Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Antonio Margheriti and his movies
Space Men (1960)
When the Italian genre movies were just born, Antonio a.k.a. Anthony M. Dawson was already here and making first space operas. This really predated the mid-sixties boom of genre movies of all kinds. Other of his 60's science fictions were : Battle of the Worlds (1961), The Space Devils (1965), Wild Wild Planet (1965, co-starring Franco Nero!), War Between the Planets (1966), and The Snow Devils (1967, with Nero again).
In the early 60's probably every genre director had to shoot a sword and sandal movie. Margheriti did several of them. This one with the German Carl Möhner and two Italian beauties, Django's Loredana Nusciak and Ida Galli a.k.a. Evelyn Stewart.
What is Margheriti among his fans most known for? Yes, his gothic horrors. This was his first, and he was very prolific in the genre. Starring Christopher Lee!
Another of his sandal movies, in the original title it's Ursus instead of Hercules. Starring Reg Park, one of many musclemen of the genre.
And another sandal movie, this time with Richard Harrison.
Two gothic horrors, both starring Barbara Steele. Sergio Corbucci co-wrote the first one. Both look interesting.
And in 1966 Margheriti added eurospy movies to his catalogue. This time Richard Harrison appears again as James Bond clone for a change.
And in 1967 he finally directed a western too. Someone named Rik Van Nutter wears a Clint Eastwood poncho in this movie. Don't mistake it for Dynamite Jim, a comedy from the previous year, made by someone else.
Naked You Die (1968)
Margheriti developed Italian space movies. Margheriti developed Italian horrors. So which way would he go next? Yes, giallo! Still haven't seen it, but it's supposed to be good. In 1973 he made another giallo called Seven Deaths in a Cat's Eye with Jane Birkin and Anton Diffring, both his gialli are mixed a bit with gothic elements.
Finally something I've seen... A really good, atmospheric spaghetti western starring the wooden, but fitting Richard Harrison and Gian Maria Volonte's brother, Claudio Camaso. Recommended.
Another of his gothic horrors, made in coproduction with West Germany.
A gothic spaghetti western. Really! Klaus Kinski as the good guy. Really! He's after revenge and he gets it hardly. Half of the movie takes the final countdown. Kinski kills with a rifle. Kinski kills with fire. Kinski kills with the church bell... Is he a living person? Is he a ghost? I need to rewatch it.
Klaus Kinski co-starring as Edgar Allan Poe in another gothic horror. Leading parts taken by Michele Mercier and Anthony Franciosa. Looks very promising.
In 1970's Margheriti began to shoot comedies and it doesn't seem like a good idea. This one is some medieval erotic stuff, notable only for the cast of Barbara Bouchet, who, I believe, is in this movie fucked by an invisible man... Awful.
Even worse. Margheriti did a few kung-fu movies. Italian kung-fu movies! And he casted a clone of Bud Spencer, Fernando Bilbao! Oh, god, why... He made with him also a movie called Manone il ladrone (1974), a rip-off of Spencer's Flatfoot.
But this, somehow, works, and well. It's a spaghetti western comedy with kung-fu, a little bit erotic, and starring Lee Van Cleef. A weird cocktail? It works, it's actually very watchable! Co-starring Lo Lieh, Femi Benussi or Erika Blanc.
This one bored me, but it could've been the dubbing... Another weird mix, this time a spaghetti western mixed with blaxploitation! Starring Lee Van Cleef again, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. I'd probably watch it again someday...
Margheriti's only eurocrime, starring Yul Brynner and always nude Barbara Bouchet. Maybe it's not very bad.
Lee Van Cleef again, but this time in a contemporary movie about robbers. Co-starring Karen Black, Lionel Stander and Robert Alda.
Another Jaws rip-off, this time Margheriti's. Or is it rather a Piranha rip-off? Co-starring Anthony Steffen.
In the 1980's Margheriti was probably even more active than before, and he ripped off everything he could. This time it was Cimino's The Deer Hunter, starring David Warbeck.
Zombies and cannibals in one movie! I guess Italians did it more times. Starring John Saxon.
David Warbeck in the war again.
David Warbeck as Indiana Jones! Must be funny... The next year they made another movie, Ark of the Sun God.
Antonio rips off Rambo, but not with David Warbeck this time.
Reb Brown as Conan the Barbarian!
Code Name: Wild Geese (1984)
Lewis Collins (from The Professionals TV series) stars as a mercenary in one of Margheriti's mercenary movies he did with him. Others were Commando Leopard (1985) and The Commander (1988). In the first and the third one was Lee Van Cleef as a co-star, in the first two co-starred Klaus Kinski. The cast was quite stellar -also Ernest Borgnine (Wild Geese), Mimsy Farmer (Wild Geese), Donald Pleasence (The Commander).
Another Indiana Jones rip-off, this time with Christopher Connelly and Lee Van Cleef again.
Margheriti in the space again, an Alien rip-off.
Another action movie, with Francesco Quinn. After 2 years Margheriti did a sequel - with someone else.
And his last movie was a movie with Terence Hill, that is supposed to be so terrible that I didn't have the courage to watch it yet.
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