralding the witch herself." "Putting a cat (or The Devil's Fingertips) in peril leaves many cold but placing a dog in jeopardy rivets an audience more effectively." "Like so!" "Farina perfectly introduces his title character making the audience worship Baba Yaga from her boots up." "And who wouldn't?" ""Little" dog?" "That thing would have your bloody arm off... without even pausing to say "sausages", given half a chance!" "Although different to the original Fumetti book" "Carroll Baker makes for a convincingly seductive Baba Yaga." "Baker's no strangerto movies showing various facets of evil in the world." "While Baba Yaga is more of a spectral manifestation those shown in Andy Warhol's Bad embodied human evil as anyone who has witnessed the chucking of babies out of windows... and hideously splattering on the ground will attest!" "The asking fora personal item by a witch is bad news as it can be used to cast a spell oversomeone." "Witches often bury their own menstrual blood (very personal to them)" "In orderto cast a Wicca "protection spell"." "In a Franco-like cameo is director Farina playing a Nazi official." "Coming up is a prime example of footage excised from the original release being a small snippet of full-frontal nudity from De Funes." "Boy, society is crashing down around us because of exposure to such filth!" "Newbies might be wondering exactly what the Hell the Fumetti genre is so allow us to throw some light of the subject..." "When comics were a resounding success in America at the turn of the century the same strips were snapped up by the Italian market who took a dislike to speech-bubbles containing character's dialogue," "and removed them in favour of text at the foot of the page." "The bubbles were described as "fumetti" - little puffs of smoke - and thoughtto be "uneducational" but the name stuck and became an affectionate term for all comics in Italy." "The imposed embargo on speech-bubbles came to a natural end" "and eventually, in the 30's Italy's own "fumetti" market began to emerge shunning American favourites for its' own work." "While this had a lot to do with the far-right politics of Italy at the time and only lasted until the end of the war" "it gave the Italian market confidence to compete in a field dominated by US publications." "The Fumetti truly came of age when the legendary Diabolik... first hit the newsstands in the 60s, bringing both a more mature edge... and a new layout which became the industry standard." "Printed on 128 pages utilising bisected panels and small enough to fit in the pocket, comicbooks were now portable" "and became all the rage with kids in much the same way that Star Wars action figures outsold all their rivals because all others were too big to be comfortably transported around by those who wanted fun on-the-go" "As with any advances in media, the porno market seized this handy format and hardcore Fumetti publications later became rife." "After a huge backlash against the more violent darker crime publications (or Fumetti Neri)" "A campaign one similarto the McCarthy era crusade against EC Comics and their contemporaries an effort was made to bring" "respectability back to the medium with many literary luminaries... for a more adult audience." "Sure enough, it worked!" "Whose celebrated creation is the reason you are watching this DVD." "From this new lease of respectability came an artist named Guido Crepax" "Obviously this isn't the entire story of the Fumetti with too much info out there than we can print here!" "Ask at your local library for books on the subject and get promptly told to "sod off" when your enquiry" "exceeds the usual requests of the new Patricia Cornwell." "Note the book De Funes is reading here:" "The Crimes of Love by De Sade." "Many toss his books aside, too, dismissing his work as the product of an imaginative pervert" "The use of De Sade here can be seen as a prelude to the famed SM imagery which appears later on in the film." "Man, that is one funky phone!" "It beats the humble trim-phone in the coolest retro communication stakes, for our money!" "...in the coolest retro communication stakes, for our money!" "Here is a perfect showcase for the superb efforts of composer Piero Umiliani contrasting against the more frenetic music earlier." "Umiliani was something of a workhorse for the European exploitation genre notching up a list of credits only Morricone could top." "He has contributed to every genre in the industry lending his tones to cult favorites like Five Dolls for an August Moon and Roy Colt  Winchester Jack" "Along with a host of Django rip-offs to down-right odd movies - such as the Blaxploitation/Giallo fusion Tropic of Cancer." "Well, this is what happens when you choose Arriflex over Panavision cameras." "Want to bet he's using Eastman colourfilm?" "Geddit?" "He's called George Eastman and there's a film stock..." "Oh, forget it." "Where's Bernard Manning when you need him?" "Ah, that's right." "We remember now." "Oh well..." "Farina squeezes a lot of political commentary into Baba Yaga and was a natural reflection of the turbulent times it was made in." "The right-wing grip was waning before left-wing intellectuals leading to personal, intellectual and sexual freedom previously denied." "Looks like George is just as surprised as we are that Valentina's going to put out for him!" "It's to Farina's credit that he maintains Baba Yaga's omnipresence without showing her physical body, as he does here." "While Crepax's Baba Yaga might well have been the first comic-book to feature the legendary witch, but certainly not the last." "Mike Mingola featured her in issue 3a of his Hellboy books" "a story entitled "Wake The Devil" being an introduction to the character." "The following story "The Baba Yaga", saw the witch confronting the hornless spawn of Satan and losing an eye for her trouble." "Mingola reveals that Baba Yaga hid half of Rasputin's soul in the roots of Yggdrasil AKA the World Tree granting him eternal life." "This important detail was missed out in the first Hellboy movie" "and might have cleared up a couple of incongruities." "Younger viewers might need to khow that at the time Baba Yaga was made" "chicks really dug guys with beards - but since the 80s, it has become... almost impossible for guys with full facial furniture to get laid." "But back then "Cor!" "What a hunk," the ladies would cry." "Not any more, though." "Rather depressing, really." "Hope this clarifies just how come ol' George is getting his end away." "Introducing the next damned soul courtesy of Valentina's camera." "In that outfit, she's certainly a hit with the chaps..." "Jesus, if puns are a symptom of depression, pass the Fluoxetine..." "Much has been written about the censorship problems Farina encountered in bringing Baba Yaga to the screen with fanboy scribblings going so far" "as to mention an unseen version which bordered on hardcore pornography" "but the real answer is both more rational and interesting." "During the unstable political climate in Italy Farina completed his final cut of the movie, which was signed and sealed." "Farina thought this was the end of the editing process, but unbeknownst to him, the producer had been hacking away at the film, aiming to make it less controversial" "and easier to sell in other markets." "As mentioned earlier, Farina squeezes in political commentary into his movie" "there was much more in his cut." "Of the 20 minutes butchered from his vision most of it was socio-political in nature viewed by some as an act of government censorship by proxy." "Naturally Farina was furious, and the Italian papers" "carried his outrage - to his benefit." "He was given control of the negative and was able to undo some of the permanent damage to the materials with a compromise being struck - some of the political material could" "be restored, with the nonessential sequences - mostly lifted from Crepax discarded." "Whilst this was a minor victory, the shots of full-frontal" "nudity fell afoul of the Italian censor board, and were not reinstated." "The movie had been recut completely as the negative had been finalized but Farina got the movie closer to his vision than he would have if he had" "remained silent - an example to PG-13 obsessed producers everywhere." "Shameless has worked closely with Farina to bring you the most complete version of Baba Yaga ever." "Furry front bits included!" "Whatever you can say about the way Baker's career has gone convention has never been used in a description of her." "This is the actress who shocked audiences in the notorious Baby Doll, branching into epics like How The West Was Won, The Big Country" "...and The Greatest Story Ever Told then going into exploitation classics like Orgazmo and Paranoia" "before ending up in the Margi Clarke boxing vehicle Blonde Fist!" "Jeeze, it sounds like somebody's using the pest-control device from The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue!" "Oscilloscope included!" "Now we come to an extended sequence which contains some of the most some of the most iconic imagery from the movie." "Even those who have only heard of Baba Yaga associate with bondage imagery and lesbianism." "Obviously not forgetting the everybody's favourite:" "The doll in bondage!" "Yay!" "Valentina's seduction by the caress of a leather glove is a common catalyst for many who embrace the fetish scene." "Farina presents a literal translation of Fumetti to the screen with the incredible use of photographs allowing him to depict explicit content which would have caused many problems" "if they had been filmed live-action." "If they had been filmed live-action." "Old genre proverb:" "Beware Russian witches bearing gifts!" "OK, who thinks she's been shopping at QVC?" "...so always keep the certificate of authenticity!" "De Funes was primarily a TV actress, with only a few credits to her name but little baggage meant she could become Valentina completely." "As captivating as she is Baba Yaga did little for De Funes' career with only two major screen credits to her name after release." "The board literally translates as:" ""God died and now you khow it!"" "Farina sharply depicts the turbulent times Italy was living in at the time the movie was made." "Not only were times changing but Italy was at war with itself, as its' youth and disquiet organisations" "like the Brigate Rosse / Red Brigades were "assisting" the winds of change in their own ways." "Here we get to see the first real example of Baba Yaga's power as she steers Valentina's path toward her by dropping dead bodies" "at her feet, simultaneously spiting the Catholics as she goes." "Police/Nazis..." "Nazis/Police." "We've all thought it before..." "The following sequence gets our vote for the most brilliantly surreal... segment of the movie." "The majority of it was clearly excised from the original prints but is presented for your delectation here." "You didn't get Burgess Meredith touching up Sylvester Stallone, did you?" "Looks like she's out for the count..." "we said count!" "The "V" on the back of the robe is a nice detail." "...and there's the bell!" "Valentina comes out swinging... but then what else is new?" "Here we have the most explicitly lesbian scene left in the "standard" cut." "Unspoken seduction seems more acceptable than the stroking of thighs although creative cutting prevents any actual physical contact." "So once again:" "Tits = OK." "Furry bits below the waist = wrong." "Esther Rantzen's "That's Life" formula comes through again!" "Don't do it!" "Didn't you see The Vault of Horror with Tom Baker earlier that year?" ""Yes, Commissioner?" Bugger - force of habit..." "Let's see her try that old trick with a digital network." "Once again, Baba Yaga's power pervades without having to resort to to clichéd imagery of cauldrons and pointed hats" "There are those who have speculated that way Valentina is manipulated by her own curiosity into the witch's lair might have inspired Dario Argento" "in how Suzy Bannion finds her way into the clutches of the Black Queen" "and Mark Elliot into the domain of Mater Tenebrarum." "OK, so we do have a witch with a cat, but if cliché was being followed," "then it would have been a black one." "Which, with knowing irony, segues us into a sequence which might have been horribly offensive in the hands of a director without Farina's touch." "It's up to the viewer as to whether you interpret this shot as either the character being bewitched by Baba Yaga's image in the doll" "or the more obvious approach of black libido craving milky, white flesh." "Ah, the spirit of Leonard Rossiter's Mr Rigsby lives on..." "Valentina's camera plays a bigger part in the unfolding events than she can possibly comprehend..." "Here we have the "checkerboard-chicks" sequence outdoing Mandingo by a couple of years." "Farina skilfully contrasts the two skin tones neatly avoiding the "smut" angle easily blundered into." "All this only a few scant years after Star Trek had southern rednecks up in arms about the same sort of thing!" "Farina started out in film like many of those after him," "by making 8mm films." "Where some - like Sam Raimi - had the luxury of" "having access to equipment at home, Farina used the facilities at Torino's film school, where he used it as an escape from a law degree he didn't want." "Farina then found himself employed by Studio Testa, where he was something of a wunderkind turning out over 500 commercials during his stay." "Even this wasn't satisfying him, as his aspirations to get into film were too strong." "From an early age, Farina caught "cinephilia" - as he puts it - and was obsessed with film, his urge initially slaked by writing about film, but ultimately wanted to direct his own projects." "Farina was not exactly prolific when it came to his movie career with Baba Yaga being the culmination of his movie work." "Producers decided Farina's artistic abilities didn't equal box-office" "he was unable to get financing for others instead being forced into" "the world of documentary filmmaking which granted him work" "but not the artistic freedom he craved." "Farina still views it as a compromise calling himself a director first" "and a documentarian second" "OK, even with the irony intended this bit still causes upset today..." "Not wishing to be puerile, but here comes a cracking exchange of innuendo:" "It's as though Farina's using the concept of infinite regression or it might be that he's stepped out of frame with the B-camera." "We're not saying that ol' George is cheap but when you ask him for a ritzy date, the Anthropophagous Beast (or Grim Reaper, to you importers)" "This is what you get:" "An inexpensive bottle of vino rosso a small pizza eaten with cutlery and more fags than you can smoke!" "Rothmans!" "Good ol' "lung-bleeders" as they were affectionately known." "Baba Yaga came shortly after dissolution of De Funes' short-lived marriage" "to prolific French actor Michel Duchaussoy..." "You might remember him from such films as:" "Man with the Transplanted Brain..." "The Return of the Tall Blonde Man with one Red Shoe and Poltergay." "Valentina has just inadvertently brought in a classic Giallo element to the movie, where the central character wracks their brain" "trying to remembera vital element they have seen, a small detail which can unravel the mystery enveloping them." "Once again, Shameless have scoured the vaults... to bring you the most complete version of Baba Yaga..." "Let's hurry." "Look who's here." "Hi!" " So, you are going to see the film too?" " Yes, tonight I must celebrate." "What?" "I sold my comic strips characters to a big publisher" "They want to make books from them" "Do you know what it means?" "It means no more small underground magazines." "But a big public finally." "And also loads of money!" "But will they let you carry on with your ideas?" "Your anti-capitalist message?" "Well..." "I will have to clean up a few things." "Change some words." "I'll have to make it a bit more commercial." "But it's a price worth paying, don't you think?" "Wasn't that a picture of Herman Munster on the wall, rather than Frankenstein?" "Ah, The Golem:" "A movie which needs no introduction to genre fans." "Wanna' bet that the print they are watching isn't nearly as butchered as the average copy found in the DVD bargain bins!" "The time has come!" "The stars are favourable to the spell." "The art of giving life to dead things" "Jesus!" "We've nearly hit the hour mark and have only mentioned..." "I obtained the terrible life-giving word from the Dark Powers..." "Now I am going to give life to the Golem!" "...Guido Crepax in passing!" "The father of so much fantastic smut..." "Milanese artist Crepax's career in graphic design was lauded early on." "Not stopping at just designing posters he also worked on album covers for the likes of Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and Charlie "Bird" Parker." "After an award-winning stint in the world of advertising" "Crepax took his talents into the world of comics where he could give his vivid imagination free reign" "It was only after two years' toil that, in 1965, Crepax created his muse:" "Valentina, a character who obsessed her creatorand betwitched readers." "Originally appearing as a minor character in his Neutron saga" "Crepax expanded the character and gave her an existence of her own one outside the confinements out of Linus magazine where she first appeared." "Crepax managed to tear himself away from his muse in 1967 just long enough... to design the storboards for the Tinto Brass movie Deadly Sweet" "...the pairing of Brass and Crepax - who designed Valentina to have the most perfect arse in creation - was inspired!" "Come 1968, Valentina was her own girl appearing in over 30 solo books" "whilst exploring various facets of sexuality as she went." "It was in 1971 that Crepax put his own slant on Baba Yaga" "the Russian folk-tale of the hideous, iron-toothed witch." "That we are all watching this DVD" "is proof of bewitching nature of Crepax's celebrated work." "Crepax's care ereventually took him more in the direction of Jess Franco rather than Tinto Brass, as he ended up adapting such works as Justine" "Venus in Furs and even a pictorial of Histoire d' O" "In the 80's, Crepax resurrected his Neutron character to great acclaim" "with his new adventures - based on Homer's The Odyssey - giving Crepax" "the chance to finally have his writing match the quality of his images" "a problem which dogged his careerfrom the start." "Valentina was finally put to bed - her own - in 1995, when Crepax" "wrote her final story." "Unlike most other comic-based characters" "Valentina aged over the years of her publication and both character and author" "were feeling their age." "Although Crepax's output decreased in the run-up to his death, he was able to adapt one more literary classic:" "Frankenstein." "The following year, 2003, Crepax died at the age of 70." "Crepax and Baba Yaga director Farina were friends for years and Shameless is proud to honor both warped geniuses with this" "director's own Final Cut edition of the movie." "We can't guarantee that no zebras were harmed in the making of Valentina's wall decoration!" "Note Farina's minor details like the dust covering all in Baba Yagas' domain." "One of the lasting legacies of Guido Crepax is that even though many will not" "know of screen icon Louise Brooks every time a new generation gazes adoringly" "at Valentina, her spirit is evoked" "Brooks beguiled audiences during the 20s with the film Pandora's Box and the young Crepax couldn't get her out of his mind." "His obsession was channeled onto into print giving Brooks the most perfect" "arse he could muster and Valentina was born" "At this point in the story, Valentina realizes just what is going on around her finally realizing she is being used by Baba Yaga - and doesn't like it!" "In almost a last-ditch effort to bag her prey, Baba Yaga rolls out the *ahem* big guns..." "So hold on to your moral fibre, kids, 'cause here's more censored footage!" "You belong to me don't you forget it." ""Why Grandma, what a deep voice you have..."" "There are many who cite similarities between Baba Yaga and Bunuel's Belle De Jour." "While there are some superficial  tonal resemblances it would be a disservice to both Crepax and Farina to give credence to them" "Those intrigued by Farina's political slant to his filmmaking are advised to seek out his only other feature-length work, Hanno Cambiato Faccia " " or "They've Changed Faces"." "A blistering satire of capitalism and greedy corporations" "this Golden Leopard-winning movie is ripe for re-release - hint, hint..." "Oh, come on!" "It stars Adolfo Celi, for Chrissakes!" ""Shit!" "They didn't shoot coverage for foreign-language audiences!"" "There are those who have cited this sequence as a form of reference to the sequence in The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy watches as the hourglass" "counts down to her demise, overcome with fear by a fate she cannot change." "Let's hear it for interpretation!" "Hmm." "Valentina." "The bird in the SM outfit." "Lost of candles." "That sounds like the recipe for the best Christmas ever, doesn't it?" "With Baba Yaga, Farina finally did justice to the humble Fumetti" "after a numberof efforts most wouldn't even call "heroic failures"." "One of the most financially successful Fumetti adaptations to hit the big screen... was Roger Vadim's Barbarella, which sent Hanoi Jane into space." "Even with a reasonable amount of naked flesh on display, matched by a budget as brazen, there are many who feel it was emasculated" "during the transition from print to screen." "Are the rumours that Farina used Barbarella as a "how not to..." guide true?" "It's one of those questions you don't want answered" "as it might spoil a perfectly good anecdote!" "Farina and Mario Bava reside in a very exclusive club of directors who have successfully understood the aesthetics of the Fumetti when translating it to film." "Might we recommend cannonballing this movie with a screening of Diabolik" "for the ultimate Fumetti cinema rush?" "This sequence is particularly remarkable in that even though it uses hand-held photography it still looks exactly like a Fumetti panel with dynamism expressed through the set-up ratherthan actual movement." "The multi-tasking talents of Giulio Berruti cannot be ignored on Baba Yaga." "Aside from his inspired editing which holds the movie together he also penned a couple of additional sequences" "along with assistant director duties." "The new scenes were - supposedly - written via his capacity as an editor to keep the movie cohesive upon transition from page to screen" "Many genre fans will khow Giulio Berruti as the directorof KILLER NUN (1978)" "Many genre fans will khow Giulio Berruti as the directorof KILLER NUN (1978)" "Also on SHAMELESS which saw Anita Ekberg as an evil Mother Superior going apeshit!" "While Farina is almost dismissive of his attempt to film Fumetti he cites himself as "accidentally" being responsible for marrying Bava with the genre" "In the late 60s, Farina was adapting scripts with the Giussani sisters - the legendary creators of Diabolik - and was asked who would be a good director" "to bring their master-thief to the screen to which he suggested Mario Bava." "So even if Farina wasn't entirely happy with his own efforts, he at least" "had a hand in the most beautiful attempt at getting Fumetto in the can." "Those who have developed a taste for filmic Valentina might like to seek" "out the 1988 TV series entitled - ingeniously" " Valentina." "Starring former American gymnast Demetra Hampton" "Three of these were edited together as a "movie" for US cable TV" "an is easier to track down than the actual series." "It's here that Baker gets to shine in the film where she goes beyond more that just malevolence and shows her emotions." "It is well documented that Baker wasn't even on the short-list" "for the title role, she was lagging behind two very different performers" "Ingrid Thulin, starof Bergman's legendary Cries  Whispers" "and singing supreme-turned actress Ornella Vanoni (Fulci's Jukebox Boys)" "Even then, Baker was not in the frame, as they had settled on Brit thesp Anne Haywood [see her in Argent's superb nunsploitation THE NUN  THE DEVIL]" "Anne Heywood was cast as Baba Yaga but she backed out of the movie at the last minute even paying a fine to do so..." "Enter Carroll Baker, who proved to be the professional Heywood wasn't." "With great chunks of the social commentary removed from the film it comes as a comfort that the ending is left open, with no clear sense" "of morality forced upon it as there is certainly opportunity for it." "Sure, the police bust in at just the wrong time but Valentina isn't arrested for the suspected murder of poor old Baba Yaga." "They should thank God that it wasn't made in China, where at the time the state was ensuring that Bruce Lee's acts of cinematic Vigilantism" "ended with him being either arrested or shot by the police." "As we come to the closing shot of Corrado Farina's Baba Yaga we are forced to wonder:" "Is the witch dead?" "Has good really triumphed?" "Or is she a familiar and trans-moggie-rified into a cat?" "In the grand Italian tradition:" ""Avete Visto" " BABA YAGA, THE FINAL CUT"" "The cinematic culmination of director Corrado Farina, and a superb showcase forthe warped imaginings of Guido Crepax " "a man who earned his title of "World's Sexiest Cartoonist"." "Turn up the volume and listen to the play-out from Piero Umiliani, guys!" "Commentary by the Wilson Bros. Exclusively written for Shameless copyright © 2009" "When we were too few left to fight, we packed our tents and went down to Pine Ridge." "There were already many Lakotas, and many soldiers there, facing each other in two rows." "Pointing their guns, and we went between those two rows." "And this is how it all ended." "When I look back from the high mountain of my old age" "I can still see the slaughtered women and children piled up along that twisting ravine." "Silence!" "You are offending America." "The United States of America" "Look at us, long hair..." "We are the United States of America" "This sky, this grass belongs to us, as it belonged to our ancestors." "Nonsense, we bought it from you." "You can take back your coloured beads." "I offer this as a sacrifice." "Look at my action with kindness." "The day of the sun has been my strength." "The path of the moon will be my cloak." "A sacred praise I make." "A sacred praise I make." "We cannot tolerate this violence and this looking anymore." "We cannot and we must not." "We will not surrender to an irresponsible minority of rebels who try to destabilize authority." "We will take all the necessary measures, to punish whoever supports violence." "And to re-establish order." "Look out!" "There's a police car coming!" "Let's go!" "Come Valentina!" "Let's hurry." "Look who's here." "Hi!" " So, you are going to see the film too?" " Yes, tonight I must celebrate." "What?" "I sold my comic strips characters to a big publisher" "They want to make books from them" "Do you know what it means?" "It means no more small underground magazines." "But a big public finally." "And also loads of money!" "But will they let you carry on with your ideas?" "Your anti-capitalist message?" "Well..." "I will have to clean up a few things." "Change some words." "I'll have to make it a bit more commercial." "But it's a price worth paying, don't you think?" "The time has come!" "The stars are favourable to the spell." "The art of giving life to dead things" "I obtained the terrible life-giving word from the Dark Powers..." "Now I am going to give life to the Golem!" "You belong to me don't you forget it."