Satirical comedy by Enzo G. Castellari with Vittorio de Sica and Giancarlo Prete
This almost forgotten Italian film from 1972 brings together a star ensemble that reads like a "who's who" of ItaloCinema. It was directed by Enzo G. Castellari, who should be a household name again at least since Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" (2009). The co-screenwriter is Lucio Fulci, who would become a scandalous celebrity a few years later with horror films such as "Woodoo - The Zombie Island of Terror" (1979) and "Ein Zombie hing am Glockenseil / A Zombie Hung on a Bell Rope" (1980). And in the role of Cardinal Jove (Jupiter) is ACADEMY AWARD nominee Vittorio de Sica, who would become a co-founder of Neorealismo with "Ladri di biciclette / Fahrraddiebe / Bicycle Thieves" (1947).
What is "Ettore lo fusto" (literally translated as: Hector, the great pike), which is also known in the German-speaking world as "Zum Dessert Dirne Helene" (not quite as stupid as "Das Pferd kam ohne Socken / The horse came without socks") about? It's about a modern reinterpretation of Homer's Iliad, which is in turn based on the novel "Le roi de Mirmidous". Understood? So:
The Trojan hero Hector is a Roman brothel owner (Philippe Leroy) who owns a property that Count Mercurio (Luciano Salce) is also interested in building a new hotel. The corrupt Cardinal Jove (Vittorio de Sica) helps his friend and thus triggers a war between two gangs of gangsters (virtually Trojans against Greeks). Starting from the affair between Paris (Juan Luis Galiardo) and Helena (Rosanna Schiaffino), turbulent complications arise in which each Homeric character plays his well-known role. You can see: ACADEMY AWARD nominee Giancarlo Giannini as Odysseus / Franca Valeri as Cassandra / Aldo Giuffre as Agamemnon / Vittorio Caprioli as Menelaus / Philippe Leroy as Hector. Particularly worth seeing are the powerful Michael Forest as Achilles and Giancarlo Prete as Patroclus. The film takes the ancient Greeks at their word and expressly shows the ancient superhero Achilles and his beloved comrade-in-arms Patroclus (which he teasingly calls "CloClo") as a homosexual dream couple that even death cannot separate. Haydee Politoff and Orchidea DeSantis shine in smaller roles.
This film is a light comedy that makes fun of Roman corruption in the 1970s in the guise of an ancient epic. A great car chase through the Roman EUR district is worth seeing. Giovanni Cianfriglia and Armando Bottin appear in supporting roles as whipping boys.
Definitely worth it for fans of Italian genre cinema!
