TRAILER TRAUMA V: 70s ACTION ATTACK

Yet another contribution to Garagehouse Pictures’ exciting Trailer Trauma series, their latest colossal undertaking is a magnificent, lovingly-put-together tribute to ’Seventies action pictures, which veers from badass blaxploitation to messily-dubbed, gimmicky martial arts films and everything in-between, even including big-budget Hollywood classics in amongst all the expected “B” and “Z”-grade trash. Given the sheer quantity of trailers compiled on this three-hour disc, it would once again be nigh-on-impossible to comment on each one individually, so instead let’s just take a look at the many highlights—which, to be honest, includes the lion’s share of the contents! So brace yourselves for another (quote) “unparalleled assortment” of coming attractions as only the Garagehouse gang can deliver! 

Beginning with plenty of ballyhoo (e.g., “A macho movie that ricochets off the screen with a double-barrel action-blast!”) and shown under its rather nondescript title of BORN TO KILL (1974), Warren Oates stars in Monte Hellman’s distinctive—and still controversial—COCKFIGHTER, which is quickly followed by Sam Peckinpah’s equally-idiosyncratic BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (1974), which likewise features another mesmerizing performance from the late, great Mr. Oates. Moving over to the other side of the pond, Rolf Olsen’s no-holds-barred German / Italo crimeslimer BLOODY FRIDAY (1972) also gets its due c/o a rare English-language trailer (“Violence breeds violence!”), as distributed by the film’s U.S. distribution outfit Sunset International; and it’s always great to see a trailer for one of Don Siegel’s best, most-individualistic films, the gripping bank heist-gone-awry drama CHARLEY VARRICK (1973), starring the droll Walter Matthau as the title character, which amounts to one of the actor’s most surprising and atypical roles. 

Sure enough, this being the ’Seventies and all, blaxploitation is also well-represented herein via the likes of Duccio Tessari’s THREE TOUGH GUYS (1974)—a film which, incidentally, still remains unavailable on domestic home video—and Gordon Parks, Jr.’s THREE THE HARD WAY (1974), plus a trailer for Sidney J. Furie’s vastly-underappreciated HIT! (1973) which wasn’t featured on Olive Films’ otherwise excellent Blu-ray of the film, as well as Ossie Davis’ GORDON’S WAR (1973), which promises (quote) “War, baby!” In Daryl Duke’s PAYDAY (1973), Rip Torn stars as self-centered country music star Maury Dann (“He’s just a fun-lovin’, free-wheelin’ country boy!”) in a trailer that only hints at the film’s many darker aspects; speaking of which, Daniel Petrie’s somber and criminally-neglected BUSTER AND BILLIE (1974) also shows up in what is yet another film still not available on disc.

Richard Compton’s biker flick ANGELS DIE HARD (1970) keeps things revved-up and roaring right along, followed by a preview for  Gordon Douglas’ VIVA  KNIEVEL (1977), a “biopic” that is as unsound as some of the great man’s many stunts; further biker bedlam continues with Seymour Robbie’s C.C. AND COMPANY (1970), co-starring Joe Namath, Ann-Margret and William Smith, plus Sutton Roley’s THE LONERS (1972), which was boldly touted as (quote) “This year’s EASY RIDER!” Veering-off into the wild west, Kent Osborne’s CAIN’S WAY (a.k.a. CAIN’S CUT-THROATS, 1970) makes one wish this nasty low-budget oater would get an official home video release, whereas Clint Eastwood’s HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER (1973)—which remains one of his very best, and certainly most-violent—westerns has been readily available in each new format since the dawn of home video. “Bloody” Sam Peckinpah is once again represented with THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE (1970), along with one of his most-overlooked gems, JUNIOR BONNER (1972). Big William Smith turns up once again in an excellent Cinemation Industries trailer for Sean MacGregor’s CAMPER JOHN (a.k.a. GENTLE SAVAGE, 1973), while Steve Sandor is THE NO MERCY MAN (1973) in Daniel Vance’s revenge film.

More blaxploitation follows with Greydon Clark’s BLACK SHAMPOO (1976) in an always-welcome spot from Dimension Pictures (“This stud is no dud! He’s baaad! He’s mean! He’s a lovin’ machine!”), while Robert Hooks is the TROUBLE MAN (1972) in Ivan Dixon’s first-rate film, then Tamara Dobson, the (quote) “Soul sister’s answer to James Bond!” stars in both Jack Starrett’s CLEOPATRA JONES (1973) and Chuck Bail’s follow-up CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE FORTRESS OF GOLD (1975). Next up is a preview for Starrett’s elusive THE GRAVY TRAIN (a.k.a. THE DION BROTHERS, 1974), which not only features one of Terrence Malick’s (credited as “David Whitney”) earliest scripts, but also boasts perfectly-timed comedic performances from Stacy Keach and Frederic Forrest, so it’s great to see this fantastic trailer. Hopefully the film itself will also show up on disc sooner-than-later. In what turns out to be still another title that is sorely missing on home video, Peter Collinson’s unflinching Spanish production OPEN SEASON (1974) also turns up herein, while a quirky, nudity-filled preview for Harry E. Kerwin’s TOMCATS (1977) attempts to sell what is essentially a tough revenge actioner.

Of course, no ’Seventies trailer compilation would be complete without showcasing a number of urban cop films as well, but rather than the usual suspects, Garagehouse instead focuses on some largely-forgotten ones, beginning with Gordon Douglas’ superb true-to-life story of NYC cops David Greenberg and Robert Hantz (as played by Ron Leibman and David Selby, respectively) in THE SUPER COPS (1974); Aram Avakian’s hilarious COPS AND ROBBERS (1973), whose trailer is equally hysterical; Ivan Passer’s first American film, LAW AND DISORDER (1974), which double-barrels Ernest Borgnine and Carroll O’Connor as a couple of wannabe cops; and lastly Peter Hyams’ BUSTING (1973), featuring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as a pair of vice cops out to bust the kingpin of iniquity, Carl Rizzo (played with slimy aplomb by Allen Garfield). 

Switching gears and heading back out onto the open road again, we get trailers for Jonathan Kaplan’s WHITE LINE FEVER (1975), Peter Carter’s Canadian-lensed HIGH-BALLIN’ (1977) and Sam Peckinpah’s troubled CONVOY (1978)—which exploited the ’70s trucker / CB radio craze and whose title was also that of a smash-hit C&W tune—then it’s off to the races with David Cronenberg’s FAST COMPANY (1979, [“Alright teens, queens, guys and blue-jeans! This is it! The world of a drag racer! Fast cars and FAST COMPANY!”]) starring perennial ’Seventies favourites William Smith and Claudia Jennings; more vehicular mayhem is steered your way with William Friedkin’s nail-biting SORCERER (1977), whose haunting, Tangerine Dream-scored and slickly-edited preview is a mini-masterpiece in and of itself; H.B. Halicki’s GONE IN 60 SECONDS (1974) promises (quote) “thrill-a-minute” action, while Fox’s trailer for Walter Hill’s THE DRIVER (1978) is the epitome of cool. Following this, Tangerine Dream’s SORCERER score is once again put to good use in Paramount’s trailer for Walter Hill’s THE WARRIORS (1978). Mixing it up further, there are also hard-to-see U.S. theatrical trailers for Sergio Corbucci’s Terence Hill and Bud Spencer headliner CRIMEBUSTERS (1977), which promises a (quote), “Heck of a non-stop, nonsense joyride!” and then Alain Delon is (quote) “The greatest hero of them all!” in Duccio Tessari’s ZORRO (1975).

Moving on to the incredibly popular martial arts / kung fu films of the era, David Chiang demonstrates his immense talents in Chang Cheh’s TRIPLE IRONS (a.k.a. THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN, 1971) and FIVE MASTERS OF DEATH (a.k.a. FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS, 1974), both of which were produced by the legendary Shaw Brothers studio, then Angela Mao appears as the DEADLY CHINA DOLL (1973) in an M-G-M trailer. As expected, a number of stimulating sexploitation trailers are also featured for the likes of Stephen’s Gibson’s WILDCAT WOMEN (a.k.a. BLACK LOLITA, 1975)—which promises (quote) “Hot action in color!”—Don Schain’s THE ABDUCTORS (1972), Cesar Gallardo’s HUSTLER SQUAD (1975), Joe Viola’s THE HOT BOX (1972, [“Soiled, spoiled and violated! They wouldn’t take it lying down!”]) and Arthur Marks’ BONNIE’S KIDS (1972). Further miscellaneous trailers include Byron Ross Chudnow’s THE DOBERMAN GANG (1972) and its sequel THE DARING DOBERMANS (1973, [“Nothing can stop these determined and disciplined disciples of crime!”]), Al Adamson’s THE MURDER GANG (a.k.a. BLACK HEAT, 1976), Eddy Matalon’s BLACKOUT (1977), Daryl Duke’s riveting Christmas-themed heist film THE SILENT PARTNER (1978), A.I.P.’s amazing rapid-fire trailer for Fernando Di  Leo’s THE ITALIAN CONNECTION (a.k.a. MANHUNT, 1972), and then one for Sergio Sollima’s superb Italocrimer THE FAMILY (a.k.a. VIOLENT CITY, 1972) with Charles Bronson; which, by the way, leads into ones for Michael Winner’s THE MECHANIC (1972) and Walter Hill’s HARD TIMES (1975), two of Bronson’s finest films. 

Aside from the disc’s plentiful highlights, Mondo Digital’s Nathanial Thompson and Destructible Man’s Howard S. Berger also provide a wonderful, comprehensive audio commentary, and who, really going the distance during the three-hour runtime, never fail in waxing enthusiastic for each and every film as they discuss many of their release histories, critical receptions, personnel and relate some of their own personal memories of when they first stumbled onto many of these now-classic films; it’s a must-listen, to be sure! All of these 35mm trailers have been (quote) “scanned in 4K and digitally mastered in HD” and are preserved in their original (quote) “worn glory”, so expect to see plenty of speckles, debris, vertical scratches and some faded colour here and there. Despite these inherent flaws, however, the image quality is generally great. The disc also includes numerous trailers for much of Garagehouse Pictures’ other releases. As with their earlier trailer compilations TRAILER TRAUMA, TRAILER TRAUMA 2: DRIVE-IN MONSTERAMA, TRAILER TRAUMA 3: ’80s HORRORTHON and TRAILER TRAUMA PART 4: TELEVISION TRAUMA, it should come as no surprise that their latest Blu-ray is most definitely another must-have! Order it today via DiabolikDVD! 

MALABIMBA - BLU-RAY REVIEW

Not content with making yet another nominal quickie cash-in on William Friedkin’s international smash-hit THE EXORCIST (1973), Andrea Bianchi’s wonderfully tacky Italo Gothic MALABIMBA  (1979) is a film like no other. Whilst it does pinch the main plot-points of Friedkin’s landmark spiritual possession film, MALABIMBA’s heavy doses of sex, lurid melodrama and its almost gleeful proclivity to strain the boundaries of good taste definitely do keep you watching, no matter how ultimately derivative it all really is. In what turns out to be a rare, magnanimous bit of sacrilegious determination, Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-ray / DVD combo not only features the rarely-seen, uncut version of the film, but a number of sinfully pleasing extras to boot. 

In the hopes of contacting his recently-deceased wife Daniela, Andrea Caroli (Enzo Fisichella) and his extended family gather together for a séance, but with the help of a medium (Elisa Mainardi), they inadvertently summon the malevolent—and sexually-charged—spirit of Lucrezia, the late (quote) “black sheep of the Caroli family”. When this horned-up (quote) “evil presence” attempts to overcome Sister Sofia (Maria Angela Giordano), the resident caregiver of Andrea’s invalid brother Adolfo (Giuseppe Marrocu), the quick-witted nun successfully fends it off when she forms a makeshift crucifix as a shadow on a wall… albeit not until after it has forced her to masturbate furiously, however (this is purely gratuitous Italo sexploitation sinema, after all!). Having been temporarily repelled, Lucrezia’s spiteful spirit then shortly returns to possess Andrea’s innocent—and thus ideally sexually corruptible—adolescent daughter Bimba (Katell Laennec), whose sudden uncontrollable lascivious urges cause all sorts of turmoil among the surviving members of the Caroli line, complicated still further by their various long-standing interfamilial rivalries and petty squabbles…

Written by the ever-prolific Piero Regnoli, who had directed one of the earliest fetishistic sexy vampire films, THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE (1960),  MALABIMBA retains much of its Gothic atmosphere thanks to the familiar Balsorano location, but much of the ‘horror’ is played against the internal strife of the ever-bickering Caroli family; and of course, the lengthy sex scenes with most of the principal cast, which even feature that most taboo of subjects: incest. This is an element which Regnoli habitually explored in many of his self-penned efforts, including Tiziano Longo’s LO STALLONE (1975), and then later—most infamously—in Andrea Bianchi’s zombie splatter film BURIAL GROUND (1980). Katell Laennec (whose French name is incidentally derived from the word ‘pure’) delivers a suitably ill-mannered performance as the possessed teen, who not only utters the expected expletives, but is seen either spying-on or trying to sleep with anyone and everyone, up to and including both her own father and her, uh, ‘still-more-than-capable’ handicapped Uncle Adolfo (“They say you’re like a statue, but I’ll get you moving!”). Adding to this (quote) “melodramatic crisis”, Patrizia Webley is also well-cast as Nais, the straight-talking (quote) “immoral whore” whose marriage to Adolfo causes great concern (“Adolfo was always searching for third-rate harlots!”) for the family’s patrimony, even as she sleeps-around with both Andrea and the family’s lawyer, Giorgio (Giancarlo Del Duca). The always-fantastic Maria Angela Giordano gives the film’s most measured, coolly-restrained performance as Sister Sofia, who is at constant odds with her own repressed sexual longings, and who—in another obvious crib from THE EXORCIST—ultimately sacrifices herself in order to save Ms. Laennec’s possessed character from eternal damnation.

Unlike Bianchi’s and producer Gabriele Crisanti’s follow-up film BURIAL GROUND (1980), which was made available in just about every market in the entire world, so it seemed, MALABIMBA was barely released outside of Italy, where it not only also garnered numerous VHS videocassette releases (incidentally, a graphic photocomic was included as an extra ‘pull-out’ with the once-popular Roman sex magazine Gin Fizz, which meant the film must have had some success in its native Italy), but the most complete version available at the time turned up on Star Video, a Swiss-based video label, which tailored its releases to the Italian-speaking region of Ticino; and it was these rough-hewn VHS tapes that served as the basis for many of the VHS (and later DVD) bootlegs, which circulated throughout the tape-trading circuit of the ’Nineties. In 2009, this sleazy favourite made its official DVD debut thanks to Severin Films, which of course included a far more, um… revealing and pleasing transfer. Although that disc did also include the standard X-rated version, Severin went the extra mile by also including the film’s deleted scenes (sourced from Star Video’s tape), with the handy added option of automatically incorporating them back into the movie, if the viewer so desired. Other extras included Malabimba Uncovered (16m55s), which featured interviews with Giordano and DP Franco Villa, who thoroughly discussed the film’s well-worn but effective locations and their decision to shoot it during this (quote) “transitional phase” of Italian cinema. Both of them also talked warmly about director Bianchi and their surprise about the inclusion of hardcore sequences in the film. However, Giordano also talks about her decision to do on-screen nudity, which led to a number of other Crisanti-produced films, such as the aforementioned BURIAL GROUND, Mario Landi’s skeevy two-fer GIALLO IN VENICE (1979) and PATRICK STILL LIVES (1980), as well as the present film’s unofficial remake of sorts, SATAN’S BABY DOLL (1983), which was directed by that ‘other’ Bianchi guy, Mario.  

Taken from the film’s (quote) “original 16mm camera negative”, VS’s newly-restored 2K transfer is quite attractive, despite the opening disclaimer that (quote) “the negative had suffered extensive handling damage and poor storage.” While the transfer does feature some scratches, occasional speckling and minor instances of debris, it’s far better than anything preceding it, even if it doesn’t meet VS’s impeccably high standards. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 features the film’s original Italian audio track, which for the most part also sounds clean and well-balanced, with Berto Pisano’s pinched score sounding quite robust; apparently, some of the film’s audio had to be taken from a lower-quality videotape, which has been integrated into the film with a minimum of interference.  

The major new extra herein is a brand new audio commentary with film and music writer Heather Drain, writer and film critic Samm Deighan and author, editor and critic Kat Ellinger who provide an easy-going, but fact-filled track wherein they discuss everything about both the film itself and the year in which it was made, which Ellinger says was the (quote) “year of bat-shit Italian cinema.” Although primarily regarded as a sex film, they discuss the film’s (quote) “lush Gothic tropes” and other similarly-themed possession films; the politically incorrect tone and the reluctance of some modern audiences to accept it. They also talk about many of Bianchi’s and Crisanti’s other films, as well as Piero Regnoli’s long career; the sloppily-interjected ‘inserts’, and of course the less-than-credible—and wholly unnecessary—remake. As with their earlier audio commentary on VS’s release of Andy Milligan’s FLESHPOT ON 42^nd STREET (1971), it’s another highly-recommended listen, which won’t disappoint either long-time fans of the film or keen newcomers. Both the Malabimba Uncovered featurette and the film’s lengthy theatrical trailer (4m08s) have been ported-over from Severin’s earlier DVD while a newly-produced photo gallery (1m23s) of revealing German lobby cards finish off the extras. As usual the disc comes with reversible artwork, but if you order directly from Vinegar Syndrome, the first 2000 copies also include a Limited Edition slipcover designed Earl Kessler Jr. 

Unlike its thematically similar prototype and heavily-influenced Gothic environment, MALABIMBA quickly—and very entertainingly—establishes its scabrous sex film intentions, which Vinegar Syndrome proudly and unashamedly delivers with their stellar new Blu-ray / DVD combo, bless ’em!