11 December 2024
Short Night of the Glass Dolls (1972)
92 min.
Directed by Aldo Lado.
With Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, Barbara Bach, Fabian Sovagovi, Jose Quaglio, Piero Bida, Relja Basic.
A surreal but ultimately compelling Italian thriller.

Stationed in Prague, American reporter Gregory Moore (Sorel) loses his girlfriend Mira (Bach) to a sinister cult led by a wacko professor specializing in mind control.

As the reporter tracks his lost girlfriend (and slowly begins to realize a string of murdered girls are linked to his love's disappearance and a bizarre Klub 99), he soon loses his own mind - and ultimately - his life.

The catch? The action of this mystery-thriller is told through a series of flashbacks from Gregory's dead corpse. Aiding the dreamlike feel, the plot is deliberately vague, the images intentionally haunting and the overall effect quite cold.

Aldo Lado's directorial debut, this is hard to follow but rewarding for those who have patience.

Also known as Malastrana.

Italian: La Corte Notte delle Bambole di Vetro.

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