Woodyanders Review of Four Times That Night

Four Times That Night (1971)

Mario Bava's fun comic variant on "Rashomon"

[8/10 · 26 March 2008]

Dashing playboy John Price (handsome Brett Halsey) meets sweet virgin Tina Brandt (ravishing brunette knockout Daniela Giordano, who was Miss Italy 1966) in a park. The two strike up an immediate rapport and go on a date which goes disastrously wrong. Depending on the person relating the incident, the date went down like this: 1) amorous cad Price attempted to rape the innocent Tina, 2) shameless and insatiable nymphomaniac slut Tina aggressively came on to the hapless John, or 3) Tina was seduced by predatory lesbian Esmeralda (a memorably spiky Pascale Petit). Director Mario Bava relates the amusing story at a constant quick pace and expertly maintains a playfully light and bouncy good-natured tone throughout. Antonio Rinaldi's crisp, polished cinematography fills the screen with lots of rich, vibrant colors while Cariolano Gori's frothy, groovy score totally hits the swinging spot. Moreover, this amiably silly and innocuous fluff further benefits from charming performances from attractive and personable leads Halsey and Giordano. Co-producer Dick Randall is a real hoot as the sleazy voyeur doorman. The delectable Brigitte Skay, the ill-fated skinny-dipper in "Bay of Blood," has a sexy bit as naive bimbo Mumu. Bava even manages amidst all the delightfully inane tomfoolery to make a relevant point about how individual perspectives radically vary from person to person. A cute little romp.