简介：AlbertoVialeissurprisedwhenhissuperiorcancelshismeetingsforthedayandsummonshimtohisoffice,severalfloorsaboveinthe20storeymonumenttocapitalwhereheworks. Heisstillmoresurprisedwhenhissuperiorindicatesthatheisonlypassingonamessagefromthetopfloor. Yetthetopfloorisitselfjustthemessenger,forAlbertoisbeingsummonedtoseenoneotherthanthebossofthenotquitefacelesscorporation-hisportraitisonthewall-namelyGiovanniNosferatu,athiscountryestateoutsidelacitta. Atthispointalarmbellslikelybeginringingintheviewer'smind,ifnotAlberto's:weunderstandAlbertoisJonathanHarker/HutterandthatNosferatuisDracula. ThoughasenseofdivergencecontinuesasAlbertoheadsouttothemist-shroudedestatethroughwindingroads,villagesseeminglyuntouchedbytimeandapetrolpumpattendantwhofleesatmentionofNosferatu'svillaasifwewereinBorgoPassandthedestinationCastleDracula,thesesamedetailsandthewayinwhichtheygounmentionedalsohelpsmakeclearthatwearesupposedtounderstandthingsthisway. Thesamecanbesaidofhitch-hikerLaura,whomAlbertopicksupandwholikewiseseeslittleoutoftheordinary,oratleasttheirmodern,urban,bourgeoisnotionofnormality-admittedlyonethatshecritiquesinherownhippyish,counter-culturalway. Vampiresdon'texisttoday,dothey? Or,asthetitleindicates,theydo. Theyhavejustchangedfaces,becomingcapitalists. This,crucially,isachangeoffacesomewhatprefiguredinMarx.Afterall,heremarkedthat"Capitalisdeadlabor,which,vampire-like,livesonlybysuckinglivinglabor,andlivesthemore,themorelaboritsucks." Orthefeudalmasterbecomesthecapitalistmaster... WerethisGodard,Marx'sstatementwouldlikelyhaveappearedonanintertitletoHammer[sic]thepointhome. Farina,however,insteadcontinuestoupdatehisintertextsasAlberto/HarkerarrivesatoneofthoseItalianpalazzi,alreadysofamiliarasGothic/modernGothicsitesthroughtheworkofBava,Freda,Margheritiandcompany,andwhichherelooksuncannilylikeDownPlaceall'italiana. Ratherthanbayingwolves,Albertoisconfrontedbymenacingwhiteminicars,whiletheBrideofDraculaisrepresentedbyNosferatu'ssecretary,Corrina,playedbyGeraldineHooper.Latertohaveanequallyface-changingroleasMassimo,Carlo'sloverinDeepRed-i.e.awomanplayingagayman-sheherelookseerilylikethemaskedversionofEdithScobinEyesWithoutaFace. Notsurprisingly,herentranceshaveanuncannyquality,asdothewayinwhichadvertisingslogansaretriggeredbyAlberto'ssittingonparticularseatortakingashower.Heandwecan,ofcourse,easilyassimilatetheseexamplesofadvancedtechnologyasmagicwithoutasecondthought. AroundaboutthispointNosferatuhimself,playedbyAdolfoCeli,makeshisentrance,asnon-threateningasChristopherLee'sinDraculabut,assuch,allthemoreunsettlingforit. NosferatuoffersAlbertotheopportunitytobecomeonetheelite,theboardofdirectors,themastersofthisworld... Themorehecomestoknowwhatwealreadydo,themoreAlbertoresists. Ordoeshe-after,allwhatwouldyoudoifgiventhechoiceofenteringtherealSociety... --- "Today,terroriscalledtechnology" Thisquote,fromHerbertMarcuse,concludesTheyHaveChangedFaces,beingsuperimposedoverthefinalfreezeframeimage. Thoughapparentlyintendedasapessimisticclosingstatement,inlinewiththeimageandtheresolutionitsuggests-aresolutionIwon'treveal,althoughanyonefamiliarwiththeresolutionofLang'sMetropolismayrecogniseanotherGermanExpressionionistintertexthere-it'salsoaquotewhich,fortyyearson,suggestshope. Specifically,It'sthatwecanseeFarina'sobscuresatirebydownloadingitand,evenifwespeakEnglishratherthanItalian,understanditthankstoafan-subtitler,andthencommentonitinourblog,hopefullyencouragingothersouttheretoseekthefilmoutandthinkaboutwhatitmeans. IftoMarcusetechnologywasterroristic-theinternetwhichmakesallthispossiblecanbetracedbacktotheDARPAnetandthusthethemilitaryindustrycomplex-wecanalsoinvokethelikesofMcLuhan,whereeverymediabothgivesandtakes(thewheelmaybeanextensionofthefoot,accordingtotheFuturists,butitalsomeansthatthatfootisrepurposed,addingpotentialitiesinonewaywhilstsubtractingtheminanother)andIvanIllich,whoseDeschoolingSocietyinretrospectproposessomethingveryliketheinternetanditsvirtualcommunities,againsthim... Moreover,whatreallyimpresseshere,inMcLuhanisticterms,isthatthemediumandthemessage,orformandcontent,combine. IftheconnectionsbetweenCeli'sNosferatuandLargoandChristopherLee'sDracula/DDDenhamandScaramangaare(co-)incidental-thoughalineofdescentmaybetracedfromMabusethroughSpionethroughNorthbyNorthwesttoBondandback-Farrina'sdirection,theproductiondesign,editing,scoringandperformancesandtheirinter-relationshipsaremostdefinitelynot. Twoparticularstandoutsarethediscoveryofabodyinthewoods,presentedinthemannerofBlow-Upwithoutthephotographicevidence,andtheTodoModo-stylebunker/boardroommeetingofthevampire-capitalistandhisminions,whoincludeacardinal,arepresentativeofthecensorsboard(i.e.Marcuseansublimation)andaGodardianradicalfilm-makerturnedadvertiser. Bywayofmoreovertallusionsthisfilm-makerpresentsthreealternateversionsofaLSDadvertisement,two-thoserejectedbyNosferatu-modelledonGodardandFelliniandthethird-theoneaccepted-modelledondeSade Everything-andherewecanalsoinvokeGodard'sownAlphaville,withitsparallelfigureofWernervonBraun/Nosferatu,andmockeryofsciencefiction-seemsrecuperablebythesystem. Oratleast,wasthen? http://giallo-fever.blogspot.com/2009/05/hanno-cambiato-faccia-they-have-changed.html…