Just watched this last night for the first time and thought it was pretty solid. If I didnāt already know that Lizzani had also directed the Hills Run Red I never would have guessed; I liked that one too but it had a very different vibe to me.
Iām not sure how I feel about Lou Castelās performance; he wasnāt bad but I feel like another actor might have done more with the material. However, Mark Damon was fantastic and the opening scene with that Ortolani guitar riff is an all time great in my book. Pasoliniās speech to Castel at the end definitely felt a bit preachy and on the nose but it didnāt hurt my enjoyment of the movie at all.
An odd movie. The left wing polemic rather undermined by the increasing emphasis on Damonās barmy character- did he write or ad-lib his main speeches? That one in which he rants that women are morons only good for breeding and then finishes it by asking his henchmen whether he has lost his attractiveness was hysterically funny. At time he also looked like a Gothic horror character from one of Gothic horror movies. And he has his padded room for his wife on the off-chance that he has to imprison her there!
Well, my feelings regarding this one havenāt changed much. Itās an okay movie mostly marked by Damonās fantastic interpretation of one of the most memorable and arguably one of the best antagonists in the history of the genre, he really shines here. Other than that, there is not much of interest here, the storyline is badly let down by Lizzaniās soporific directional style. The political overtones do little to rectify the thoroughgoing visual unimaginativeness and most of the time, it feels like a missed opportunity above all else. This probably could have been a classic had it been helmed by somebody else. If I ever revisit this one, it will be for Damon alone, as he is absolutely fantastic, his performance genuinely coruscates here.
Very well made flick. I love it. The acting of Pasolini fits very well. And Lou Castelā¦.is Lou Castel. But Mark Damon is at his best. His Job as a homosexual Bad-Boy isnāt a easy one to act.
5.5/10. That might be a tad unfair so maybe it will get higher once I think about it more. (Edit. 6/10). Itās certainly a memorable film due to it being so original so it probably deserves a higher rating. Reminds me of Black Killer in the sense that I rated that pretty average score wise too, but itās remained in my brain alot since.
Not usually sustainable to the more politically based SWās but I didnāt mind this - primarily because I think Damon is amazing in everything Iāve seen him in and I enjoyed him thoroughly here. Lou Castel - not sure what to think of his performance. I think for the character he played, he probably did a good job, but the character itself was just a little flat and void of personality, on purpose I guess. Just a little boring. Similar goes for Princy, I wanted a bit more background to her too. It felt a little like two films merged into one with the Princy part not getting anywhere near as much attention compared to the massacre revenge aspect.
Really liked the cast and the roles the ladies were given. The maids etc - a very broad and mixed cast.
Enjoyed the overall dark and gothic style. Some of Damonās dialogue and actions were brutal and a little unexpected. 2 or 3 very memorable and original scenes that have been noted.
Also, the user The_Stranger provided a good post back in Aug 2010 and summed up my thoughts on how the film was āunevenā, especially in the first 30 or so minutes. I didnāt like how we went from one situation to the next, and then back to the first situation. It seemed a little strange and choppy. If the first 30 or so minutes were not like this, I think Iād be giving it a much higher score actually.
Anyhow, I do feel like this one is a film that Iād appreciate more with a rewatch or two in the future.