Ever since I watched Short Night of Glass Dolls I’ve been trying to think of how I would describe it to someone. My initial thought was to say it’s an insane movie. I’m not sure I like that though because I think insane may be too strong a word. I think I’m going to settle on trippy. Short Night of Glass Dolls is a trippy movie.

In Prague an American journalist named Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel) is found lying in a park. He’s taken to the local hospital where he is eventually pronounced dead and his body is transferred to the morgue to await an autopsy. The problem is Gregory actually isn’t dead, at least he doesn’t think he is. Gregory attempts to move and speak but no one hears him. As he gets placed in the freezer to wait being cut open, he begins re-tracing his steps from the previous day to figure out how he got himself in this situation.

From this point forward the story jumps back and forth, going from the present and back to the last few days as Gregory tries to remember what exactly happened. His memory is fuzzy, but it doesn’t take him long to remember he spent the evening with a woman name Mira (Barbara Bach). The relationship between Gregory and Mira is never quite clear. They’re romantically linked, but they don’t appear to be a couple, having just met.

As they’re lying in bed Gregory gets a call from his editor, Jacques (Mario Adorf). Jacques has a lead on a scoop and wants Gregory to check it out. The lead turns out to be nothing so Gregory heads back to the hotel room. Mira is strangely no longer there. Gregory’s friends think she just got up and left on her own, but Gregory suspects foul play. The two were sleeping in the nude and Mira left without taking any of her clothes. Why would she live completely naked?

Gregory frantically searches for Mira and ends up heading down an incredibly bizarre rabbit hole. Every time he thinks he’s getting closer to solving the mystery, he encounters a curveball that sends him down another path. Eventually he reaches his conclusion and it’s so very weird.

Short Night of Glass Dolls was the debut film from director Aldo Lado which is just incredible. Lado does a masterful job creating suspense as the mystery unfolds. He never lets you get completely comfortable with where you’re going. At times you think you’ve got it all figured out and then he changes it up. Then you get to that ending and if you’re like me your response is, “what?!” And that’s not in a bad way. I was genuinely shocked. The film never really gets scary, but it is very eerie and uneasy. At times it’s a little unsettling. It’s basically a trip through an underground world of sleaze.

The mood is helped greatly by Ennio Morricone’s score. The music is very tense and drawn out, working side by side with the story to build the suspense. I’ll never be able to understand how one man can make so much great music.

Short Night of Glass Dolls was recently released on region B Blu-ray by Camera Obscura out of Germany. Camera Obscura put a lot of time and effort into this release and it really shows. The transfer is beautiful with a very crisp and clear picture. You’re able to see a lot of depth which is especially nice in the night scenes which incorporate a lot of shadows. What I really like about this release though, is that despite it being German it’s nicely put together for an English speaking audience. There is an 18-page booklet with photos and writings on the film. Typically these are just in German in most German releases, which makes sense. Camera Obscura went one step further and gives us both German AND English text which is awesome. The film also comes with a number of special features, most of which are in Italian, but everyone comes with the option of English subtitles. It’s very much appreciated.

If you’re region free I recommend picking this up. This is my first experience with Camera Obscura but I definitely plan on looking to see what else they have to offer. They’ve got a fan for life after this release.

Rating: 4/5

Short Night of Glass Dolls is now available on region B Blu-ray from Camera Obscura.