OK I have it...
a quick review:
The book is unnecessarily large (30x24 cm). I would have tolerate this if it included a generous amount of full page locandines, but it doesn't. All the pictures are relatively small. I'm also disappointed by the print quality. Most of the black and white images look washed out and grainy, like an old magazine.
There's also a problem with the layout. All the images appear 8 to 10 pages later! For examples L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo is reviewed on page 45, but we see the stills and poster on page 54! That's true for every movie. This layout error is annoying.
The choice of pictures is extremely bad. 95% of the stills are naked woman shots. For every movie reviewed, Antonio Bruschini and Stefano Piselli have selected only the most erotic shots. From page 60 to 62: there are only boobs pictures (Brigitte Skay x 2, Dagmar Lassander x 2, Edwige Fenech, Lucretia Love). On page 86-87, there's a total of 6 pairs of boobs! This nudity overdose is silly. This book looks like an erotic magazine!
Concerning the text itself. The book is essentially a chronological filmography, Every movie get a cast list and a little review. The title is misleading however: The 1931 to 1960 period occupies only 2 pages with cast list only. It's totally useless. The filmography really starts with the 60ies.
The reviews are relatively short, approximately 10 lines per film. They are written in both Italian and English. The English version was translated literally from the Italian, not adapted. This can lead to awkward sentences and even factual errors.
One example:
"... Anticipando certo cinema slasher e gore americano, mescolando orrore ed erotismo, Bava s'inventa una serie di grandguignoleschi delitti all'arma bianca...".
becomes:
"... Anticipating certain American slasher & gore movies and mixing horror with eroticism, Bava creates a series of grand guignol-styled sidearms-based homicides...".
(page 48, review of Mario Bava's Ecologia Del Delitto)
Beside the translation issues, the reviews are decent. I would have liked more factual information (box office results, budget, international release dates, trivia, etc...) instead of only a few plot references and the authors subjective opinion.
The book also includes a 6 pages introduction to the genre, a 2 pages Dario Argento interview (don't we have enough of him?!), a short bibliography and a very complete discography.
I don't know if I should recommend this book or not... It's not a very good looking "luxury" book (unless you're obsessed by grainy black and white boobs pictures), but on the other hand it's the most extensive reference book in English you will ever find... Is it worth 32 euros? I'm not sure... I prefer Luca Rea's I Colori Del Buio, Il Cinema Thrilling Italiano, Dal 1980 Al 1979 published in 1999 by Molino Editor (unfortunately out of print). It doesn't include as many films, and is slightly outdated, but the choice of images is better (more posters), the text is more interesting, and the printing quality is superior. It just looks more "classy".
