DANGER DIABOLIK BLU

New release: Danger Diabolik coming to Blu-ray! Spy Vibers have been waiting for years to see this amazing cult classic make it to Blu-ray and our wishes have finally come true! Shout factory announced yesterday that they will release a hi-def edition of Bava's Danger Diabolik on May 19th. So far there have been no details revealed regarding special features, but fans are hoping that the excellent 2005 DVD bonus materials such as From Fumetti to Film featuring film and comic historian Steve Bissette (Swamp Thing, Constantine) and Roman Coppola (CQ), Body Movin' Diabolik video by The Beastie Boys, and commentary by Tim Lucas (Video Watchdog) and Diaboilik actor John Phillip Law. I'll post any updates as they arrive. From the press release: "The suave, psychedelic-era thief called Diabolik (John Phillip Law) can't get enough of life's good – or glittery – things. Not when there are currency shipments to steal from under the noses of snooty government officials and priceless jewels to lift from the boudoirs of the super-rich. The elusive scoundrel finds plenty of ways to live up to his name in this tongue-in-cheek, live-action caper inspired by Europe's popular Diabolik comics. He clambers up walls, zaps a press conference with Exhilaration Gas, smacks a confession out of a crime lord while freefalling with him from an airplane, and pulls off the heist of a twenty-ton gold ingot. Impossible? No, diabolical – Danger: Diabolik, to be exact!" The Blu-ray is region A. More info at Shout Factory and Blu-ray. Related Spy Vibe posts: Set Design Countdown #1, Verner Panton Design and Diabolik, Spy Vibe Radio show: Diabolik, Diabolik LP.

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Count Arthur Strong, Honey West Title Cards, Bowie Day, New Year Cosmonauts, Neil Innes R.I.P., Claudine Auger R.I.P., OHMSS at 50, Italian Job 50th OST, Charles Schulz Modern, Paul Desmond, Python 50th, Randall Hopkirk 50th, Thunderbirds Day, Lazenby Returns to MI6, Dr. John R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin III, Lupin Ska, Spy Vibe Prime, Zigomar Translation, The Village: Part 1, Monkey Punch R.I.P., Bubble Girl 63, ITC Soundtracks, Spy Vibe Radio: Public Eye, UFO Prime, Spaceship to Mars, Modesty Blaise Companion, Spy Vibe Radio: Fantomas, George Day, Fantomas Blu, Dark Shadows Doc, Bedazzled Blu-ray, Mary Quant Exhibit, Laika Calypso, Lost in Space Japan, Spy Dust Calypso, Atomic Cafe, John Barry Mono, Interview: John Barry Book, Land of the Giants Score, Skyfall Concert, Dearest Emma, Spy Vibe Radio: Upperseven, Ogilvy at Elstree, Mabuse Propaganda, Bond Beatles Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Liquidator, Diabolik LP, Fab Dresses, Eurospy Music Collection, Beetle Bailey in West Berlin, Why Mort Walker?, Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!, Avengers Critical Guide, The Spotnicks, Benny Spies, James Pond 0017', Satire Stones, Annette Andre Book, Cat Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Get Smart, Caine: My Generation, Interview: Ian Ogilvy, Horror of Party Beach, Sylvie Vartan Renown, Ringo At 78, Dark Shadows Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Flint, Archie Batman 66, Paul at 76, Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, McGoohan/Prisoner Event at Elstree, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Bond at Bletchley, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition,  Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Thunderball Event, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration,  Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Batman 66 Exhibit, Prisoner Fifty Event, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse Pulp, Avengers Audio Drama, Interview: Callan At 50, Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private Eyes, TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

WHO'S TALKING ON SPY VIBE

As we enter our seventh year, I'm so grateful to our community for making Spy Vibe such a fun place to meet and share our passion for 1960s Style in Action. When my schedule has allowed, I've had the pleasure to chat with a number of fellow writers, artists, and collectors. In celebration of the New Year, I'd like to spotlight some of our best interviews and give our new readers a chance to catch up. This is also a time of year when I have to invest in the various costs of running the site: domain names, web forwarding, etc. If you can contribute even a few bucks, it will help this high school art teacher continue the website and I'd be so grateful. There is a Paypal donation link at the top left of the page. Thanks to everyone for being a part of Spy Vibe! Now, look who's been talking in the lair.

Fergus Fleming on his uncle Ian Fleming and editing the James Bond Letters.
Jaz Wiseman on producing many 1960s spy series DVD and Blu-ray releases.
Jon Gilbert on his Ian Fleming Bibliography.  
Alan Stephenson on his world-class James Bond collection. 
Mike Richardson on writing the ultimate history of The Avengers.
Shane Glines on designing for Batman animated shows. 
Raymond Benson on collecting and writing James Bond. 
Richard Sala on classic spies, pulps, and his Super Enigmatix graphic novel. 
Bunny Deana on the London Playboy Club in the 1960s. 
Trina Robbins on Honey West, Wonder Woman, and women in pop culture. 
Ian Dickerson on The Saint and writing the Leslie Charteris biography.
Jeremy Duns on collecting Ian Fleming. 
Ralph Garman and Ty Templeton on Batman 66 Meets the Green Hornet.
Rodney Marshall on writing about the history of The Avengers. 
Win Scott Eckert on writing Honey West, T.H.E. Cat, and Green Hornet. 
Kevin Dart on Yuki 7. 
Bosko Hrnjak on Tiki art. 
Richard Sala on classic spy/pulp conventions, The Avengers, Dick Tracy & more!
Set Designs w Lee Pfeiffer, Wesley Britton, Stephen Bissette & others.
John Buss on his world-class collection of spy TV memorabilia. 
Peter Lorenz on collecting James Bond books and art. 
Mike Richardson on writing The Making of Casino Royale. 
Alan Hayes on writing the early history of The Avengers. 
Odysseas Constantine on designing The Avengers Pop Art collection.
Rob Mallows on collecting Len Deighton. 
Jim Wilson on Code 3 Corgi toys.
Piper Gates Design on designing with retro cult TV. 
Katharine Boyd on Mod Tales comic #1.
Ryan Heshka about his pulp and sci-fi-inspired art.   
David Foster on collecting spy and pulp books.
Kevin Dart on designing Powerpuff Girls and working with Ringo. 
Roger Langley on collecting Danger Man/The Prisoner.
Big Fun Columbus on vintage toys. 
Craig Arthur on collecting classic spy fiction.   
Matt Maranian on 60s style and writing Pad. 
Matt Sherman on collecting rare James Bond books and props. 

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: UFO Blu-ray, Avengers Pop Art Interview, Fritz Lang Spies, Fergus Fleming Interview, Avengers: Alan Hayes Interview, Jaz Wiseman Interview, 007 SPECTRE Comics, Casino Royale Folio, New James Bond Comic, Diana Rigg BFI Interview, Callan Documentary and Set, Casino Royale Interview: Mike Richardson, Early Saint Box Set, Lost Diana Rigg Interview, Diana Rigg Event, Ian Fleming Letters, New Gillette 007 Covers, Pirate Radio, Spectre Advanced Poster, Honor Blackman at 90, UNCLE School, Ian Fleming Memorial, Radiophonic Exhibit, Portmeirion Photos, Doctor Who Exhibit, Farewell Steed, Pussy Galore Returns, Diana Rigg birthday, Sherlock at 221B, Invisible Agent, Saint Interview: Ian Dickerson, Saint Doppelgänger, Fleming's Typewriter, Rare Fleming, Fleming's Music, Ian Fleming's Japan, Jim Wilson Corgi Interview, Fantomas Design, Jeremy Duns on Bond, John Buss interview, Avengers Season 5 Titles, Saint Volvo, Mod Tales Interview, Agente Secreto Comics, Danger Man Comics 2, Danger Man Comics, John Drake Comics, Der Mann Von UNCLE, Golden Margaret Nolan, Man From UNCLE Rocksteady, Pussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P., Edward Mann Fashion, Leonard Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Bob Morane series, Thai Bond Design, Bond vs Modernism, Art of Modesty, Tokyo Beat 1964, Feraud Mod Fashion, Green Hornet Manga, No 6 Festival, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

DIABOLIK

Danger Diabolik (1968), the super-cool film by Mario Bava, came up on our radar again this week with posts about designer Verner Panton. The film, which starred John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell, is a cult classic and one of the best adaptations of a comic ever made. Despite the pedigree, however, the film has been tagged unfairly in the pop-consciousness as trash/camp due to its heckling in Mystery Science Theater 3000. Spy Vibe agrees with Double O Section and writer/artist Steve Bissette that MTS3K went too far when they chose the film as their final episode. As much as I enjoy their riffs on bad-but-fun flicks, Mike and the robots had no business dragging Bava's Diabolik into that campy pigeonhole. As Bissette pointed out in his special feature on the DVD, it was not a campy movie. The characters may have winked at each other, but never to the audience.


If you haven't seen it in a while, watch Steve's bonus feature before the film for some great insights about Bava's use and blend of comic and film forms. I assume most Spy Vibers know that Danger Diabolik was based on an Italian comic series. Bissette points out some great panel-to-frame comparisons. The official website (Italian) includes some cool on-line comics (both drawn panels and photographic-panel formats). Danger Diabolik came in at #1 in our top-10 set countdown. The film also sports some of the best Spy Vibe fashion you'll ever see on screen! Additional Spy Vibe posts about Danger Diabolik here.

THE 10TH VICTIM SOUNDTRACK

As many Spy Vibers know, my first real love for spy-style films began with the Elio Petri movie, The 10th Victim (1965). It's futuristic fashion, modern architecture, pop art-inspired interior designs, and performances by Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress were absolutely captivating. As I described to a friend last night during a theatrical screening of The Ipcress File, I saw the stylish world of The 10th Victim as a youngster and it resonated and established a kind of aesthetic map. My pal, movie historian and artist, Steve Bissette likes to kid me that it was really the music that hooked me. He's right! The cheesy organ grooves and scat-style female vocalizations of Edda Dell'Orso were like Ulysses' siren song. The music was composed by Piero Piccioni, who created a wonderful blend of jazz, mystery-adventure thrills, and avant-garde elements. It remains one of my favorite scores, especially the main title, The Spiral Waltz. I have an original vinyl copy of the soundtrack, as well as the Easy Tempo 1998 CD release. A mint copy of Easy Tempo's 1998 2-disc vinyl, gatefold edition of the soundtrack sold today on eBay for $122. Outbid again on a 10th Victim item, but I congratulate my fellow fan out there who is going to enjoy hearing this treasure in warm fidelity. Here is The Spiral Waltz. For those who have not seen the film, Ursula Andress is dressed here in her tin-foil bikini (with gun-bra!). Enjoy!

CRACK IN THE WORLD

Spy Vibers may remember our big feature on movie set designs last year, Set For Adventure, that included top-5 lists from Lee Pfeiffer of Cinema Retro (who coincidentally also just posted a piece about 1960s UK surrealism), novelist Jeremy Duns, and fellow COBRAS, Wes Britton, Armstrong Sabian, David Foster, and Matthew Bradford. A title that appeared on writer/artist Steve Bissette's list was Crack in the World (1965). Steve is famous for introducing rare treats to his movie pals and cartoon students at the Center For Cartoon Studies, and one of his faves is now available! Crack in the World was released on DVD last week by Olive Films.


From Glenn Erickson's review at DVD Talk: "The main lab set is a brilliant hanging miniature that rivals the work of 007 designer Ken Adam -- and was seemingly copied for the headquarters of Drax in the Bond film Moonraker. Lourié's deep sea submersible is a riot of colorful bubbles, and nobody ever forgets his volcano interior scene." That's enough for me- definitely going on my Netflix queue!

SPY VIBE: YEAR ONE

SPY VIBE: YEAR ONE

Spy Vibe turns One today! How did it all start? After a number of movie and comic scripts, and a non-fiction book about cartoon art, I was adapting a movie guide book I wrote into a new blog project. It would be a place to discuss how films go together like elements of a fine feast. A little Fellini here, an echo of Woody Allen there- discussions of the great auteurs and genres in cinema history. But then I heard about the passing of actor Patrick McGoohan. I began to reflect on The Prisoner and the other spy-related artifacts from the 1960s that were so much a part of my background. Before I discovered Fellini, Bergman, Kurosawa, etc, my imagination was ignited by images of secret agents in tight suits, the sleek lines of the Jaguar XK-E, and Jazzy-Lounge music of 007, Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Avengers. I remembered the spy-fascination of my childhood: making silencers for cap guns out of painted rolls of paper, making cassette recordings from the TV so I could re-experience stories as radio dramas, and collecting spy memorabilia. An avid James Bond fan, I joined the fanclub and savored issues of the club magazine, Bondage. And I waited patiently each year to catch a broadcast of my fave film of the era, The 10th Victim by Elio Petri. As an adult, I loved to look deeper into these old adventures and relish the cultural significance of their production design, costumes, and stories. The influence of the space race, the sexual revolution, and the baby boom was, and remains, thrilling to explore. Although the movie guide book was a solid project, I could not escape the lure of Swingin' 60s Spy Satisfaction. I began the Spy Vibe blog and website on January 11, 2009 with a tribute to Patrick McGoohan.

Spy Vibe's mission has been to celebrate "1960s Style Meets Action." And what a fun first year! We saw most of the James Bond films and The Prisoner released on Blu-ray. I had a chance to talk with Richard "Jaws" Kiel, David "Felix Leiter" Hedison, and we interviewed artists Richard Sala, Matt Kindt, and Kevin Dart. An amazing community of fellow spy writers found each other and formed a coalition we dubbed The C.O.B.R.A.S., and we've reached out to a larger community that includes artist/historian Steve Bissette and Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer. Spy Vibe readers have come together to discuss agents, fashion, modern design, and childhood heroes. We've celebrated exhibits by Richard Avedon, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Alexander Calder. And readers have brought attention to some incredible classics that had been off our radar. Some highlight discoveries for me: the Shaw Brothers spy films, C.O.B.R.A.S. agent Wesley Brittons' books, Design Within Reach, and the German TV show Raumpatrouille Orion (Modern dance will never look the same again!). Whether it's been a daily check-in with a classic video clip or a full article about aesthetics and 1960s culture, the year has been its own thrilling mission to begin this community place called Spy Vibe.

We've also enjoyed a number of prize competitions. In fact, what's a birthday without presents? As a thank you to all Spy Vibe readers, I've got some Gold Key and 007 comic re-print collections (and more) coming up! Stay tuned for the Spy Vibe: Year One Give-Away!

STEVE BISSETTE: OUR MAN IN VERMONT

GUEST SET LISTS
Spy Vibe continues its series on Spy TV/film production design and the influence of Art and design movements, Playboy, Hugh Hefner, adventure story conventions, and the Space Race.

Guest Set Lists: Lee Pfeiffer, Jeremy Duns, Armstrong Sabian, Steve Bissette, Roger Langley, Matthew Bradford, Wesley Britton, David Foster, Matt Kindt.

Spy Vibe's Set For Adventure here, Set Countdown #10, #9, #8 ,#7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1.

OUR MAN IN VERMONT: STEVE BISSETTE
agent STEVE is a widely published artist and writer. Steve's many projects and collaborations include such names as Swamp Thing, Tyrant, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Fangoria, Video Watchdog, and the fantastic Center For Cartoon Studies. One of his DVD contributions is the must-see documentary on the Danger Diabolik disc! As a fellow film programmer, Steve has a knack for finding unusual and rare treasures, often with an eye toward social commentary and the macabre:

***

First of all, understand that Jason already listed my favorites, really. And yes, DIABOLIK would have been my #1 choice, hands down. Barring that:

THE WILD, WILD WEST -- I could list all my personal fave episodes and setpieces, but what's the point? Of all the '60s TV spy shows, this was the most fun week after week, boasting some of the neatest sets (despite tight studio time and budget constraints) thanks to its merger of 1890s western motifs with futuristic, at times horrific (the man-sized puppet gallery!) sets and production design.


KUROTOKAGE/BLACK LIZARD (1968) -- Is this a '60s spy movie? It is to me -- and a heist/caper/detective/transsexual love story capped with a finale out of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM/HOUSE OF WAX/MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN! Director Kinji Fukasaku's delirious screen adaptation (mutation) of Rampo Edogawa's novel and Yukio Mishima's stage version of same is a visual feast, as much for its bizarre settings as for its setpieces. It was terrific on the big screen (I was lucky enough to catch its 1990s Cinevista US release), but home theater doesn't dilute its whacked power. Above all, the 'wax museum' in which the blurred-gender jewel thief Black Lizard (played by famed Kabuki theater transvestite star Akihiro Miwa) preserves her/his past conquests sticks in my mind -- perhaps because Mishima himself is among the 'frozen' lovers?


CRACK IN THE WORLD -- Vet production designer/set dresser/director (though he did not direct this film) Eugene Lourie's design for the subterranean complex scientist Dana Andrews heads in this imaginative 1963 doomsday sleeper has always been among my personal favorites. No espionage, per se, but -- ah, what the hell. I'm counting it anyway.


THE WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN -- Jerry Warren. Jerry Warren. Jerry Warren. Jerry Warren. The Batwoman's lab/lair may be the single most impoverished 'spy headquarters' in film history, and that's quite an accomplishment when you think for a nanosecond about the utter paucity of means brought to some of the '60s spy knock-offs. Thus, it is burned into my brainpan with indelible clarity. I thought of it instantly when Jason suggest this list. I fought it, really, I did. But damn it, here it is. Jerry Warren. Jerry Warren. Jerry Warren...


THE PRISONER -- Per Patrick McGoohan's own account, it was 'The Village' itself that spawned the entire series when Portmeirion (Gwynedd, in Wales) was used as a location for a single episode of DANGER MAN/SECRET AGENT. It took a couple of years to gestate, but the Village remains the heart of the best spy media creation of the decade. There's no more iconic, evocative or haunting locale in the whole of '60s pop culture. It has come to embody the allegorical 'everyplace' in which we find ourselves so comfortably, complacently self-imprisoned, hasn't it?

SPY VIBE SET COUNTDOWN #1

Danger Diabolik (Mario Bava 1968) Underground Lair. Art Director/Flavio Mogherini (Satyricon, Mamma Roma, The Thief of Bagdad), Costume Designer/Production Designer (La Dolce Vita, Juliet of the Spirits, 8 1/2). Imagine clicking your garage door opener on a mountain road, engaging a giant clam-shell door, and driving into a series of electronic hatches and elevators down (deep deep down) to a cavernous lair that sports a fleet of E-type Jaguars, Sci-Fi gadgets, a Habitrail-like network of tubes and chambers, glass "see-through" showers, and a giant revolving bed with futuristic technology and television monitors. I’ll give you a moment to recover. You’re right- it’s simply the coolest pad any spy, criminal mastermind, or lounge cat could crave (they had me at Jaguars). Add Marisa Mell, John Phillip Law, and a score by Ennio Morricone to the mix and you can see why this Mario Bava cult classic jumps right to the #1 spot on the list. There are wonderful adventure conventions in the film, including a trap door... in an airplane!

The film is based on the popular Italian comic Diabolik, created in 1962 by two sisters from Milan. Diabolik is an anti-hero, a kind of Fantomas-meets-Golgo 13-meets 007 in a Sci-Spy crime adventure, and he is a great example of the European tradition of weaving adventure stories around master criminals-as-heroes. Comic and film maestro Steve Bissette suggests that this reflects a post-war skepticism of authority and a spirit of late-60s counter-culture. Where 007 works for queen and country, Diabolik relishes in high-stakes heists and acts of destruction against the state. His other passion is to enjoy a life of pleasure with his partner Eva. Celebration of the individual perhaps taken to the extreme, yet Diabolik remains empathetic and ultra-cool. One infamous scene shows Diabolik and Eva making love in piles of money on his giant revolving bed. As the detective mentions just before this image hits the screen, Diabolik has a use for the money that only a mind like his can conceive of:

The counter culture influenced not just the notion of the hero, but notions of aesthetics, lifestyle, and values. Somehow, I don't see the Rat Pack generation choosing a Lair like this. Designer Verner Panton is once again an influence. His "total environment" installation exhibits, such as Visiona (1968) and Visiona II (1970), were room constructions of fluid, organic forms. Here is Panton's design followed by Diabolik's vault room.


The sets have a fantastical feel of the late 1960s and the dynamics of a comic page. Originally given three million dollars to make the film, Bava stuck with his familiar bag of budget-conscious tricks to create one the greatest comic book adaptations in movie history for a mere... $400,000. Actor John Phillip Law recalls seeing most of the sets piled up in a corner of the studio. Steve Bissette adds, "Bava did it with collage of photos glued to glass! He was a magician! Bava really understood the magic of "the frame" as the essential cinematic illusion, and within that frame worked wonders." Like all of Bava's work, Danger Diabolik crackles with atmosphere, imagination, and sensuality. The director (a former cameraman himself) made great use of wide-angle lenses, forced perspective, mattes, and foreground design to create a stylized look- one which Video Watchdog founder, Tim Lucas, says shows "a fantastic view of the 1960s that only existed in the movies and in Playboy magazine perhaps." It's groovy, stylized, smart, sexy, and action-packed; I call it the Spy Vibe!

For more info about Danger Diabolik, see Steve Bissette's excellent documentary, "From Fumetti to Film" on the 2005 Paramount DVD release (which also features John Phillip Law and Roman Coppola), and this review from DVD Verdict.

NOW STAY TUNED FOR THE TOP-5 SETS FROM SPY AND MOVIE WRITERS AROUND THE GLOBE!

Check out Spy Vibe's production set series, an event that gathered together many writers to celebrate the best spy sets from cold war-era film & TV. Guest Set Lists: Lee Pfeiffer, Jeremy Duns, Armstrong Sabian, Steve Bissette, Roger Langley, Matthew Bradford, Wesley Britton, David Foster, Matt Kindt. Spy Vibe's Set For Adventure here, Set Countdown #10, #9, #8 ,#7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1.