Italy, land of good food, timeless art, stunning architecture...and great pop culture!
In their music, movies, and more, the craftspeople of Italy have proven time and again their ability to stimulate that elusive sense of wonder. Which is why I think a thread celebrating their myriad contributions to global pop culture is long overdue.
Let's start with...DIABOLIK!
The long-running fumetti (comic book) chronicling the adventures of the master thief and all-around anti-hero Diabolik and his lover/partner-in-adventure Eva Kant was made into a movie in 1968. Despite the best efforts of ironists (including the vile Beastie Boys and, sadly, the misguided latter-day MST3K) Diabolik the movie has endured as a visionary merging of the cinema and the comic book. But don't take my word for it -- in the DVD's special features, there's a great interview with none other than comic book artist supreme Steve Bissette, who praises the movie far more eloquently than I ever could.
I do, however, want to make note of the fact that Diabolik the movie was directed by Mario Bava (1914-1980), an exceptional craftsman in his field and a talent which I hope to cover in detail in future posts in this thread.
Sorry, but I fear I know little or nothing about Fantomas (he was a French creation, right? Nothing against France, of course.)
The closest connection I can think of is that I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Grant Morrison's creation Fantomex is a hybrid of Fantomas and Diabolik.
Actually, Diabolik is a source of controversy amongst the MSTies over at Club MST3k. Some of them feel like it was picked on unfairly. Others, like Yours Truly, thought the savaging it got at the end of The Age of Best Brains was well-deserved. I don't know which faction holds the lead, however.
Last edited by cleome47; 09/29/1307:30 PM.
Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on DeviantArt! Drop by and tell me that I sent you. *updated often!*
I confess that the Italian stuff I've seen via The Brains often does have some stylish Mod flourishes that make it more fun and endurable than, say, the ouevre of Ed Wood. Still, the overpowering misogyny on display generally makes me want to bang my head against the wall.
Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on DeviantArt! Drop by and tell me that I sent you. *updated often!*
I've never read the Diabolik comic, but I would imagine Eva was less of a damsel in it than she was in the movie, because it was created and initially written by women.
Viva Italia! In addition to spending many hours in undergrad and grad school learning about Italian history--ancient, middle age and modern, I've also grown to love various aspects of Italian culture!
I come from a town with a long history of Italian immigrants. Half my aunts, uncles and cousins are part Italian.
First: the food. I love it! Not only is my aforementioned home town loaded with great Italian restaurants, I'm of course near NYC. My sister studied in Italy for a year at the Italian Culinary Institute to be a chef.
And of course, the pop culture. I'm not all that familiar with Diabolik other than hearing about how awesome it is for years. But something I do love is the film catalogue of the amazing Dario Argento. Argento has spear headed a horror movement with a style that stands apart for its color and beauty. The films are a beacon of creativity in an often repetitive and lackadaisical genre.
Comic book genius Francesco Francavilla infuses all of his work with the trappings of Italian pop culture and the result is amazing. I highly recommend anything he touches. He's a writer / artist / colorist that is 10 steps ahead of everyone else.
I agree with you on Dario Argento. I think Deep Red, Suspiria, and Tenebre are among the best horror/thriller movies ever made. Inferno has some amazing moments, too, as does the "Animal Trilogy" that started Argento's career.
We should definitely discuss Argento further in this thread.
I think the Deep Red I saw years ago was a cut version. I remember it being rather disjointed. I was going to say more than the usual Italian giallo. But perhaps all the ones I've seen have been cut.
"...not having to believe in a thing to be interested in it and not having to explain a thing to appreciate the wonder of it."
I know this isn't quite popular culture, but it's still significant that Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other world nation: italy has 49. The only other countries that have more than 40 are China with 45 and Spain with 44.
This becomes more significant when you see how much larger countries fare:
Mexico - 32 Russia - 25 USA - 21 Brazil, Australia - 19
I should finally have a new computer bought and installed within the next couple weeks, so then I can pick and choose songs. Right now, I can only stumble blindly, and that won't do. But...
...will this 4-minute sampler suffice for the moment?
Hey, I actually know one of the songs! I heard it for the first time this year, on some random internet radio station.
The song is awesome, but it has one of the worst videos I have ever seen. I was just a kid in 1984, but I think I could have come up with something better than this.
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