DISCO ITALIANA - BLU-RAY REVIEW

In 1977, producer Robert Stigwood and director John Badham hit it big with SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, a film that helped launch disco into the mainstream, made a superstar out of former sitcom star John Travolta, and spawned several cinematic imitators the world over. Inevitably, Italy also capitalized on this short-lived disco craze with a number of unique pictures, three of which have been released by Severin Films in this wonderful new collection, which not only celebrates the wackier side of Italian trash cinema, but also the disco era’s influential legacy.

 

Based on an original story co-written by director Claudio Giorgi and actor/screenwriter Luigi Montefiori (better known to most Eurotrash fanatics as George Eastman), AMERICAN FEVER (1978) adheres closely to the SNF template with a distinctly Italian spin that makes for a perfect starting point to Severin’s box set. First seen working at a gas station, Mircha Carven stars as Tony Ferrante, an aspiring actor with dreams of leaving Rome for America because “they give you a chance to be somebody.” But thanks to his two-timing opportunist agent and best friend Dino (Vincenzo Crocitti), the closest he ever gets to Hollywood is appearing in third-rate westerns as a stunt-double. In between, Tony spends his nights – and paycheck – at the local disco (“Get down and shake it out with American Fever!”) where he IS a bona fide star, but when he befriends Lisa (Zora Kerova, here credited as Zora Kéer, an alias she also used on the same year’s ESCAPE FROM WOMEN’S PRISON), he begins a rather stormy, on-and-off relationship with the hope that “things will work out.”

 

Receiving top billing here alongside Kerova, Mircha Carven generally filled minor supporting roles in Italian genre fare, before taking the lead in Sergio Garrone’s infamous video nasty SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP (1976). Having also worked with director Giorgi - here using his customary Claudio De Molinis pseudonym - on the same year’s A MAN FOR SALE (1978), Carven gives a committed, naturalistic reinterpretation of Travolta’s now iconic character as an equally suave, but less rough-edged Tony Manero. Much like its source inspiration, the film includes several disco numbers including an alternate version of the “Brooklyn Shuffle” from SNF, this time choreographed to Charlie Cannon’s catchy “Passion Flower” disco track, but the film also offers several decidedly downbeat subplots as well, including a pessimistic depiction of the cutthroat film business (“Forget about your career in the movies!”). In their hope of getting one good break, Dino manages to arrange a meeting with Mr. Marchetti, a “fat cat” producer who offers Tony a contract to star in sex films. However, after contemptuously accepting the offer, Dino neglects to fork-over Tony’s cash in order to pay off a debt owed to a couple of smalltime reptilian hoods. Elsewhere, Tony arrives at the scene of Lisa’s attempted suicide and talks her out of jumping off a bridge, but despite her obvious psychological baggage, Tony nonetheless feels the irrepressible lure of this enigmatic woman whose character de-glamourizes the bar-crawling, one-night-stand lifestyle. Seldom having looked more radiant than she does here, Czech-born Kerova adds further gravitas to the film, which is nicely complemented by Carven’s affecting performance as the wannabe star whose ambition vacillates between gritty urban realism and naïve lapses of wish-fulfilment. 

 

Scanned in 4K from the original camera negative, Severin Films’ new restoration of this lo-o-o-ng-unseen film is a real coup. Boasting excellent detail and strong colour reproduction, this is a really solid presentation, which is especially effective during many of the film’s darker, candy-coloured nightclub scenes. Audio options are offered in both English and Italian DTS-HD 2.0 mono (the latter with properly translated English subtitles), and both sound great ensuring all the music from the likes of La Bionda, Cannonball, and Spotlight sound clear, robust and appropriately flamboyant. And while it may not be important to some viewers, it’s always exciting to finally hear that elusive English track, one that features such reliable voice talent as Larry Dolgin (he dubs Mircha Carven), Pat Starke, Edward Mannix, and even Edmund Purdom. SDH subtitles are also included.

 

Originally pitched to Severin Films as a potential release by Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson, it should then come as no surprise that he provides an audio commentary alongside fellow film historian Howard S. Berger. Naturally, they begin with a brief history on the film’s relative obscurity after its screening at MIFED as READY, STEADY, GO, its brief theatrical run in various European countries, a detailed – and very helpful – history on ALL the music in the film, and just how good this new restoration looks. They go on to discuss the “cultural phenomenon” of SNF, and despite being a low-budget Italian film, they are surprised how Montefiori’s script accurately replicates the “tone and timber of SNF” which is not “inauthentic or silly,” and how it’s almost autobiographical in terms of the film business represented in the film. Of course, they also talk about Mircha Carven’s interesting career and the IMDB’s lack of citing his work on American television as Michael Carven, an appreciation of Zora Kerova, the longevity of disco and what constitutes a musical, and how this film has plenty of “coherency, integrity and verve.” Loaded with tons of pertinent info and thoughts related to the film and the era in which it was made, this is an outstanding listen, which will definitely give audiences a better appreciation of this oft-dismissed picture. 

 

In All About the Music – The Birth of Disco and The Road to Italy’s AMERICAN FEVER (10m06s), film critic and author Alan Jones who recently penned Discomania for FAB Press, talks about the emergence of disco music and its “beginnings in the gay, Hispanic and black communities, especially in America.” He also discusses many of the pioneering songs and films that helped popularize disco the world over, and how the Italians were best known for “ripping off everything, left, right, and centre,” which eventually led them to make the present film. Created and cut together by legendary film trailer guru Miro Grisanti, the film’s amazing English-language export trailer (3m11s) is also included, which will compel you to watch the film all over again. 

 

In what turns out to be a very different and somewhat frenzied meld of SNF and Randal Kleiser’s GREASE (1978), Michele Massimo Tarantini’s BRILLANTINA ROCK (1978, here re-titled GREASE ROCK) is most definitely cracked from an unmistakably Italian uovo (i.e., egg). One-time actor Monty Ray Garrison stars as Robbie, a disco dancing sensation with a John Travolta fixation who frequents the popular Gech-Gech discoteca with his motorcycle-ridin’ dance troupe and his best friend Sandra (Cecilia Buonocore). Upon taking part in numerous dance-offs with similar ‘gangs,’ he becomes infatuated with Cindy (future bit player Auretta Gay from Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE [1979]), an American who’s “stacked like the Tower of Pisa.” Like SNF, he attempts to persuade her to be his partner at an upcoming dance contest, but when his ‘greaser’ rival (Mauro Fritella) also begins to draw her gaze, they agree to a motorcycle race from Milano to Monza to claim the new girl…

 

Produced by Luciano Martino’s Dania Film and shot on location in Bergamo and Milano, this energetic and irresistibly daft confection was another attempt to extend the popularity of the disco craze, but Tarantini and scriptwriters Alessandro Capone and Giuseppe Pellegrino hedge their bets and provide audiences with a thinly-veiled pseudo-GREASE incarnation as well. Garrison seems to be having great fun in this good-natured romp, which unfolds like some contemporized American-era JD flick in ’70s Italy. With his hair greased back, cartoonish bomber-styled jacket and white pants, his unique look is further compounded whenever he jaunts through the city on his bright red, Russian-made sidecar motorcycle, which is adorned with artwork from GREASE and several photos of John Travolta. Similar to his outrageous fashion sense, it appears he and his friends live on “another planet” clearly establishing the film’s fantasy-like context, which is later reiterated when Sandra emphatically states, “This is a dream world for kids. You have to grow up sometime.” A brisk motorcycle chase (which could almost have come from a straight crime flick à la Lenzi) and a comedic street brawl add to the overall fun, which is further highlighted by a fantastic Gianfranco Reverberi pop soundtrack, which also mixes together several original cover songs including a re-mix of the Rolling Stones’ “[I Can’t Get No] Satisfaction.” In the end, GREASE ROCK is all very silly, but it’s the periphery love story that remains the film’s heartbeat as echoed in the opening and closing credits, which are scored to John Paul Young’s “Love Is in the Air”, one of the very best disco songs of the decade. 

 

Once again scanned in 4K from the OCN, the results herein look fantastic with impressive film-like detail drawing further attention to all the vibrant costumes and nightclub interiors. English and Italian DTS-HD 2.0 mono audio tracks (the latter with properly translated English subtitles) are once again included and sound perfectly satisfactory, which allows Reverberi’s wonderful multi-layered score plenty of room to breathe. SDH subtitles are once again included. 

 

Nathanial Thompson returns for another fact-filled audio commentary and is this time joined by author and film historian Eugenio Ercolani who adds a valuable Italian perspective to this unique endeavour. Right from the get go, Thompson regards the film as “one of the most representative of Italian disco movies of the late ’70s,” which, outside of a few obscure European VHS releases, pretty much “vanished without a trace” after its initial release. Of course, they extensively cover Tarantini’s career and his collaboration with Luciano Martino, the influence of Italian-American movie stars in Italian films, how SNF “touched a nerve in the Peninsula,” tons of info on the various songs heard throughout the picture as well as Reverberi’s score, a composer who was regarded as “quite a figure in Italian pop music.” Further discussions include the wholesome nature of these disco variations, Italo disco of the ’80s, how this picture was made during a “period in flux” within the Italian film industry, and plenty more besides. It goes without saying, this is another must listen. Other extras include Brillantina Is the Word(2m40s) with Alan Jones briefly discussing the film, which “offers a lot of touch points to SNF,” and the various songs used throughout. The lengthy English-language export trailer (4m11s) is also included, which promises “It’s the movie in which Monty Ray Garrison challenges the supremacy of John Travolta!”

 

Next up is Neri Parenti’s THE FACE WITH TWO LEFT FEET (1979), which stars John Travolta lookalike Giuseppe Spezia (credited on U.S. prints as Johnny Spezia) as Gianni, a humble – and a rather bumbling - cook at a hotel restaurant who is secretly enamoured with Ilona (future hard-porn star and politician Ilona Staller / a.k.a. Cicciolina), a DJ at the local discotheque appropriately named John’s Fever. When he finally gathers the gumption to talk to her, much to the annoyance of her boyfriend and club owner Raoul (BLACK EMANUELLE's Angelo Infanti), he is promptly kicked out. So, when his friends - who also work at the hotel – realize he has a resemblance to John Travolta, they embark on “Operation Travolta” to try and get him back in the club and score and date with Ilona. Although he’s got the looks, Gianni can’t dance to save his life…

 

Needless to say, the main attraction here is Spezia’s uncanny resemblance to Travolta and the film’s reverence for SNF (“I’ll be seeing John Travolta films the rest of my life!”). Featuring several wisecrack references to the trendsetting Travolta hit, the flimsiest of plots has Gianni/John try and win over Ilona, while the rest of the cast (which even includes Massimo Vanni, stuntman and future star of several Philippino-lensed films like Fulci’s ZOMBI 3 [1988], who, prior to this, had already proved his comic timing on a few Nico Giraldi films) go through their amiable comic sketches. Often involving aging hotel guests and the heavy-eyed night concierge (Enzo Cannavale), who is at the centre of all the cheap yuks, gags constantly pre-empt the general storyline, which climaxes with an extended slapstick slugfest at John’s Fever. Tied together with several Bee Gees-styled cues from reliable composer Paolo Vasile, and other insanely catchy tunes like “Disco Quando” by Tony Renis, THE FACE WITH TWO LEFT FEET is quite the novelty and great fun, especially if you’re in a sufficiently braindead frame of mind. 

 

Although a very welcome release at the time, Code Red’s 2013 DVD was struck from a U.S. theatrical release print, which still looked quite good aside from the usual dirt and debris, but this version - which ran 88m52s and was distributed by producer Alfredo Leone – re-arranged and shortened the opening credits and eliminated a few other scenes. Thankfully, Severin’s new 4K restoration taken from the OCN restores the “complete” 100m26s version, which not only includes the film’s original opening credit sequence, but looks amazing to boot. Once again, DTS-HD 2.0 mono audio options in both English and Italian are included (the latter with English subtitles) and sound perfectly fine, and for those that require them, SDH subtitles are thoughtfully included.

 

Extras begin with another first-rate audio commentary with Thompson, Berger and Ercolani all of whom have plenty to say about this rather fascinating cinematic oddity. First, they discuss the film’s Italian title and its unique play on words in relation to Lina Wertmuller’s SWEPT AWAY (1974) before settling in and moving onto Parenti’s varied career as an AD (assistant director) and his work as a director. Of course, they touch on his numerous Christmas comedies (VACANZE DI NATALE [1995] comes to mind), which are regarded as “the lowest of the low of mainstream comedies” as well as Parenti’s dismissal of TFWTLF (“It’s a piece of shit!”) and how it nearly destroyed his future directing career. Once again, they cover the film’s music with extraordinary detail, it’s belated U.S. theatrical release in 1981, Giuseppe Spezia’s appearances on Italian TV as “the official John Travolta lookalike in Italy,” which got him the role in the film, tons of pertinent info of most of the cast with a focus on Ilona Staller and the appeal of her alter ego Cicciolina in Italy, a lengthy discussion on DP Alberto Spagnoli and veteran cutter Mario Morra, the rather hilarious closing shot, and much more on what Nathaniel Thompson regards as “world’s craziest John Travolta movie in history!” Great stuff all-around!

 

Other extras include The Show Is Over… John Travolto and the End of the “Disco” Film (8m58s) with Alan Jones comparing this “reasonably funny” film to early “musicarelli” like Lucio Fulci’s UNO STRANO TIPO (1959), how it captures the “real atmosphere of disco,” and the dying days of disco even though “it wasn’t over for the music.” Lastly, the rather unbelievable, spoiler-laden U.S. theatrical trailer (1m33s) and the English-language export trailer (3m43s) are also included as well as a greatly appreciated soundtrack CD, which is sure get plenty of play for anyone buying this fabulous must-have box set. Highly recommended! 

ADAM AND EVE - THE FIRST LOVE STORY - BLU-RAY REVIEW

During the ’80s, this film was released on U.S. VHS videocassette by Transworld Entertainment under the misleading title BLUE PARADISE, but despite the “Adult” classification on the box spine, most people probably never bothered renting it. Given Transworld’s rather mundane cover art and generic re-title, the casual observer might have easily mistaken this as just another rip-off of Randal Kleiser’s then-recent smash-hit THE BLUE LAGOON (1980), but Luigi Russo’s and Enzo Doria’s ADAM AND EVE (1983) is anything but. Unbelievably, as if challenging the Power of God, this utterly ridiculous if sometimes perversely entertaining re-telling of the Adam and Eve story made its high-definition debut last year courtesy of those God-fearing souls at Severin Films.  

Opening with grainy stock footage of the cosmos, which is accompanied by some brief introductory narration from the Book of Genesis (“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.”), the film makes several allusions to the Bible, not the least of which is Eve being deceived into eating the apple from the Tree of Knowledge (“The apple is sweeter because it is forbidden.”). Here playing the largely-confused Adam, lanky long-haired prettyboy Mark Gregory had first gained recognition by taking the lead in Enzo G. Castellari’s futuristic gangster pic 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS (1982) where he proved to be an engaging presence as Trash, the fiercely independent leader of a Bronx biker gang. As the first human created by God, Gregory’s casting seems very credible with ample footage of him showing off his chiseled torso and washboard abs, but in spite of losing all his inhibitions, he looks noticeably uneasy in some of the more salacious scenes, tasteful as they may be. For the most part, he does precious little throughout, looking more perplexed than anything else; perhaps he too is confused by the film’s many diversions from its literary origins. 

 

First seen emerging from some sort of slimy amniotic sac buried in the ground, Adam “wanders the Earth alone” until he creates a female sand sculpture on the beach, which is then miraculously brought to life during a rainstorm. As Eve, Andrea Goldman actually fares a little better than her more famous co-star who emotes more convincingly without a stitch on - even though she barely keeps a straight face during her ‘birth’ – and is able to imbue the film with the necessary highly-charged erotic symbolism. However, given the film’s subject matter, nudity is kept to the bare (no pun intended) minimum, and when Adam and Eve are banished out of Eden, directors Russo and Doria even waste some extra time by having Eve involved in a love affair with a tribal chief (Angel Alcazar), which is strung-together by schmaltzy dialogue (“He meant nothing to me.”) and a maudlin love theme that is repeated mercilessly. 

 

Guido and Maurizio De Angelis’ score also mixes-up cues from Ciro Ippolito’s ALIEN 2: ON EARTH (1980) and Antonio Marghetiti’s YOR: THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE (1983), which are surefire signs of the film’s cheapskate origins, but some of the production values are actually pretty decent, with lots of picturesque locations, including a lush replica of the Garden of Eden. Further incorporating some ingredients from Jean-Jacques Annaud’s QUEST FOR FIRE(1981), they also come across a clan of Neanderthal cannibals - which definitely stretches the chronology of human existence and evolution - and have a couple of run-ins with a squawking immobile pterodactyl (first seen courtesy of pilfered footage from Don Chaffey’s ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. [1966]!) and an outrageous, anatomically challenged black bear. 

 

Released last year as part of their 2025 Black Friday sale, Severin’s new Blu-ray features an impressive new restoration from the original camera negative. This new transfer showcases all of the film’s lush landscapes – the Garden of Eden sequence looks especially vibrant – with a sharp and very colourful image that elevates the film’s financial and technical limitations. Some very minor wear occasionally appears including a brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bit of damage at the 54m50s mark, but this is a massive upgrade from the previously-mentioned analogue version. Likewise, the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono tracks in both English and Italian also sound excellent (the latter with English subtitles), which allows viewers to take in all the “primitive languages” created by veteran voice talent ‘John Gaiford’/John Gayford. SDH subtitles are also included. 

 

The brief special features include Forbidden Cut (21m21s), a nice sit-down interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci where the veteran cutter shares his memories of working on ADAM AND EVE. Through his working relationship with producer Enzo Doria (“A stranger character. A bit of an intellectual.”) on Castellari’s THE SHARK HUNTER (1979), he was hired to try and help “sort it out,” which included acquiring stock footage to help camouflage the film’s many obvious shortcomings. He also goes over some of the very humble optical effects, his friendship with the De Angelis brothers, who he convinced to score the film, and some of the technical aspects of cutting the music together. The film’s English-language export trailer (3m09s) is also included, which, incidentally, is also narrated by John Gayford. 

 

All pointless criticisms aside, those even slightly entertained by the crazier side of Eurotrash movies will find plenty to enjoy with this low-grade nonsense, which was nicely brought back to life thanks to Severin Films’ excellent Blu-ray. 

EUROCRIME RARITIES: VOLUME 1 - BLU-RAY REVIEW

Following the runaway success of William Friedkin’s THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) and Don Siegel’s DIRTY HARRY (1971), it didn’t take long for Italy to begin producing countless imitations. With their distinctly anarchic tone and scenes of gritty violence, many of these homegrown pictures also reflected the societal ills and political climate in Italy at the time (a timeframe that became known as anni di piombo or the Years of Lead) while blazing a trail towards a new kind of filmmaking during the ’70s. Commonly referred to as polizieschi, landmark films such as Stefano Vanzina’s THE EXECUTION SQUAD (1971), Enzo G. Castellari’s HIGH CRIME (1973) and Umberto Lenzi’s undisputed action classic THE TOUGH ONES (1976) are just a few of the titles that, if mentioned today, are usually synonymous with briskly-paced action and some effectively disturbing violence. But, as with any filmmaking trend in Italy, this surge in popularity quickly resulted in several films which were wildly diverse in genre and tone, not unlike the films included in Vinegar Syndrome Labs’ first volume of EUROCRIME RARITIES.

 

In the noir-inspired DAY OF THE COBRA (1980), the film marked the sixth time director Enzo G. Castellari had the satisfaction of working with Franco Nero. Better known under his serpentine namesake, “The Cobra,” Nero plays Larry Stanziani, a disgraced narcotics agent who was framed by powerful bureaucrats and jailed for three years. While struggling to earn his keep as a second-rate PI in San Francisco, Stanziani is approached by his old narcotics bureau chief Goldschmidt (Willam Berger) with an offer to crack an important case in Genoa, Italy involving his old nemesis Serge Kandinsky, a club-footed international drug-smuggler with a stiletto swordstick and shadowy identity (“He’s a homosexual. The worst kind. Violent.”). But when Kandinsky is murdered, Stanziani must track down the bigshots behind the lucrative heroin syndicate, which includes locating a key to an elusive safety deposit box containing a list of all the dealers’ top-level dope connections.

 

Incessantly chewing gum in his perpetually rumpled fedora and trenchcoat, the “incorruptible” Nero is first seen driving an AMC Gremlin around the Frisco streets, while trying to relieve his daily stress by squeezing on a black rubber ball. Nero, as quirkily charismatic as ever, kicks impressive butt as the outwardly mild-mannered but durable lead who weaves his way through the film’s numerous plot twists. The somewhat messy scenario also embraces Castellari’s stock-in-trade with several top-notch if no-frills stunt choreography. Highlights include a dockland footchase / shootout that ends with exploding gasoline drums, a smackhead Kungfu vixen puts the foot to Nero in a nightclub only to be unwigged as Kandinsky’s draghag gay lover, and a climatic shootout at an abandoned warehouse, which sees Castellari regulars Romano Puppo and Massimo Vanni going through the rounds. 

 

Thanks to Media Home Entertainment’s widely distributed VHS and Beta videocassettes, Castellari’s film was available in just about every video store during the ’80s and ’90s. However, it wasn’t so fortunate during the DVD era with Televista’s unauthorized bootleg (which was nothing more than a VHS rip ported to DVD) being the sole option, at least here in North America. With the advent of Blu-ray, DAY OF THE COBRA was released on several English-friendly discs in Germany from the likes of FilmArt, Media Target and Cinestrange. Featuring a nicely detailed restoration, Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-ray is noticeably more colourful and better balanced than FilmArt’s release, which does appear more faithful to its original presentation highlighting many of the gritty textures of the Genoa docklands and abandoned warehouses. Audio options are available in both English and Italian, both of which are DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono with the latter option having proper English translated subtitles. Both audio tracks are effective with Paolo Vasile’s rugged score perfectly accenting the film’s hard-hitting veneer. SDH subtitles are also included. 

 

Included on the disc are a nice selection of special features beginning with an audio commentary from the always welcome trio of authors and film historians Nathaniel Thompson, Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani. In this immersive discussion, they explore the film’s place within the world of polizieschi (or if the film qualifies as such) and its place within Franco Nero’s filmography, Enzo G. Castellari’s fondness for stunt-laden films, the film’s colourful cast and crew, and plenty more besides. It’s an engaging, must listen, which covers a wide spectrum of topics that offers plenty of insight and valuable information into Castellari’s working methods and the peculiarities of the genre itself. In The Director Who Looked Like a Stuntman (24m16s), Castellari sits down for an on-camera interview, which has him discuss his enthusiasm for action scenes and the “supportive” collaboration he had with stuntmen. He also charts the genesis of the film and how co-writer Aldo Lado was originally slated to direct, his choice of setting the film in the port city of Genoa, “the Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones kind of vibe” he added to the film, his first rocky meeting with “actor on the rise” Nero prior to making HIGH CRIME, and the casting for said film, which usually required finding actors that were “highly expressive physically as well as agile on their feet.” In the second featurette Henchman with a Heart of Gold (21m57s), prolific actor / stuntman Massimo Vanni (who would later adopt the Alex McBride alias for his string of Philippine-lensed action / horror films such as Claudio Fragasso’s AFTER DEATH [1989]) goes over his work in the ’70s, which required a lot of physical action alongside the acting, the spontaneous nature of the action scenes, his work with mentor and friend Castellari who always “enjoyed a great relationship with his stuntmen,” working in San Francisco, and so much more. 

 

In DIRTY GANG, the second film on Vinegar Syndrome’s set, trigger-happy robbers hole-up in a fancy residence with a number of hostages. To stall for time, District Attorney Alberti (Mario Brega) agrees to their increasingly agitated demands for safe transportation elsewhere, but as they impatiently await their promised car, determined Inspector Ghini (Luc Merenda) leads his Special Squad on a surprise raid. No sooner has Ghini mopped up his mess – except for the paperwork – than he is dispatched to the scene of Chief Inspector Taddei’s homicide by masked bandits, making this the sixth policeman murdered in less than a year. This latest murder has armed robbery specialist Antonio Lanza’s name written all over it, even though Lanza (Franco Citti) has recently been locked up in a Sardinian prison. Obviously not convinced, Ghini then has the unenviable task of proving otherwise…

 

Providing added comic relief, Tomas Milian reprises his role as “Monnezza” or “Err Monnezza, if one chooses to replicate the Roman dialect (usually referred to on English prints as either “Trashy” or “Garbage Can”), a character that was first introduced in Umberto Lenzi’s FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP (1976). Essentially a cross between his “Cuchillo” character from his two Sergio Sollima westerns and a far less sociopathic variation of Aldo Caponi’s “Blade” in Mario Bava’s RABID DOGS (1974), Milian once again sports a resplendent yet laughable ‘Afro’ wig and an increasing amount of eyeliner, and this time maintains his shaky cover by running a pasta restaurant. An underworld player who has a heart of gold underneath his coarse exterior, he also plays Fagin to a motley mob of petty street crooks giving seminars on the creative art of theft via his Free Independent Gangsters’ Academy. But when one of Monnezza’s ‘graduates’ (Paolo Bonetti) takes a job as a getaway driver on a diamond robbery for slick Sicilian bandit Belli (Elio Zamuto), Belli considers a dead accomplice way less of hindrance than a live one. Needless to say, Trashy’s gang – though avowed pacifists all – are determined to see their friend avenged.

 

Thanks to Milian’s performance as the casually lawless Monnezza, DIRTY GANG is more personable and generally less mean-spirited than some of Umberto Lenzi’s work within the genre. Outside of his cartoonish appearance, Milian invests his character with some depth and pathos (here wonderfully dubbed on Italian prints by Milian’s dubber of choice Ferruccio Amendola), which is an interesting contrast to Merenda’s unorthodox conduct punishing criminals in his own inimitable style. That said, DIRTY GANG attains a nice middle ground, balancing its comedic elements with sufficient straight-ahead action, which should easily satisfy Eurocrime enthusiasts. 

 

Also referred to as THE RASCAL’S GANG on Vinegar Syndrome’s box set, this consistently watchable crossover was also released on U.K. videotape as DESTRUCTION FORCE (it’s most common title), which showed up in several grey-market editions throughout the ’90s from outfits such as Luminous Film & Video Wurks. In 2021, it surfaced in Germany as a limited edition Blu-ray/DVD mediabook (with variant covers), which finally allowed English-language viewers to see the film in its intended 2.35:1 aspect ratio, even if it was only 1080i. Three DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono audio tracks in German, Italian and English were also included with optional German and English subtitles, but the English subs were taken from the German dub track, so watching the film in its native Italian didn’t work at all. The shorter German theatrical version (84m34s) was also included, alongside an archival featurette produced by Nocturno with Merenda Milian and Massi (19m59s), the film’s German trailer (3m02s) alongside additional Italocrime trailers, and a 24-page booklet in German and English with writing from Giorgio Navarro.

 

As expected, Vinegar Syndrome’s new restoration offers a very pleasing experience with excellent detail, stronger colours, and a more film-like appearance. Aside from a few instances of brief instability due to some inherent damage on the film, this new presentation is a huge improvement, which goes the same for the DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono audio options in English and Italian. Thanks to the inclusion of properly translated English subtitles for the latter track (and SDH subtitles), this Italian dub adds tremendously to the film’s overall enjoyment. While it’s always nice to have multiple audio options included, the film is severely compromised in its crummy English-language variant, which includes the most cartoonish succession of post-synched voices ever heard. Most amusing is the thick ethnic drawl given to Milian, while Mario Brega is dubbed with a comically shrill rasp that sounds like gravel-throated actor Lionel Stander after inhaling helium. One dubbing artist (the best of the lot, but that ain’t sayin’ much!) with a pompous uppercrust English accent also modulates his tones and dubs several characters throughout the film! This notorious group of English dubbing artists also worked on several Eurociné productions as well as other Italocrime pictures that include Segri & Ferrara’s VIOLENCE FOR KICKS (1977) and Stelvio Massi’s otherwise entertaining HUNTED CITY (1979). 

 

As for extras, both Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth return for another excellent audio commentary with observations on Stelvio Massi’s entire career, Milian’s numerous crime films and the “fierce debate” over the creation of “Err Monnezza,” Merenda’s contributions to the genre and the animosity between the two lead actors, the odd “schizophrenic” nature of said film, the re-purposed music of Bruno Canfora, the very “complex world of producers in Italy,” and their final thoughts on Massi’s cop films. Complimenting this informative and thoughtful discussion, the VS disc also offers a pair of on-camera interviews beginning with The Nonviolent Professional (20m01s), which has Merenda going over his career and his attempt to make films that were “a little different,” his respect for Milian, even though Milian wanted “nothing to do with him,” and his lasting relationship with director Massi. In A Beautiful Ugly Face (23m50s), actor Corrado Solari talks about his work in the theatre during the late ’60s, his fortuitous casting in Sergio Leone’s DUCK, YOU SUCKER (a.k.a. A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE, 1971), his many crime pictures which he did with “great enthusiasm,” and the improvisational acting style of Tomas Milian in this well-edited piece that turns out to be a very enjoyable career overview of the man’s work.

 

Having already collaborated with Massi on the stunt-laden car crash spectacular HIGHWAY RACER (1977), which starred Merli in a rare appearance sans his trademark ’70s-style ’stache – THE IRON COMMISSIONER (1978) is far more restrained than your usual Merli headliner. This time the iconic lead stars as Maurizio “Mauro” Mariani, an overconfident (“I always luck out!”) police detective who, at the start of the film, thwarts a group of kidnappers and rescues a rich industrialist’s daughter at the behest of his superior Crivelli (Chris Avram). Urged by his colleagues to go visit his son Claudio (Walter Di Santo) on his birthday, Mauro also meets up with his estranged wife Vera (Janet Agren), who still resents him for putting his job before she and their son. Meanwhile, back at the station, Sergio Conforti (Massimo Mirani), an unstable young man who blames Mauro for killing his father, takes a group of people hostage, but when Vera and Claudio accidentally stumble into the precinct, Claudio is snatched for added security, and Mauro will stop at nothing to get him back…

 

Written by prolific writer Roberto Gianviti, THE IRON COMMISSIONER was most likely more ambitious in its conception than what actually transpires on screen. A subplot involving a kidnapping ring run by the “Moroccan” (amusingly played by Italian typecast ‘lowlife’ performer Franco Garofalo) and his main squeeze Rita (Mariangela Giordano who would later become immortalized in the Italian trash horror classics BURIAL GROUND [1980] and GIALLO A VENEZIA [1980]) accounts for much of the film’s compulsory action scenes (including a stylishly-realized shootout at a bottling factory). That said, a sizeable portion of the ‘action’ unfolds within the dreary confines of a police precinct, a fact which only further substantiates the film’s quickie status. As the title suggests, Mauro never wavers in his fight to uphold the law… even when he himself is breaking it! Mauro’s almost habitual dissention is, for the most part, reluctantly accepted (“…you gamble with your life as if you were playing cards!”), but when Mauro’s son is kidnapped, even his CO Crivelli doesn’t hesitate to stop him. As with many of the subsequent Massi / Merli collaborations, THE IRON COMMISSIONER is at times actually quite introspective, not only waxing philosophical on the futility of the thankless job of law enforcement (a typical observation of most Italocrime films), but also the sheer loneliness of it; which, in this case, is further exacerbated by the possibility of Mauro losing everything (i.e., his son). This situation not only pushes him right to the very brink, but just about breaks his ‘iron-clad’ persona in the process.

 

Announced in advance trade press notices as both THE IRON INSPECTOR and COP OF IRON, the Italian version has been released numerous times on Italian VHS videocassette by the likes of Avo Film, Cine International and Video 7. In 2004, Avo Film debuted the film on DVD and their bare bones disc featured a solid 16x9 transfer, but as expected, the only audio option was a Dolby Digital Italian track. In 2018, Cinestrange released this long-dormant Italocrime film on Blu-ray in its very first English-friendly edition under the German title KOMMISSAR MARIANI – ZUM TODE VERURTEILT (trans: “Commissioner Mariani – Sentenced to Death”) as part of their ‘Violenza All’ Italiana’ collection. Once again, Cinestrange’s transfer is middling at best, which appears to have succumbed to a fair amount of unnecessary noise reduction. Both German and Italian audio options are offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, with a choice of either German or English subtitles, and while many of the subs do include a fair amount of grammatical errors, they’re intelligible enough and are greatly appreciated indeed during much of the film’s talky stretches. Extras include a newly created trailer, and an extensive still gallery (33m02s) playing over Lallo Gori’s uncharacteristic electronic score, which was originally issued by Beat Records on CD with Gori’s score for Giuseppe Vari’s GANGSTERS (1977). Bonus trailers for Sergio Martino’s completely bonkers AMERICAN RICKSHAW (1990) and Karim Hussein’s experimental shocker SUBCONSCIOUS CRUELTY (2000) conclude the extras. Also housed within the Mediabook is a nicely-illustrated 12-page booklet with an essay by Leonhard Elias Lemke entitled “The Iron Detective and the Years of Lead”, but unfortunately, the article’s text is in German only.

 

While not the most vibrantly photographed film, the VS restoration of THE IRON COMMISSIONER is miles better in terms of detail and overall sharpness, even if it sports some brief water damage and mild imperfections here and there; it’s a very faithful, film-like presentation that respects DOP Sergio Rubini’s deliberately muted palette. As with their DIRTY GANG disc, VS include DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono audio options in both English and Italian once again, the latter with properly translated English subtitles. As for the special features, film critic Nanni Cobretti joins Ercolani for another insightful audio commentary which has the pair discuss Merli’s career at length (commonly regarded as “the face of the genre”) and how this little-seen film remains one of Merli’s most “representative” titles in his filmography. They regard the film as a “nice change of pace,” and offer some particularly interesting comments about Massi’s directorial style and how most of his crime films rely heavily on Merli’s persona, while further discussions include their thoughts on the derisive poliziotteschi moniker, which was originally coined by Italian film critics, most of the cast and crew, and plenty more besides in this relaxed and well-researched listen. In the fittingly titled Free Hand for a Tough DOP (23m36s), Rubini sits down for a chat about his start as a camera operator, his “work experiences” with Pier Paolo Pasolini, his dislike working on westerns which were unavoidable at the time, his eventually transition to becoming a DOP, working with the “unstoppable Massi” who was always up for a challenge, and how Merli was a “real pain in the neck” and obsessed with highlighting his hair and pearly blues. Stelvio’s son Danilo also has plenty to say about Merli’s “swashbuckling personality” in The Purest Form of Poliziesco (20m09s) while also discussing his work as an assistant director on his father’s films where he learned “the basics of the craft” and to “tell stories in a measured way.”

 

Housed in a beautifully designed rigid slipbox, VS have also included a thick booklet with informative essays from James Oliver, Adrian Smith and Francesco Massaccesi, all of which add further context to these once underseen films. Offering great restorations and a wealth of informative special features, this highly-pleasing set is an easy recommendation for anyone invested in Italian polizieschi or for those viewers wishing to expand their knowledge beyond the works of Umberto Lenzi or Fernando Di Leo. Order EUROCRIME RARITIES: VOLUME 1 from Vinegar Syndrome. 

GARDENIA - BLU-RAY REVIEW

Arguably best known for directing a pair of rather prestigious nudie nunsploitation pictures, director Domenico Paolella also made the action-packed poliziesco STUNT SQUAD (1977) for Produzioni Atlas Consorziate (P.A.C.), the same production company who also produced the present title. Essentially a contemporized spaghetti western set amidst the shadow world of the Roman malavita, GARDENIA (1979) is a sufficiently engaging gangster picture, yet despite the presence of yank guest stars Martin Balsam and Robert Webber, it was doomed to remain a real obscurity prior to 88 Films’ excellent Blu-ray.

Here making his big screen acting debut, Italo pop singer Franco Califano (a.k.a. Il Califfo) stars as Gardenia, a charming restaurateur and owner of the trendy Mayfair eatery. As described in the English export press synopsis in La Produzione Italiana 1978-79, Gardenia is “one of the best loved rogues in the business, perhaps because he uses his brain and his imagination, more than arms or violence in his dealings.” When underworld bigwigs Salluzzo (Martin Balsam) and Caruso (Robert Webber) propose to consolidate the local syndicates to try and increase the flow of illicit drugs into the country via some of their legitimate business ventures (including Gardenia’s restaurant), Gardenia stubbornly resists buckling under the pressure. Later, when a group of thugs disrespect his establishment, Gardenia responds by serving their meal completely uncooked, but as predicted, the rabble-rousers – actually local gangsters in the employ of Salluzzo and Caruso – subsequently ambush Gardenia and break his arms. Seeking revenge, Gardenia returns to bludgeon his attackers with his hefty plaster casts, but when one of Saluzzo’s men lob a hand grenade into a giant pot of pasta in the Mayfair’s kitchen, they not only destroy his restaurant, but kill his prized chef in the process, which instigates the expected gang war…

 

Despite his unconventional looks, complete with a pinched, hooked nose, Califano makes for a charismatic enough hero. A real flashy dresser, he appears in an all-new dapper suit with a fresh white gardenia for practically every scene. Gardenia also has a fondness for both cats and pussy, though not necessarily in that order, which include love interests Eleanora Vallone as Regina, Lory Del Santo as Laura, and the always welcome Lorraine De Selle as Caruso’s main squeeze Consuelo. In between hopping in and out of bed, he seeks wholesale revenge against the underworld, and with a little help from his friends (including frequent character actor Franco Diogene), he inaugurates his vendetta with the capture of a junior Mafioso who he ties to a pillar and then drops a live grenade into his breast pocket with the pin pulled. Further counter-retaliations occur soon thereafter with Gardenia donning a death-black outfit with ever-present blossom, which he leaves at the scenes of his crimes as a sort of signature. 

 

Even at a lengthy 100 minutes, Paolella’s picture is consistently paced thanks to Amedeo Giomini’s effective cutting, and while it does remain slim on action, it makes up for this shortage with engaging principal performances. Califano seems relaxed, into his character (which may just be an extension of his real – and rather troubled - persona), and actually acts, which is a credit to Paolella’s directorial control, while American guest stars Balsam and Webber put in an easy few days of work as the rival gangsters (both of whom post-synch their dialogue), but still add immeasurably to the overall film. Another big bonus is Califano’s and Willy Brezza’s joint score that mixes together traditional Italian folk music and ’70s pseudo-funk, while the star even uses many motifs favoured by spaghetti western antiheroes. In the final scene, Gardenia even strolls off into the sunset.

 

Never released onto domestic home video, GARDENIA did show up at a number of ethnic Italian video stores in many North American cities, but of course, this VHS videocassette (distributed in Canada by Ital Video Disco) was in Italian only. The film eventually surfaced in English on South Korean VHS courtesy of NVC Video, but their print was a drab-looking mess with burned-in Korean subtitles. In Italy, the film made the jump to DVD in 2006 thanks to Cecchi Gori, but again, no English-language option was offered. Twenty-years later, 88 Films debuted the film on Blu-ray in a “brand new 4K scan,” which benefits Sergio Rubini’s photography a great deal. Emphasizing far greater detail in the film’s dimly-lit nightclubs and dingy billiardi halls, Rubini also exploits the beautiful, and at times, gritty Roman streets lending the film plenty of authenticity. Overall, this is a handsome new restoration and far better than any previous release. As is now customary, 88 Films offers both English and Italian LPCM 2.0 audio options, which sound clean and free of any noticeable distortion, and while some of the Roman dialect is lost on English audiences, the English track is still preferable with Balsam and Webber dubbing their own performances. And for those that care about such minutiae, Califano is well dubbed by seasoned voice talent artist Edward Mannix. 

 

88 Films’ Blu-ray also delivers a wealth of interesting special features beginning with a valuable audio commentary from author and film historian Eugenio Ercolani and film critic Nanni Cobretti who delve into this “strange, anomalous crime film.” They appreciate Califano’s attempt to try something different with his career, even if this “Italian Frank Sinatra” had “no real rapport with cinema” in terms of the long work days. They also discuss the history of P.A.C., and the company’s prolific output, the true definition of a “poliziesco,” Califano’s known friendship with camorra bosses and how the film “ticks all the boxes” when it comes the actor’s persona, P.A.C.’s proposed three picture deal with Califano and its eventual cancellation due to his run-in with the law, which leads into a further discussion of his larger-than-life personality. Functioning as both an overview of the film itself and the “changing landscape” of Italian crime films in the late-’70s, this is an enthusiastic and very worthwhile listen.

 

Additional extras include several on-camera interviews (again from Ercolani) beginning with prolific writer Gino Capone in Gino of All Trades (15m17s) wherein he discusses his career working on mostly commedia all’italiana, how he got involved on GARDENIA, Califano’s subsequent arrest following the release of the film, his thoughts on director Paolella whom he refers to as a “gentleman,” and his eventual involvement with producer Giovanni Di Clemente during the ’80s. In Who Framed the Caliph? (24m55s), Sergio Rubini talks about his early work as a camera operator alongside veteran DOP and future director Stelvio Massi, as well as his subsequent collaborations as a DOP on several of Massi’s police actioners such as HIGHWAY RACER (1977). He goes on to discuss the present film with fond memories (“It was smooth sailing.”), his friendly relationship with Califano, and his dedication to each production, even if some of the films are “undeniable B-movies.” Lastly, Ercolani sits down for a nicely-detailed on-camera interview in Pac Men (32m56s), which has him talking about the film and its place in the crime film landscape, the use of the word “poliziottesco” (a “belittling” term which he feels doesn’t really mean anything) and how most Italian crime films are erroneously lumped into this same category, the genesis of the present film and Califano’s “recurring face and name in gossip magazines for his high-profile love affairs and scandals,” a detailed history of P.A.C., and how the film is a “romanticized, hyperbolic version of what Califano was famous for being - a melancholic, bitterly ironic figure.”

 

As Ercolani points out in one of his many featurettes, GARDENIA is an “anomaly,” but it still emerges as a consistently entertaining picture that should please Eurocrime fans, which is made extra watchable thanks to 88 Films’ quality, extras-filled presentation. Order it directly from 88 Films or DiabolikDVD.