Description

Encolpius is a Roman student who begins by arguing with his friend Ascyltus over the affections of androgynous youth Giton. Ascyltus wins, whereupon Encolpius embarks upon an odyssey, partaking in a drunken orgy and being kidnapped by a bisexual sea captain and his concubine.Encolpius eventually rejoins Ascyltus to visit a suicidal Roman couple, join in a plot to kidnap a "sacred" hermaphrodite, and much more. Loosely based on the book "Satyricon" by Gaius Petronius, the "Arbiter of Elegance" in the court of Nero, Federico Fellini wrote and directed this tongue-in-cheek hymn to the "glories" of pagan times via a bizarre journey through the decadence and debauchery of Nero's Rome. ... Read more

Reviews (53)

It's About Time
For extended criticism of the film itself see my review of the VHS below.

The DVD of 'Satyricon' has been available overseas for some time, and I've been waiting impatiently for it to be released here in the US. The producers have done a good job with it. The picture is amazingly clear, and the colors are saturated, so that the sets are even more eerie than before. For a film with such highly designed sets, it's pleasant to be able to stop the film and get a good look at things that appear for only a fraction of a second at normal speed. I watched this on my computer, and I was pausing every few frames to get a good look.

An English soundtrack is provided. The lip-sync there is no worse than the Italian since the film was recorded in several languages. Supposedly the three main characters - Encolpio, Ascylto, and Gitone - were English hippies who Fellini picked up in Trafalgar square, and they spoke the dialogue in English. But I prefer the Italian; it justs sounds better. I wish they had provided Italian subtitles too. There's very little in the way of other extras. I would have liked some commentary, but I can't complain too much about this DVD.

This movie is terrible
This was the first and the last Fellini movie I will ever purchase. The movie is totally incoherant. I do not see what is so compelling about this movie. It was a waste of my time.

You don't get it? You may be the one being taunted,friend.
I firmly believe that if one does not "get" this film, then they are the type of person this film is satirizing. Something tells me that Fellini, with this film, came closer to illustrating the atmosphere of ancient Rome than anybody. It shows the pitfalls of superstition, how drugs and illusion play a role in what people have called "witchcraft","voodoo","macumba" and such. It shows the unmasked view of the delight that some people take in others' misery, in watching them suffer, and in confusing and bewildering them with smoke and mirrors. I enjoyed the scenes that depicted the morally reprehensible theatre of ancient Rome, especially in using period sound effects to illustrate how what we today see and hear in film and theatre is not so far advanced from the illusions that the ancient Romans used to propagandize and marginalize the lives of it's people. The parallel to modern society is so great that those who fit that materialistic mold won't get it, because their minds will protect them from the truth. However, we see over-indulgent despotic emperors using their wealth and power to seduce the minds of the populace. We see the same social elite engaging in disgusting orgies of food and sex. The main character, Encolpius, believing himself to be on a path of discovery is actually being lead through a maze of snares and traps at the delight of his so-called mentor. Soon one might be asking themselves if this man is mentor or tor-mentor to poor Encolpius. This film is a such a startling comparison to modern life that it could stop all temporal arrogance. How dare we think we're so advanced when our society behaves the same as they do, only the names and methods have changed. This is Rome, we live in Rome, it's only been transplanted over here and updated to "modern sensibilities" but Rome is still as decadent and wasteful as ever, as if we think we're rising above nature by destroying it. Well, isn't that how "civilization" works? Destroy one people's way of life and force them to conform to yours. This is Satyricon.

Satire of the Satyr
Some movies you just have to see -- forget about plot synopses or snippets of dialogue, you just have to see it to understand. For these movies, there's no way to answer that most natural and inevitable of questions: What's it about? Satyricon is one of these movies.

I've been a fan of Satyricon for about four years, when I first took it out of the public library. I'd heard it was weird and had also seem some stills in movie books like LIFE Goes to the Movies. Something about freaks, absurdity, ancient Rome, I gathered. Maybe that was actually as much as I needed to know since that's what it all boils down to, at its essence.

I probably would have had more of an idea what to expect that first if I'd simply known about the director, Federico Fellini. At that time, I didn't, and so when I first sat down with Satyricon it struck me not just as an anomaly but as a major shock. Sure, I'd heard of Fellini, but this? This was Fellini? Why hadn't anyone told me? They should have shown this movie to me while I was in the crib, it was so cool.

Later on, through watching another great and bizarre film of his, Roma, I figured out what some of the Fellini motifs were and how strongly his personality and taste come through, but at the time, it was a bit of a mind-blower. This guy had survived making this film? Nobody put him in an insane asylum? He was considered great? Certainly I thought he was great, watching the movie, but I tend not to give fellow humans that much credit.

Knowing a bit more about Fellini at this point, I can say that while Satyricon isn't the anomaly I once thought -- Roma is pretty similar and I've heard other of his films also follow along in a similar style -- it is certainly in a class of its own. What's it about? Again, I can't say really, but pressed to the wall with a gun to my head, I'd squeal and saying it's a crazy experience, a vicarious exploration of insanity, of dreams, of an absurd adventure by a blond-haired poet who just wants to get his boy lover back and be done with it all. That summary doesn't really express any of it, but it's the best I can do and there it is.

Perhaps giving a little background would help. First of all, Fellini didn't make the story up, although the film is certainly a product of his imagination and he did make up a few scenes. The plot, such as it is, springs from that most bizarre and unprecedented of ancient works, Satyricon by Petronius. Nobody actually knows much about the author and this is his only work, but what can be said is that it's a book very different from what most people would expect of an ancient book. You can actually get a hint of this by its very title, which is a pun on satyr (from the Greek saturos) and satire (from the Latin satira), meaning that it's an attack on human vice or folly and a depiction of some serious depravity. Did I mention that this was written around the time of the reign of Nero?

Again, having read the original book -- had to having seen the movie -- I can say that it's nothing like any ancient work I've ever run into except possibly the poetry of Catullus, which is hysterically coarse at times. It's simply not ponderous. It doesn't dwell on gods or philosophy or sublime human comedy. No, instead, the book just creates its own territories and definitions. People have tried to analyze it -- the fragments that are left, now that several sections have been missing for ages -- and the general conclusion, so I've read, is that the novel, like the movie, is something far afield from the norm, a twisted tale of such originality as to make analysis within normal frames of reference irrelevant.

The question resurfaces: What's it about? A few scenes may help to convey a sense of its atmosphere at least, if not the plot, since the plot is rather secondary. Picture this: Our hero (well, anti-hero really) Encolpio ends up on a mission to collect a hermaphroditic god(ess) from a hidden temple. He and his companions show up in a cave where they find the god(ess) pale and weak, lying in a pool surrounded by worshippers seeking to be healed. They steal the god(ess), throwing the deity into a cart and fleeing across the desert. Unfortunately the god(ess) is weak and needs water. The god(ess) dies and for that, there is a punishment.

Encolpio and friends end up in another town (where he ends up in a battle with a man wearing a bull mask... don't ask) and although Encolpio is basically rewarded by getting to bed an insatiable woman, he is embarrassed before a crowd of hundreds when he can't get it up. He's been made impotent! To make things better, he's sent to a special treatment facility where he's put in a room filled with dozens of extremely exotic prostitutes who proceed to try just about everything to get a rise out of him. They pin him down and flog him. There's something about a giant swinging canopy with bevies of girls on it but even thought I've seen the film a half dozen times, I can't remember the specifics, nor do I remember if the "cure" was successful. It's besides the point.

I do remember more, though. I know an Roman couple lives in home built into the base of a cliff. They end up committing suicide by slitting their wrists. Later Encolpio and friends run around inside their house and find an African slave girl who speaks in clicks and squawks. There's another big section with a huge ship on rough seas; they capture a giant creature that looks like an ancient depiction of a whale. There's a theater of the absurd, a gallery of freaks, a hysterically fake earthquake, a massively disgusting feast, and oh, it's all in dubbed Italian (at the time, the Italians dubbed over everything, even Italian) with the subtitles making some sense but not all that much since really you use your eyes to understand. Ah, why do I bother trying to explain? What does it add up to? What does it mean? What's it about? Go and see it -- that way you'll find out.

One of the Greatest Movies
Occasionally a movie comes along in which a simplistic, mono-dimensional meaning isn't laid out in such a way that even the laziest minds just couldn't miss it. I remember as a teenager seeing this movie for the first time, and being astounded that all that people seemed to see were shocking depictions of Roman decadence. I had sat through the movie amazed at its extraordinary cinematography, and overwhelmed by a moral story of epic proportions. Like most great art, the meaning of Satyricon is multi-layered, and reflects against itself enough to hold a richness of ambiguity that unfolds more for me each time I see it. I was also incredulous to read reviews accusing the movie of being formless. On the contrary, Fellini had created a beautifully structured work out Petronius' rather episodic tales.
Satyricon is a powerful portrayal of a young man's quest to rediscover the potency he has lost in a corrupt world (our world being no less corrupt than that of Fellini's Rome), both sexually and aesthetically. The events and characters in the movie resonate deeply with mythic archetypes, all playing a part in Encolpio's quest.
If you want a key for delving into the structural and metaphysical meaning of this movie, consider the two legacies of Eumolpus: the first he offers to Encolpius as they lie in the fallow fields after being evicted from Trimalchio's Feast, just as the dawning sun begins to lighten the sky. The second he leaves at the end of the movie to those who will consume his body. The first is the wealth of poetry, of the heavens, the earth, the air, of life itself. The second is worldly wealth and its corruptions. How beautiful is the moment when Encolpius joins the ecstatic, dancing, laughing servants of Eumolpus to sail away from the bizarre funeral feast to the true legacy of the great artist. So with us: what are we able to take from the legacy of Satyricon - does Fellini offer us merely a superficial indulgence in the perversity of Roman decadence .... or rather, are we able to comprehend his true gift, a profound vision of the potency of life itself? ... Read more

Description

Legendary sex symbol Carroll Baker (BABY DOLL, THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH) stars as a mysterious sorceress with an undying hunger for sensual ecstasy and unspeakable torture. But when she casts a spell over a beautiful young fashion photographer (the gorgeous Isabelle De Funés), Milan’s most luscious models are sucked into a nightmare world of lesbian seduction and shocking sadism. Are these carnal crimes the result of one woman’s forbidden fantasies or is this the depraved curse of the devil witch known as BABA YAGA?

George Eastman (THE GRIM REAPER) co-stars in this provocative EuroShocker (also known as DEVIL WITCH and KISS ME KILL ME) written and directed by Corrado Farina and based on the notorious S&M comic Valentina by Guido Crepax. Blue Underground is now proud to present BABA YAGA restored from pristine vault materials and packed with eye-popping Extras, including never-before-seen erotic outtakes from the Italian Censors archives as well as the director’s own private collection. ... Read more

Description

ACADEMY AWARD® winner Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur) heads an international cast as John Thornton in this adaptation of the classic novel by Jack London, famed author of The Sea Wolf and White Fang.Government mail carriers Thornton and Pete Smith (Raimund Harmstorf) take mail and supplies across the brutal Yukon wilderness from Skagway to Dawson City during the 1898 Klondike gold rush.An intelligent German Shepherd, Buck is stolen from his beloved owner in California and sold to John as a sled dog, whose loyalty to his new master is tested when John tries his own hand at prospecting.Praised by Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide for its "striking...scenery," this 1972 version of the family adventure was shot in Norway by Ken Annakin (The Swiss Family Robinson, The Longest Day). ... Read more

Reviews (12)

"Family-freindly" my butt!!
This movie was very poor. For one thing this is NOT family friendly. For example in one scene these dogs get mad and they attack each other and in the end of that scene one of the dogs WAS RIPPED APART AND WAS VERY BLOODY. Also my Mom says that a scene were cut. Also the music is horrible. Also there was one very stupid curse they called the dogs(very ironic) also if you know spanish you can get an easter egg from the song they sing. In a few scenes all of a sudden stuff is completely red.

such a shame
i was telling my wife of a film i had seen when i was a child that was both excellent and moving.......CALL OF THE WILD

so i sourced it from australia as the dvd is deleted in the uk.
i thought i had given my money to a con man who had sent me a pirate copy until i read reviews from other buyers.

never have i seen such a rough dvd with the most awful picture and sound quality. the film is also one of the most dissapointing i have seen and i am embarrassed that i admitted to my wife that it made me cry when i was a kid!!!
i can only presume that it was the trauma of sitting through such badly worked material that upset my childhood.....

do yourself a favour and buy white fang instead.

such a shame

poor quality
Sorry ragmuffin, for being honest, I thank you for your 1 nice email,
but object to your other 2 " not so nice email's "
I will give you 100% for very good delivery very quick to the uk...thank you.
picture cover on dvd was different to advertised on amazon. very weary on buying again on amazon.

Not worth it
My mom purchased the video for my viewing pleasure, but I wasn't pleased. The music in the beginning sounds sort of alienated, the picture quality is horrible, and you actually see dogs tearing apart an animal and leaving its blood everywhere! I could only watch twelve minutes before I decided that it was not worth it to watch. If you ever, for any reason, actually WANT to watch the movie, then I recommend you read the book first, because the book is MUCH better than the movie.

Only Charlton Heston could keep me watching a dog like this
It's never a good plan to make a film where the dog is named Buck and the star is called Chuck, but this film's got more problems than that. Silly acting, weak photography, and a mediocre script that only sparks when it turns violent and nasty. In Charlton Heston's thoughtful 'In the Arena' autobiography, he considers this film "a total failure". He may not know good politics, but he has enough taste and sense to avoid film debacles most actors of his age have lived off for decades. So if Chuck actually writes "please don't watch this", listen to the man. Or listen to Paramount Studios, which shelved this film after they saw it.

"The Call of the Wild" is not unwatchable, but it's bad enough, one of the worst movies in Heston's career. Place this on the Turkey shelf next to Heston's equally bad "The Awakening", a ridiculous 1980 Exorcist/Omen knockoff. I haven't read Jack London's book, but this movie seems, um, a very loose adaptation.

The extras in the Alaska town are played by an assortment of German/Italian/British/American/Spanish actors, mostly overdubbed. What gems they say: one jumps onto a bicycle and yells "Yippee! Yippeeeee!" (Note: "Yippee!" will never be acceptable in a Hollywood script, and is punishable if done in real-life.) Heston's human co-star runs into that same town, yelling "Hi! Hi! Hi!" like a stoner coming down from the mountain commune. If all of the movie was as corny as the townspeople, we might have had a comedy for the ages. Alas.

As amusing as the vomiting town drunkard was, it was Charlton Heston, always a powerful presence, who kept me watching. He looks a little grumpier than usual, perhaps he noticed that the many wolves in the film are actually hybrid dogs that don't look much like North American wolves. However, his scenes with Buck are touching, against all odds and logic. I never thought of actors having on-screen chemistry with animals, but Heston proves it does exist. Those scenes keep the film from being a complete waste of film stock, but there aren't nearly enough of them.

Still, this dull film contains one classic Chuck Heston line - words he was born to speak: "Mister, if you touch that dog again I'm gonna shoot ya!" Yippee! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Well worth it for giallo fans
Here's a textbook example of 80's Italian giallo film. For those who aren't familiar with the term, giallo is basically an Italian horror/suspense movie in the "whodunit" murder vein. Many of the 70's giallo were a huge influence on the "slasher" film as we know it today. They usually feature lots of blood and generally beautiful women are the victims; in this respect Delirium is no exception.

Walking in on the movie you might think you're watching a softcore skin flick. In fact, the model "Gioia" (her name is dubbed in as Gloria) who is the focus of the mysterious stalker's obsession makes her living posing for nudie magazines. We are treated to numerous shots that feature lead actress Serena Grandi in various stages of undress, which reveal her "grande" assets.

The plot will keep you guessing as far as the killer's identity. Of course, lots of red herrings are dropped to mislead you and keep things interesting. Some interesting shots represent the killer's point of view by actually showing how he (she?) mentally pictures his victims. Whenever things slow down murder or plot wise, we are treated to more skin. It's a win/win situation.

This was directed by Lamberto Bava, son of the famous Italian director Mario Bava. Other Lamberto Bava films worth watching are the excellent 80's giallo A Blade in the Dark and the zombie-style gorefests Demons and Demons 2.

Ain't life "Grandi"...
Starring Serena Grandi, (AKA the Dolly Parton of Italy) this decent giallo is nice to watch. Somewhat plodding, the dubbing
is downright hysterical, but there is some real good surrealism
as seen through the eyes of the killer. His victims seem to mutate into some kind of "human insectoids" before they're offed.
Basic premise-the stunning Ms. Grandi runs a European skin mag
whose models are being terminated and the pictures of their decrepit corpses are being sent back to her. (sure-your circulation will improve but...) The pictures usually get
intercepted by Daria (Mrs. D. Argento) Nicolodi who, in turn,
just screams and cries. (hey...no one said she'd ever win any
statues for her acting ability)
And the MAIN reason for the 4 stars-Serena Grandi. Constantly
shown in various states of undress or in super-hot '80's fashions, she has to be the most spectacular-looking of all
Italian "giallo" actresses. Boy...I'd crawl on broken glass for
just one...SERENA- if you ever read this review, e-Mail me.
I'd shower more gifts on ya that you'd be believing in Santa
Claus again.

To watch once...
have you ever seen "Lamberto Bava`s Blade in the dark" (very good movie for thriller fans). Well... this "foto di gioia" tried to get the same attention... failing.
The movie is not really bad, some murder scenes are quite good (bad acting maybe?) but like Dario Argento said to me once "Why should i make a movie if it is going to be forgettable? Its a waste of time!".
If you have a free afternoon to spend you can always watch it :) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cheesy On A Level Rarely Imagined! But Fun!
After the emergence of John Carpenter's 1981 "Escape From New York," numerous cheap imitations appeared as if by magic. Made mostly by Italian filmmakers like Sergio Martino and Enzo G. Castellari, the Italian science fiction genre never got off the ground because it suffered from numerous fundamental failures. One deficit these directors encountered was meager budgets. Granted, "Escape From New York" did have a lower budget, but John Carpenter overcame this deficit quite nicely because even with less money (by American standards) his funds still towered over anything the Italians could ever hope to raise. Moreover, Carpenter's cast list for his science fiction epic boasted such notable talents as Kurt Russell, Harry Dean Stanton, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Isaac Hayes, and Donald Pleasance. With such a stellar ensemble as this one, Carpenter could hardly have failed to produce something worth watching. Sergio Martino's "2019: After The Fall of New York" cast is, with notable exceptions, largely forgettable, and the movie really suffers from a host of cheesy special effects because of budgetary restraints. Having said that, there is enough all around silliness in this film to keep a B movie fan hooting from beginning to end.

"2019: After the Fall of New York" begins with a voice over. According to this monologue, New York along with the rest of the country fell into nuclear chaos some twenty years before 2019. As the camera pans over a ravaged New York, we discover that the Euracs now occupy New York City and other regions of the former United States. These Euracs (an abbreviation referring to a confederation between Europe, Africa, and Asia) now roam through the blasted streets of New York City in search of the only fertile woman left on the planet. The Euracs need this woman in order to perpetuate their iron rule over this conquered territory. Moreover, the power to have children will also allow the Eurac confederation to finally vanquish any smoldering remnants of the PAN, the good guys of a Pacific-American orientation. The Euracs aren't completely sure PAN survives, but that's because they cannot see into the frigid realms of Alaska where PAN has its secret base. In the meantime, the Euracs spend their time riding around the ruins of New York on horses and attacking the local population with flamethrowers (always a good sign for this viewer) and weird laser guns shaped like cheesy crossbows. These thugs even dress in black capes complete with helmets that look a lot like catcher's masks. Those Euracs are nasty people!

Fortunately, the future of humanity has a hero in the form of Parsifal, played with iron-faced solidity by Michael Sopkiw. An American male model who only made four low budget films in his career, Sopkiw is sort of a hero to certain segments of the B movie fan base. Notice I say CERTAIN elements of the fan base because most people watching this film will roar with laughter over Sopkiw's acting skills. I know I did. This guy makes Joe Dallesandro look like Robin Williams. The good thing about saving the future, however, is that you do not need to be a good actor. When we first meet up with Parsifal, he's earning bucks and babes by taking part in a smash 'em up car derby somewhere out in Nevada. After winning this race by killing several opponents, Parsifal soon finds himself transported to PAN headquarters in Alaska, where the president of PAN (played by Edmund Purdom! What the heck is he doing in THIS?!?) informs our hero about a mission to rescue the last fertile woman. If Parsifal accomplishes this mission, he gets to take the girl and blast off the ruined earth in a hidden rocket ship. To help him on his assignment, the president sends a whopping back up force of two men along with Parsifal.

At this point, the movie really begins to pick up. Martino treats us to endless battle scenes as Parsifal and gang move through the streets of New York in search of the woman with the golden womb. The three heroes encounter street gangs, Eurac soldiers, a group of midgets, and a band of half man/half ape creatures during their quest. The whole thing is completely ridiculous, of course, and only gets more so as the picture progresses. In fact, you will be amazed at the imaginative leaps you will make just to keep up with the unfolding plot. The final segments of the film where Parsifal and the gang ride through a tunnel on the way out of the city should win an award for the hokiest action sequence ever filmed in motion picture history. There is some underlying message about hope for humanity throughout the film, but it is buried under layers of bad acting, metacheesy special effects, bad editing, and a lame script. The only thing that really appeals is the gore, with exploding heads and gunshot wounds aplenty in nearly every scene.

I find it difficult to condemn this movie, though, because it's too much fun to watch it. Especially amusing is George Eastman, an actor better known from such films as "Anthropophagus," in the role of Big Ape, the leader of the carnival gang. At one point in the film, you will hear the following line, "I'm from the stick people. You're Big Ape, right?" Need I say more? With lines like that, who needs big budget Hollywood productions? Amazingly, when you get done with the movie, you can look through the extras on this Media Blasters DVD. Extras? For a film of this caliber? You bet! Interviews with Sergio Martino, George Eastman, and Al Yamanouchi all appear on the disc, along with a short introduction to the film by an aging Michael Sopkiw. You simply cannot believe how cheesy this movie is, so only diehard B movie fans should spend time with this one.

The GREATEST film Micheal Sopkiw ever made!
From the mind of director Sergio Martino, this post nuke classic exemplifies the genre. Classic action, classic effects, and classic score by Oliver Onions!!
Includes a Bonus Commentary!

excellent post-apocalyptic fun
"After the Fall of New York" was one of the post-apocalyptic films that came out en masse in 1983 from italy. It's real title should be "After the Success of Escape from New York", as its location borrows rather heavily from that film. However, the plot is strikingly original, concerning the evil Euracs and the last fertile woman on earth (all the others were rendered sterile by the radioactivity). It has a very dark atmosphere, yet it is also very flamboyant and imaginative. However, if you don't like gore, you shouldn't see this movie (there are scenes with people getting their faces blown off, eyes gouged out, etc). Overall, it is an excellent movie, especially for fans of action, scifi, gore, post apocalyptic movies or "Escape from New York" (like myself). I garuntee you will have a fun time watching it!

Surprisingly good Italian post-apocalypse
After the success of such movies as "The Road Warrior" and "Escape From New York," The Italian low-budget movie industry started creating bunches of post-apocalypse movies, much like their famous "spaghetti westerns" and "sword-and-sandal" epics. Sometimes, they came up with a good one, surprisingly well thought out and offering genuine thrills and occasionally even a deeper meaning. This is one of those.

The story is set in the early 21st centry, some time after a nuclear war, when the Eurax (Europe-Asia-Africa union) has taken over much of the world, and people have become sterile. A gladiatorial warrior is recruited by the Pan-American Alliance to find and bring back the last fertile female, who happens to be somewhere in the ruins of New York, which is held by Eurax. In the couse of his adventure, we find various subterranean tribes of survivors and mutants, as well as the evil technocratic empire. There are messages about the potential dangers of technology and the power of love. Low-budget action legends George Eastman and Al Yamaguchi show up as leaders of survivor tribes. Eastman especially gets a surprisingly sensitive and important role as "Big Ape," the leader of a mutant carnival.

The production doesn't skimp on the gore or the grit. This isn't a "splatter" film in the traditional sense, but almost every bloody wound is shown in gory detail The setting in the post-apocalyptic world are suitably ugly for a collapsed society that is scavenging what it can and making do with what's falling apart. This is brought in to contrast by the clean, sterile, geometric designs in the Eurax fortress.

There is some cheapness to the special effects and of course it's all dubbed, but that goes with the territory in low-budget italian movies.

There is a haunting sense of loss throughout the movie, as if the filmakers actually believed that a nuclear war and the end of humanity was a terrible thing, not just a great setting for an action movie. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

"Family-freindly" my butt!!
This movie was very poor. For one thing this is NOT family friendly. For example in one scene these dogs get mad and they attack each other and in the end of that scene one of the dogs WAS RIPPED APART AND WAS VERY BLOODY. Also my Mom says that a scene were cut. Also the music is horrible. Also there was one very stupid curse they called the dogs(very ironic) also if you know spanish you can get an easter egg from the song they sing. In a few scenes all of a sudden stuff is completely red.

such a shame
i was telling my wife of a film i had seen when i was a child that was both excellent and moving.......CALL OF THE WILD

so i sourced it from australia as the dvd is deleted in the uk.
i thought i had given my money to a con man who had sent me a pirate copy until i read reviews from other buyers.

never have i seen such a rough dvd with the most awful picture and sound quality. the film is also one of the most dissapointing i have seen and i am embarrassed that i admitted to my wife that it made me cry when i was a kid!!!
i can only presume that it was the trauma of sitting through such badly worked material that upset my childhood.....

do yourself a favour and buy white fang instead.

such a shame

poor quality
Sorry ragmuffin, for being honest, I thank you for your 1 nice email,
but object to your other 2 " not so nice email's "
I will give you 100% for very good delivery very quick to the uk...thank you.
picture cover on dvd was different to advertised on amazon. very weary on buying again on amazon.

Not worth it
My mom purchased the video for my viewing pleasure, but I wasn't pleased. The music in the beginning sounds sort of alienated, the picture quality is horrible, and you actually see dogs tearing apart an animal and leaving its blood everywhere! I could only watch twelve minutes before I decided that it was not worth it to watch. If you ever, for any reason, actually WANT to watch the movie, then I recommend you read the book first, because the book is MUCH better than the movie.

Only Charlton Heston could keep me watching a dog like this
It's never a good plan to make a film where the dog is named Buck and the star is called Chuck, but this film's got more problems than that. Silly acting, weak photography, and a mediocre script that only sparks when it turns violent and nasty. In Charlton Heston's thoughtful 'In the Arena' autobiography, he considers this film "a total failure". He may not know good politics, but he has enough taste and sense to avoid film debacles most actors of his age have lived off for decades. So if Chuck actually writes "please don't watch this", listen to the man. Or listen to Paramount Studios, which shelved this film after they saw it.

"The Call of the Wild" is not unwatchable, but it's bad enough, one of the worst movies in Heston's career. Place this on the Turkey shelf next to Heston's equally bad "The Awakening", a ridiculous 1980 Exorcist/Omen knockoff. I haven't read Jack London's book, but this movie seems, um, a very loose adaptation.

The extras in the Alaska town are played by an assortment of German/Italian/British/American/Spanish actors, mostly overdubbed. What gems they say: one jumps onto a bicycle and yells "Yippee! Yippeeeee!" (Note: "Yippee!" will never be acceptable in a Hollywood script, and is punishable if done in real-life.) Heston's human co-star runs into that same town, yelling "Hi! Hi! Hi!" like a stoner coming down from the mountain commune. If all of the movie was as corny as the townspeople, we might have had a comedy for the ages. Alas.

As amusing as the vomiting town drunkard was, it was Charlton Heston, always a powerful presence, who kept me watching. He looks a little grumpier than usual, perhaps he noticed that the many wolves in the film are actually hybrid dogs that don't look much like North American wolves. However, his scenes with Buck are touching, against all odds and logic. I never thought of actors having on-screen chemistry with animals, but Heston proves it does exist. Those scenes keep the film from being a complete waste of film stock, but there aren't nearly enough of them.

Still, this dull film contains one classic Chuck Heston line - words he was born to speak: "Mister, if you touch that dog again I'm gonna shoot ya!" Yippee! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Heavily Edited!
This is a heavily edited version of Antropophagous made by Joe D'Amato,and its have no menu,and horrible sound.
The Movie very good itself,but keep looking for Antropophagous titled UNCUT version.Available at Xploitedcinema.com

$ave your $$$ and dont buy this crap
I own this movie because a Friend recommended it, but It's not the original version, it is cut and edited, C'mon guys better sit down and watch TV this weekend, there are better movies there....

Bad version, heavily cut with horrible sound
Okay, first off, I did not buy this version of Anthropophagous (or as it's titled here Grim Reaper). I'm writing this to let ALL of you know that this version is not worth the buy. There is, however, a place to get this--FULLY uncut with all the restored footage (including the fetus-devouring scene and the last scene, the self-consumption of the entrails). Go to [website] and visit their DVD section. They've got it there, along with dozens of other obscure horror, gore and exploitation flicks. While the DVD that I ordered there has trouble fastforwarding and rewinding, I still have the entire complete footage. The website really is the #1 place to go for anything like this...if they can't do it, none can.

Cut to ribbons...and I don't mean the victims
I know I'm only restating what's been said countless times, but just to avoid anyone making the same mistake I did buying this:

The original, uncut version of this movie goes by "Anthropophagus: The Beast" or "Unsane". Those titled movies include the notorious scenes of the fetus getting ripped out of a woman's womb and the self-evisceration and devouring of the zombie's guts at the film's end. As of this writing, Anthropophagus is not available (to my knowledge) on a US, region 1 DVD. This heavily cut and edited version is all that is available on DVD (though the uncut versions are purchasable on VHS in NTSC format).

Add to the fact that the picture and sound on Grim Reaper is laughably bad and that there are no special features (not even chapter stops- the whole movie runs in one continuous loop, so to jump ahead requires your finger on the fast frame or fast rewind buttons), and what was an effective gross-out, 3 1/2 star gore flick has been transferred into a 1 star ripoff.

Perhaps we'll see Anthropophagus in an uncut DVD version by Anchor Bay or Image in the not too distant future. Until then, steer clear of this abomination.

Why Buy?
Why would anyone even buy this knowing it's the [terrible], heavily-edited version? This makes me sick. All this talk about "freedom" and a silly 80's horror movie cannot even be viewed by adults. When the un-cut version becomes available, then I'll give 5 stars and purchase. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

"Family-freindly" my butt!!
This movie was very poor. For one thing this is NOT family friendly. For example in one scene these dogs get mad and they attack each other and in the end of that scene one of the dogs WAS RIPPED APART AND WAS VERY BLOODY. Also my Mom says that a scene were cut. Also the music is horrible. Also there was one very stupid curse they called the dogs(very ironic) also if you know spanish you can get an easter egg from the song they sing. In a few scenes all of a sudden stuff is completely red.

such a shame
i was telling my wife of a film i had seen when i was a child that was both excellent and moving.......CALL OF THE WILD

so i sourced it from australia as the dvd is deleted in the uk.
i thought i had given my money to a con man who had sent me a pirate copy until i read reviews from other buyers.

never have i seen such a rough dvd with the most awful picture and sound quality. the film is also one of the most dissapointing i have seen and i am embarrassed that i admitted to my wife that it made me cry when i was a kid!!!
i can only presume that it was the trauma of sitting through such badly worked material that upset my childhood.....

do yourself a favour and buy white fang instead.

such a shame

poor quality
Sorry ragmuffin, for being honest, I thank you for your 1 nice email,
but object to your other 2 " not so nice email's "
I will give you 100% for very good delivery very quick to the uk...thank you.
picture cover on dvd was different to advertised on amazon. very weary on buying again on amazon.

Not worth it
My mom purchased the video for my viewing pleasure, but I wasn't pleased. The music in the beginning sounds sort of alienated, the picture quality is horrible, and you actually see dogs tearing apart an animal and leaving its blood everywhere! I could only watch twelve minutes before I decided that it was not worth it to watch. If you ever, for any reason, actually WANT to watch the movie, then I recommend you read the book first, because the book is MUCH better than the movie.

Only Charlton Heston could keep me watching a dog like this
It's never a good plan to make a film where the dog is named Buck and the star is called Chuck, but this film's got more problems than that. Silly acting, weak photography, and a mediocre script that only sparks when it turns violent and nasty. In Charlton Heston's thoughtful 'In the Arena' autobiography, he considers this film "a total failure". He may not know good politics, but he has enough taste and sense to avoid film debacles most actors of his age have lived off for decades. So if Chuck actually writes "please don't watch this", listen to the man. Or listen to Paramount Studios, which shelved this film after they saw it.

"The Call of the Wild" is not unwatchable, but it's bad enough, one of the worst movies in Heston's career. Place this on the Turkey shelf next to Heston's equally bad "The Awakening", a ridiculous 1980 Exorcist/Omen knockoff. I haven't read Jack London's book, but this movie seems, um, a very loose adaptation.

The extras in the Alaska town are played by an assortment of German/Italian/British/American/Spanish actors, mostly overdubbed. What gems they say: one jumps onto a bicycle and yells "Yippee! Yippeeeee!" (Note: "Yippee!" will never be acceptable in a Hollywood script, and is punishable if done in real-life.) Heston's human co-star runs into that same town, yelling "Hi! Hi! Hi!" like a stoner coming down from the mountain commune. If all of the movie was as corny as the townspeople, we might have had a comedy for the ages. Alas.

As amusing as the vomiting town drunkard was, it was Charlton Heston, always a powerful presence, who kept me watching. He looks a little grumpier than usual, perhaps he noticed that the many wolves in the film are actually hybrid dogs that don't look much like North American wolves. However, his scenes with Buck are touching, against all odds and logic. I never thought of actors having on-screen chemistry with animals, but Heston proves it does exist. Those scenes keep the film from being a complete waste of film stock, but there aren't nearly enough of them.

Still, this dull film contains one classic Chuck Heston line - words he was born to speak: "Mister, if you touch that dog again I'm gonna shoot ya!" Yippee! ... Read more