and Peace (1956), but he evidently endeared himself to Francisci and Bava on this production; he would work with them both several more times, notably in the two Hercules films soon to come. Screenwriter Ennio De Concini would write (or co- author) almost every Bava film for the next six years.
Francisci’s overlong film—110 min- utes—was reduced in length for its exported versions; a 94-minute edi- tion was distributed in France and in America. The American version was never distributed theatrically, but was sold directly to television in grossly cropped 16 mm prints that omitted nearly half the CinemaScope frame. Shot and processed in unstable Eastmancolor, the color of these prints has now faded, bringing injury with insult. Capturing the dead center of the widescreen at all times, Roland the Mighty actually features a con- versation between two people dur- ing which the only thing onscreen is a horse’s ass.
Husband, Father, & Artist
In his private life, Mario Bava was now the father of teenagers, a trying pe- riod of life for any parent. His daugh- ter Elena, who turned 18 in 1956, is said to have had a very close and de- pendent relationship with her father. This view is supported by one of Mario’s rare interviews, in which he mentioned taking his daughter to Tor Caldara in the hope that its sulphur springs might cure her acne. It is un- usual—especially in the 1950s—to hear of a father, least of all a very busy one, taking time to shepherd his daughter through such a personal or- deal, which is traditionally the prov- ince of mothers. Elena inherited the artistic talent and temperament of her forefathers, but had difficulty in de- ciding which medium was the correct one for her to pursue. In the early 1960s, she spent a year or two in the set design department at the De Laurentiis Stu- dio, then relocated to Venice where she studied to become an architect, finally achieving this goal in 1970.
