From the Page to the Screen

Abstract

This chapter concentrates on the 10-page synopsis of “Soggetto cinematografico” and the 156-page script for the film The Atelier of Death (L'atelier della morte), which were both credited to Marcello Fondato and Giuseppe Barillà. It points out that the synopsis was printed on October 1, 1963, while the script is not dated and it's uncertain if it is indeed the definitive draft. It also explains how the screenplay is preceded by a list of the main characters with their physical and behavioural traits itemized, which nonetheless will not be developed or even ignored in the film. The chapter illustrates how Mario Bava simply followed the indications in the script for the film Blood and Black Lace (6 donne per l'assassino) without adding anything to the characters. It stresses that the idea of the comparison with mannequins, a leitmotiv that was maintained through the entire Blood and Black Lace, was absent in the script.