Amazon.com

Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi are widely considered to be the creators of the "mondo," the cynical and often exploitative '60s-era cousin of the documentary and the template for today's reality TV. Blue Underground compiles five of the pair's most controversial films in an eight-disc set (which includes uncut versions of two titles) that proves their images have not lost their power to shock and amaze. Journalist-turned-director Jacopetti and former naturalist Prosperi first teamed for 1962's Mondo Cane (A Dog's Life), which explored strange customs around the world. The film (co-directed with Paolo Cavera) balanced its humorous and repulsive images with some genuinely beautiful ones and captured audiences' imaginations worldwide as well as an Academy Award for composer Riz Ortolani's theme, "More." Many critics decried the film, but a fleet of copycat mondos appeared in its wake. Enough footage was shot during the making of Mondo Cane to allow for a sequel (also known as Mondo Pazzo) in 1963; it was quickly followed by Women of the World, which explored women's roles around the globe.

Tiring of the travelogue approach, the pair headed to Africa to document the unrest that had erupted in the wake of colonial abandonment. The result, 1966's Africa Addio, was acclaimed for its disturbing images but also earned the duo charges that they had orchestrated on-screen executions. Though they were eventually acquitted, Jacopetti and Prosperi's reputations was irreparably marred. They attempted to amend the situation with Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971), an overripe fantasy that transported them to the pre-Civil War South to explore slavery. Unfortunately, its horrific violence further turned off audiences, and the duo split soon afterwards. Though the early titles are somewhat dated, and the later films are often overwhelmingly grotesque, the Mondo Cane Collection is a powerful visual experience that avoid the sheer exploitativeness of other mondo and their modern offspring. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Nothing to add, except...
...that the presentation is utterly superior: a clear plastic sleeve with eight lovely nexpaks (those thin plastic cases like they used in the Family Guy dvds). This is the sort of packaging that serious collectors demand. Kudos to the Blue crew. Now, if only we could get a release for the grail of mondos, the 1974 cult classic 'Mondo Candido".

Powerfully compelling stuff!
Thanks to William Lustig and the friendly folks at Blue Underground, serious fans of cinematic weirdness can check out the numerous films of Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti. Who are Prosperi and Jacopetti, you ask? Good question. Before checking out this awesome eight disc limited edition set, I knew little about these two Italian filmmakers. I once heard about "Mondo Cane" years ago, but had never investigated further. Thanks to the voracious appetites awakened in the masses with the advent of DVD technology, I finally got the chance to acquaint myself with this film and the others that followed it. What an experience! The eight discs in the set consist of "Mondo Cane," "Mondo Cane 2," "Women of the World," "Africa Addio: The Director's Cut," "Africa Addio: English language version," "Goodbye Uncle Tom: English language version," "Addio Zio Tom: The Director's Cut," and an interview disc with the two directors created especially for this set called "The Godfathers of Mondo." So what does it all mean? According to these discs, the two filmmakers birthed a phenomenon that led directly to the current spate of reality-based media. Most of these films are documentary style epics showing our world--or at least how it looked back in the 1960s--in all of its bizarre and frivolous forms. "Mondo Cane," by the way, translates as "A Dog's World." An apt title when you see the films, to be sure.

Start your experience with "Mondo Cane," "Mondo Cane 2," and "Women of the World." These are the first three films made by the two moviemakers, and are arguably the quirkiest. These three documentaries capture some of the oddest rituals practiced by peoples throughout the world. We see strange and bloody religious rituals in Italy, the grotesque lengths women will go to retain their youthful appearance, animals dying from radiation poisoning in the South Pacific, shark hunts, the horrific effects of Thalidomide, primitive peoples in New Guinea building shrines to airplanes, and so many other diverse oddities that it simply staggers the imagination. Many scenes are tame to modern eyes, some are still shocking, and several are just plain amusing. For example, you will laugh yourself sick over the "slap the faces" concert seen at the end of "Mondo Cane 2," although the participants look decidedly unhappy over their performance. There are plenty of extras on these three discs, including poster stills, trailers, and a few other worthwhile goodies; the picture quality is so good, so crystal clear, that the colors simply take your breath away.

Perhaps the most controversial film made by Prosperi and Jacopetti was "Africa Addio" ("Farewell, Africa"), an attempt to document the changes in Africa during the time when the European imperial powers granted independence and withdrew from the continent. Ultimately accused of racism by critics for their unflinching portrait of a region gone mad, "Africa Addio" reveals in grisly detail the monstrous crimes committed by indigenous Africans against the remaining white settlers and the local wildlife. Large segments of the film show poachers brutally killing animals in the parks set up by Europeans. Moreover, the killing extends to humans as civil wars break out across the continent, with Africans killing each other, slaughtering Muslim minorities, and battling white mercenaries. Two executions caught on camera eventually resulted in charges against Gualtiero Jacopetti, who stood accused of orchestrating the killings for the camera (he was eventually exonerated). As tough as this film is to watch, try and look past the bloodshed and enjoy the panoramic scenery found in nearly every scene. Africa, despite all of its troubles, truly is a beautiful land.

Nothing will prepare you for the nightmarish images in "Addio Zio Tom," (Goodbye Uncle Tom) a film made to counter charges of racism stemming from the "Africa Addio" experience. Fashioned as a sort of pseudo documentary where the filmmakers go back in time and visit the American South during the slave era, the movie is a grim look at the degrading conditions faced by Africans brought here as chattel. Every scene is absolutely mind blasting stuff, a horrific recreation of such abhorrent activities as the breeding of slaves, the formulation of scientific racism, hunting down and killing escaped slaves, the sickening conditions of the slave ships, the slave markets, and a billion other objectionable situations. The filmmakers based their film on written records and accounts of slave life, ultimately using the issue of slavery to make a statement about contemporary (1960s and 1970s) American race relations. Be sure and watch both versions: the English language cut is an entirely different film from the director's cut. Both are grueling experiences tempered only slightly by Riz Ortolani's FANTASTIC musical score (Ortolani scored "Mondo Cane" as well and snagged an Academy Award nomination for the song "More" from that film).

"The Godfathers of Mondo" provides plenty of information about the collaboration between Prosperi and Jacopetti, Ortolani's musical work on the films, and a chronological discussion of each film. The impression I took away from the "Mondo Cane" films was the silliness of humanity in general, how we all do ridiculous things in our everyday life and never give any of it a second thought. At the same time, we are capable of particularly vicious activities that we never give a second thought to, either. With "Africa Addio" and "Addio Zio Tom" the whole scope of Prosperi and Jacopetti's documentary style changed. These films dwell on human beings as barbarians engaged in enormous bouts of cruelty and bloodshed. One of the filmmakers says in "The Godfathers of Mondo" that violence is a part of life that should appear in any attempt to document the human experience. I agree wholeheartedly, but that doesn't make these two films any easier to watch. Thanks, Blue Underground, for a truly memorable experience.

Excellent BoxSet from Blue Underground!!!
There is no denying the importance of the films of Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi as they have influenced everything from hardcore horror films ie Cannibal Holocaust to broadcast news and the reality TV craze of today. Blue Underground in an ambitious move have put out this great 8 disc box set (limited to 10,000 copies) which should more than satisfy any mondo fan.

The first two discs are Mondo Cane and Mondo Cane 2. Mondo Cane is certainly a milestone and in fact this entire genre of "shocking documentaries" which where made by Euro filmmakers is better known as the 'mondo' genre. Essentially Mondo Cane is a strange journey into some of the more bizarre and macabre places with the camera voyeuristically witnessing all kinds of oddities and bringing them back for the curious viewer. Mondo Cane 2 continues this tradition. The third disc Women of the World is similar but all the footage is tied together by a common theme of the varied roles women play in different parts of the world.

The next 2 discs are the cut English language version of Africa Addio and the Italian language uncut version. Considered by many to be the greatest mondo doco of all time, the crew head of into Africa during it's transition from colonial control. While the majority of this focuses on the interactions of white and black and some long sequences on the fate of wildlife with laws protecting them diminished (countless animals are gunned down and speared in these scenes and hippos are dismembered) what sets this apart is the aftermath of several massacres caught on film. Later the crew hook up with a group of mercenaries (these nuts look as though they just walked of col. Kurtz's compound in 'Apocalypse Now') and go on a mission, filming a couple of executions.

After the English language print was recut to exclude much political commentary and the censored version was released the film makers came under fire and accused of exploitation, racism and some even called them murders (accusing them of paying for the executions). Being labeled racists must have really angered Jacopetti and Prosperi resulting in them making Addio Zio Tom (Goodbye Uncle Tom) in order to prove that they are not racist.

The next 2 discs are Goodbye Uncle Tom in the cut English version and Italian Language directors cut (this disc alone in worth the price of the set). The butchered English version done little to mend their reputations as in order to have it released alternate versions of scenes were shot and some extreme (but easily justified) politics were omitted. In essence it became a different movie.

The director's cut of Goodbye Uncle Tom is one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. While some scenes are mondo filmed modern 70's events in America, the majority of this film is a departure of the mondo formula as they have made a regular motion picture with actors and sets under the pretense of them traveling back in time to shoot a mondo doco on the slave trade in America pre civil war. All these scenes are set up based on factual accounts and are unsparingly brutal and authentic, literally using 1000s of extras. The sweeping photography and epic scale of this film as we are taken into various aspects of slavery make for a simply breathtaking motion picture experience.

Some people have claimed these scenes are a false representation, by pointing out silly little things like "there probably wouldn't be so many slaves in the house" and "they wouldn't be allowed to jump on the bed like that" as well as others who are infuriated by this film claiming that "it was never as depraved as this" but once again this film is clearly well researched quoting writers of the time and besides how could any people who kept slaves not be "depraved" anyway? Gone With the Wind this certainly is not. Roots, while well made and genuinely heartfelt, is pure sacarine by comparison. Steven Speilberg made the typically cowardly film 'Amistaad'. How can this courtroom drama depicting Europeans as being cruel to slaves and Americans liberating them via the righteous legal system be hailed as "tackling slavery head on" when it completely ignores the 200 years of slavery in America? Goodbye Uncle Tom is clearly a one of a kind spectacle and in my humble opinion the best disc in the set.

The final disc is a doco on the filmmakers themselves, rounding out what is an awesome boxset!

Super-Mondo Collection!
When MONDO CANE first came out it was the "adults only" film every kid like me wanted to see. Needless to say, what was considered shocking and adult in the 60s all seems rather quaint in retrospect. Yet, it's a short distance from the Mondo craze of yore to the "shocking reality TV" we are saddled with today. With all that in mind, I ordered the Mondo Collection and figured $127 was a small price to pay for a little trip down memory lane. To my surprise and delight, the 8-disc set is a primo package. (Think Criterion Collection in terms of quality and restoration but from a company called Blue Underground.) All the shockumentaries are in the package, not to mention "The Godfathers of Mondo" documentary about the guys---the trailblazers---who gave us these films. Soon every schlock filmmaker would crank out a Mondo-this and Mondo-that shockumentary, hoping to out-Mondo everybody else. But, again, this collection gives us the real thing from the guys who put the word Mondo on the map. And, lest we forget, every time we hear a lounge singer do "More," we'll fondly think back to its origin: Mondo Cane. Buy this set and enjoy! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The acclaimed debut of Judy Davis is the best reason to see My Brilliant Career, and the award-winning film is highly recommended as the feature debut of director Gillian Armstrong. This was an early entry in the magnificent "New Australian Cinema" movement that yielded such classics as Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, and Breaker Morant, and 27-year-old Armstrong (who would later direct the popular 1994 version of Little Women) brought just the right feminist touch to this stately adaptation of the 1901 semi-autobiographical novel by Miles Franklin. Davis (who was 23 at the time) plays 16-year-old Sybylla Melvyn, on the verge of womanhood in turn-of-the-century Australia and determined to have a "brilliant career" as an independent writer and lover of life, but her attraction to a wealthy bachelor (Sam Neill, charming as always), and the pressures of her family to lead a conventional life of devoted domesticity, turn this into a romantic and highly observant drama of personal dilemma and free-spirited conviction. It's no surprise that Davis and Armstrong went on to brilliant careers themselves (Davis starred in David Lean's A Passage to India just a few years later). --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Visually Stunning
This is a visually stunning, feast of a film. The clothing, china, display of flowers in beautiful bud vases, landscaping, interior of the wonderful cottages. Even the scenes when Sybylla is sent to be a governess and live in squalor are artistically done. Judy Davis has such an elegance about her with her pale skin and dark auburn, wild hair.

Also, the estate used as the Beecham residence is quite wonderful as well.

Everyone here has already told of the wonderful story and it is but visually there's a story as well and this film tells it to perfection.

More people should see this film....
This is really a treasure of a film.It is definitely one of the best depictions of a young woman who breaks away from the norm to follow her own calling life.The young woman who does this is Sybylla Melvyn (Judy Davis), a headstrong, self-possessed young Australian woman from the Bush, whose parents no longer have money to keep her and send her to live with her grandmother.Sybylla, who comes from little money, previous charm school training or "traditional refinement" in her home is in for a culture shock when she meets her grandmother and aunt, who are both refined and quite traditional in their beliefs about what proper women ought to do.Proper women should marry, abandon thoughts of independent living, and must remain at the beck and call of their husbands.This is not the life Sybylla imagines for herself.She is actually an outspoken, self-directed writer, with more than a glimmer of spunk and mischief in her eyes.Sybylla also knows she isn't "conventionally beautiful."This doesn't stop two suitors from trying their luck with the spunky young woman.The first is Frank Hawdon (Robert Grubb), an upper-class, uptight and arrogant man who works for her grandmother and picks her up at the train station.Sybylla lets him know in no uncertain terms that she doesn't return his affections.The second suitor is Harry Beecham (Sam Neill), a young man who starts out as "mates" with her, participates in a good-natured pillow fight with "Syb" and ends up with feelings for her that run deeper than friendship.

This is an excellent period piece, set around circa 1900 in Australia, at a time where the opinion of women and their place in society was undergoing serious ruptures and transitions.Sybylla is a product and example of that rapture, and is truly an inspiration for any young woman who challenges convention.Judy Davis is masterful in her role and the supporting cast is equally engaging.Well done!

Always Makes Me Cry
I spent a packet of money buying my own copy of this in VHS. (Where is the DVD?Hello??)I love this film.Judy Davis is sublime as Sybille, a young woman from the Australian outback who finds herself out of place in her grandmother's high society of 1900, and dreaming beyond her means to become a writer.The film dramatizes the choices women had to make at that point in history given their restricted circumstances, but with humor and grace and refreshingly little didacticism.The visuals are beautiful, it's a period film that is more than just great costume design, and the Schumann piano soundtrack will never leave me.

I love Davis's pig-headed selfishness of youth, her capricious but unmalicious temper.This is also my favorite Sam Neill role--he strikes the absolutely right balance between devil-may-care romancer, masculine pride, and soft-heartedness, which makes their romance wholly plausible, realistic, and poignant.Two world-class performances.

If I were to invoke a stereotype, I'd say this film generally appeals to women of a feminist bent with its focus on the conflict between love and ambition.But naturally I think everyone should see it.

Timeless Australian Classic is on DVD (but notin USA yet)!
What's to say about "My Brilliant Career" that hasn't been said already? A superb first effort for then up and coming actors Judy Davis, Sam Neill, and director Gillian Armstrong. Those 3 are truly living up to the title of the film.

In answer to the previous reviewers here on Amazon.com, true that the film isn't available on DVD or new VHS for that matter in the USA. I heard there was a problem with who had the rights to the film in the last 10 years. Supposedly, some Panamanian company acquired the rights inadvertantly with a package of forgettable Aussie films. Margaret Fink, the producer, said she nearly dropped dead when she heard this. Fortunately, Fink and Australia reacquired "My Brilliant Career" in the last couple of years through legal means. That's why "My Brilliant Career" has already been released on new DVDs in the UK and Australia. I bought the Australian DVD because of the widescreen presentation and DVD extras that it has which include a great commentary by Gillian Armstrong as well as short interviews with producer Margaret Fink, Gillian Armstrong, film footage from Canne with Fink, Davis, and Armstrong, and more. It cost me about $23 (includes shipping from Australia) for a brand new DVD which is a bargain compared to how much used tapes go for on ebay. The UK version is cheaper but has no xtras I think. These region coded 2 or 4 DVDs will not play on a typical DVD player sold in the USA, but you can easily find certain DVD players sold at Bestbuy, Target, computer stores, etc... that can be made multi-region (region free) so they can play any DVD in the world. I bought myself one particular brand/model for $50. If you don't want to buy a region free player, you can also play foreign DVDs on your computer DVD-ROM drive easily.

Hopefully, one day "My Brilliant Career" will be released in the USA in glorious DVD. The film has been broadcast on cable channels in the USA in the past year. Which could be a sign it will end up on DVD here eventually. Perhaps similar to how "Impromptu" appeared on cable, then a year later it was released on DVD. Cross your fingers!

Brilliant Career - Judy Davis
This is one of the first films I ever saw Judy Davis.I loved this film and went out to buy the book.I don't understand why it is not on DVD.Gillian Armstrong has long been a favorite director, with this and Oscar and Lucinda being my favorite.I wouldn't mind seeing Starstruck coming to DVD either.

Everything about this film was well done. ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Love the Movie!!! Newer DVD is acceptable quality ...
I have always liked this movie. Sure, the story never reaches its purported climax, but there's a lot of fun getting there ...

Let me address the DVD issue right off: I have (apparently) a remastered version, widescreen, with chapter selection and promotional trailer included. The quality of this DVD is pretty good. I can't remember the exact cinematography but it seems like this is how the movie always appeared. Not top-notch but acceptable. The trailer is not as well preserved but is OK.

(I noticed this on the Rambo: First Blood Part II DVD I just bought ... on that DVD, the trailer is so-so, however the picture on that movie is crisp and very well preserved).

OK, back to the movie. A freak storm catches the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and transports her and her crew back to December 6, 1941 just off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The BIG question: Ignore or Intercept the Japanese Navy when it attacks on December 7? ... if you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you here.

There are top-named actors like Martin Sheen, Kirk Douglas, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. And there are a few real carrier personnel who weren't professional actors, obviously. But they got to be in the movie and who could blame them? Most people who like this film enjoy the time-travel, naval-combat aspect of it and overlook the occasional potholes in the storyline. Hey, just have fun!

There are some great launch sequences of Naval fighter aircraft, recon birds, tankers and helicopters. And the inflight sequences are pretty good too. You get to see F-14 Tomcats, A-7 Corsairs, A-6 Intruders, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Haweyes, SH-53 Sikorsky's and more. Plus the carrier crew equip the aircraft with the Mach 4+ AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, AIM-9 Sidwinders and AIM-7 Sparrows for air combat. Great stuff!

Overall the quality of the DVD movie is fairly decent and played well on my 55" big screen and my 27" small screen TV's. If you haven't seen the film, it's similar to "The Philadelphia Experiment" with Michael Pare and Nancy Allen. Enjoy!!

Love the Movie ... Newer DVD is acceptable quality ...
I have always liked this movie. Sure, the story never reaches its purported climax, but there's a lot of fun getting there ...

Let me address the DVD issue right off: I have (apparently) a remastered version, widescreen, with chapter selection and promotional trailer included. The quality of this DVD is pretty good. I can't remember the exact cinematography but it seems like this is how the movie always appeared. Not top-notch but acceptable. The trailer is not as well preserved but is OK.

(I noticed this on the Rambo: First Blood Part II DVD I just bought ... on that DVD, the trailer is so-so, however the picture on that movie is crisp and very well preserved).

OK, back to the movie. A freak storm catches the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and transports her and her crew back to December 6, 1941 just off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The BIG question: Ignore or Intercept the Japanese Navy when it attacks on December 7? ... if you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you here.

There are top-named actors like Martin Sheen, Kirk Douglas, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. And there are a few real carrier personnel who weren't professional actors, obviously. But they got to be in the movie and who could blame them? Most people who like this film enjoy the time-travel, naval-combat aspect of it and overlook the occasional potholes in the storyline. Hey, just have fun!

There are some great launch sequences of Naval fighter aircraft, recon birds, tankers and helicopters. And the inflight sequences are pretty good too. You get to see F-14 Tomcats, A-7 Corsairs, A-6 Intruders, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, SH-53 Sikorsky's and more. Plus the carrier crew equip the aircraft with the Mach 4+ AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, AIM-9 Sidwinders and AIM-7 Sparrows for air combat. Great stuff!

Overall the quality of the DVD movie is fairly decent and played well on my 55" big screen and my 27" small screen TV's. If you haven't seen the film, it's similar to "The Philadelphia Experiment" with Michael Pare and Nancy Allen. Enjoy!!

No, not the album by "Europe"
I first saw this on ABC as a kid, and loved it. Seeing it again now, at 31, I don't find it nearly as interesting but still think it's a fine film. Check out how much young Martin Sheen looks like Charlie Sheen! Watch James Farentino, the TV version of Roy Scheider! And don't miss the surprise ending!

Cinematic experience that will stand its ground...
The USS Nimitz, a nuclear aircraft carrier, is on a routine assignment when the civilian systems specialist Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) is flown to the aircraft carrier. Lasky's job is to evaluate the efficiency of the commander and crew as he should make recommendations in regards to what changes can be done to save tax dollars. Soon after Lasky's arrival Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas) is put in a difficult position as the USS Nimitz is pulled into an outlandish electrical storm that relocates the warship in time. Captain Yelland is unsure about what truly has happened, but when they discover that they are in between the Japanese Naval Force that is about to strike at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941 they realize they might have a chance to undo history. Final Countdown is an interesting science fiction film that offers some room for thinking, yet it is entertaining as it displays the incredible event of time traveling. An appealing idea together with entertainment, Final Countdown offers a decent cinematic experience, which will stand its ground.

Excellent. Aviation fans take note...
Since so many reviews are already posted, I'll keep this brief. It's nice to see this film get such an excellent DVD release. This movie is great and has aged quite well. The premise of the Nimitz being thrown back into time and given the opportunity to change the course of world history is an intriuging one even today. The Final Countdown boasts some ofthe best aircraft footage ever caught on film, hollywood or documentary. The scene between the Jolly Rogers F-14's and the 2 Japanese Zero fighters is a timeless classic.

The sound is excellent, the transfer is quite good, and the 2 disc set includes very special bonuses for fans of the F-14, or aviation in general. And the bonus disc interviews the Jolly Rogers squadron that flew in the film, worth it if you are an avaiation fan. If not, you might still enjoy it anyways, as they certainly have an entertaining story about one of the cast members! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Along with Ken Loach (Poor Cow) and Mike Leigh (High Hopes), Alan Clarke was one of Britain's leading television and film producer-directors in the 1970s and '80s, specializing in works of "social realism," i.e., stories that resembled contemporary society and those who helped shape and/or were shaped by it. The Alan Clarke Collection, a six-disc boxed set encompassing most of Clarke's directed efforts (1986's Rita, Sue & Bob Too, probably his best-known film in the U.S., is not included, unfortunately) is not only an intense introduction to Clarke's concerns with institutional and private violence, but a chance to see phenomenal early performances by the likes of Tim Roth and Gary Oldman.

The son of a bricklayer who also spent some time as a laborer before studying acting and directing in Canada, Clarke (who died in 1990) got his start at the BBC in the 1960s. By 1977, he had directed his explosive and controversial television feature, Scum, starring Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) as a survivor at a corrupt and brutal juvenile prison. Harrowing, claustrophobic, and deeply tragic, Scum was banned by the BBC for graphic brutality (and, quite likely, criticism of the justice system), leading Clarke to remake it with Winstone and the same script as a 1979 theatrical release. Both versions are included in this set, and each is a unique experience. The earlier Scum is a lean, low-budget, relentlessly nightmarish drama while its second take is moodier, slower, and intermittently shocking.

Disc 3 contains the 1982 Made in Britain, featuring Roth in a brilliant film debut as a ferociously intelligent skinhead determined to rampage his way into oblivion. Written by David Leland (writer-director of The Land Girls), Made in Britain ingeniously turns Roth's character, Trevor, into a sympathetic if irredeemable monster who rejects every effort to force him into Thatcher-era conformity. Disc 4 includes two of Clarke's most interesting films and, at least in this set, the best evidence of a surrealist streak often noted by his contemporaries. The 1998 The Firm stars Gary Oldman in a dazzling performance as a London realtor, Bex, whose hobby is soccer hooliganism. Surrounded by other middle-class mates with nice cars, homes, and families, Bex is essentially a gang ringleader who exchanges violent hostilities with another gang of even better-dressed, better-spoken London soccer fans. Clarke's images of grown men, with lives of real responsibility, beating each other's brains in is too bizarre to shake off. From the same year is Clarke's short, Elephant, in which a wordless series of vignettes about shootings take on a ritual, almost musical, form. The final disc offers a fine, 1991 documentary about Clarke that helps place his films into a personal and stylistic context. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Description

Night Train Murders

You can tell yourself it's only a movie... but it won't help!

It was released as SECOND HOUSE ON THE LEFT, NEW HOUSE ON THE LEFT and TORTURE TRAIN. The ads screamed, "Most movies last less than two hours! This is one of everlasting torment! It remains one of the most graphically fiendish films in exploitation history, the story of two teenage girls traveling through Europe, forced into a nightmare of sexual assault and sadistic violence. Irene Miracle (MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, INFERNO), Flavio Bucci (SUSPIRA), Macha Meril (DEEP RED),and Marina Berti (WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO OUR DAUGHTER'S) star in this depraved shocker directed by Aldo Lado (SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS, WHO SAW HER DIE?) and featuring a haunting score by Ennio Morricone. Experience evil gone off the rails: NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS is now presented uncensored with all-new Extras for the first time ever in America. ... Read more

Description

Berlin, 1939: At the dawn of World War II, power-mad SS Officer Wallenberg (Helmut Berger of THE DAMNED) is ordered to find and train Germany's most beautiful women to work in the opulent brothel of Madam Kitty (Ingrid Thulin of CRIES AND WHISPERS). Here these Nazi nymphs will submit to the bizarre passions and carnal degradations of the Reich's highest-ranking men and women while Wallenberg secretly records their acts for blackmail. But when an innocent young prostitute (Teresa Ann Savoy of CALIGULA) uncovers the conspiracy, her revenge will ignite a holocaust of pain, pleasure and shocking sexual perversion. The story is true. The depravity is real. The film is SALON KITTY.

John Steiner (MANNAJA), Tina Aumont (TORSO) and John Ireland (RED RIVER) co-star in this infamous epic co-written and directed by Tinto Brass and featuring exquisite production design by OscarAE winner Ken Adam (BARRY LYNDON, GOLDFINGER). Released in America as the heavily censored MADAM KITTY, this controversial shocker has been fully restored from the director's own personal vault print and features extended scenes of sexual atrocities now presented for the first time ever. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Dull Brass
Interesting only because it was made by Europe's premier exploitation director, "Kitty" is tedious and has pretensions to being an expose of the Nazis. This film is nothing more than a forerunner of the Italian (...) genre that flourished briefly in the 1970's. As to the controversial and perverse elements - they are clumsily handled and pointless. You'll find more (...) readily available elsewhere and the horror of the Nazis is presented much more graphically and forcefully in movies by Speilberg and Polanski to name but two. If you're interested in a more thoughtful attempt at controversy from Italian directors with better artistic credentials, you might try "Seeds of Evil" and Pasolini's "Salo: 100 Days of Sodom".

about the movie salon kitty......
This story is basically how that one man that tried to black mail hitler was shot dead in the suana by the hitler's loyalist(the armed police officer of that time). There are quite a number of quality nudity scene but the sex scenes[what I can say is those whom watch sex scenes in today's movie like forbidden will definitely shy away from this] in this movie as I've watched the Malaysian's bootleg copy DVD9(clarity as good as code 1) which my friend brought back from there. Recommended purchase for those whom are interested in this movie.

So-So Effort From the Director of "Caligula"
Director Tinto Brass is probably better known for lensing the controversial film "Caligula" starring Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, and Peter O'Toole than he is for the sleazy little number called "Salon Kitty." Made five years before the Vidal/Guccione/Brass "Caligula" collaboration, "Salon Kitty" sports several similarities to Brass's later production. This film also takes a historical setting as its starting point, specifically National Socialist Germany of the 1930s. The film boasts similarly impressive set pieces constructed by Oscar winner Ken Adam of "Barry Lyndon" fame (this is saying something because "Barry Lyndon" is one of the best period pieces ever put to film, in large part due to the costumes and sets). "Salon Kitty" even casts the beautiful Teresa Ann Savoy in a major role as the young Aryan prostitute Margherita (she played Caligula's sister in "Caligula"). Yep, it is easy to make plenty of comparisons between this movie and the later "Caligula." It is also quite simple to make comparisons of the bad traits in both films because "Salon Kitty" tends to bore more than it titillates.

Specifically, "Salon Kitty" takes place in 1939 Berlin just as the German military readies itself for war. At some point, higher ups decide to assemble the best examples of young Aryan womanhood in order to train them as prostitutes in service to the German soldiers. A German officer of supposedly impeccable standards, Helmut Wallenberg, runs this new training program. Wallenberg, who has his own nasty little secrets, comes across as the archetype of every German officer portrayed in films since the end of World War II: he is imperious, cold, calculating, and as cruel as they come. In order to put his plan into action, Wallenberg enlists the services of Madam Kitty, a brothel owner of some note who spends her evenings performing cabaret numbers for the customers. Kitty scoffs at Wallenberg's suggestions until the German officer closes down her business in order to force her into service to the state. Kitty finally acquiesces to the Germans and proceeds to turn the young Aryan gals into carbon copies of the prostitutes she once presided over at her brothel. What follows are endless scenes of partying, nudity, and cabaret numbers as Kitty and her coterie perform for the fatherland.

Unknown to Kitty and the nubile Margherita, Wallenberg runs the brothel as a cover for a massive spying operation complete with bugged rooms, bugged telephones, and blackmail. And there is great potential for blackmail as high-ranking National Socialists show up to party with Kitty and the gang. All the while the tape recorders run away behind the walls, capturing any hint of criticism directed against the German government. Margherita eventually discovers these shenanigans when she falls in love with one of her clients only to discover later that the authorities arrested and executed him for treasonous comments he made in the brothel. Armed with deep suspicions about her role as a prostitute, Margherita approaches Kitty and together the two launch their own private war against Wallenberg and his henchmen.

"Salon Kitty" is a sick, morally reprehensible film. The party scenes are exercises in sleaze, with swastikas adorning the most unusual of objects. Every character engages in the most nauseating of acts, and Brass tosses out gruesome scenes in an autopsy room and a slaughterhouse just in case you forget you are watching a movie about National Socialist Germany. The worst scene comes early in the film, and I am not going to say anymore about it except to say you will know it when you see it. In addition to the sordid scenes, the movie further offends with a poor script, mediocre acting, and pacing that absolutely plods along. The picture seems to run for an eternity due to these elements and a few others. Madam Kitty and Margherita don't even put the pieces together about Wallenberg until well into the movie, long after most of the viewers have long wearied of the whole exercise. About the only thing I enjoyed about "Salon Kitty" was Madam Kitty's cabaret numbers and watching the beautiful Teresa Ann Savoy. I think "Salon Kitty" serves as a good example of what occurred in certain filmmaking circles in the 1970s: overly long, overly pretentious attempts to weld sleaze with art house pretensions.

The DVD version of "Salon Kitty," put together by William Lustig's Blue Undergound, gives more attention to this film than it really deserves. The transfer is widescreen and looks darn good for a movie of this age. There are tons of extras, too, including interviews with Tinto Brass and Ken Adam, gallery stills, radio spots, and a trailer for the film. When "Salon Kitty" originally came out in the 1970s, the U.S. print suffered numerous cuts and arrived on our shores under the name "Madam Kitty." Completists, like me, will appreciate Lustig's generous restoration of the film while lamenting that the movie really isn't that great. Still, I've seen much, much worse than "Salon Kitty," so spending a couple of hours with it wasn't a complete loss. If you really must see this film, try and rent it instead of buying it.

One of the worst films ever made?
What alternate universe did the makers of this film come from? It doesn't even deliver on the ick factor like Ilsa She Wolf of the S.S. did. It's just plain embarrassing.

LUSH SEXPLOITATION.....
First of all, there is no "sexual perversion" or "sexual atrocities" in this film. But it IS brought to you by the director of "Caligula". "Salon Kitty" is a very lush, very raunchy and very graphic sexploitation film set in 1939 Europe about an SS officer who converts a popular brothel into a spy operation staffed with specially trained and selected girls. The madam, Kitty (Ingrid Thulin), doesn't understand why she had to relocate and restaff and is unaware of the covert goings on. It supposedly is being done to blackmail certain officials but this kind've takes a back seat to the nudity and sexual cavorting. The officer (Helmut Berger) is a twisted and tortured soul---incapable of any sort of sexual relations or relationships. The heroine, prostitute Margarita (Teresa Ann Savoy), looks innocent but is capable of handling the most demanding situations imaginable. She ends up cluing Kitty into what's going on and helping bust the whole thing open. Nazi symbols are everywhere (even on garters!) and some scenes are mind-boggling in their silliness. At times I was wondering if the whole thing was a satire. But some non-sexual scenes (like the slaughterhouse) are repellent in the extreme. The costumes are extravagant and beautiful and suited to the decadence of the brothel. Miss Kitty's song numbers (oh yes, she performs, too) are a bit much in their Dietrich-esque sultriness. Thulin resembles an aging drag queen as she carries on in her over-the-top costumes and blonde wigs. Savoy is pretty (and looks disturbingly too young) but cannot act for love nor money. And she has chances at both in this film. Berger is all pomp and starch as the officer. He's believable. You wonder if he's gay at times. He refuses the services of Kitty's girls but tries with Savoy. It's unpleasant because he's too cold and too far gone. The sex in "Salon Kitty" IS rather repulsive but there's ample male and female nudity for voyeurs. The soundtrack is good---with appropriately decadent music and song numbers suited to the period and place. The DVD print is mostly good but ranges from too dark in some scenes to quite vivid in others. Overall, it's watchable with plenty of extras and a second disc all about "Salon Kitty". A collector's item for those with a taste for this sort of thing. Just be careful who you show it to. It's very strange stuff. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With a tantalizing "what-if?" scenario and a respectable cast of Hollywood veterans, The Final Countdown plays like a grand-scale episode of The Twilight Zone. It's really no more than that, and time-travel movies have grown far more sophisticated since this popular 1980 release, but there's still some life remaining in the movie's basic premise: What if a modern-era Navy aircraft carrier--in this case the real-life nuclear-powered U.S.S. Nimitz--was caught in an anomalous storm and thrust 40 years backwards in time to the eve of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor? Will the ship's commander (Kirk Douglas) interfere with history? Will the visiting systems analyst (Martin Sheen) convince him not to? Will a rescued senator from 1941 (Charles Durning) play an unexpected role in the future of American politics? Veteran TV director Don Taylor doesn't do much with the ideas posed by this potentially intriguing plot; he seems more interested in satisfying aviation buffs with loving footage ofF-14 "Jolly Roger" fighter jets, made possible by the Navy's generous cooperation. That makes The Final Countdown a better Navy film than a full-fledged time-travel fantasy, but there's a nice little twist at the end, and the plot holes are easy to ignore. James Cameron would've done it better, but this popcorn thriller makes an enjoyable double-bill with The Philadelphia Experiment. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Love the Movie!!! Newer DVD is acceptable quality ...
I have always liked this movie. Sure, the story never reaches its purported climax, but there's a lot of fun getting there ...

Let me address the DVD issue right off: I have (apparently) a remastered version, widescreen, with chapter selection and promotional trailer included. The quality of this DVD is pretty good. I can't remember the exact cinematography but it seems like this is how the movie always appeared. Not top-notch but acceptable. The trailer is not as well preserved but is OK.

(I noticed this on the Rambo: First Blood Part II DVD I just bought ... on that DVD, the trailer is so-so, however the picture on that movie is crisp and very well preserved).

OK, back to the movie. A freak storm catches the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and transports her and her crew back to December 6, 1941 just off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The BIG question: Ignore or Intercept the Japanese Navy when it attacks on December 7? ... if you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you here.

There are top-named actors like Martin Sheen, Kirk Douglas, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. And there are a few real carrier personnel who weren't professional actors, obviously. But they got to be in the movie and who could blame them? Most people who like this film enjoy the time-travel, naval-combat aspect of it and overlook the occasional potholes in the storyline. Hey, just have fun!

There are some great launch sequences of Naval fighter aircraft, recon birds, tankers and helicopters. And the inflight sequences are pretty good too. You get to see F-14 Tomcats, A-7 Corsairs, A-6 Intruders, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Haweyes, SH-53 Sikorsky's and more. Plus the carrier crew equip the aircraft with the Mach 4+ AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, AIM-9 Sidwinders and AIM-7 Sparrows for air combat. Great stuff!

Overall the quality of the DVD movie is fairly decent and played well on my 55" big screen and my 27" small screen TV's. If you haven't seen the film, it's similar to "The Philadelphia Experiment" with Michael Pare and Nancy Allen. Enjoy!!

Love the Movie ... Newer DVD is acceptable quality ...
I have always liked this movie. Sure, the story never reaches its purported climax, but there's a lot of fun getting there ...

Let me address the DVD issue right off: I have (apparently) a remastered version, widescreen, with chapter selection and promotional trailer included. The quality of this DVD is pretty good. I can't remember the exact cinematography but it seems like this is how the movie always appeared. Not top-notch but acceptable. The trailer is not as well preserved but is OK.

(I noticed this on the Rambo: First Blood Part II DVD I just bought ... on that DVD, the trailer is so-so, however the picture on that movie is crisp and very well preserved).

OK, back to the movie. A freak storm catches the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and transports her and her crew back to December 6, 1941 just off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The BIG question: Ignore or Intercept the Japanese Navy when it attacks on December 7? ... if you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you here.

There are top-named actors like Martin Sheen, Kirk Douglas, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. And there are a few real carrier personnel who weren't professional actors, obviously. But they got to be in the movie and who could blame them? Most people who like this film enjoy the time-travel, naval-combat aspect of it and overlook the occasional potholes in the storyline. Hey, just have fun!

There are some great launch sequences of Naval fighter aircraft, recon birds, tankers and helicopters. And the inflight sequences are pretty good too. You get to see F-14 Tomcats, A-7 Corsairs, A-6 Intruders, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, SH-53 Sikorsky's and more. Plus the carrier crew equip the aircraft with the Mach 4+ AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, AIM-9 Sidwinders and AIM-7 Sparrows for air combat. Great stuff!

Overall the quality of the DVD movie is fairly decent and played well on my 55" big screen and my 27" small screen TV's. If you haven't seen the film, it's similar to "The Philadelphia Experiment" with Michael Pare and Nancy Allen. Enjoy!!

No, not the album by "Europe"
I first saw this on ABC as a kid, and loved it. Seeing it again now, at 31, I don't find it nearly as interesting but still think it's a fine film. Check out how much young Martin Sheen looks like Charlie Sheen! Watch James Farentino, the TV version of Roy Scheider! And don't miss the surprise ending!

Cinematic experience that will stand its ground...
The USS Nimitz, a nuclear aircraft carrier, is on a routine assignment when the civilian systems specialist Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) is flown to the aircraft carrier. Lasky's job is to evaluate the efficiency of the commander and crew as he should make recommendations in regards to what changes can be done to save tax dollars. Soon after Lasky's arrival Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas) is put in a difficult position as the USS Nimitz is pulled into an outlandish electrical storm that relocates the warship in time. Captain Yelland is unsure about what truly has happened, but when they discover that they are in between the Japanese Naval Force that is about to strike at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941 they realize they might have a chance to undo history. Final Countdown is an interesting science fiction film that offers some room for thinking, yet it is entertaining as it displays the incredible event of time traveling. An appealing idea together with entertainment, Final Countdown offers a decent cinematic experience, which will stand its ground.

Excellent. Aviation fans take note...
Since so many reviews are already posted, I'll keep this brief. It's nice to see this film get such an excellent DVD release. This movie is great and has aged quite well. The premise of the Nimitz being thrown back into time and given the opportunity to change the course of world history is an intriuging one even today. The Final Countdown boasts some ofthe best aircraft footage ever caught on film, hollywood or documentary. The scene between the Jolly Rogers F-14's and the 2 Japanese Zero fighters is a timeless classic.

The sound is excellent, the transfer is quite good, and the 2 disc set includes very special bonuses for fans of the F-14, or aviation in general. And the bonus disc interviews the Jolly Rogers squadron that flew in the film, worth it if you are an avaiation fan. If not, you might still enjoy it anyways, as they certainly have an entertaining story about one of the cast members! ... Read more

Description

The stunning Laura Gemser stars as Emanuelle, the fearless fashion photographer and investigative photojournalist whose thirst for adventure is matched only by her insatiable erotic hunger. But when Emanuelle uncovers shocking evidence of an international snuff film conspiracy, she is plunged into an odyssey of forbidden passion, depraved desires and unspeakable human brutality. From the lust-filled streets of New York City to the corrupt corridors of Washington D.C. and beyond, one of the most controversial sex and gore epics in exploitation history has finally come home: This is EMANUELLE IN AMERICA!

Everything you've heard about this jaw-dropping cult classic is true: graphic sex, harrowing violence, a horse named Pedro and much, much more.Directed by the notorious Joe D'Amato (BEYOND THE DARKNESS), EMANUELLE IN AMERICA has been newly mastered from pristine vault materials and is now presented completely uncut for the first time ever! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Well, You Wanted Something Different....
Sleaze director Aristide Massaccesi (a.k.a Joe D'Amato) died suddenly of a heart attack in 1999, the unfortunate culmination of a long career as the creator of numerous low budget horror and soft-core sex films. Among horror fans, D'Amato's seminal contributions to the genre include the taboo busting 1981 film Anthropophagus and the ultra gory 1977 classic Buio Omega. Joe's films crossed the borders of bad taste as often as they mixed gluey gore with sexual themes. It is perhaps this movie, "Emanuelle in America," that best personified the basic premise of a Joe D'Amato film. Lovingly reconstituted by Blue Underground, a new DVD company specializing in underground cinema, this Laura Gemser vehicle was the first of a string of Emanuelle films helmed by D'Amato. It was also the beginning of a long collaboration between D'Amato and Gemser that eventually ended with the Indonesian actress's retirement in the mid 1990s. We'll never see a new Joe D'Amato film, but with the advent of DVD fans will finally see excellent versions of all of his old classics. Up until a few years ago, many of us acquired grainy third or fourth generation dupes in order to view any film from Joe D'Amato. Those days are now over.

In "Emanuelle in America," Indonesian actress Laura Gemser plays Emanuelle, a newspaper journalist who roams the world in search of offbeat stories. There really isn't much to the plot here, with Emanuelle embarking on trips to Italy, the Caribbean, Washington, D.C., and Latin America. In each of these places, she uncovers various sexual situations ranging from a brothel controlled by a crime boss to degenerate nobility in Venice to a "dating service" in the Caribbean. The final adventure sees Emanuelle searching for the makers of grotesque snuff films. The movie concludes with little resolution in a tropical paradise where Emanuelle and her boyfriend encounter a native tribe and a mysterious "film set" (?) before running off into the sunset. Predictably, the acting is terrible, the dialogue laughable (I rolled my eyes at least four times), and the plot fails to achieve any sort of continuity. I know the whole idea of the Emanuelle films involved exotic locales mixed with cheesy soft-core erotica, but I'm willing to bet several other entries in the franchise possessed a better sense of wholeness than this one did. Moreover, the nudity and inserted hardcore scenes (yes, there is hardcore in this movie) didn't really do anything for me. Maybe it's because this is the 1970s and all of the women look rough. Whatever it was, I just didn't find "Emanuelle in America" all that erotic.

There are many intriguing elements to this film once you look past its flaws. Several music pieces, especially noticeable during the pool scene, were downright excellent. They had a sort of new age/Pink Floyd sound to them. I also thought the cigarette pack table/bar was cool. But it is D'Amato's taboo busting scenes that really take the cake here. First, there is a scene with a horse that is, well, controversial. That scene is here in its full nauseating glory. As if this isn't enough to float your boat, there's the snuff film segments. Employing stomach churning gore effects, D'Amato doctored up these sequences by scratching the film, using quick cuts, and employing jumping frame techniques to make the snuff footage look like the real thing. It is gruesome, even more so by its association with intimate relationships. On an unrelated note, I thought that the guy who pulled the gun on Emanuelle in the beginning of the movie was none other than actor Maxwell Caulfield (best known for his role in "Grease 2"). Upon further investigation, I can't confirm that it is actually Caulfield, but it sure looks like him.

The extras on this disc are simply marvelous. You get a thirteen minute interview with Joe D'Amato made shortly before his death, an audio interview with Laura Gemser, and background on the Emmanuelle phenomena (D'Amato and others changed the spelling of Emmanuelle to "Emanuelle" in order to avoid copyright problems), a franchise which ran for decades throughout Europe and America. The best extras on the DVD are the talent bios for D'Amato and Gemser. These two biographies deeply explore the careers of these two underground favorites. Any information on D'Amato is always welcome, and the bio here does a good job constructing a partial filmography of this busy director. Interspersed throughout the bios are movie posters for various cult films made by Gemser and D'Amato.

It's amazing how great the film looks on DVD. It is obvious that the technicians pieced in several scenes in order to present an uncut version of the film, but overall the picture looks splendid. I hope the release of "Emanuelle in America" signals a growing movement to release even more D'Amato works in the near future. "Troll 2," a D'Amato classic not to be missed by anyone with a love for "so bad they're good" movies is due to appear soon. If new uncut versions of Anthropophagus and Anthropophagus 2 followed, I would truly be happy. For those new to the Joe D'Amato catalogue, "Emanuelle in America" is a good place to start. This movie isn't great, but it is an important contribution to underground cinema.

Disturbing
A friend of mine showed this video to me. The only words that describe this movie is "Disturbing." I hope every part of the "snuff" scenes were fake. I could barely stomach any of those scenes. The sad thing is that stuff like this actually happens. Anyone who finds that entertaining should be shot. All you people that get off from watching this stuff and would prefer the "uncut" version of this movie because of the snuff scenes should be shot as well. Movies like this are helping these sick [people] watch their snuff legally.

it certainly has its moments....yeah...it goes there!
I admit I was sceptical about how good this '70's erotic movie would be. Unfortunately it was a slow moving film until the final 30 minutes or so. The main actress is less than exciting, its all about the situations she gets into that make this movie worth watching. There are some actual hard core sex scenes that are welcome to the viewer, by the time you get through seeing so many phony "soft core" sequences. Again...towards the end of the film the real hard core scenes present themselves. Of course its simulated "snuff" action...but what action! Its unfortunate the director didn't show more than snipetts of those very strong scenes! I was impressed by the reality of the snuff stuff...I would have enjoyed more raw sex with the star participating, however she came across as frigid as a dead cod for sale in a fish market! If it wasn't for the tension of certain parts of this film, it would be a zero star film. The very hot hard core sex scenes and the snuff movies being shown in the background gives this film 5 stars from me!
I don't anticipate seeing anything else quite like it...made during the 1970's or anytime before or after this film. Hollywood may be making billions from the porn industry these days, but they sure don't make erotic films like this one, or the best one ever, "The Image". This film may be too strong at some times for your girlfriends to watch with you, however, if they are very "freaky" little pigs....they'll get wet all over the couch with you!

Laura Gemser: the worst Emanuelle character
If Sylvia Kristel had acted in this it probably would have been more entertaining, since she doesn't mind doing a sex scene or two. Laura Gemser, on the other hand, was plenty nude in this film (about every 5 minutes or so), but she has nothing even remotely close to a "sex scene". What gives? She gets touchy feely on a few occasions, but nothing special. Maybe that's why they had to call her "Emanuelle" with one M, instead of Sylvia Kristel's "Emmanuelle", because the extra M means MORE sex.
That's okay, because there was plenty of sex to be had by everyone else, even the horse! Contrary to the review from "dirk digler", Laura did not have anything to do with the horse, and nobody had sex with it. Some lady just massaged its genitalia. Big deal.
There is a scene at a party which turns into an explicit pornographic orgy and, later, when Laura is out and about taking pictures of people having sex for some reason, they are all engaged in explicit, real behavior. So that makes up for Laura's lack of "getting it on", but her soft-core stuff would've been silly compared to what else was going on, anyway.
Now, the "snuff" stuff.....I'll admit, it was quite troubling to watch at first, until I heard in a commentary how the director scratched up some 8mm film he shot the scenes with to make it look grainy and real. His efforts paid off, as far as realism goes. I honestly couldn't tell if it was fake or not at first, until one of the "victims" (the torn breast girl) didn't quite convince me that she was being tormented. But the meathook? How could you fake that? Even if it is fake, it still is creepy to watch. Definitely effective cinema, if nothing else.

Draining the horse
That's awesome how Emmanuelle jacks off the horse then turns around and takes it in the rear! Next time I get near a farm I'm gonna do the same thing! ... Read more

Description

"They share the pleasures of the flesh, and unleashed the horrors of the grave!" screamed the ads. The beautiful Marianne Morris and stunning Playboy centerfold Anulka star as bisexual seductresses who roam the English countryside with an insatiable lust for the blood of mortals as well as the succulent bodies of each other. Director José Ramón Larraz packs this landmark adult hit with chilling atmosphere, shocking bloodshed and some of the most torrid sexuality of any vampire movie in horror history.

Also known as DAUGHTERS OF DRACULA, this controversial cult classic was butchered repeatedly by censors around the world. Blue Underground is proud to present VAMPYRES loaded with exclusive new Extras and featuring a stunning new transferthat restores all of the controversial gore footage missing from any previous version. This is the definitive edition of VAMPYRES! ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Kind of a mix of Hammer and Jean Rollin
A pair of bisexual women (Marianne Morris and Playboy playmate Anulka) living in a dark, decaying mansion have a craving for blood and sex. Hitchiking in long black cloaks, they lure men home and then take them to bed, slash them with knives, and dump the bodies, making it look like a car wreck. They like one guy so much they keep him around for days and he knows something bad is happening, but he's not sure what. Some people camping nearby also suspect that the women are up to strange things.... The violence is strong even though there's more blood than gore, plenty of sex and nudity, and some very lyrical, beautiful scenes. The ending throws a whole new, darker twist on the proceedings and ties it all together nicely. It has kind of a "Hammer Films" look to it, but the storyline is more along the lines of Jean Rollin. Even though the budget was small, this is a quality-looking film. The DVD looks great and contains a commentary track with producer Brian Smedley-Aston and director Joseph Larraz that's worth listening to - it's informative, and Larraz is hilarious and pulls no punches - ya gotta love the guy, even though he admits he's become a dirty old man (the comment during one of Anulka's nude scenes had me rolling on the floor). :) It's one of the most entertaining commentary tracks I've heard on a DVD, and a quality film besides.

Bosoms and bloodshed, a potent combination!
VAMPYRES (UK 1974): A motorist (Murray Brown) is lured to an isolated country house inhabited by two beautiful young women (Marianne Morris and Anulka) and becomes enmeshed in their free-spirited sexual lifestyle, but his hosts turn out to be vampires with a frenzied thirst for human blood...

Taking its cue from the lesbian vampire cycle initiated by maverick director Jean Rollin in France, and consolidated by the success of Hammer's 'Carmilla' series in the UK, Jose Ramon Larraz' daring shocker VAMPYRES pushed the concept of Adult Horror much further than British censors were prepared to tolerate in 1974, and his film was cut by almost three minutes on its original British release. It isn't difficult to see why! Using its Gothic theme as the pretext for as much nudity, sex and bloodshed as the film's short running time will allow, Larraz (who wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym 'D. Daubeney') uses these commercial elements as mere backdrop to a languid meditation on life, death and the impulses - sexual and otherwise - which affirm the human condition. Shot on location at a picturesque country house during the Autumn of 1973, Harry Waxman's haunting cinematography conjures an atmosphere of grim foreboding, in which the desolate countryside - bleak and beautiful in equal measure - seems to foreshadow a whirlwind of impending horror (Larraz pulled a similar trick earlier the same year with SYMPTOMS, a low-key thriller which is all mood and very little action, until it erupts into a frenzy of violence during the final reel). However, despite its pretensions, VAMPYRES' wafer-thin plot and rough-hewn production values don't really amount to very much, and while the two female protagonists are as charismatic and appealing as could be wished, the male lead (Brown, past his prime at the time of filming) is woefully miscast in a role that should have gone to some beautiful, twentysomething stud. A must-see item for cult movie fans, an amusing curio for everyone else, VAMPYRES is an acquired taste. Watch out for Bessie Love, star of the silent era, in a brief cameo at the end of the movie.

Originally released on DVD by Anchor Bay in incomplete form (29 seconds of carnage were accidentally omitted from one of the climactic sequences), Blue Underground's definitive disc - beautifully presented and packaged - restores all the missing footage to its rightful place. Picture quality is as good as the low-budget film stock will allow, though it's still a little grainy in places, and the mono sound is adequate. Extras include trailers, interviews with Morris and Anulka (both are older and wiser, yet still radiant), and a lively audio commentary with Larraz and producer Brian Smedley-Aston, along with an unexpurgated version of Tim Greaves' much-admired booklet 'Vampyres - A Tribute to the Ultimate in Erotic Horror Cinema', here presented in DVD-ROM format which this writer was unable to access.

NB. Blue Underground's DVD includes an insert which replicates vivid artwork for an Italian release print (OSSESSIONE CARNALE), featuring a prominent Techniscope credit. However, the movie wasn't photographed in any kind of scope format, and viewers are assured the disc's 1.85:1 ratio is correct.

87m 29s
1.85:1 / Anamorphically enhanced
Mono 2.0
Optical mono [theatrical]
No captions or subtitles
All regions

AESTHETIC, SATANIC, INDULGING
YES, THIS IS A FLIM THAT RISES ABOVE THE REST IN THE VOLATILE TIME OF EROTIC VAMPIRE FILMS IN THE EARLY 1970'S. TWO VOLUMPTOUS, BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRES USE THEIR FEMININE TALENTS AND THE AGE OLD ONE NIGHT STAND AS A FACADE TO LURE OVER-ANXIOUS MEN TO THEIR BREATHTAKING, DECREPIT OLD COUNTRY HOME. THE MEN FALL ALL TOO EASILY FOR WHAT THEY THINK WILL BE A SEXUAL RENDEZVOUS WITH TWO STRANGE, DARK WOMEN. AFTER THEY ARE ENTERTAINED, THEY FALL VICTIM TO SAVAGE DEATHS, BLOODLETTING, AND HUMILIATION. THE BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE AND THE BREATHTAKING OLD HOME CREATES A SUPERIOR AMBIENCE THAT IS CONDUCIVE FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE, EROTIC, LURID FILM. THIS FILM WILL LEAVE YOU WANTING NEVER TO RETURN TO REALITY. DARK, EVIL, BEAUTIFUL, IMPERATIVE.

Share Pleasures of the Flesh...and Horrors from the Grave!
Okay, 1974's VAMPYRES admittedly has numerous nude scenes--full frontal female nude scenes, in some cases--that was a prerequisite for the sexploitation horror pouring out of Europe in the 1970s. And yes, the two female players have hourglass figures, ample bosoms, and beautiful faces. However, this British indie film, directed by Spanish auteur José Ramón Larraz, has a cinematic aesthetic that makes it stand out above its contemporaries as a horror film of true quality. Larraz does a fantastic job of directing, working in close conjunction with cinematographer Harry Waxman to ensure that nearly every shot of every scene is a balanced, well-framed image. In keeping with the spooky atmosphere of the moldering English manor house and surrounding grounds used for location shooting, production designer Ken Bridgeman maintains the perfect ambiance throughout. And unlike many other buxom sexploitation actresses of the era, erotic stars Marianne Morris and Anulka (Dziubinska) can actually act, and they do a superb job in making the eponymous characters both scary and sympathetic.

In addition to the outstanding efforts of cast and crew, the tight, well-written script is refreshingly new--even from this vantage point of some thirty years hence. Avoiding the usual vampire clichés, these VAMPYRES are really more like ghosts who have some inexplicable but insatiable desire to feed on the blood of the living. They don't have fangs, they can tolerate moderate sunlight, and instead of resting in musty old caskets, they sleep in a wine cellar during the brightest of the daylight hours. They also can eat, drink liquids other than blood, and seem to genuinely enjoy sex. And they even sometimes have sympathy for their victims, a characteristic that may lead to their ultimate downfall.

The myth of the vampire has always been regarded as sexual in nature, especially the intimacy of the flesh-penetrating bite on the neck. VAMPYRES carries this metaphor to the extreme, with heterosexual vampiric coitus portrayed as an intensely passionate, rigorous event that includes feasting on the blood of the non-vampiric partner. And the eponymous characters in VAMPYRES don't gently suck from two pricks in the neck; in the midst of sexual passion, they tear open their victims and lap up the crimson liquid with ferocious, writhing pleasure.

In short, VAMPYRES is an excellent British erotic horror flick that is superior to most others from its era of origin, and it can even stand up against many straightforward, non-sexploitation horror films. It is well written, well acted, and has high production values throughout--and all this in spite of a low, low budget. Director Larraz and his co-scripters have take an idea that they could play for camp or sheer sexploitation and, instead, deliver a thought-provoking look at indiscriminate and promiscuous sex, physical obsession, and guilt. And on top of that, they still throw in lots of delicious T&A.

The DVD from Blue Underground is a great buy. Not only does it present a widescreen restored director's version of this excellent film--transferred primarily from the original negatives--but it also has lots of cool extras. It offers a feature-commentary track with director José Ramón Larraz and producer Brian Smedley-Aston that is both hilarious--due to Larraz's frank use of English colloquialisms--and informative. And there are also recent interviews with Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska, the film's beautiful stars; a lost scene recreated via production stills; U.S. and European trailers; and more. This is a piece of erotic artistic cinematic history that any serious horror fans will want to add to their collections.

Too slow
Even allowing for the fact that this film is low budget, and from the 1970s, doesn't make up for its monotony. Its mix of sex and cheap blood effects may have seemed avant-garde to some back then, but it sure doesn't cut any edge now. Except for a few thrills at the end, this film is like a long walk to nowhere (in fact, there are too many scenes in this movie of just that - long walks).

It's too bad really, because in the right hands, the story of two vampire seductresses luring passersby to their castle could have been creepy fun.

Not enough story, and bad direction make this a "passerby". Current interviews with the lovely female stars prove to be the most interesting part of this package. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Australian writer-director Rolf De Heer's 1993 semi-comic satire, Bad Boy Bubby, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival for its sometimes savage vision of a modern society in which a Kaspar Hauser-like figure suddenly appears. Nicholas Hope is masterful as 35-year-old Bubby, who has been shut within his corpulent mother's airless apartment all his life, enduring sexual exploitation and mom's lies about the outside world being poisonous. When Bubby's estranged father turns up, the boy-man seizes an opportunity to flee, and embarks on a dark journey to encounter the unknown. De Heer keeps his innocent hero moving from situation to situation, like a great blank slate (think of Peter Sellers in Being There) absorbing and repeating whatever he sees and hears. Meanwhile, the people who meet him perceive exactly what they want to perceive. De Heer may be on a Swiftian mission to underscore humanity's corruption, but Hope is brilliant at the more subtle job of constructing, using few tools, Bubby's increasingly complex inner life. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Awesome.
Get this movie. It's amazing and everyone should give it a try. It has some of the most sick and bizarre scenes in cinema history, yet it's just awesome. If you miss this rare cult classic you will regret it. This is a movie in a genre of its own.

Remarkable
In the film Bad Boy Bubby, the title character is a thirty-five year old man child who has been locked inside a cramped, dingy room by his abusive mother for his entire life. When Bubby's Pop suddenly shows up after a thirty-five year absence, Bubby is flushed out of his home, and the only world he has ever known, by his Mom and Pop, and into the "real" world, where he experiences equal measures of human cruelty and human kindness.
The film is at times bleak, harrowing, funny, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful. All of the actors do a very fine job, but Nicholas Hope's performance as Bubby is absolutely stunning. There's a long tradition of actors delving into roles of this type, Sling Blade, Awakenings or Rain Man for example, and while Hope's performance isn't as widely regarded as the lead performances in these three films, it surely would be if the film Bad Boy Bubby had received a wider release - especially in the United States, where until now it has been practically nonexistent.Now however, thanks to Blue Underground and this great DVD release a much wider audience will hopefully be able to see this exceptional film for the first time.
Once again Blue Underground has done a really topnotch job. The film transfer looks great and there are two sound options: a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and a Dolby Surround 2.0. Of special note, the sound for the film was recorded using a binaural sound system that is meant to allow the viewer the experience of hearing everything the same way the main character would.The extras on the disc are a 24 minute interview with director Rolf de Heer, who describes the interesting binaural recording process and reveals a lot of fascinating insights and details, including the fact that over 30 different cinematographers were used to shoot the film. There is a second 15 minute interview with Nicholas Hope who discusses his career before, during, and after Bad Boy Bubby.The short film that led to Nicholas Hope being cast in the role of Bubby, titled Confessor Caressor,is also included. And finally, there is also a theatrical trailer for Bad Boy Bubby and a poster/stills gallery. In all a great disc befitting a remarkable film.

The less you know before seeing this the better.

Here's one you haven't seen before.

And you just have to stay with it, because you probably won't know what to make of it for at least the first hour.

I saw this years ago at a Berkely art house. There was a warning posted at the ticket booth, which is probably the only reason I don't remember any walkouts. Recently it came to mind and I wondered what ever became of this bizarre little movie. Well here it is, thanks to the wonderful folks at Blue Underground.

The first half will probably surprise you, and the second half is likely to surprise you in an entirely different way. And I don't want to say any more than that.

SICK AND TWISTED
THIS MOVIE IS RARELY SEEN BUT I USE TO OWN THIS ON VHS AND ONLY WATCHED IT TWICE AND DIDNT NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN/BAD BOY BUBBY,ABOUT A MENTALLY HANDICAPPED MAN WHO IS TOLD BY HIS MOM IF HE GOES OUTSIDE HE WONT BE ABLE TO BREATHE AND HE WILL DIE/EVERY NITE HE HAS SEX WITH HIS MOM/HIS DAD COMES HOME ONE DAY FROM YEARS OF BEING GONE AND HE EVENTUALLY KILLS BOTH HIS MOM AND DAD AND TAKES HIS DEAD CAT AND GOES ON THE MOST BIZARRE ADVENTURE EVER INTO THE WORLD HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT/HE ENDS UP GETTING ARRESTED FOR ATTACKING A WOMAN,TAKING UP WITH A BAND IN WHICH HE BECOMES LEAD SINGER/MEETING A WOMAN AND HAS A KID AND THEN KILLS HER PARENTS CUZ THEY ARE VERY RELIGIOUS AND DONT AGREE WITH THEIR BEING TOGETHER/I CANT EXPLAIN EVERY DETAIL OF THIS MOVIE BUT IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND/BY THE END YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TOTALLY FATHOM ALL OF WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN BUT THE FIRST HOUR OF INCEST AND ABUSE IS ENOUGH TO PUT ANYONE OVER THE EDGE/I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS OR HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS/A MUST SEE FOR EVERYONE ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Dark Yarn With Dragging Coffins EASTER EGG and tech specs
This DVD came with The Spaghetti Western Collection. I simply didn't relate to the characters as most others seem to have. My enjoyment of the movie was limited by the lack of what I felt was a thoughtful score. Maybe I'm so used to Ennio Morricone's moving scores, as they seem to fit movies like another character. I wasn't impressed with the composition by Luis Enriquez Bacalov, whose music starts the title off. I don't know, maybe I don't care for lyrics. I guess lyrics shouldn't be used if the story is well- told in the movie.

This movie is quite dark and opens to some intense beating of a woman. Django is also dragging a coffin through mud towards a bleak- looking town where havoc eventually fills the streets which were emptied by the numerous killings.

I would lie to give it 4 stars because the music to me detracts from the movie. And the English dubbing just adds to not help me identify with the characters like I'd enjoy. Other macaroni flicks have gotten me to feel something for the characters, but something was missing here. I couldn't even feel for the woman being tortured (Loredana Nusciak). Yet for a movie like The Good The Bad and The Ugly, I could even identify with Al Mulock's character at the very beginning (the bounty killer whose head fills the screen from a once- empty desert scene). I would give it a very average score and tack on just a smidgen more for the DVD quality presented by Blue Underground, which is consistent with the other nice presentations they have distributed.

Tech Specs and Easter Eggs: Region- free NTSC DVD from a 90- minute master print, in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1 (only) and enhanced for 16X9; English mono and Italian mono with optional English subtitles; Django: The One and Only interviews; trailer; movie poster/production stills photos; linear notes; a two- page double- sided pamphlet with more detailed notes. I also found only one Easter Egg (I have found up to 3 in two other DVDs by Blue) which can be accessed by going to the Extras page, higlighting Django - The One and Only and then pressing LEFT on your remote to access a hidden feature.

A guy who loves spaghetti westerns is disapointed
Too many Corbucci films are inept, sloppy, and cartoonish. Speed Racer can be less cartoonsish. (see Navajo Joe). Django is not the worst but it is also no exception.
Two clever ideas in the film - a laconic anti-hero drags around a coffin with a machine gun inside
and a showdown in a graveyard with an interesting use of a cross.
That's it.
Otherwise -
Silly unconvincing action scenes - Django holds off dozens of incredibly stupid bad guys by sitting behind a log in the middle of a street. No one thinks to come up from the sides and behind?
Bad guys come off like Snidely Whiplash. And this may be insulting to poor Snidely.
The editing is uninspired.
Continuity errors (for some inexplicable reason a unconsious woman keeps changing positions on bridge - this is actually funny)
The violence and action are unrealistic and stupid. Just because Tarantino may have borrowed the infamous ear-eating scene does not make the movie any better. Incidentally the ear looks like a fig, and the scene is even sillier with the inane acting and dubbing involved.
Franco Nero's understated anti-hero style acting is completely ruined be hokey dialogue and a dubbed voice that sounds like Casper Milquetoast.
Worst of all - there is no film-making-style, especially for a spaghetti western.
Anchor Bay's version looks and sounds only OK but I doubt the film ever looked or sounded very good.
Quality spaghetti westerns can be very engaging but its hard to understand why this one was so popular Maybe it comes off better dubbed into German - for some reason it was very popular in Germany.
I gave this film two stars but not for its merits but for its place in history as being the predecessor of many other far superior spaghetti westerns. Had the sound, picture, dialgue and dubbing quality been better I may have squeezed out three stars.

Django lives
I'd heard lots about this film over the years but was unable to see it until a few years ago. It has the usual flaws of a spaghetti western (poor dubbing, choppy editting and almost silly lyrics for the title song), which are to be expected,and after having seen so many, are even endearing, but its quirkiness more than makes up for it. (Any film with the main cha