The Eurocult Film Thread

[IdleRich]

"Isn't it the one with the bunny story? You are right, boring but I liked it esp. the episode about the bunny."

Yeah, the bunny one was the best by far. It looked gorgeous and had a pretty cool story line. The other two stories weren't so good though and so with 2/3 of the film not hitting the spot I couldn't really recommend the whole thing. I'm not sure that Borowczyk is so good when his film is set in the present day (as in the last segment) and the first segment was badly let down by Raphael's hair (among other things).

"I haven't seen this one but it looks promising. What do you think? Any idea what is the Arthurian reference in the title?"

I was wondering about the title - isn't there another film with the same name (directed by Herzog maybe)?

"Did any one mention nunexploitation too?"

The thing for me is that I can understand there being one or two films about nuns or nazis but how can there be enough to warrant naming an entire genre? School of The Holy Beast seems to be the acme here I guess.

[Octopus?]

The thing for me is that I can understand there being one or two films about nuns or nazis but how can there be enough to warrant naming an entire genre? School of The Holy Beast seems to be the acme here I guess.

Get thee to "Alucarda", stat!

[craner]

Nunsploitation is a lame genre, though ultimately more redeemable than Nazisploitation. It's ultimate source is, I guess, Ken Russell's The Devils, which I hate. I prefer to think of it as the inevitable outcome of the Catholicism that heavily underpins all the Italian exploiters, from Bava to Leone to Fulci and back and beyond.

School of the Holy Beast is obviously the greatest example extant, because it rampantly busts the Italian conventions. Being made by a Japanese genre-melting visionary, and roping in a supremely weird incest/Hiroshima sub-plot, obviously helps the whole enterprise speed along. It is, actually, an incredible film. I was lucky enough to see it fully restored at NFT 1 a couple of years ago.

I used to own a nice battered Redemption VHS of The Other Hell, a vaguely enjoyable and batty Goblin-propelled flick with lashings of Argento/Bava-style animal and doll imagery. It remains the only competent and bearable Bruno Mattei film I've ever seen.

Killer Nun was dour and wasted an interesting cast, but is redeemed by that definitive title, as perfect and to the point as Cannibal Holocaust or Profondo Russo or The Gestapo's Last Orgy.

Joe D'amato's Images in a Convent has some silly and inspired moments (the Bacchus statue, the enormous wooden phallus!), and Paola Senatore is terrific in it, but the hardcore sleaze is just gross and tedious, although the demented exorcism of the entire convent at the end touches greatness. It's a good DVD to own, though, because it has an incredible hour long documentary about D'amato's career which is a truly priceless cultural document, if only for D'amato's frank, witty, despairing contributions and the backstage period footage. It's certainly A LOT better than most of his actual films.

I also like Monica Zanchi in the ever-so twisted Sister Emanuelle, possibly my favorite entry in the franchise, despite the lack of exotic locations.

Convent of Sinners and others I have yet to see, and I'm not that thrilled by the prospect.

[craner]

Any more westerns like Django Kill? Guess not. Absolutely loved Django but I don't know much about westerns. The Great Silence or however you translate it is good actually. I thought that Silence was going to pull it out of the bag like Django does at the end, boy was I in for a surprise (unless you watch the alternative happy ending that was made for.... Brazil was it?).

The Great Silence is my favorite western of all time, even beating Leone and John Ford. I love that film, and not just because it contains Klaus Kinski's greatest ever performance.

I posted this a while back, some good tips there. Also, Fulci's Massacre Time is amazing: Franco Nero and George Hilton involved in a shoot-out that inspired John Woo.

[craner]

[IdleRich]

"Nunsploitation is a lame genre, though ultimately more redeemable than Nazisploitation. It's ultimate source is, I guess, Ken Russell's The Devils, which I hate. I prefer to think of it as the inevitable outcome of the Catholicism that heavily underpins all the Italian exploiters, from Bava to Leone to Fulci and back and beyond."

I love The Devils but I wouldn't have especially associated it with Nunsploitation as it seems like far more than a genre flick to me. The Catholicism thing seems a better source for the genre to me, do you think that there is any connection between The Devils and NS except for superficial thematic similarities?

"The Great Silence is my favorite western of all time, even beating Leone and John Ford. I love that film, and not just because it contains Klaus Kinski's greatest ever performance."

Have you seen the alternative ending where he wins by doing something totally ridiculous like wearing metal gloves so that his hands don't get injured?
It's interesting that some scenes in this film have several translations, I've seen two versions of the scene where Silence meets Kinski in the carriage which completely alter the conversation they have. I found that a little disconcerting.

Looking at that list of Westerns - Four of The Apocalypse is very disappointing, after an excellent start it becomes very boring very quickly. A real shame. Turns out that Massacre Time is on my lovefilm list already.
Speaking of lovefilm, they sent me another Borowczyk yesterday by complete coincidence. The film was called Love Rites and basically the film is about a man and woman who meet on the Metro and go back to her boudoir where things suddenly turn nasty and weird. I actually rather enjoyed it despite some silly voice over narration that suddenly appears in the sex scene - all this "he thrust his mighty weapon in to the hilt" business, although I guess that bit is deliberate as it is echoed at the end when the protagonist is wrongly accused of murdering a woman he meets bathing in the Seine and the witness describes him "stabbing the knife in to her to the hilt".

[craner]

Oh, come on, the ending of Four of the Apocalypse is great! A whole village of Wild West brutes going la la over a newly born babe! In the snow! I think it's a superb film, although its fungular atmosphere is somewhat spoiled by hammy dubbing. I really like these on-the-cusp-of-Zombi Fulci productions - the instinct to create something worthwhile fading against the magnetic pull of gore $$$'s. Did you rate The Psychic at all?

I can't actually bring myself to watch The Great Silence 'happy ending' - the very idea is counterintuitive - although I suppose I shall have to force myself at some point. I think you have to watch this film in Italian though - for once thing, English dubbing removes the fey chill of Kinski's amazing performance.

The Devils is to Nunsploitation what The Night Porter is to Nazisploitation. Er, I wasn't being entirely serious.

[craner]

Massacre Time is a more straight - if vicious, and sadistic - spaghetti Western than Four of the Apocalypse. It has a brute elegance - rather like its two leading men.

[craner]

Er, I wasn't being entirely serious.

Although I realise I sounded more pompous than I meant to.

[IdleRich]

"Oh, come on, the ending of Four of the Apocalypse is great! A whole village of Wild West brutes going la la over a newly born babe! In the snow! I think it's a superb film, although its fungular atmosphere is somewhat spoiled by hammy dubbing."

I know what you're saying but I'd lost interest long before that bit. And the actual ending bit when he catches up with the baddie seemed like such an afterthought.
Never seen The Psychic.
I thought that I watched The Great Silence in Italian with subtitles - definitely seem to remember hearing Kinski's sibilant camp voice in that film.

"The Devils is to Nunsploitation what The Night Porter is to Nazisploitation. Er, I wasn't being entirely serious."

Fair enough.

[craner]

Sorry, I just got a bit confused when you said "It's interesting that some scenes in this film have several translations, I've seen two versions of the scene where Silence meets Kinski in the carriage which completely alter the conversation they have..."

[craner]

bit when he catches up with the baddie seemed like such an afterthought.

You mean Jacobean revenge and grand cosmic comeuppance, surely??? Thomas Milian is channeling the spirit of Charles Manson. After drugging and raping Bunny, Chaco deserves the lingering, brutal treatment Stubby dispenses. I thought it was a decent and deserving resolution, frankly. It gave me a warm feeling inside. What's great about this film is how it veers wildly between barbarity and tenderness - and, in the end, the two extremes coincide.

I can't believe you're so down on this film! It's easily one of Fulci's best.

[IdleRich]

"You mean Jacobean revenge and grand cosmic comeuppance, surely??? Thomas Milian is channeling the spirit of Charles Manson. After drugging and raping Bunny, Chaco deserves the lingering, brutal treatment Stubby dispenses. I thought it was a decent and deserving resolution, frankly. It gave me a warm feeling inside. What's great about this film is how it veers wildly between barbarity and tenderness - and, in the end, the two extremes coincide."

Yeah but it was just too easy. The scene giving birth goes on for about four hours and then the main guy rides along a bit for about two minutes and just by complete coincidence the bad guy falls right into his lap. He doesn't even have to struggle to overcome him, he's asleep isn't he?

[craner]

He doesn't even have to struggle to overcome him, he's asleep isn't he?

Yeah, and Stubby ties him up. It's sort of the point, though - Chaco is a weak character. His reign of terror relies on guns and dirty tricks. He doesn't even 'overpower' Bunny when he rapes her - he ties her to the ground and drugs her; he does it to the whole gang. He's basically a pathetic psychopath. And Stubby himself is simply a conman who happens to be redeemed by, uh, love. Although he has just abandoned his child to a village of tender-hearted male brutes. So he's a pretty ambigious and fucked-up character. And he certainly doesn't take any chances with a nutter like Chaco. It's a really unheroic and brutal ending, actually. A dour and ambivalent resolution rather than an operatic blowout a la Leone. I like it.

[IdleRich]

Chaco is a fearsome shot isn't he though? They are scared of him before he drugs them.

"It's a really unheroic and brutal ending, actually. A dour and ambivalent resolution rather than an operatic blowout a la Leone. I like it."

Yes, it is unheroic and dour but I'm afraid I found it also a little bit.... I dunno, underwhelming and boring.
Looks as though you can download the Soledad Miranda tunes here by the way

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