Rosalba Neri News # 20 - Shameless TOP SENSATION DVD Update

   

   

    Shameless Screen Entertainment have updated their Facebook page with cover art and some extras for their upcoming release of Ottavo Alessi's TOP SENSATION (aka THE SEDUCERS). The listed 91 min running time is approx two minutes longer than the now OOP Camera Obscura release of a few years back so I'm curious to see what we end up with. The interviews (including Rosalba) are ported over from the Camera Obscura edition and the alternate scenes will most likely be the same VHS sourced alternate bits from the U.S. Jerry Gross distributed version titled THE SEDUCERS (with materials still MIA for a decent looking release of this version).   

    The trippy packaging certainly is an eye grabber and I'll post some screen grabs here as soon as I receive it. If you order directly from Shameless you even receive a free TOP SENSATION coloring book!

    

Rosalba Neri News # 19 - New TOP SENSATION & AMUCK Blu Rays On The Way !!

      More Rosalba Goodliness In HD !!

     Over on their Facebook page, Shameless Screen Entertainment has revealed a future release of TOP SENSATION (aka THE SEDUCERS) on blu-ray at some point in the near future. A classic slice of Italian exploitation from 1969 starring BOTH Rosalba Neri and Edwige Fenech, this was previously released on DVD by Camera Obscura  in 2013.
     Originally released theatrically in 1969 the film played in several different versions depending on the country, with the U.S. version as distributed by Jerry Gross under the title THE SEDUCERS being the most explicit (this version was released years ago on VHS by Something Weird). Camera Obscura released the less explicit Italian cut only on DVD (which is now out of print) with the more explicit scenes as VHS sourced extras (along with an alternate German cut) as after an extensive search the materials what they found was less than pristine - although their DVD release was fine-looking and eons better than the murky bootlegs that proceeded it.
     With the Camera Obscura release now OOP, it'll be interesting to see what Shameless releases as far as version, running time and source. We can only hope that if not this release, then sometime in the future a pristine print of the Jerry Gross version will be unearthed.

      Speaking of Camera Obscura, their Facebook page reveled an upcoming release on blu ray & DVD of AMUCK (aka ALLA RICERCA PIACERE) with the positively giddy news that it will be sourced from the ORIGINAL (!) camera negative. This trippy and perverse 1972 Italian giallo contains one of Rosalba's finest performance and plus stars the always welcome Barbara Bouchet and a nice evilly smarmy performance by Farley Granger from Alfred Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. Under its U.S. title of AMUCK this had a quasi-bootleg release on DVD years ago on the Eurovista label which featured a dead center transfer from a tape source that destroyed the film's widescreen compositions along with a sickly green/yellow tint. Last year Code Red issued a DVD under the alternate title MANSION OF MADNESS that featured a nice looking anamorphic widescreen transfer, that while being edited for running time (most likely for double & triple bills back in the day) did leave intact all the "best" sequences.
      Camera Obscura have also posted a lovely shot of Rosalba doing an interview for this upcoming release and plus they have confirmed this will contain the English dub as an option. If their past release of TOP SENSATION is any indication this is going to be an outstanding release both in terms of AV quality and packaging.

       

Rosalba Neri Friday # 19 - TWO MAFIOSI AGAINST GOLDGINGER 1965

Some more Euro-Spy "James Bond" stuff with Rosalba in an Italian GOLDFINGER knock-off !

  

aka THE AMAZING DR. G

   Here’s Rosalba in DUE MAFIOSI CONTRO GOLDGINGER (TWO MAFIOSO AGAINST GOLDGINGER), a 1965 Italian/Spanish co-production comedy that was one of literally dozens (if not hundreds) of European James Bond style spy adventures that appeared in the mid to late 60’s. After the gigantic worldwide success of 1964’s GOLDFINGER these were seemingly cranked out every week as this was one of four that Rosalba appeared in from 1964-65. In addition this was one of sixteen films that she appeared in during that same period as she alternated between spy, peplums, spaghetti westerns & sex comedies.

   Starring the Sicilian comedy team of Franco& Ciccio (Franco Franchi & Ciccio Ingrassia) this was a pretty direct parody of many of the smaller plot points & details from GOLDFINGER (hence the title) and was later bought by A.I.P. and shown on American television under the title THE AMAZING DR. G.  Franco & Ciccio were one of the most popular comedy teams in Italy appearing in over 100 (!!) films starting in the early 60s with spoofs of westerns, spy, peplums and adventure movies ( among them Mario Bava’s DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS starring Vincent Price). It’s been said that a little of them goes a long way as Franco’s excessive over the top Jerry Lewis style of mugging does get on your nerves after awhile, although some of the sight gags in GOLDGINGER are kind of amusing such as their use of the duck head disguise (from the GOLDFINGER pre-credit sequence) or their mishaps in James Bond style equipped car.

   The pair play a couple of bumbling photographers who are recruited by the British Secret Service after the death of Agent 007 (George Hilton – from bunches of spaghetti westerns) who’s been on the trail of “Goldginger” (Fernando Rey from THE FRENCH CONNECTION) the master villian who’s been using a mind control device on various leaders of the world in order to start a war between the U.S. and Russia. The first part of the film contains numerous nods to GOLDFINGER including the above mentioned ducks & car, along with a bald henchman in suit and bowler and a table top laser beam device (although here replaced by a dual circular saw).

    With about 10 minutes of screen time (and not making it past the 30 minute mark) Rosalba plays Agent 0024 who first appears as one of Goldginger’s “Gingergirls”, who are all dressed in one piece black jumpsuits and blonde wigs. She’s reveled as double agent after helping our pair of heroes initially escape and then ends up doing a Shirley Eaton impression by being painted gold from head to toe as reprisal and is even laid out in bed in the exact same position (for a comedy there’s a large amount of killing going on around here).
   As in some of her other early roles she’s credited “Rosalba Neri C.S.C.” which stand for il Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (The Center for Experimental Cinematography) which was a film school she attended.    

   The film jets around to various locations and Fernando Rey seems to be having a massively fun time in the role of the chess playing criminal mastermind. Also in the cast is the very pretty London born actress Gloria Paul who was up for the part as Domino in THUNDERBALL that ultimately went to Claudine Auger. For some more Euro-spy stuff please check out Dwrayger Dungeon on Wednesdays as there's going to be an ongoing series on them (and plus its a really cool blog).
  Next up on Rosalba Neri Friday will be THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS from 1972 starring Rosalba, Barbara Bouchet, Anita Ekberg, Evelyne Kraft and Howard Vernon. Holy Crap !

Rosalba Neri Friday # 17 - UPPER SEVEN - THE MAN TO KILL 1966

All Sorts Of Swingin' 60's Euro Spy Coolness With Rosalba AND Karin Dor !!!

AKA The Spy With Ten Faces

     An Italian/West German 1966 co-production, this was one of a plethora of European secret agent/spy movies that post 1965 & GOLDFINGER flooded the market in the mid to late 60’s. UPPER SEVEN stars Paul Hubschmid (The professor from 1953’s THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS) as British secret agent “Upper Seven” Paul Finney, who in performance and speech (as here dubbed) is eerily similar to future James Bond one shot George Lazenby in ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE from 1969. Discounting the well known stable of 60’s “Bond Girls” Finney has to be one of the luckier secret agents in screen history as he gets to spend time with both Rosalba and the very beautiful Karin Dor (who herself would go on to Bond girl status in 1967’s YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE).

  Otherwise known as THE SPY WITH TEN FACES, which refers to in this film of the much used gimmick in other euro spy movies of the removable rubber masks used as disguises, which probably had their basis in the prologue to 1965’s FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. The rubber mask ploy and the all around master of disguise thing is Upper Seven’s specialty which leads to the premise that none of his enemies know what he looks like. Although it is kind of ludicrous to see Finney pull on a cheap rubber mask in one scene and then cut to the other actor he’s portraying (with a few dabs of greasepaint) as the disguised Upper Seven, it all adds to the spirit of the movie including one sequence where he dons a bright red mustache & goatee along with a white British naval uniform (complete with shorts) to tail a suspect.

    Like peplums, I find most all of these movies hugely entertaining & fun (even the bad ones) and UPPER SEVEN is one of the better ones in that regard. The film features a variety of international locations including London, Rome, Copenhagen and Johannesburg (all proceeded by a bright yellow title card letting us know where we’re at) and an earnest performance by Hubschmid as the title character, who seems to take the role very seriously in spite of the sometimes wacky proceedings. Even though almost 50 years of age at the time, he handles the physical stuff very well - but oddly seems to fall a little flat chemistry wise with his beautiful co-stars, who in the person of Rosalba & Karin help immensely with the proceedings . Also adding to the “60’s spy girl vibe” is Danish actress Vivi Bach (!), who seemed to specialize in these movies during the 60’s and was known as the “Danish Bardot”

   All the usual Bond trapping are here including the gruff but kindly head of the section; the witty dialogue with the secretary, a Far Eastern nemesis (working thru a major crime network) and of course some gadgets - which include an exploding belt (!?) and a cane which can do a variety of things. In addition it’s always fun to see in these movies how they replicate the awe inspiring Ken Adam interior design work of the Bond movies on an infinitely smaller budget. The plot gets very convoluted very quickly with counterfeiting, robbery, secret missile bases, and a poisoned water supply all jostling for screen time, but eventually thing get sorted out leading to the climax in the villains underground liar complete with explosions, judo, remote control machine guns and one piece silver jumpsuits.

   Rosalba plays Pauline, who as Upper Seven’s London based girlfriend appears to be some sort of model and gets to ride in a big chauffeur driven Chevrolet convertible. Unfortunately she also works for Kobras (which seems to be both the name of the lead villain & his organization) and by setting up a hidden camera in her bedroom after their date hopes to get some film on him, which although maybe having something to do with his unknown identity is never fully explained. After ducking in to take a bath, she re-appears in a bright yellow terry cloth robe and warbles the (dubbed) title song while accompanying herself on acoustic guitar! Sadly, she’s dispatched rather quickly and doesn’t make it past the 20 minute mark in the movie with her total screen time adding up to about 8 minutes. All this is really a shame as she has a wonderful look here and it’s too bad we don’t get more of her.

   Karin Dor plays Helen Farheit who as Upper Seven’s FBI American ally (ala’ Bond’s Felix Lighter) makes for a very strong presence and almost upstages him in the action and judo stuff, including a great scene where she whips a knife out her garter belt and later when she participates in the final ass whoppin’ on the villain. She had starred in a bunch of the German Edgar Wallace “Krimi” films and in 1967 along with her Bond role would also appear in the excellent gothic horror THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM (and to top it all off it was her 76th birthday on Feb. 22 !) Fun Stuff !!