Balsamus the Man of Satan was directed by Pupi Avati and nearly the entire cast and crew were close friends of his, including writers Enzo Leonardo and Giorgio Celli. It stars Ariano Nanetti (Bob Tonelli) is the dwarf of the title. He was an entrepreneur who had a man named Mister X - businessman Carmine Domenico Rizzo - who paid for most of the movie. It's the director's first movie and if you want to watch some of the better films that he would do, I would say The House With the Laughing Windows and Zeder are two solid ones.
Balsamus is a magician who says that he can solve human and animal sterility and who has been gathering several rich women around himself. Meanwhile, his wife Lorenza is sleeping with his assistant Alliata and his servant Ottavio does all of the work. He kills his mother-in-law and resurrects her, but when he tries to add to his magical powers, he fails. Depressed, he calls out all of his wife's affairs and kills himself. The court mocks him other than the faithful Ottavio.
Based on Giuseppe Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro, a famous alchemist and necromancer. Avati said, "I was fascinated by readings on paranormal and alchemical themes, furthermore in the film there was a rural matrix, my rural life in Sasso Marconi. I wanted to write Cagliostro's life, in grotesque terms, setting it in the present day."
Yet much like its protagonist, this all ended up as a movie that others didn't understand. "I had a lot of hope in Balsamus, I hoped to be appreciated by who knows what critics, but in reality it was a resounding defeat," concluded Avati. He also claimed that the movie would have been a bigger disaster if not for the assistance of director of photography Franco Delli Colli, who was on camera for Leone's Duck, You Sucker! And lit Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! As well as being the cinematographer for plenty of great movies like Ghosthouse, Rats: Night of Terror, Strip Nude for Your Killer and Avati's Zeder.
This was released in other countries as Blood Relations and The Man of Satan.
Balsamus is a magician who says that he can solve human and animal sterility and who has been gathering several rich women around himself. Meanwhile, his wife Lorenza is sleeping with his assistant Alliata and his servant Ottavio does all of the work. He kills his mother-in-law and resurrects her, but when he tries to add to his magical powers, he fails. Depressed, he calls out all of his wife's affairs and kills himself. The court mocks him other than the faithful Ottavio.
Based on Giuseppe Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro, a famous alchemist and necromancer. Avati said, "I was fascinated by readings on paranormal and alchemical themes, furthermore in the film there was a rural matrix, my rural life in Sasso Marconi. I wanted to write Cagliostro's life, in grotesque terms, setting it in the present day."
Yet much like its protagonist, this all ended up as a movie that others didn't understand. "I had a lot of hope in Balsamus, I hoped to be appreciated by who knows what critics, but in reality it was a resounding defeat," concluded Avati. He also claimed that the movie would have been a bigger disaster if not for the assistance of director of photography Franco Delli Colli, who was on camera for Leone's Duck, You Sucker! And lit Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! As well as being the cinematographer for plenty of great movies like Ghosthouse, Rats: Night of Terror, Strip Nude for Your Killer and Avati's Zeder.
This was released in other countries as Blood Relations and The Man of Satan.