Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

MARIO GAUCI I honestly didn’t know what to expect from a Bava sex comedy which, thankfully, emerged to be not quite as low-brow and vulgar as most genre offerings (which the Italians would soon make their own); for the record, Lucio Fulci also dabbled in the subgenre a few years later with the THE EROTICIST (1972), which has just been released on R1 DVD. Even so, the film also wasn’t particularly interesting per se, albeit a typically stylish effort from this director. As a matter of fact, despite being undeniably amusing in its RASHOMON (1950)-like multiple (and hugely contrasting) depiction of the central situation, it made for a rather tedious – and dated – whole! Anyway, the plot involves a young couple (Brett Halsey and Daniela Giordano) who meet by accident one day and then decide to go out together that night – which ends with the girl having her dress torn and the man with scratches on his forehead! Both of them then recount the way things went (she to her mother and he to his pals) – according to Giordano, Halsey tried to rape her; he, on the other hand, passes himself off as a shy person with the girl an insatiable vamp! A third version of events is told by the oversexed middle-aged concierge of the complex where Halsey lives, which sees the latter depicted as a homosexual who brought Giordano to his flat so that she could serve as partner for his lover’s lesbian companion. This is the funniest, but also campiest, part of the film – funny due to the banter between the concierge and his dumb listener and campy because of the stereotypical representation of the male gay lifestyle, though the women’s angle is treated with greater sensitivity)! The last interpretation is then offered by a psychiatrist which rather deliberately supplies the most innocent and, frankly, dull outcome possible for that fateful night – since the closing narration goes on to ask the audience whether they actually swallowed his ‘theory’! Despite having an American lead in Brett Halsey (who’s somewhat uneasy with the fluctuations in his character), the film really revolves around statuesque beauty Daniela Giordano (a former winner of the Miss Italy contest, no less). She looks confident in her various suggestive poses (this is easily Bava’s most explicit film with respect to nudity, though still pretty mild – there’s a similar hilarious contrivance to conceal private parts in bed as seen in DANGER: DIABOLIK [1968]!) but also demonstrates reasonable talent in her various facets of virtuous ingénue, sultry seductress, annoyed object of desire, etc.Accompanying the film is a lounge soundtrack all-too-typical of its era. Incidentally, there’s some confusion concerning the year in which the film was made – many give it as 1972, but the look and feel of it all simply spells 1960s to me and, in fact, it’s listed in other sources as 1969 (which I’m inclined to believe); others yet seem to concede that the latter is true but then report its actual date of release as late as 1976!! Interestingly, the print on display has the film split into two parts – where the title in Italian is actually given as QUATTRO VOLTE…QUELLA NOTTE (which fits the English translation, whereas the original QUANTE VOLTE…QUELLA NOTTE means HOW MANY TIMES THAT NIGHT!); strangely enough, just as the film goes into its second half, the audio level drops considerably! By the way, this proved to be the director’s first collaboration with producer Alfredo Leone (who eventually got hold of the rights to a sizable portion of Bava’s back catalog!).

The_Void Master director Mario Bava is best known for his horror films, and that's hardly surprising as films such as Blood and Black Lace and Black Sabbath certainly represent the best of his oeuvre - but he also made a few films outside of the horror genre, and Four Times That Night is surely one of the best. I can't say I'm a big fan of sex comedies, as while I enjoy seeing sex in movies; I tend to prefer it with a little more sleaze than what films like this tend to offer. However, by taking his central plot theme from the Akira Kurosawa masterpiece 'Rashomon', Bava has made a sex comedy that is interesting for the way it pans out, rather than because of the sex theme. The plot follows Gianni and Tina; a man and a woman that meet in a park. They end up going on a date together, but it ends mysteriously when Tina returns home with a ripped dress and Gianni is sporting a nasty looking scratch on his forehead. Both Tina and Gianni give their version of what happened on that night, and the story is given a third angle from Gianni's doorman.It's clear that this film is never going to be as deep or as fascinating as Kurosawa's masterpiece, but as a slice of light entertainment; it works fine. Bava is famous for his use of lighting and technique in order to create atmosphere for his horror films, although this movie doesn't allow him to do that. That being said, Bava's fingerprints are all over the film; as the garish use of colour features prominently, and the seventies style is what helps to elevate the film above the usual level of a gentle sex themed comedy. The film benefits from the presence of Daniela Giordano; the sexy female lead whom Bava makes best use of at all opportunities. She is joined by Fulci muse Brett Halsey, as well as Dick Randall; a man more famous for his producing credits. Bava attempts to give the film some substance by way of a psychologist explaining how different people view the same events from different perspectives...but I find it hard to believe that three people could view the same event in such wildly differing ways. One slight criticism of the film is that it's not very funny...but it's fun enough, and worth seeing.

bensonmum2 Four Times that Night is the story of what happened during Tina and John's first date. According to Tina, John tried to rape her and she barely escaped with her innocence intact. According to John, Tina was an insatiable wild woman he couldn't get away from. According to John's voyeuristic doorman, while John was in the bedroom having "homosexual sex", Tina was having her own lesbian encounter. So, just what did happen? Mario Bava wasn't afraid to try different genres. He directed Gothic horrors (Black Sunday), gialli (Blood and Black Lace), sword & sandal movies (Hercules in the Haunted World), westerns (Roy Colt and Winchester Jack), spy movies (Danger Diabolik), science fiction (Planet of the Vampires), and so on. But Four Times that Night is his only "sex comedy". Bava called it his "blue movie". While it may have represented a departure for Bava, you can clearly see his trademark style all over the movie. Everything from the bright, rich colors to the camera zooms screams Bava.While I enjoyed the movie, it's far from being my favorite thing that Bava ever made. It is interesting to see how different people's perceptions are given the same set of events. In the fourth segment of the film, we get to see what really happened. And, as is often the case, reality can't match the sensationalism that our imaginations can dream up. Much of my enjoyment in the movie comes from the casting of John and Tina. Bret Halsey and Daniela Giordano are simply perfect in their roles. They are very believable even in the most absurd situations.

Troy-11 Mario Bava is best known for his dark, morid horror films, but he also worked outside of the genre on many different occasions. One such occasion yielded QUANTE VOLTE. . . QUELLA NOTTE, a delightful sex comedy patterned after Akira Kurosawa's 1950 classic RASHOMON. The story tells of a date gone awry, and the different perspectives on what in fact led to the man (Brett Halsey) having scratches on his forehead and the girl (Daniela Giordano)'s brand new dress being torn. Those viewers only familiar with Bava's horror films need to seek out this little known gem -- it reveals a more playful side of Il Maestro, and is an entertaining and endearing film in its own right. *** out of ****