Director: Aldo Lado
Screenplay: Aldo Lado
Starring: Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, Barbara Bach, Fabijan Šovagović, José Quaglio, Relja Bašić, Piero Vida, Danielle Dublino
Year: 1971
Country: Italy
BBFC Certificate: 18
Duration: 97 min
By the start of the 1970s the Italian giallo genre had already brought us some real gems. The stylish murder mystery/thriller horror hybrid film genre, which took its name from yellow covered novels, began with The Girl Who Knew Too Much AKA Evil Eye, directed by Mario Bava and released in 1963. The Sixties also brought us Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964), The Possessed by Luigi Bazzoni and Franco Rossellini (1965), Umberto Lenzi’s So Sweet…So Perverse and Orgasmo AKA Paronia (both 1969).
The 1970s continued the quality with other classics of the genre including Dario Argento’s directorial debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), more from Argento and Bava and other classics of the genre like Death Walks on High Heels (1971) and The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh and The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail (both from director Sergio Martino and released in 1971).
These titles are just the tip off the iceberg. By the time Short Night of Glass Dolls arrived in 1971 it had to compete with some real Italian gems. Director Aldo Lado’s debut film, from his own screenplay, certainly lived up to some of those aforementioned titles and then some, and stands as a real classic of the genre, so much so that the disc I’m reviewing is the second time 88 Films have released the film, though this time it’s in ultra high definition.
Short Night of Glass Dolls is defined by a very intriguing premise. American journalist Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel) is found dead and taken to the morgue, yet he’s still see and think. Moore is trapped inside his dead body and trying to figure out what the hell is going on, whilst doctors are trying to bring him back to life. Moore can see the doctors and tries to get them to see he’s alive, but to no avail.
In an effort at unlocking the puzzle of how he’s found himself in this bizarre predicament, Moore tries to recall the disappearance of his girlfriend Mira (played by future The Spy Who Loved Me Bond girl Barbara Bach), which sparked a chain of events, including him being a suspect in her vanishing. Moore and the police investigate Mira’s disappearance. Moore is joined in his investigation by Jessica, a top-billed Ingrid Thulin, who had worked with director Ingmar Bergman on Wild Strawberries and who appeared in nine of the Swedish director’s films in total. During the course of the investigation Moore comes across a sinister club which holds the key to the entire mystery.
One of the first elements that makes this stand out amongst the many, many giallo competitors, aside from that bonkers plot, is the location. It’s set in Prague, which is shot to beautiful effect through the lens of cinematographer Giuseppe Ruzzolini, who would also work with Roman Polanski and Sergio Leone. The framing of certain shots, uses of lighting and slow-to-medium speed pans are excellent.
Another strong element is the use of sound and music. Firstly, sound effects are used to great and ingenious effect. When Moore’s dead body is first found, the sound of his beating heart can be heard, a clue that he’s alive, yet the noise is being made by another character dragging himself along the ground. This is just one of numerous fantastic uses of noises in the film, including wind chimes and other eerie effects that really help to build up the atmosphere.
Then there’s the score by the legendary Ennio Morricone. This opens with a heartbeat sound before the strings come in and we are provided with a thrilling piece of opening music. The heartbeat continues, another early indication that our lead is still alive. Throughout the film, the score is used to really creepy effect; it’s a fantastic soundtrack that helps build tension to almost unbearable levels.
The way the mystery plays out is also well executed. We always feel on the same page as Moore, not ahead of him as can occasionally feel the case with giallo. He narrates elements as he tries to piece together what happened, before we’re then shown lengthy flashbacks which each provide pieces to help us solve the puzzle. We also get super quick glimpses of past scenes, as if Moore’s brain’s electric pulses are kicking out key elements to help him remember.
It’s a beautifully told, well paced and incredibly intriguing giallo, that’s ultimately also very rewarding. The pay off we’ve been building up to is worth the wait and well staged, and that build up really ratchets up the tension of an ever growing pervading sense of dread. And, mild spoiler alert, the payoff is utterly, utterly bleak. It’s a real downbeat, all hope is lost, kind of ending.
The commentary on the disc argues the case about whether the film is actually a giallo. There aren’t many murders, nor the stalk and slash elements familiar to fans of the genre, particularly the films of Argento. Yet, for me, whilst not a typical example of a giallo, the atmosphere and mystery elements absolutely make it one, and a classic of that genre to boot.
In closing, I’m a big fan of Short Night of Glass Dolls. It’s an astonishing and masterful debut by Aldo Lado, and a really entertaining slice of Italian giallo which is beautifully shot, features excellent use of sound and music, including the score by Morricone, is very well structured, and ends on a bleak gut punch of a moment that really stays with you long after the credits have rolled.
Film: 
Short Night of Glass Dolls is released in a deluxe limited edition dual format 4K and Blu-ray by 88 Films on 24th March 2025. The picture looks outstanding, with fine detail throughout, no print damage, the rich colour schemes shining strong, and the blacks of the nighttime scenes looking great too. Italian and English audio tracks are provided and both sound great, though some of the choice of actors used for the English dub track are questionable at best, although they don’t spoil the film. The Italian track on this occasion is the one to go for.
Audio commentary with Italian cinema experts Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani
When Butterflies Turned to Glass – Interview with director Aldo Lado
Glass Doll Theories – A video essay by Pier Maria Bocchi
Lado’s Trilogy of Terror – A video essay by Mike Foster
Interview with expert Stephen Thrower
The Need to Sing – Interview with singer Edda Dell’Orso
Cutting Glass Dolls – Interview with editor Mario Morra
Czech Mate – Feature length retrospective documentary with Aldo Lado and Jean Sorel
Einmal Italien und Zurück [Once to Italy and Back] – Interview with co-producer Dieter Geissler
English trailer
Italian trailer
Presented in a rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Graham Humphreys, and containing a perfect bound book and double-sided poster
This edition retains spine number 21 in the Italian Collection which the previous 88 Blu-ray only edition had. That earlier release was a bare bones affair aside from the English and Italian trailers but this new edition contains a wealth of new and archival extras, including the pair of trailers.
The commentary with Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani kicks off the disc and is a real treat and a highlight of the package. The trio share the original title of the film, substitute glass dolls for butterflies, but this had to be changed as Duccio Tessari’s The Bloodstained Butterfly came out just before its release and it didn’t seem a good idea to have two similarly named films released in quick succession. Howarth, Thompson and Ercolani also debate whether or not it’s a giallo, and highlight how good a directorial debut the film is for Lado. They discuss the director in detail, the plot’s similarities to an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series directed by Hitch himself, some of the actors, themes and locations and much more. A lot of the runtime is spent, rightly so, on Lado, his other films and whether or not he played the role he states in the success of Argento’s The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. It’s a masterful commentary and well worth a listen.
The archival interview with Lado runs for 26 minutes and sees the director on marvellous form, running through his early life and memories of where he grew up, why he loved cinema and how he got into filmmaking. He also provides some warm anecdotes about some of the films he made and people he worked with. Like all of the Italian crew interviews on this disc, it is in Italian with optional subtitles.
Glass Doll Theories is a 10 minute visual essay by Pier Maria Bocchi, who looks at the use of location and geography in Italian genre cinema, and particularly filming in Eastern Europe. It looks at the use of this part of the world in non-horror films, before focusing on Short Night of Glass Dolls and the use of the Prague location, its architecture and the geography’s effect in building up the isolation of the lead character. Filming in Prague in the film is described as a real first for Italian horror cinema. Bocchi runs through other Italian horror films filmed outside of Italy and delivers all his insights in an entertaining and easy to listen to way.
Next is a 17-minute video essay by Mike Foster entitled Lado’s Trilogy of Terror, which opens with a look at the title before settling into new territory to other extras on the disc, specifically looking at the James Bond connections in Lado films, including the casting of Barbara Bach in this film. Foster whizzes through the giallo traits, and those that feature in the film, and looks at the high concept set-up. Healso looks at how the concept has been used in other genres and highlights films with similar elements. The essay is delivered in a light-hearted fashion that means it’s entertaining and informative. The reason for the Trilogy of Terror of the title, is that Foster looks at three giallo films Lado made, the others being Who Saw Her Die? (a Don’t Look Now like giallo starring one-time Bond George Lazenby and released on Blu-ray last year by Shameless), and The Night Train Murders (already released on Blu-ray by 88 Films as part of their Italian Collection and due to get a new deluxe 4K and Blu-ray re-release by the label in April 2025).
Paralysed by Fear sees Stephen Thrower provide a typically rich and insightful look at the director and film. Over 23 minutes, Thrower runs through the themes and ideas seen in the movie, before his honest take on others directed by Lado (he likes some, others not so much). Thrower then provides a run-through of the inspiration for and creation of Short Night and gives a good overview of the production, including the filming locations, motifs (his commentary on the use of chandeliers is a particularly highlight) and the release of the film. I particularly enjoyed the closing section on its release in the US, UK and Canada, where it didn’t get a theatrical release, and wasn’t screened in the UK until 2001, though it had been shown on Channel 4 and released on VHS. It’s a wonderful appreciation of the film which, aside from the commentary, is my favourite extra on the disc.
The archival interview with singer Edda Dell’Orso, who provided the beautiful solos in Morricone’s film scores, including this one, is also great. Running for just over 21 minutes we get a real sense of her as a singer, how she started in the profession, recollections of her career, very honest recollections, and memories of some of the scores she worked on. Like all the Italian interviews on this disc, it’s great.
Editor Mario Morra’s 24 minute archival interview is equally as good and opens with a great anecdote about how he started his career. We hear Morra’s memories of working as an assistant before becoming an editor in his own right, as well as recollections of some of the directors and films he worked on. He’s on very honest form and is a pleasure to listen to.
Czech Mate is a 101 minute archival feature length documentary on the making of the film which likely packs in everything you’d want to know about it. We hear from Lado about his early writing career and films he worked on before moving to Short Night with Glass Dolls. Actor Sorel, who plays the lead Gregory Moore, also pops up for the only time on the disc and, like Lado, is on marvellous form, though this is mostly the Lado show. His interviews make up the bulk of the running time. In amongst the gems and nuggets is a particularly good anecdote about Barbara Bach and how she was chosen for the film.
Rounding out the archival interviews is a 30 minute one with co-producer Dieter Geissler. It follows a similar formula to the other interviews, opening with how Geissler got into the movie business and how he got into Italian cinema productions, and what co-producing the films meant. It’s a fascinating interview that gives a really good insight into a side of Italian cinema that isn’t told as often as the elements that come across on the screen like the cinematography, acting and special effects. It’s another interview that is well worth a listen.
Closing out the disc are the aforementioned English and Italian trailers, both running for three minutes. They mostly sell the film on its images and Morricone’s outstanding score, with limited dialogue used. They’re incredibly atmospheric trailers and, had I not already seen the film a number of times, they’d certainly pique my interest to check it out.
I wasn’t provided with the booklet or poster, unfortunately, so can’t comment on these.
Those Italian genre cinema fans at 88 Films have provided an outstanding release of a unique and classic giallo, including a top tier commentary, a treasure trove of video essays and interviews including a documentary that runs for longer than the film, and, most importantly, a fabulous transfer. Fans of the film, director Aldo Lado and classic Italian cinema should be very pleased. This release comes highly recommended.
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