LastingAware
The greatest movie ever!
Solidrariol
Am I Missing Something?
Scott LeBrun
The erotic comics of Guido Crepax get adapted for the big screen with this generally watchable, if not inspired, piece of sexy Italian cinema. American sex symbol Carroll Baker ("Baby Doll") stars as the title character, an enigmatic stranger. She just might be a witch. She comes into the life of Valentina Rosselli (Isabelle De Funes), a photographer by trade who dabbles in various subjects but mostly deals in fashion shoots. Valentina is definitely not sure WHAT to make of this stranger, and relays her suspicions to TV director Arno Treves (Italian icon Luigi Montefiori, a.k.a. George Eastman), her would-be boyfriend.Director / writer Corrado Farina (who also makes a couple of cameos) gives this a valiant effort, even if he himself admits that his film isn't all that successful. As befitting a comic adaptation, he makes the visuals of "Baba Yaga" its strongest suit, and gives it a healthy dose of surrealism as well. Voyeurs will be pleased enough with the sex and skin on display, especially when it's provided by Ely Galleani as the provocative Annette. (*Love* that costume.)The problem is, there just isn't all that much story tension here, and the narrative certainly isn't all that compelling. If it weren't for the girl-watching, some people could even find this to be boring. Further harming the film is the fact that Valentina is not a particularly interesting character, and De Funes may be attractive, but her performance isn't all that great. Picking up some of the slack are old pro Eastman, the lovely Ms. Baker (who does seem to be enjoying herself to some degree) and Ms. Galleani.There's also some nice music by Piero Umiliani, and at least one memorable twist, but "Baba Yaga" may still not appeal to *all* fans of arty Eurotrash.Viewers may be thunderstruck by the questionable taste of a commercial shot by Arno and his crew at one point.Six out of 10.
Red-Barracuda
Guido Crepax erotic comic 'Valentina' was the basis for this movie. The comics themselves were not very plot-driven so the screenplay here was more inspired by them rather than being a straight adaption. Perhaps because of this, plot is not a strong point in this one. A fashion photographer called Valentina encounters a mysterious witch called Baba Yaga. The latter puts a hex on Valentina's camera meaning that anyone she photographs experiences some trauma. It's a fairly basic narrative but it has been used as a framework here for all manner of stylish madness.Isabelle De Funès plays Valentina and she looks suitably chic in the part, regular Italian genre actress Carroll Baker is the enigmatic Baba Yaga, while George Eastman gets to appear in a role that unusually does not call for him to be a psychopath but instead is a romantic lead of sorts who works as a director of commercials (his effort for a soap power advert really has to be seen to be believed!). The director here is Corrado Farina who had previously helmed another strange art-horror film called They Have Changed Their Faces (1971). While both films are in the horror bracket, it would be fair to say that their arty leanings are at least as strong as any horror angle. Baba Yaga is very dreamlike in tone with a deliberate pace. It is highly stylish in its visual approach with its sensibilities being divided between pop art and surrealism. Of the latter there are several dream sequences involving Nazis. Odd moments happen in the dead of night such as Valentina discovering a puppy lying within a circle of candles. There are strange items such as an S&M doll which has the power to transform into a woman. So, there is a great deal of oddness to this one, resulting in a film with a strange tone. Farina executes this kind of stuff with a bold visual style which is the movies main strength. Particularly nice were the sequences in which the action suddenly becomes visually formatted like one of the fumetti comics from which it was inspired. Piero Umiliani provides a pretty varied musical score which splits itself into three styles – upbeat easy-pop for the fashion shoot scenes, slower orchestral stuff for scenes involving Baba Yaga and jazzy compositions to accompany the more surreal episodes.On the whole, this is quite a strange movie which will not have widespread appeal. It's quite restrained as a horror movie and is not visceral in any way. While it does have some erotic elements, they aren't very exploitative. This is very much an art-house/horror hybrid in a lot of ways. It's not necessarily entirely successful in execution but it definitely does a lot of things very well and has some admirable ambition. It's one that is mainly aimed at those who have an affinity with style-heavy early 70's Italian movies. A very intriguing oddity that's for sure.
ferbs54
I am wholly unfamiliar with Guido Crepax' "Valentina" comic strip, so really cannot say how closely the Italian/French coproduction "Baba Yaga" (1973) hews to its source material. Director Corrado Farina states, however, in one of this Blue Underground DVD's many extras, that he failed in his intention to produce a film that replicates the feel of a comic strip. Be that as it may, the objective viewer should easily discern that this film has much to offer in its own right. In it, we meet Valentina (Isabella de Funes), a pretty fashion photographer living in Milan, who, one evening, encounters a very strange woman. She is Baba Yaga, a sensual, echoey-voiced, blond enchantress of sorts who gives Valentina a leather-clad living doll, puts a hex on her camera, and shows her her creepy old house (replete with a bottomless pit in the living room!). Carroll Baker, older but still very beautiful, is quite good as this "witchy woman"--I just love the way she wraps her mouth around the word "Valentina"--although, Farina reveals, she was far from the director's first choice for the role. The film has been directed and edited for maximum weirdness, and a dreamy piano theme by Piero Umiliani greatly adds to the strange aura that permeates throughout. Ultimately, however, the film is unsatisfying, in that nothing at all is explained, and the sudden denouement leaves one wishing for a lot more. Still, the picture is consistently interesting, engaging and atmospheric, and the staccato editing, dream sequences and groovy jazz should please viewers who are into "head movies." A mixed bag, to be sure, but good for those who are game for something different....
darth_schneider67
Wow...this was in a DVD 4 pack called "Blood Bath" and there was barely any blood...someone got stuck with a pin, the bloody pin was the only blood I remember...also someone literally "drops dead" & someone falls in a hole. On there other hand, the only redeeming thing, was lots of Euro-boobs, but even nipples don't make up for a boring, slow, rambling plot. The atmosphere started out nice, the characters at first seemed possibly interesting...but nothing really develops... Who was Bababooey? Why was she interested in Valentina? Why was the Dog in the middle of the street with a weird cut in it's forehead...and surrounded by candles? Why did the camera make one person sick, one person collapse...who, what & why is Annette a creepy dominatrix doll that comes to life? (but looked hot & bare breasted) I give it 2 stars, one for breasts, and 1 for a glimpse of the 1972 IKEA catalog. (her big round table lamp is still available!)
