When you start getting into Italian Giallo movies (and you should if you haven’t already), the big names that get bantered about are Dario Argento, Serigo Martino and Lucio Fulci. Aldo Lado deserves to be mentioned with them. His first two movies Short Night of Glass Dolls and Who Saw Her Die? (with ex-James Bond actor George Lazenby) are classics of the era. They are both great murder mysteries. Now Lado’s first film has been upgraded to 4K UHD so you can see more into the nightmare of Short Night of the Glass Dolls.
Early one morning in a Prague park, the body of Gregry Moore (Belle de jour‘s Jean Sorel) is found. He’s rushed to the nearest hospital and declared dead except he isn’t. He can’t move a muscle, but the reporter is thinking and trying his hardest to prove he’s alive. He thinks back on the last few days to figure out how he has ended up in this condition and what it will take to prove he’s alive. He feels that this all has something to do with the mystery around his hot girlfriend Mira (The Spy Who Loved Me‘s Barbara Bach). When she disappeared, the police immediately suspect him. The cops are more focused on him than anyone else in a city where young women seem to turn up dead regularly. Gregory begins his own investigation to find her and clear his name. This takes him to a private classical music club where the members appear to be part of a really creepy conspiracy. Is Mira’s disappearance related to how Gregory ended up in his near-death state? Will he be able to out the killers and revive himself?
The first time I saw Short Night of Glass Dolls was at the legendary Cinema Overdrive movie series in Raleigh. At the time, I had no clue what I was about to see since Aldo Lado didn’t get the attention of other Italian giallo directors. I just trusted the curators that they were picking another great cinematic experience. Once the lights went down and the 35mm projector turned on, I was glued to the film. Lado is masterful as he switches between Gregory in the morgue and memories of tracking Mira. The big finale is a cinematic gut punch. You would almost expect the writer-director of the film to be a seasoned pro like so many of the other named directors of this time who had worked in other genres before giallo became all the rage. He came from a assistant director position (including on The Conformist) so Lado understood what it took to make a film. But he also knew how to make a film that pushed the boundaries of the genre to become memorable. Celluloid Dreams has rightfully elevated Short Night of Glass Dolls with the 4K UHD video and so many bonus features that allow Aldo Lado to talk about so many aspects of the film.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The 4K transfer is restored from the original camera negative. You’ll get a feel for the Prague locations on the screen. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono in both Italian and English. You can hear Sorel doing his best to show that he is really alive. The movie is subtitled in English.
Commentary by Aldo Lado & Federico Caddeo is in Italian, but has English subtitles. He gets into what he was trying to bring out in the film.
Commentary by Guido Henkel covers elements that Aldo Lado didn’t cover in his commentary.
Isolated Score is available for the feature film so you can enjoy Ennio Morricone’s music.
Italian Trailer (3:08) has the mysteries around the murders.
English Trailer (3:07) is the Italian trailer with English.
Grindhouse Trailer (3:07) has slightly different changes.
“Catalepsis” Trailer (3:09) is a different title.
The Nights of Malastrana (101:08) is a 2015 interview with Aldo Lado and Jean Sorel. Lado talks about how he started screenwriting with director Salvatore Samperi on a project that he also worked on as assistant director. He gets into how Short Night of Glass Dolls came about. He wrote the script, but others wanted to be the director. He was originally offered a chance to co-direct. We learn about the studio changing the film’s title from Malastrana. Star Jean Sorel talks about being in Prague after the revolution was stopped.
All About Lado (32:32) is an interview with Aldo Lado from 2018. He talks about how he got involved in film as a young child. He got his first assistant director gig because the director trusted him. It was a movie with Sophia Loren and Anthony Perkins. Aldo Lado passed away in 2023 at age 88.
The Quest For Money (20:10) is an interview with producer Enzo Doria. We often forget that the biggest part of movie making is getting the budget. Enzo started as an actor and found himself producing. He gets into dealing with banks. Terrence Hill was supposed to star in the film except his agent wanted the ending changed. That wasn’t going to happen. Aldo Lado also shows up in the interview.
To Italy and Back (30:17) talks with producer Dieter Geissler about his career and getting involved in Short Night. He got his start acting in West German TV before going to England and then returning to Germany with a British film. He talks about shooting in Eastern Europe during the Iron Curtain era. Short Nights came to him after Aldo Lado was named director. He was part of the co-production deal. He sensed Lado knew what he was doing on the set. He gets into Morricone doing the score.
The Most Beautiful Voice (21:44) meets up with singer Edda Dell’Orso. She talks about singing before she knew words. She wanted to dance, but her father got her piano lessons instead. This led to a degree. Eventually she got into singing. This led to her working on film projects in Italy. She talks about the sessions with 80 piece orchestras and choirs.
Cuts Like A Knife (23:48) has editor Mario Morra explain how a bad break up led to him getting an offer to work as an editor’s assistant. He misses the days of cutting 35mm film on a Moviola instead of computers. He recounts how he spliced Short Night to make sure the audience like the characters couldn’t tell he was alive while he was paralyzed.
The Man On The Bridge (23:03) is a retrospective featurette about the film being made years after Prague Spring. Aldo Lado wanted to shoot a different film in Prague a few years later. He used his location scout to inform his script for Short Night. There’s plenty of spoilers so watch this after the film.
Malastrana Export Credits (4:19) is from the German videotape.
Image Gallery has posters, Italian Lobby Cards, Mexican Cards, Malastrana Still Photographs, other press photos from around the world, newspaper ad & articles.
Grindhouse Version (97:08) was taken off a 35mm release print. They didn’t restore this version so you can feel like you’re watching the movie in a retro house. This might have been the print shown at Cinema Overdrive? You can see a touch of red shifting. You’ll be able to full appreciate the restoration work done by Celluloid Dreams. There is both an Italian and English version option.
“Paralyzed” VHS Version (96:35) has the dupe off a standard definition master. You’ll want to rewind this feature before you put the disc back in the box.
Illustrated Booklet features essays on Aldo Lado and the secret society in the film.
Celluloid Dreams presents Short Night of Glass Dolls: Collector’s Edition. Directed by Aldo Lado. Screenplay by Aldo Lado. Starring by Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, Barbara Bach, Fabijan Šovagović, José Quaglio, Piero Vida, Relja Bašić & Daniele Dublino. Running Time: 97 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: April 29, 2025.
