Author Archives: Matt Blake

About Matt Blake

The WildEye is a blog dedicated to the wild world of Italian cinema (and, ok, sometimes I digress into discussing films from other countries as well). Peplums, comedies, dramas, spaghetti westerns... they're all covered here.

A vaccinated cineaste, an interview with Steno

Here’s another interview with Stefano Vanzina, aka Steno [see also here]. Once again, this was translated from an old copy of the Italian newspaper L’Unita. Continue reading

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Jerry Ross, aka Gerardo Rossi

Jerry Ross, aka Gerardo Rossi, was another Italian actor who was more famous for his career in fotoromanzi than cinema. He appeared in just six films between 1967 and 1973… Continue reading

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Mad Mex, the Blackfighter

Wow, here’s a prime slice of out-and-out trash directed by and starring French wannabe Fred Williamson Max H. Boulois. Boulois was a fascinating character, an actor and writer who featured in a forgotten Spanish B-Movie Cabo di vara (78) and Sergio Garrone’s Italo-Turko-Spanish poliziotteschi Killer’s Gold (79). Continue reading

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Pier Paolo Capponi

Considering that he was in some of the most important genre films of the 1970s, amazingly little is known about the actor Pier Paolo Capponi. He appeared or starred in numerous giallos and poliziotteschi, usually playing committed cops or rather dour and humourless characters… Continue reading

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The importance of calling me Steno, an interview with Stefano Vanzina

Here’s an interview with Stefano Vanzina, aka Steno, the director of numerous Italian comedy films from the 1950s onwards. He also made a couple of effective straight films, including one of my very favourite – and hugely influential – poliziotteschi, From the Police with Thanks?. Continue reading

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Excellent Cadavers, directed by Ricky Tognazzi

Not the Francesco Rosi film of the same name, but a TV movie directed by Ricky Tognazzi detailing Judge Giovanni Falcone’s battle against the Mafia in Sicily during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Continue reading

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The Sicilian Connection

The Sicilian Connection is a rather peculiar poliziotteschi from Ferdinando Baldi… Continue reading

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Revenge of the Godfather

It’s hard to think of a decent Italo-Turkish co-production (I have a soft spot for Guido Zurli’s Polizia selvaggia, but that doesn’t make it a good film) and Farouk Agrama’s Revenge of the Godfather is about what you’d expect of the type. Continue reading

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Naked Violence

Naked Violence (aka I ragazzi del massacro) was Fernando Di Leo’s first crime film, released at the end of 1969. It’s less well known than his later, more heralded releases… Continue reading

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Kirk Morris, aka Adriano Bellini

Kirk Morris was one of the gang of actors who found a certain degree of fame as stars of the Italian cycle of peplum films during the early 1960s Continue reading

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Black Turin – Review

Black Turin is a peculiar mixture of boys adventure film and mafia movie, a cross between the kind of stuff that the Children’s Film Foundation used to churn out and a Francesco Rosi film. Continue reading

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Il terrore con gli occhi storti

Another Unita review, this time of Steno’s comic thriller Il terrore con gli occhi storti from 1972. Continue reading

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Overrun!

Overrun is a 1969 film directed by Mario Siciliano, part of the short live trend for Italian made second world war movies that came in the wake of The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare. Continue reading

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Slap the Monster on Page One – Review

A short review of Marco Bellochio’s 1972 film, aka Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina, starring Gian Maria Volonte and John Steiner Continue reading

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Beffe, licenze et amori del Decamerone segreto

Here’s a Unita review of Giuseppe Vari’s decameroticon Beffe, licenze et amori del Decamerone segreto, aka Love, Passion and Pleasure. Continue reading

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Ruggero Deodato on shooting in the Philippines, part 2

Continuing with the article written by Ruggero Deodato for Nocturno magazine about his experiences working in the Philippines while making The Atlantis Interceptors?. Continue reading

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Ruggero Deodato on shooting in the Philippines

Here’s an article translated from a recent-ish issue of Italian magazine Nocturno by Ruggero Deodato about his experiences working in the Philippines Continue reading

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Beati i ricchi

Here’s an article I’ve just translated from an old copy of L’unita, about the obscure Salvatore Samperi film Beati i ricchi Continue reading

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Sacred Silence

Sacred Silence is a 1996 film written and directed by Antonio Capuano. It’s a borderline crime film in that it deals with the Camorra, although it’s more of a character study and modern day tragedy than a traditional poliziotteschi Continue reading

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Gang War in Naples

Gang War in Naples is a film with a veneer of class. It has a stately pace, epic feel and – the major selling point – quite excellent cinematography from Giulio Albonico Continue reading

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