Horror Extreme Movie Catalog - Editorial Reviews

What happened last night in Tina's apartment? Did she sleep with Gianni willingly, or was she raped? And what was that other couple doing in the apartment with them? Tina, Gianni, Tina's mother, and Tina's peeping tom concierge all have differing opinions in this "shagadelic" sex farce from horror maestro Mario Bava! A spicy Italian variation on the multi-perspective storyline of Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon," "Four Times That Night" is presented for the first time in the United States on home video, in its correct theatrical aspect ratio and in its original Italian version.

The most flabbergasting remake of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon ever mounted, Mario Bava's frothy Italian sex farce is a swinging sixties piece of peek-a-boo exploitation set to a jazzy score. Leggy brunette Daniela Giordano struts in miniskirts (and less) as a nice church-going girl picked up by a leering hunk in a red convertible (Brett Halsey). "You try and stay pure and I'll try to stop you. It'll be fun," he exclaims as he chases her around his funky bachelor pad. At least that's her version of the story. When Halsey brags to his drinking chums he's the shy guy taught a few things by his insatiable date, and the peeping tom landlord follows with a complicated tale of a gay nightclub, naked dancing girls in go-go boots, and wild lesbian sex. The "real" story, told by a narrating psychologist, is a let down after all these outrageous sex fantasies. Elegantly shot and sleekly designed in bright, bold colors, it makes for a handsome helping of cheesecake and tame centerfold-style nudity, and Bava employs all the abrupt zooms and fuzzy focus transitions we expect from our hip sixties pictures. It's quite a contrast from his usual baroque thrillers, handsome and even a little kinky, but hardly memorable. --Sean Axmaker