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Released By: Kino Lorber
Released On: October 13, 2015
Director: Mario Bava
Cast: Vincent Price, Fabian, Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, Laura Antonelli
Year: 1966
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The Movie:
You can't keep a good doctor down. Not even when you roll him off of a cliff in a jeep and then hit him with a bunch of missiles. That's right, Dr. Goldfoot (Vincent Price), the villainous mastermind of 1965's Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine is back, and he's filling the world with robotic supervixens once again to carry out his nefarious plot. His target,however, is not again a mix of movers and shakers in the world of affluence and financial influence; this time, the evil scientist has his eye on a number of NATO Generals who are to meet in Rome for "War Games". One by one, Goldfoot introduces the Generals to his ticking creations, cancelling their RSVP to the NATO summit. Why, you may ask? Because the soon-to-be-deceased General Willis happens to be the spitting image of Dr. Goldfoot, an advantage he'll use to start a war that will give him control of the world.
It seems like a brilliant plan, but Goldfoot oversteps his bounds when he messes with a NATO supercomputer designed to pick the best secret agents to maintain security around the summit. As a result, two bumbling doormen (Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia) accidentally made agents with Security Intelligence Command (SIC) are put on the case, competing with actual SIC agent Bill Dexter (Fabian) who is mightily pissed that Goldfoot tried to blow him up with a robotic replica of his foxy ladyfriend. Let the comedy erupt as explosive clones, bumbling agents, and teen heart-throbs fly into action in a sequel that somehow manages to be far worse than Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.
Directed in name only by the legendary Mario Bava, this version of Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs is the American International Pictures edit, which has extra footage added and a whole host of editing decisions that Bava had no knowledge of. Although I've not seen the Italian cut, it's hard to imagine that it's any better or worse than this one, as reports indicate it focuses more on Franco and Ciccio, easily the worst part of the film. Bava has disowned this picture, and Price has called it the worst thing he's ever done, and it's easy to see why. Despite an early moment in the film where Price breaks the fourth wall to deliver a speech that's jokingly almost on par with his work on Alice Cooper's, "The Black Widow", Girl Bombs is a horrid mess of a film that is infuriating to watch. Overused slapstick, sped-up film with wacky music, and above all, the incredibly unfunny, stupid stupid STUPID humour of Italian comedy superstars Franco and Ciccio (it's probably a regional thing) hammer what little worked of the first film into a sickening pile of celluloid sludge. Frankie Avalon may have been goofy and Beach Party-like, but Fabian is made of cardboard here, lacking charm and screen presence.
Anyone looking for Mario Bava's unique style of direction will be disappointed as well; it's safe to say that this wasn't a picture Mario was keen on doing anything other than dialing in. At under ninety minutes, this one is a chore to sit through, and quite simply, a horrible, HORRIBLE film. It would be nice to say that there's something redeeming about Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs...but there's not.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Kino brings this Dr. Goldfoot installment to blu-ray in a 1.85:1 transfer that looks good, and is thankfully not stretched like its predecessor. Colours are decent and detail, though it softens up here and there, is sharp and clear. As is the case with most Kino transfers, you won't find a great deal of cleanup occurring, but the transfer looks good and lacks a surplus of dirt and damage.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is also par for the course, with no noticeable defects, and carries the dialogue, sound effects, and score adequately with no surprises.
As was the case with the first Goldfoot release, Girl Bombs features an Animated Montage of Images (1:14) that is a slideshow with posters, stills, and other production materials.
The Black Sabbath "Trailer From Hell" With Mick Garris (2:40) is a segment of Trailers From Hell with Mick Garris discussing the trailer for the Bava/Karloff film.
Three Trailers are included for Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, and House of the Long Shadows.
The best extra feature, as is also the case with the first Goldfoot release from Kino, is a full commentary with The Sinister Urge's David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau. The pair are quick to separate Bava from this film while discussing how it was sadly his biggest moneymaker, and they rip on Franco and Ciccio pretty good while discussing the recut that AIP did for the film and how much Price hated it, being driven to anger whenever he discussed it. Like the commentary on Bikini Machine, it's full of information and entertaining discussion and is far better than the actual film.
The Final Word:
A horrid film gets a solid release from Kino. At least the commentary is worth listening to.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
