The Witches (1967)

Toto enlivens The Witches

Dino De Laurentiis' The Witches is a five part anthology film with sequences directed by Visconti, Pasolini, De Sica, Rosi and Mauro Bolognini. The film is a showcase for Silvana Mangano who was married to the producer at the time and appears in each of the segments. The Witches is part of a wave of anthology films from Europe during the 60s that included Ro.Go.Pa.G and De Laurentiis' later Spirits of the Dead.

Despite the title, the common theme between the short films is not the supernatural, but parody. Each of the segments burlesques different film genres. The results are generally uninspired, especially in relation to each director's best work. Visconti's segment just might be his least interesting film despite a game effort by Annie Giradot to enliven the proceedings. Helmut Berger appears in a small role, billed as Helmut Steinburgher. Rosi's segment, barely as long as a trailer, is a forgettable spoof of revenge melodramas. De Sica's segment parodies white telephone movies, 'women's pictures' and Juliet of the Spirits. Clint Eastwood appears as a staid husband whose indifference to Mangano forces her to seek refuge in flights of romantic fantasy. There are eye popping sets, costumes, hair and makeup, but comedy is not De Sica's forte.

The two best sequences are by Pasolini and Mauro Bologni. Both ably utilize the splendid color photography of Giuseppe Rotunno who also lensed the Leopard, Amarcord, and All That Jazz. Bologni, a director I am unfamiliar with, helms a simple chase sequence where Mangano races her car through the streets of Rome to take the injured Alberto Sordi to the hospital. Sordi kvetches to good effect and the segment earns a few laughs.

Italian film legend Toto brings much needed hilarity to Pasolini's effort. I'm mildly ashamed to have not seen any of his hundred or so roles, but he must have been beloved: credits include Toto Le Moko, Toto the Third Man, Toto In Color and Whatever Happened to Baby Toto. His collaboration with the dour Pasolini resulted in a comic book burlesque of neorealism. The setting is a slum filled with dilapidated trailers. Toto is dressed like a silent clown and his trailer even has a portrait of Chaplin. Mangano appears as a mute muse.  Toto's pantomime of courtship captures the essence of Chaplin amidst the campily colorful settings. A couple in drag drop a banana peel that causes Mangano to plunge to her death from atop the Coliseum. There are many colorful wigs. John Waters has spoken of his admiration for Pasolini and this segment is the artifact best representing a nexus between the two.