Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Directors:

Federico Fellini
Louis Malle
(more)

Writers:

Edgar Allan Poe (story) (segment "Metzengerstein")
Roger Vadim (adaptation) (segment "Metzengerstein") ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 July 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

the ultimate orgy of evil

Plot:

Three directors each adapt a Poe short story to the screen: "Toby Dammit" features a disheveled drugged...

Plot Keywords:

Catholic | Haunting | Priest | Desire | Army

Cast

Brigitte Bardot	...	Giuseppina (segment "William Wilson")
Alain Delon	...	William Wilson (segment "William Wilson")
Jane Fonda	...	Contessa Frederique de Metzengerstein (segment "Metzengerstein")
Terence Stamp	...	Toby Dammit (segment "Toby Dammit")
James Robertson Justice	...	Countess' Advisor (segment "Metzengerstein")
Salvo Randone	...	Priest (segment "Toby Dammit")
Françoise Prévost	...	Friend of Countess (segment "Metzengerstein") (as Francoise Prevost)
Peter Fonda	...	Baron Wilhelm Berlifitzing (segment "Metzengerstein")
Marlène Alexandre	...	(segment "Metzengerstein")
Marie-Ange Aniès	...	(segment "Metzengerstein")
David Bresson
Katia Christine	...	Young Girl (segment "William Wilson") (as Katia Christina)
Peter Dane
Georges Douking	...	Du Lissier (segment "Metzengerstein")
Philippe Lemaire	...	Philippe (segment "Metzengerstein")
Carla Marlier	...	Claude (segment "Metzengerstein")
Serge Marquand	...	Hugues (segment "Metzengerstein")
Umberto D'Orsi	...	Hans (segment "William Wilson")
Renzo Palmer	...	Priest (segment "William Wilson")
Monica Pardo
Marco Stefanelli	...	Wilson as a child (segment "William Wilson")
Anne Tonietti	...	TV Commentator (segment "Toby Dammit")
Daniele Vargas	...	Professor (segment "William Wilson")
Marina Yaru	...	Child / The Devil (segment "Toby Dammit")
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fabrizio Angeli	...	1st Director (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Franco Arcalli	...	(uncredited)
Federico Boido	...	Party Guest (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Ernesto Colli	...	2nd Director (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Paul Cooper	...	2nd Interviewer (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Dakar	...	Black man at airport (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Audoin de Bardot	...	Page (segment "Metzengerstein") (uncredited)
Anny Duperey	...	1st Guest (segment "Metzengerstein") (uncredited)
John Karlsen	...	Schoolmaster in yard (segment "William Wilson") (uncredited)
Gabriel Lagay	...	(uncredited)
Irina Maleeva	...	Gypsy Fortne Teller (Segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Marco Messeri	...	One beatle (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Antonia Pietrosi	...	Actress (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Polidor	...	Old actor (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Mimmo Poli	...	Party Guest (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Vincent Price	...	Narrator (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Alfredo Rizzo	...	Angry man in car (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Maurice Ronet	...	Récitant (voice) (uncredited)
Marisa Traversi	...	Marilù Traversi (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Andréas Voutsinas	...	2nd Guest (segment "Metzengerstein") (uncredited)
Milena Vukotic	...	TV interviewer (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Aleardo Ward	...	1st Interviewer (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Clement Biddle Wood	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Federico Fellini		(segment "Toby Dammit")
Louis Malle		(segment "William Wilson")
Roger Vadim		(segment "Metzengerstein")

Writing credits
Edgar Allan Poe		(story "Metzengerstein") (segment "Metzengerstein") (as Edgar Allan Poë)
Roger Vadim		(adaptation) (segment "Metzengerstein") &
Pascal Cousin		(adaptation) (segment "Metzengerstein")
Edgar Allan Poe		(story "William Wilson") (segment "William Wilson") (as Edgar Allan Poë)
Louis Malle		(adaptation) (segment "William Wilson") &
Clement Biddle Wood		(adaptation) (segment "William Wilson")
Daniel Boulanger		(dialogue) (segment "William Wilson" and "Metzengerstein")
Edgar Allan Poe		(story "Ne pariez jamais votre tête avec le Diable {Never Bet the Devil Your Head}") (segment "Toby Dammit") (as Edgar A. Poë)
Federico Fellini		(adaptation) (segment "Toby Dammit") &
Bernardino Zapponi		(adaptation) (segment "Toby Dammit")

Produced by
Raymond Eger	....	producer
Alberto Grimaldi	....	producer (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)

Original Music by
Diego Masson		(segment "William Wilson")
Jean Prodromidès		(segment "Metzengerstein") (as Jean Prodromides)
Nino Rota		(segment "Toby Dammit")

Cinematography by
Tonino Delli Colli		(director of photography) (segment "William Wilson")
Claude Renoir		(director of photography) (segment "Metzengerstein")
Giuseppe Rotunno		(segment "Toby Dammit")

Film Editing by
Franco Arcalli		(segment "William Wilson")
Suzanne Baron		(segment "William Wilson")
Ruggero Mastroianni		(segment "Toby Dammit") (as Ruggiero Mastroianni)
Hélène Plemiannikov		(segment "Metzengerstein") (as Helene Plemiannikov)

Production Design by
Jean André		(segment "Metzengerstein") (as Jean Andre)
Piero Tosi		(supervising production designer) (segment "Toby Dammit")
Ghislain Uhry		(segment "William Wilson")

Art Direction by
Fabrizio Clerici		(segment "Toby Dammit")
Carlo Leva		(segment "William Wilson")

Production Management
André Cultet	....	production manager (segment "Metzengerstein") (as Andre Cultet)
Ludmilla Goulian	....	production manager (segment "Metzengerstein")
Thomas Sagone	....	production manager (segment "William Wilson" and "Toby Dammit") (as Tomaso Sagone)
Enzo Provenzale	....	general manager (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vana Caruso	....	assistant director (segment "William Wilson")
Michel Clément	....	assistant director (segment "Metzengerstein") (as Michel Clement)
Jean-Michel Lacor	....	assistant director (segment "Metzengerstein")
Eschilo Tarquini	....	assistant director (segment "Toby Dammit")
Serge Vallin	....	assistant director (segment "Metzengerstein")
Francesco Aluigi	....	assistant director (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)
Liliane Betti	....	assistant director (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)

Art Department
Jean Forestier	....	assistant art director (segment "Metzengerstein")

Visual Effects by
Joseph Nathanson	....	optical effects (segment "Toby Dammit") (as Joseph Natanson)

Camera and Electrical Department
Sergio Bergamini	....	camera operator (segment "William Wilson")
Philippe Brun	....	camera operator (segment "Metzengerstein")
Alain Douarinou	....	camera operator (segment "Metzengerstein")
Wladimir Ivanov	....	camera operator (segment "Metzengerstein")
Giuseppe Maccari	....	camera operator (segment "Toby Dammit")
Bernard Noisette	....	camera operator (segment "Metzengerstein")
Piero Servo	....	first assistant camera (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jacques Fonteray	....	costume designer: segment "Metzengerstein"
Piero Tosi	....	costume designer: segment "Toby Dammit"
Ghislain Uhry	....	costume designer: segment "William Wilson"
Carlo Leva	....	costume designer: segment "William Wilson" (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Catherine Gabrielidis	....	assistant editor (segment "Metzengerstein")
Piera Gabutti	....	assistant editor (segment "William Wilson")
Claire Gimiewski	....	assistant editor (segment "Metzengerstein")
Vanda Olasio	....	assistant editor (segment "Toby Dammit")
Enzo Ocone	....	post-production (uncredited)

Other crew
Suzanne Durrenberger	....	script girl (segment "Metzengerstein")
Norma Giacchero	....	script girl (segment "Toby Dammit")
Sheila Rubin	....	script girl (segment "William Wilson")
Oreste Lionello	....	voice dubbing: Federico Boido (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Les Films Marceau (Paris)
• Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)
• Cocinor
• Les Films Marceau

Distributors

• Cocinor (1968) (France) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1969) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Cinemagia (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Image Entertainment (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Carita  Jane Fonda's wigs (segment "Metzengerstein")
• Eureka Edizioni Musicali  music publishing
• International Recordings  auditorium
• Paris Studios Cinéma  auditorium
• Societe Optiphone  magnetic recording

Also Known As:

Spirits of the Dead (USA)
Tales of Mystery
Tales of Mystery and Imagination (UK)
Tre passi nel delirio (Italy)
Trois histoires extraordinaires d'Edgar Poe

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | Italian | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | UK:18 (1990) (cut) | UK:X (1973) (cut) | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) (1999) | Finland:K-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bergamo, Lombardia, Italy

Company:

Les Films Marceau

Trivia:

Peter O'Toole was originally cast as Toby Dammit. After he pulled out, Federico Fellini contacted a London casting agency and asked them to send the most decadent actors they had to Rome to see him. They sent Terence Stamp and James Fox, and Fellini chose Stamp.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Countess Frederique ("Metzengerstein") is urging the black stallion into the sea, her ermine-trimmed cloak is suddenly gone.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

Soundtrack:

Ruby

Terence Dammit Stamp

Three Edgar Alan Poe stories, three directors, a genius director, a great director and a director. The top international stars of their day: Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Terence Stamp, Alain Delon and Brigitte Bardot. The Roger Vadim episode with the two Fondas is quite terrible, Jane with her left over costumes from Barbarella, is always watchable but what a mess. Delon and Bardot are fun to watch but the piece looks more a rehash of one of the weakest Hammer horror flicks than a film signed by the great Louis Malle. However, I wouldn't mind sitting through those turkeys once again for the sheer pleasure of the third segment: Fellini's "Toby Dammit" with a superlative Terence Stamp. Unique, unnerving, jaw dropping, funny, delightful gem of a film.