MARIO BAVA ANCHOR BAY UK BOX SET-A Question...?
 

Ok, not sure if I'm posting this in the right section, but I'm going through something of a Bava phase (thanks to Arrow's Bay of Blood blu ray and their recent 2013 release schedule) and was wondering abouth the Region 2 Anchor Bay Bava Box released some time ago. It features The Mask of Satan, Black Sabbath, Kill, Baby...Kill, The girl Who Knew Too Much and Knives of the avenger. Would anybody be able to tell me what special features are on this set? And what versions (ie: Black Sabbath: Italian or AIP version?) of each film are on there?

Am hoping someone here has the box set & has watched the whole thing, lol!


Bava is one of the few directors of whom I haven't seen all of their movies and I'm hoping to at least see his best horror/thriller ones!
Many Thanks!

I don't have the UK box rather the US variant (which I think was the exact same as the UK) and as far as I remember the only extras were a few Tim Lucas commentaries. Black Sabbath is the Italian version with the Karloff gag at the end. The version of Rabid Dogs was the Kidnapped cut...

EDIT - I just checked my box now and there's a short feature on the Black Sabbath disc and Girl Who Knew Too Much. (Kidnapped is in the second Bava box, my mistake). The Anchor Bay Kill Baby Kill is missing the Dark Sky edition Tim Lucas commentary.

It has the two versions, Kidnapped & Rabid Dogs on the same disc, with a Tim Lucas commentary and a short feature on the filming of the new scenes, if I'm not mistaken.

Sobral's 100% correct, ignore everything I've previously said - alzeimers setting in here...

Just to clear things up.

Bava Set 1

The Mask of Satan - Alan Jones intro
- Tim Lucas Commentary
- 3 trailers
- Biographies for Bava and Barbara Steel

Kill Baby ...Kill! - AJ Intro
- TV spot and trailer +gallery

The Girl Who Knew Too Much - AJ Intro
- TL Commentary
- Remembering the Girl with John Saxon documentary.
- Two trailers, gallery, biography

Knives of the Avenger - Trailer, biography and gallery

Black Sabbath (uncut international version) - AJ Intro
- TL Commentary
- Mark Damon Interview
- Trailer, radio spot, gallery, biographies.

On a quick glance, those Alan Jones Intros are the only differences from the US set.

In reply to the op's last question - the UK and US Bava boxes only include the Italian cuts although the AIP versions will hopefully be in next year's Arrow Bava BR releases.

If you want to know more about Bava I have reviewed his entire oeuvre - Mario Bava bio.

I asked on B. Sunday's thread, don't think anyone answered.
What are the main differences between Black Sunday's italian & AIP cut, besides the audio?

"American International Pictures edited version

Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson, of American International Pictures, screened the Italian language version of the film when they were visiting Rome in search of viable, inexpensive European made films to act as second features for their double-bills. They immediately recognized the film as a potential hit, and bought the U.S. rights for $100,000, reportedly more than the movie's budget.

In order to make the film more accessible to American audiences, AIP trimmed over three minutes' worth of violence and "objectionable" content.[8] Sequences excised or shortened included the burning "S" branded into Asa's flesh and the blood spewing from the mask after it was hammered into her face, the moist eyeball impalement of Kruvajan and the flesh peeling off Vajda's face as he burned to death in the fireplace. In the original version of the film, Asa and Javuto were brother and sister; in the AIP version, Javuto became Asa's servant. In addition, some dialogue was "softened", including Asa's line, "You too can find the joy and happiness of Hades!"; AIP modified it to "You too can find the joy and happiness of hating!"[5]

Roberto Nicolosi's musical score was replaced by an effective but more generic "horror"-sounding one by Les Baxter, and the dialogue was completely redubbed into English. As the entire cast, with the exception of Checchi and Dominici, had spoken their lines in English, this was a relatively easy task. Galatea had provided AIP with their own English-language version, which had been completed by the Language Dubbers Association in Rome. However, Arkoff and Nicholson felt this version was stilted and "technically unacceptable", so a newly recorded English version was commissioned and produced by Titra Sound Corporation in New York. (Barbara Steele's own voice was not heard in any version).[5]

AIP tested several titles for the film, including Witchcraft, The House of Fright, The Curse, Vengeance and Demoniaque, before finally entitling their shortened version Black Sunday.[5]

Even in its truncated state, Black Sunday was considered to contain strong material for its time. In the U.S., the AIP publicity campaign indicated that the film was suitable only for audiences over 12 (although its doubtful that this was enforced)." (Wikipedia)

That Bava set 1 is it the Anchorbay region 2 boxset?