Danger: Diabolik – Eureka Video (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1968
Director: Mario Bava
Writers: Adriano Baracco, Mario Bava, Brian Degas, Tudor Gates
Cast: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, Adolfo Celi

Release Date: April 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono English (Alternate Dub), DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English (DTS-HD Mono Italian), English SDH (DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD 5.1 English)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £34.99 (UK)

"Somewhere in Europe, Inspector Ginko (Michel Piccoli) is the police officer charged with overseeing the transportation of $10 million from a bank, determined to stop it from falling into the hands of the infamous thief known as Diabolik (Law) and his accomplice Eva Kant (Marisa Mell). But, despite his best efforts, Ginko fails – Diabolik nabs the cash before setting his sights on stealing a priceless emerald and twenty tons of gold, embarking on a crimewave that will see him make a mockery of both the police and the government officials they answer to." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "A Brand New HD Master by Paramount Pictures—From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative."

Here are additional comments by Eureka Video about their transfer, "During the disc authoring process, we discovered a metadata inconsistency with the original 4K master supplied to us by Paramount. If we had used this master, it would have resulted in HDR grading either too saturated or too dull. After consulting with Fidelity in Motion we went back to Paramount who agreed there was a mistake and sent over corrected metadata which is what we used for the final authoring process and are confident is the intended look of the film."

Danger: Diabolik comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 86.4 GB

Feature: 71.5 GB

The most significant difference between Eureka Video’s release and Kin Lorber’s release is that the latter is in the wrong color space. That said, Eureka Video’s release looks gorgeous; flesh tones look healthy, colors look vivid, contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Danger: Diabolik comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.2 GB

Feature: 31.2 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono English - Alternate Dub), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

Another area where Eureka Video surpasses Kino Lorber’s release is in its audio tracks. Both releases include the same DTS-HD mono English and DTS-HD 5.1 tracks; however, Eureka Video’s version adds a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian, as well as an alternate DTS-HD mono mix in English. This alternative English audio track was originally recorded for the film’s laserdisc release. All of the tracks sound excellent; the dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and Ennio Morricone’s score sounds appropriately robust. This release includes removable English subtitles for the Italian language track, as well as removable English SDH. The SDH corresponds with the DTS-HD mono and 5.1 English tracks, but not with the alternate English language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a U.S. theatrical teaser (1 minute 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a U.S. theatrical trailer (2 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), the Beastie Boys music video Body Movin’ with optional audio commentary by Adam Yauch (6 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Danger: Diabolik – From Fumetti To Film (20 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with removable English subtitles), a video essay by genre cinema expert Rachael Nisbet Radical Behaviour, in which she discusses Danger: Diabolik as anti-establishment pop culture (26 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Leon Hunt, author of the Cultographies volume on Danger: Diabolik titled Criminal Intent; he discusses  the origins and evolution of Diabolik from page to screen (21 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with John Phillip Law and Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark, an audio commentary with Tim Lucas, and an archival audio commentary with Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth.

The extras are the same on both discs.

Other extras include a hard case (limited to 2,000 copies) and a 60-page book (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Movie That Lived Twice: Mario Bava’s Danger: Diabolik written by Roberto Curti, an essay titled Panels and Frames: Danger: Diabolik as Comic Book Film written by Jochen Ecke, an introduction to fumetti neri titled Noir Comics, Italian Style: Notes on Fumetti Neri written by Sergio Angelini, an essay titled On Vikings and Masked Villains: Mario Bava Beyond Horror written by Troy Howarth, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Mario Bava is most remembered as a director of Gothic horror films, though he worked in just about every genre imaginable. Two things that have always been present in virtually every color film that he has directed are his ability to frame picturesque shots in his cinematography and his exquisite use of colors. Both of these assets would help him greatly when it came time to direct Danger: Diabolik, which was based on one of the longest-running fumetti, Diabolik, that was created by two Milan sisters, Angela and Luciana Giustani.

Right off the bat, Danger: Diabolik is a direct contrast to what we normally recognize as a superhero, especially since he really is the villain of the piece, who at best could be considered an antihero. He is cold and calculated to the point that he will kill anyone who gets in his way. His girlfriend, Eva Kant, is not as sadistic, as her personality relies more on her sexuality, which often gets her whatever she wants.

Mario Bava’s $400,000 budget for Danger: Diabolik would be the largest budget of his career, and the film benefits greatly from this. Many of Bava’s films struggle due to limited budgets. Although he excels at creating impressive results with minimal resources, these films often lack the overall polish that Danger: Diabolik achieves. The optical effects used in this film now feel dated, but still, no one could manipulate a miniature or a matte painting like Mario Bava. The sets and costumes are deliriously over the top in their design, which adds to the comic book feel of the film.

Acting-wise, Danger: Diabolik is blessed with strong leads and an equally strong supporting cast. John Philip Law has had a long and varied career as an actor, with 1968 being his most memorable year, as he starred in Death Rides a Horse, Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy, and Danger: Diabolik. His performance as Diabolik is as good as any I've seen from him, perfectly balancing his sinister side with his laid-back ladies' man persona. Marisa Mell (Perversion Story, Gang War in Milan) has been known to steam up the screen in the various films that she has starred in, and as Eva Kant, she exudes sensuality with her sex kitten approach to the character.

No discussion of Danger: Diabolik is complete without the acknowledgment of Ennio Morricone’s contribution to the film via his masterful score. Just like his collaborations with Sergio Leone, he sets the mood and tone of the film with musical cues that are, in many cases, associated with certain characters. The music is playful most of the time, like in an early scene when the police officers are getting ready to transport the money.

There are many wonderful set pieces throughout Danger: Diabolik, with my favorite being the scene in which Diabolik and Eva make love on a rotating bed filled with money. Also, this version of Danger: Diabolik is a longer version that restores footage missing from the American release, most notably the scene where Diabolik and Eva make love in a bed filled with money. Visually Dangerous: Diabolik is a dazzling feast for the eyes that’s rich with texture as Mario Bava lays it on, layer after layer of eye candy. Ultimately, Danger Diabolik is Mario Bava’s greatest achievement as a director.

In terms of audio/video presentation and packing, I can’t see how anyone could top this release. That said, Eureka Video gives Danger: Diabolik a definitive release. Highly recommended.

                                                           Blu-ray Screenshots.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer