alphaboy

This film is often wrongly attributed to Joe D'Amato, since D'Amato reissued his film "Porno Holocaust" under the title "Delizie erotiche in Porno Holocaust". The film "Delizie erotiche", however, without the "in Porno Holocaust" at the end and starring Loretta D'Andrea, was directed by Carolyne Joyce. D'Amato seems to have had nothing to do with it. To confuse the matter, though, there is a poster that is held in pretty much the same design as the D'Amato/Borsky films of the period (such as "Stretta e bagnata", "Blue erotic climax" or "Sesso nero"), although there is no mention of him on THIS poster.The matter is even more confusing since there seems to exist a VHS which contains a film entitled "Delizie erotiche", but starring Bruno Chiodetto, which appears to be different from the Joyce movie. Unless all these copies and titles are compared side by side, I don't see how this question could be resolved once and for all. And even if, some questions might remain unanswered.

I'm just starting to watch "Dynasty" and am already enjoying it quite a lot. The music, sets and costumes are rich, characterization is concise and varied. With the children of oil dynasty magnate Blake: sassy and rambunctious Fallon (who also brings an aura of playful sexiness to the screen) and homosexual, introvert Steven (who brings with him a more thoughtful and problematic atmosphere), the show has established an intriguing, well-drawn pair of characters who will probably keep me watching the show for some time from now on. Less interesting, if well-made, was the plot revolving around the oil rig and the ex-flame of Blake's wife-to-be, Krystle. It sure served to show that Blake's oil empire is not built on philanthropy, but at the same time felt a little more clichéd than other parts of this all in all beautiful 3-part pilot that is well worth watching if one can muster some love for 80s TV.

Cottafavi directs a fine early genre specimen here. The movie starts out by having us believe that the Romans have grown tired and bored of their empire. No wonder it is crumbling. So this Marcus goes on quasi-vacation to Armenia, where the girls are supposed to be pretty a.s.o., and runs into the people's revolt. Princess Amira (played by lush beauty Gianna Maria Canale - what a lady!) immediately gain his attention. Little does he know she wants to get rid of 5-year-old Osro to ascend the throne herself. Meanwhile, the captives from the revolt are mistreated and paired off in the arena, to the amusement of the decadent Romans and Scythians (Amira's bodyguard). But there is also the titular slave girl, who hates all Romans but conveniently knows a lot about poisoning and might just save little Osro in time. Great heroic music by Nicolosi keeps up the pacing, as do battle scenes full of verve. Amira whips the hero's love interest and ends up being eaten by one of her own pet tigers. Did I mention the midget buffoon? Recommended to genre buffs.

****reviewing the Italian soft-core cut**** (I'm actually not sure whether there ever was a HC version, though some of the sex scenes do end very abruptly.)

This is one of those strange domestic dramas with soft-core porn content which D'Amato directed in the early 80s, just before homegrown hardcore became possible in Italy (with D'Amato's "Sesso Nero" probably being the first Italian hardcore movie).

All shot with three actors in one location: a house in the countryside. (There's a brief visit to town too, but nobody else ever shows up in front of the camera.)

As in "Sesso acerbo", D'Amato does not necessarily focus on the sex, but on the very different nature of the two cousins, their rivalry, and how they react differently to the opportunity of having sex with Mark Shannon's character. It plays much like a regular 'artsy' drama at times.

Pauline Teutscher plays her usual role as the MILF type (though virginal and bashful). She has also a weird thing going on with the picture of her uncle, whom she seems to have loved; she pleasures herself in bed while looking at it. In contrast, Laura Levi gets to flaunt her sexuality openly.

The soundtrack is a completely mixed bag, switching moods and style to the point of nausea. It starts off with a sinister and discomforting bugle solo, then smooth strings take over, with piano - much like a romantic concert. During the first sex scene, there's some weird paraphrase of Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" (no I'm not mistaken here), and a piece obviously inspired by Debussy's "L'après-midi d'un Faune" plays while Levi secretly fondles Shannon's dong under the table, during dinner.

Actual porn content: Plenty of vaginal closeups on both leading ladies, but no erection or penetration in sight. Levi has a shower scene, which I suspect to be taken from a different movie.

***I'm commenting on the Italian version.***

Director Mario Caiano can be relied on when it comes to pacing and effective action scenes, and he does not disappoint here: "Maciste, gladiatore di Sparta" is a reasonably entertaining and well-crafted piece of peplum kitsch. The plot takes place in 69 B.C. (one year after the assassination of Nero) during the short-termed (half a year!) reign of emperor Vitellius. No attempt is made to portray the turmoil and uncertainty of this terrible year. Instead, the script portrays Vitellius as a glutton who delights in the amenities of empire, without having a bit of interest in politics - with the exception of the extermination of the Christians, obviously a legacy from emperor Nero, which he follows blindly as if it was a whim. It is worth noting that the actor playing Vitellius actually is well chosen in that looks very much alike to the surviving busts of the emperor! The obesity of the portrays might have suggested the running gag on the emperor's everlasting appetite for food. Mark Forest, one of the most enjoyable peplum actors, plays Maciste, a star gladiator from Sparta. As far as I can see, there's no reason to make him Greek, and there's no true Spartan flavor about him. The name might have simply been chosen to evoke (a) Spartacus (who, however, was NOT from Sparta) and/or (b) the traditional toughness of the Spartans. He gets to do all kinds of fighting and gets to flex and exercise his muscles on a number of occasions. Sometimes, he uses his wit as well. The emperor's courtesan (played by brunette beauty Marilu Tolo) is in love with that gladiator, and Vitellius delights in having such a delightful source of bloody arena entertainment. However, Maciste meets a blonde Christian girl, and though he does not convert to their faith, he helps the peaceful people against their oppressors. The focus here rests on the characterization of early Christendom - their secret meetings in catacombs and their pacifist attitudes - and all too easily forgets to place that in contrast to heathen cults and religion. It is remarkable how the film avoids any references to heathen cult: The Romans come across as a race with no true beliefs at all. (Though at one time, Maciste is briefly compared to the god Mars himself.) Marcello, the name of the Christian bishop, is perhaps inspired by Pope Marcellus I. (308 A.D.) who was interred in the Priscilla catacombs. "Syphace", the weaver of intrigue at the imperial court, was perhaps named after the Numidian king Syphax (220-203 B.C.) who betrayed Rome to the Carthaginians.

Fine late Italian western, starring a sympathetic, almost romantic Al Cliver in a world full of racism, opportunism and greed. The story goes thus: Al Cliver is the member of a cavalry unit that takes out some Indians which have left the reservation - mostly women and children, and the old folks; the handful of Indian warriors are out hunting. Cliver's character happens to be knocked out and thus doesn't take part in the massacre. When he comes to, he meets the only survivor, Apache Woman. He soon loses her, however, to a couple of ruthless tricksters and bandits, who take her away to sell her into slavery - and have their fun with her. Cliver comes back for her, though, and the two start getting to know each other despite the language barrier. But the Apache warriors are still around, taking revenge for the extermination of their tribe...

The film wants to make a point about how difficult such a love racial barrier in fact proves to be, each time the couple comes across other people, be they Indian or white. Also, it looks at the military and its purpose in a contemptuous manner, obviously attacking the insanity of racism and war. There is some pretty explicit female nudity (bare breasts and bottom as well as the pubic area), but it is rare and never at the center of attention - though it has a bit of an exploitative feel to it especially in the (attempted) rape scene. Rather, the movie is focusing on the love of the two protagonists, how they learn to trust and understand each other.

There is little shooting, and the violence (apart from an ax murder) is never excessively gory. Instead, there is a distinctive guitar soundtrack and a beautiful title song, as well as some fine cinematography (of not so specular landscapes). What is maybe noteworthy: The western has a 'green' look, not the yellow of the desert of the southern border near Mexico; we see a lot of woods, and even the street of the ghost-town at the end of the movie - the only 'set' - is overgrown with grass.

What is perhaps most remarkable: Despite the warmth of the love story at its center, the film has an austere and simple feel to it, conveying a certain sense of truthfulness, which manages to steer clear of becoming exploitative.

At the beginning, we watch Johnny Oro (Mark Damon, dressed up in a jet black and tight costume with just a hint of gold at the right spots, and introduced by the riveting lyrics 'Non importava dell' amore / a Johnny Orooooooooooooo') riding into town and killing off a few Mexican bandits walking out of a church wedding - but sparing the youngest one ... Big mistake; he's back soon enough, along with some Indians (a rare appearance in Spaghetti westerns!), to take Johnny out - and the whole town of Coldstone as well.

A lot of dead bodies there at the end of the movie, as the Indians are shot in dozens, body piles everywhere, they even start using their dead ones as shields. In the end, the whole town is literally blown to hell.

Johnny is characterized as the type who is on the side of justice only to see get the gold (reason given: he was born in a gold mine); full of himself, he is having a good time ridiculing and shooting his enemies and cashing in the money, and one cannot help but smiling along with him. Johnny has the kiddo feel to him, and he never gets serious right until the end of the movie - even after the bad guy shoots his love interest right in the face at close range (off screen).

It's THE role for Mark Damon, who can get pretty tedious if cast as a serious character: The fun he is having while performing Johnny's gleeful pranks is highly contagious.

Contrasting Johnny's character is the sheriff, played by Ettore Manni, a principled man well beyond reason himself, with a son and a wife to boot. The two of them play off well enough against each other.

Plenty of violence from the bad guys (including a drunk Indian). Shady owner of the saloon and 'businessman' (he deals in weapons) Andrea Aureli does some highly enjoyable sleazy acting and ends up with an ax right in the middle of his bald patch. Figure that! After all it is only 1966.

Those violent bits help to remind that director Corbucci did 'Django' with Franco Nero the very same year, so very different in tone. If 'Django' is the tragedy, this one is the satyr play.

All in all, the movie stays light-hearted throughout, and you can have yourself a few fine laughs and enjoy a wild ride in the pasta west.

The fusion of Gothic horror and peplum had already been attempted as early as 1961 in Mario Bava's lush 'Ercole al centro della terra' and Sergio Corbucci's 'Maciste contro il vampiro', 1962 had seen 'Maciste all'inferno', dwelling on an idea already used in a homonymous silent (1925).

In 1964, there came 'Roma contro Roma'. Director Giuseppe Vari is one of the more talented sort in Cinecitta, and he delivers the goods, even builds in some moments of exploitative and sleazy fun.

The story (English dub) goes thus: In a deliberately non-defined pseudo-historical setting in the Roman Empire, the Sarmatians attack and defeat a Roman legion, stealing the gold they had with them. Since Rome doesn't hear of the legate in the region, it sends a consul (Ettore Manni, the hero) to inquire. He soon finds out that the Sarmatians are manipulated by an evil magician (his name Adherbad is similar to a North-African one, Adherbal...) and priest of the 'daughter of Osiris', a three-eyed goddess which seems to demand human sacrifice. The Roman legate happens to be a traitor, and so is his wife Tullia (Susy Anderson). The consul catches her interest, but he falls in love with her slave (Ida Galli), who happens to be a priestess of the goddess...

Apart from some competent and well-paced story-telling which involves some handsome spooky stuff such as a deadly (voodoo) doll, walking virgins on charcoals and a group of disgusting leprous henchmen at the bad guy's disposal (including an old hag) - they nearly rape Galli's character at one point -, we also get a dark and energetic score by Roberto Nicolosi and some fine make-up and lighting. There are only a handful of sets at the director's disposal, and only a couple of outside shots (much of the movie plays in a cave, and there is no Russian or Ukrainian scenery, to be sure), but Vari and his cinematographers use them with a great sense for variety. Night scenes are a bit on the dark side, though.

The film is memorable for its zombie army, a myriad of dead Roman soldiers resurrected by Adherbad (they rise from the tomb) and marching against the capital. Effects are rather on the cheap side, though. The spookiness of the army as it approaches in a 'black cloud' is suggested by psychedelic (i.e. violet and pink) smears superimposed over the stock footage of combating Roman armies. The soundtrack's spooky mode is cool, though, sporting some weird and eerie chorus vocals. That's what the movie is maybe best at, creating atmosphere. There's plenty of it. On the down side, the stock footage battle scenes do get tiring, since they have been put together in an uninspired and seemingly haphazard way - and they take far too long. The finale, however, delivers again, as the hero stands up against Adherbad, Tullia and the goddess to save his beloved slave and priestess.

Blonde Susy Anderson is a great femme fatale here - as opposed to the good queen she played in 'Le Gladiatrici'; her wardrobe accents her buxom shapeliness. Ida Galli's appearance is aptly virginal. John Drew Barrymore's Adherbad is very fine; passing right through his excessive makeup, he delivers a credible and enjoyable sorcerer whose demise is deliciously humiliating. Ettore Manni plays the hero with stern rigidity, which is fine, given he's playing a Roman consul.

In addition, the film doesn't have any humorous or light-hearted note, the consul's servant Satyrus being the only exception; his character, which was, as the name indicates, designed for comic relief, luckily is given (negligible) room only in the movie's final shot.

All in all, an enjoyable Italian peplum ride, known mostly for the concept of the army of zombie Romans marching against their own capital, but turning out to be a fine and creative sword & sandal adventure in its own right.

Though the flick moves at a slow pace and contains relatively little nudity, it manages to deliver the goods with an unusually inventive script and some weird ideas and characters. The ultra-cheesy crowd of creepy heirs is completely disgusting and overacts all the way - good fun, if you ask me. And there's also some ludicrous stuff: The white-haired sicko father, for instance, drugs a teeny girl, who starts dancing while he solves her math homework and turns on the music. Enough for him: he goes ahead and rapes her in front of his son. No wonder this poor guy becomes a traumatized impotent voyeur who positions cams all over the mansion. That's why we get to see the bomb-boobed flat-tummied star Kristine Rose in a shower scene. She then takes trauma-boy to a strip club, and we get a lengthy dance performed by two very flexible ladies...and the like. Sexual action is never explicit enough and exceedingly clothed, except for the final coitus, which sports nice back-lighted closeup shots of Rose's pubic hair...alas, it's all black due to contrast. Laura Gemser just got a cameo here as usual, no nudity anymore at this age. A pity, I guess. There's a cute plot-twist right at the end, though, and I won't tell this one. More than you ever expected - probably. The title tune is haunting, the rest of the music well done, as usual with Filmirage productions. Costumes and sets: ditto. Well done, Joe!

Thinking of sword and sandal movies (aka 'peplums'), I get the picture of a bodybuilder struggling through a think plot as stereotypical, stupid and colorful as possible. Candy stuff. That's what I expected when I started watching this film. What I got was something completely different: a more realistic, serious and pensive approach to the genre. For peplum fans, the battle scenes are a feast: The costumes are well done, looking as real as it gets at that time, and the fighting is convincing and violent. However, compared to other peplums, the movie is unusually dark and pessimistic in tone, mainly as a result of four factors: 1. The heavy, almost operatic soundtrack, which is a far shot from being easy on the ears. 2. The cinematography, which makes sporadic use of modernistic techniques such as extremely fast cuts and image distortion. 3. The set design and locations, mostly in the (Carpatian?) mountains, where mist or the black smoke rising from pillaged and burnt down villages is nearly omnipresent. 4. The plot and dialogue, which cleverly let viewer sympathies oscillate between the Roman conquerors and the Dacian guerillas. The film takes on the problems of Roman imperialistc policy in a truly epic fashion. Most of the plot is concerned about the leaders, their marriage, and their offspring. It is here that central concepts of imperialism are put to the test. Should the Romans still be fought once they have conquered the land and want to establish peace and prosperity? The dialogue reveals the troubled position the Roman general has to defend: "You will have your peace, whether you want it or not!!" The mixed Roman-Dacian love affair at the core of the film is unfortunately marred by inconclusive character design. Still, the movie is well worth a look, since it does not hesitate to draw the final consequence from all the violence and counterviolence, ending on a dark note. No happy end in sight for the Romanian nation to come: there will be fighting, more and more.

Mark is hit at his birth by a bolt of lightning which kills his mother but makes him almost invulnerable: Only the "Red Flower" can harm him, though nobody knows what it is. Unfortunately, he is soon thereafter kidnaped and made the chief warrior of a desert bandit tribe led by Mimmo Palmara, which tries to sack Mark's city of birth. Two great scenes: Mark, without knowing it, has to fight his own brother in a whipping and wrestling duel in the mountains. And: Mark lets himself be put into an iron maiden to prove that he cannot be harmed; he steps out of it and simply states, "I am invulnerable." Extra wooden acting during love scenes (even in comparison to other products of Italian popular cinema of this time)!! Low production costs, partially boring. Recommended for fans of Mark Forest or Italian trash cinema only. Almost the bottom of the barrel. Rosalba Neri has only a very small part to play, which is a pity.

The soundtrack truly has beauty this movie almost doesn't deserve. This flick has Ercole fighting against a lion (to save the princess) and a bear, who follows the buffo for the honey the bad guys have smeared on his face before they tried to sacrifice him. There's also a scene where Vadis has to withstand 4 (!) elephants who try to tear him apart. The dragon-fight is taken as footage from the movie "Le fatiche d'Ercole", and the dancing scenes are also obviously "stolen" from another Italian masterpiece. You see Vadis running around in the caves of the cruel subterranean people (who love to sacrifice kids in order to gain their youth and women for their beauty) and beating up their soldiers, a cowardly comic relief character at his side who presents a contrast to Herc's unfailing braveness. The complete second half of the movie plays in the caves and becomes a little tiresome after a while. The opening sequence of the film is perfect though...in its own way.

This benevolent movie early spaghetti western is basically designed as a comedy (for me, it succeeded) and includes a harmless love-story.

The violence, in comparison to other films of the genre, is very restricted and toned down: What is more, with the exception of the final shootouts, all of it happens off-screen. Besides, there's no hint of the nihilism often to be found in the genre later on.

The leading actor's character reminded me a bit of Adriano Celentano's type of character: always a little bored and very very cool, if a bit ridiculous.

All in all an entertaining nice little nothing, but amusing in a friendly way.

This film even seemed stiffer than other Italian adventure-films of that time, and Steve Reeves, believe me!, doesn't help a bit. The storyline is tedious and unattractive. There is a lot of archive footage for the jungle-fauna built in (that even looks livelier than the film itself). Only fun scene: Reeves' fight against a tiger.

But in the last ten minutes the situation explodes, and there is this gigantic battle at the fort, well staged and fun. Reeves gets to fire a machine gun (a little like Django) and matches the strength of an army. If only Lenzi had divided the action and strewn it all over the film's time, it would have been more watchable (if you don't skip the beginning, that is). My rating: 5/10.