6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017
"A mostly unsung titan has passed."
The great Umberto Lenzi has left us! In a career that spanned over 30 years,
the Italian director churned out fine quality as well as crappy Eurotrash in
all genres: comedy, peplum, Eurospy, spaghetti westerns and macaroni combat, poliziotteschi,
cannibal and giallo. Here's a look at his movies...
An Italian in Greece
(1958, dir. Umberto Lenzi)
Original title: Mia
Italida stin Ellada. Little is known about his first directorial
project, made in Greece and co-written by Tersicore Kolosoff, who also appears
in the movie credited as "Terpsi Lenzi". The plot, according to the Greek Film Archive
and Nice Translator:
"A lady's man falls in love with an Italian student, whom he visits in
Greece. When she discovers that he is not a painter but the bad-mannered son of
a rich businessman, she decides to reject him. He remains persistent, however, and
after many funny situations he wins her love."
According to some sources, Nana
Mouskouri's song Arrivederci Ellada comes from the movie
Nana Mouskouri
sings
Arrivederci Ellada:
sings
Arrivederci Ellada:
Love and Chatter
(1958, dir. Alessandro Blasetti [3 July
1900–1 Feb 1987])
Trailer to
Italian title: Amore e chiacchiere. According to imdb,
Lenzi appeared somewhere in the background of this comedy drama for which the
lead actress, Carla Gravina, in her second film role, won the Best Actress
Award at the 1958 Locarno International Film Festival. We here at A Wasted Life
prefer her performance in Alberto De Martino's 1974 Eurotrash copy of The
Excorcist (1973 / trailer), L'anticristo.
Trailer to
The Antichrist:
The Dam on
the Yellow River
(1960, dir. Renzo Merusi [1 Nov 1914–29Jan
1996])
Original title: Apocalisse sul fiume giallo. Umberto Lenzi was assistant director on
this "anti-communist propaganda movie" starring Anita Ekberg; it was
her first movie after La Dolce Vita (1960 / trailer).
In his book Dam, Trevor Turpin says that Apocalisse sul fiume giallo "tells
the allegedly true story of a 1949 Communist plot to blow up a dam 'to convince
the world of our power'. In the film, rafts full of explosives are floated to
the dam. The hero (played by George Marshall [sic, he meant: Georges Marchal])
reaches one of the rafts but is too late, and the dam blows up, costing
'millions of lives'."
Pre-credit scene & credits:
Io bacio... tu baci
(1961, dir. Piero Vivarelli [26 Feb 1927–7
Sept 2010])
Adriano Celentano
sings
No English title 'cause the movie never made it to anywhere they speak English. Umberto Lenzi was assistant director on
this early musical comedy from Piero Vivarelli, the future co-scriptwriter of Sergio Corbucci's classic Django
(1966) and director of Il dio serpente
(1970 / scene),
The Black Decameron (1972 / German trailer)
and Satanik (1968 / trailer), among other stuff.
Sergio Corbucci cowrote the script and, interestingly enough, a song
performed in this movie, Adriano Celentano's 24mila baci, was co-written by
Lucio Fulci (see: Zombie
[1970], City of the Living Dead
[1980], Manhattan Baby
[1982], Demonia
[1990], and The Red Monks
[1988])!
Adriano Celentano
sings
24mila baci:
The plot as given by Baldinotto
da Pistoia at imdb: "Adolfo Cocchi has a building firm but his plan to
build a set of buildings is been stopped by an old former Garibaldian, Don
Leopoldo, who refuses to sell his property. A group of young people go to his
house to play and sing. Marcella (Italo singer Mina), Cocchi's daughter, who
has a beautiful voice, goes to visit Leopoldo and falls in love with Paolo (Umberto
Orsini). They have an idea: open a night-club called 'Io bacio... tu
baci'..."
Trailer:
Guns of the Black
Witch
(1961, dir. Domenico Paolella [15 Oct.
1915–7 Oct. 2002])
Original title: Il terrore dei mari. Umberto Lenzi was assistant director on
this low-grade pirate movie that got released in the US on a double bill with
Eddie Romero's Lost Battalion (1960) by American International Pictures.
The
plot, from TCM:
"In the 17th century, people of a tiny Caribbean island refuse to pay
tribute to their tyrannical Spanish rulers, and as a result they are attacked
and massacred by the soldiers of the villainous Guzman (Livio Lorenzon). Two
boys, Jean and Michel, escape and make their way to a pirate ship. Years later,
and now officers of the Black Witch, they plan to overthrow the colonial
government and avenge the massacre. In an unsuccessful raid, Jean (Don Megowan)
is wounded, and Michel (Germano Longo) is captured. Jean is nursed back to
health by Elisa (Emma Danieli of The Last Man on Earth
[1964]), the island governor's daughter, but Michel turns traitor and joins
Guzman in a plot to capture Jean and his pirates. Also in the plot is the fiery
Delores (Silvana Pampanini, seen below not from the movie), who wants revenge on Jean for having rebuffed her.
But Michel, Delores, and Guzman are all killed in their effort to capture the
pirates; and Jean and Elisa are free to continue their courtship."
Has nothing to do with Lenzi —
The trailer to
Constantine and the Cross
(1961, dir. Lionello De Felice [9 Sept
1916–14 Dec 1989])
Original title: Costantino il grande. Umberto Lenzi was one of three assistant
directors on this Italo semi-biblical epic that, at least in the US, seems to be in
the public domain. Romae Vitam
says the movie is "One of the rare ones that tells the story of Constantine, the
emperor who legalized Christianity in Europe and who built a new Rome, in the
city that used to be called Constantinople."
TCM
has the plot: "In the early years of the 4th century A. D., the warrior
Constantine (Cornel Wilde) […] is summoned to receive honors in Rome. En route
to the city with his friend Hadrian (Fausto Tozzi), a centurion, he is ambushed
by the soldiers of Maxentius (Massimo Serato), his political rival, who shifts
the blame for the attack to the Christians. After leaving the wounded Hadrian
in the care of Livia (Christine Kaufmann), a Christian maiden, Constantine
arrives in Rome. Livia is imprisoned for her beliefs but is released through
the intervention of Constantine, who is accused of treachery and forced to flee
the city, leaving behind his betrothed, Fausta (Belinda Lee), Maxentius'
sister. Subsequently, […] Constantine is acclaimed Emperor of the West; and he
announces a position of toleration towards the Christians. He weds Fausta, but […]
Maxentius becomes ruler of Rome, continues the cruel persecution of the
Christians, and has Livia tortured and killed. Fausta travels to Rome to sway
him, but he holds her prisoner and conspires to attack Constantine's forces in
Gaul. […] Constantine defeats his enemies, rescues Fausta and his mother, and
assures freedom of worship to the Christians."
Constantine and the Cross —
Full movie:
Michael's DVD
mentions that "Cornel Wilde's starring career was effectively over by the
time this film was made. […] Belinda Lee was a British film star who moved to
Italy in the late 1950s. Sadly this seems to have been her final film, and she
would not live to see it released. In 1961 she travelled to California to visit
friends and was killed in a car accident there, aged only 26. The lovely Christine
Kaufmann was a teenage German actress whose major claim to fame would be a
brief marriage to Tony Curtis, although she continues to appear in films."
Queen of the
Seas
(1961, dir. Umberto Lenzi)
A Scene
from
Original title: Le avventure di Mary Read. Lenzi finally directs another movie — with
"Tersicore Kolosoff (nee "Terpsi Lenzi" in 1958's Mia Italida
stin Ellada) as assistant director.
Girls with Guns,
which says the movie "has stood the test of time fairly well, except for a
romantic ending which is both predictable and unfortunate" and that the
"brisk 85 minutes […] helps paper over holes in the plot", has the
plot: "Starring Lisa Gastoni as Mary Read, a highwaywoman who takes a spot
on a corsair ship run by the unfortunately-named Captain Poof (Walter Barnes of
High Plains Drifter [1973 / trailer]).
After his demise in a sea-battle, Mary takes over the ship, leading daring
raids on any and all who cross her path, on sea or land. Given Poof was working
with the approval of the British crown, and supposed to be targeting only its
enemies, this provokes a reaction, in the shape of Captain Peter Goodwin
(Jerome Courtland), who is ordered to take care of Poof, unaware he has been
replaced by Mary. However, complicating matters, he also knows her personally,
having been locked up in prison with her back in England, and had a brief fling
with Read at the time. Can he bring his former love to justice?"
A Scene
from
Queen of the Seas:
The Triumph
of Robin Hood
(1962, dir. Umberto Lenzi)
Has nothing to do with Lenzi —
Original Italian title: Il trionfo di Robin Hood. Cult Action
has a plot description: "While returning home from the Third Crusade, King
Richard the Lionhearted is captured by the Germans and held for ransom. While
he is being imprisoned, his conniving brother, Prince John, takes control of
the regency and plans to oust Richard from the throne. Meanwhile, Robin Hood
and his men are trying to collect enough money to get their king back from the
Germans. However, the evil sheriff of Nottingham, Baron Elwin, attempts to stop
them."
The full Italian movie
with
English subtitles:
English subtitles:
Robin Hood Movies
calls Lenzi's version a "light-headed but surprisingly colorful Italian
film. Burnett, a Rock Hudson look-alike is Robin Hood, Gia Scala is
'Anna' rather than Marian, and [Canadian-born bodybuilder] Samson Burke, pictured below,
is Little John."
Don Burnett and Gia Scala were husband and wife at the
time the movie was made; it is Burnett's last movie. On April 30, 1972, 38-year-old
Gia Scala was found dead in her Hollywood Hills bedroom from an overdose of sleeping
pills. The actor playing the Sheriff of Nottingham, Arturo Dominici (2 Jan 1918
– 7 Sept 1992), was in many better movies than this one, including most Sergio
Leone movies, including A Fist Full of Dollars
(1964), and the two horror Italo classics Castle of Blood (1964 / trailer)
and Black Sunday (1960).
The trailer to
Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960):
Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960):
Duel of Fire
(1962, dir. Umberto Lenzi)
31 seconds
of the
opening credits:
("Quien es mas macho, Fernando Lamas o
Ricardo Montalban?") Lifelong Republican Fernando Lamas (9 Jan 1915
– 8 Oct 1982), the father of Lorenzo Lamas, headlines this movie as a man out
for revenge. AIP picked this one up for US distribution. Original Italian title: Duello nella Sila.
Film Affinity
has a detailed plot description: "The young sister of protagonist Antonio
Franco (Fernando Lamas) rejects the advances of a middle-aged baron [... and]
is then waylaid by outlaws — the passengers are all killed but not before she
has been gang-raped! Franco [...] sets out on his revenge by first eliminating
the lecherous nobleman [...]. His plan to get even with the desperadoes,
however, is more elaborate — as he determines to infiltrate the outfit and
learn the names of every man responsible for his sister's violent death; to
this end, he finds an unexpected ally in British lady journalist Miss Parker (Lisa
Gastoni) [...]. Anyway, the hero's baptism of fire sees him
single-handedly liberate one of their number from the gallows; besides, he
falls for the redheaded sister (played by Liana Orfei of Mill of the Stone
Women [1960 / trailer])
of another member. Before long, the true nature of both Lamas and Gastoni are
discovered [...]. The last act, then, acquires Shakespearean overtones [...] as
the dusty ground becomes riddled with corpses [...].
31 seconds
of the
opening credits:
Sandokan
the Great
(1963, dir. & writ Umberto Lenzi)
Original Italian title: Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem. Lenzi makes a — *sigh* — Steve Reeves (21
Jan 1926 – 1 May 2000) movie, his first of two, the second being a direct
sequel to this one. Based on a novel by the Italian author Emilio Salgari,
who invented the character of Sandokan, a fictional pirate of the late 19th
century (he first appeared in print in 1883). The script was co-written by
Víctor Andrés Catena and Fulvio Gicca Palli, the former of whom later co-wrote
the Crazies (1973 / trailer)
inspired trash film Panik / Bakterion / Monster of Blood (1982 / first 5 minutes).
Steve Reeves, some might remember, began his career with an Ed Wood Jr movie, Jailbait
(1954).
Reeves always looked the best and most
convincing when shirtless and in a well-packaged bathing suit. Still, it should
be pointed out that at the time this movie was made, Reeves was one the best
paid actors of Europe. This movie, by the way, shot on location in India — or at least parts were.
Mondo Esoterica
has the plot: "In colonial Malaysia, the fugitive Prince Sandokan (Steve
Reeves) discovers that his father is being held awaiting the death sentence by
the British. He is walking into a trap set by Lord Guillonk (Leo Anchóriz
of Horror: The Blancheville Monster [1963 / Italian trailer]),
who is desperate to capture the rebel and stop his activities on the island.
Sandokan's friend, the Portuguese adventurer Yanez (Andrea Bosic of Manhattan Baby
[1982] and Formula for a Murder [1985 / German trailer]),
is able to bluff the British that Sandokan is dead, and with their guard down
the prince and his small band storm Guillonk's house and capture his young
niece (Geneviève Grad). They take her as a hostage but soon she comes to
sympathise with their aims and when the group is ambushed by the British, she
travels with them deep into the uncharted jungles..."
Original trailer
to
Sandokan the Great:
to
Sandokan the Great:
Samson and
the Slave Queen
(1963, dir & writ. Umberto Lenzi)
Original Italian title: Zorro contro Maciste. Fantastic Musings
has the plot to what they call "the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of
sword-and-sandal/masked swordsman movies": "When a Spanish King dies,
he leaves behind two daughters, one of which will become queen. Both daughters
want to see the King's will; the good daughter (Maria Grazina Spina) wants to
know whether she will be queen, but the evil daughter (Moira Orfei) wants to
suppress it and make sure that she gets the crown. Each one sends a hero to get
the will for her; the good daughter sends Zorro (Pierre Brice of Night of the
Damned [1971 / credits sequence]),
the bad daughter sends Samson (Alan Steel), who isn't aware of that daughter's
evil ways."
In the USA, Zorro flew from the title and
the unfamiliar Maciste became the legendary Samson. Indeed, seldom did any
Italian Maciste film ever reach other lands with the hero keeping his name, for
although the character of Maciste — created by Gabriele d'Annunzio
(screenwriter) and Giovanni Pastrone (director) — is one of the oldest in
cinema (he was first played by Bartolomeo Pagano [27 Sept 1878 – 24 June 1947], seen below, in
the silent movie Cabiria [1914 / full movie]),
he is generally unfamiliar outside the land of Lo Stivale.
(Re)Search My Trash
says: "What a silly little film, a very clumsy attempt to combine the Zorro-
and Maciste-myths in some fantasy kingdom outside of time and space (ok, not
outside of space, that's an exaggeration) — and its cheaply made, too, probably
the shoddiest-looking period piece made by director Umberto Lenzi in the
early-to-mid-1960s... and yet the film manages to be quite charming in its
naivety despite (or even because of) everything, an extremely
simplistic-yet-likeable adventure yarn that you might find easy to enjoy if
you're still in touch with your inner-child... Oh, and while Alan Steel is
adequate in his role but nothing special (though he turns out to be one of
the better Maciste actors), Pierre Brice is pretty amusing as Ramon/Zorro."
The trailer
to
to
Samson and the Slave Queen:
Slave Girls of Sheba
(1963, dir. Giacomo Gentilomo & Guido
Zurli)
The trailer
from
Original Italian title: Le verdi bandiere di Allah. According to the Peter Rodgers Organization,
this B&W movie is in the public domain in the US. Umberto Lenzi worked on
the screenplay alongside Amedeo Marrosu, Sergio Leone, Adriano Bolzoni and the
film's co-director Guido Zurli. Giacomo Gentilomo, a serious filmmaker trapped
making movies for the masses, retired from films soon thereafter to become a
painter /example of his work found below). Guido Zurli stayed in the business, the highpoints of his cinematic
art being his movies Gola profonda nera / Black Deep Throat (1977 / opening credits),
with Ajita Wilson,
and that trash classic, The Mad Butcher (1971 / trailer).
The website Harem Girl & Slave Girl
has the plot: Slave Girls of Sheba is "sort of two movies for the price of
one. Things start with troubles caused by the tyrant Damitrius. We meet up with
the film's two heroes, Dimitri (Jose Suarez), a young man whose father is
hanged and girlfriend stolen by Damitrius, and Japhir (Mimmo Palmara), Captain
of the Black Eagle whose raid on the same villain goes horribly wrong. Storyline
two starts after a quick visit to Sheba to pick up a couple of slave girls,
hence the title, and the discovery that there's a plot against Japhir. Once
back in his home port of Constantinople, Japhir is taken captive and it's up to
Dimitri and a friendly monk to get word to the Sultan before Japhir, or even
the Sultan himself, is killed. Once this wild and pretty comical romp is over,
it's back dealing with Damitrius to finish what they started."
The trailer
from
The Invincible Masked Rider
(1963, writ & dir Umerto Lenzi)
Original Italian title: L'invincibile cavaliere mascherato. Aka Terror of the Black Mask — and, in Germany, oddly enough, as Robin Hood in der Stadt des Todes: "Robin Hood in the City of Death".
Written, as
always, in cohort with other Italo-scribes: Gino De Santis (co‑scribe of Atom
Age Vampire [1960 / trailer]),
Guido Malatesta and Luciano Martino, the last of whom went on to be the
producer of dozens of fun Eurotrash films like Slaves of the Cannibal God (1978).
TCM
has the plot: "During a plague in 17th-century Higuera the despotic Don
Luis (Daniele Vargas of Lo zombo, tu zombi, lei zomba (1979 / Italian trailer])
sequesters himself and his minions in his castle. A masked cavalier, however,
penetrates this sanctuary and quickly dispatches the don's henchmen. His
appearance coincides with the arrival of the tyrant's stepson, the timid Diego
(Pierre Brice), whom the despot betroths to Carmencita (Hélène Chanel),
orphaned daughter of the former governor. Having gained entrance to a feast
celebrating the epidemic's end, the masked swordsman kills the don during a
duel. Shedding his guises of masked intruder and stepson, the cavalier reveals
himself to be a Spanish officer, Captain Naderos, and he proclaims his love for
Carmencita."
Catherine of Russia
(1963, writ & dir Umberto Lenzi)
Original Italian title: Caterina di Russia. Needless to say, hardly as much fun of a
movie as Sternberg's The Scarlett Empress (1934 / scene)
starring Marlene Dietrich. Lenzi's version of Catherine's tale likewise stared
a German in the lead role: Hildegard Knef, of Die Mörder sind unter uns / TheMurderers Are Among Us
(1946), Alraune (1952 / she sings)
and Witchery (1988 / trailer),
among other movies.
The Italian Film Review
says, "German-born Lost Continent (1968 / trailer) star Hildegard Knef is pretty
good as Catherine of Russia but it is Raoul Grassilli, an actor who mostly
worked in television, who really steals the show as the bonkers czar. He rocks.
[...] Catherine of Russia could be considered an action film of sorts but it is
mostly a tale of court intrigue. The major success of the film comes from the
fact that the lead characters are ones with whom the viewer is able to
sympathise and the costumes and are great too."
Everywhere one looks online for the plot, the
same plot description in given: "Caterina (Knef) finds out that her
husband Peter Tzar (Grassilli) of Russia, is plotting to kill her. She sets
Count Orlov (Sergio Fantoni) free from prison, Peter's sworn enemy, becomes
empress of Russia and leads the Cossacks army against him."
An indiscriminate scene
from
Catherine of Russia:
from
Catherine of Russia:
Go here for Part II: 1964-68
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