The Eroticist

Lando Buzzanca sex comedy by Lucio Fulci is worth seeing

From 1970 onwards, the Italian actor Lando Buzzanca (born 1935) played the recurring type of strong-armed daredevil in numerous "Commedias sexy all'italiana" from 1970 onwards, but with his mannered Latin lover behavior he sometimes took on neurotic traits. This made him the male figurehead of the sex comedies from Italy, which were quite successful in the 1970s. On the female side, Laura Antonelli and Gloria Guida, who achieved similar popularity, should definitely be mentioned here.

This little masterpiece, also known in English as "The Eroticist", is directed by the master Lucio Fulci (1927-1996), who was at home in every genre. Whether Giallo (The Seven Black Notes, 1977), Western (Silbersattel, 1978) or Poliziottesco (Das Syndikat des Grauens / (The Syndicate of Horror): something special always came out. Of course, he is known to most fans for his groundbreaking horror films (Woodoo Island of Zombies (1979) and Ein Zombie hing am Glockenseil / A Zombie Hanging on a Rope (1980)). Incidentally, he was also one of German GOLDEN GLOBE winner Elke Sommer's co-discoverers when he cast the young actress in his musical comedy "Ragazzi del Juke-Box" (1959). Here he takes on the Italian sex comedy and turns it into an interesting satire about politics, the Catholic Church and the mafia.

Edmondo Amati (1920-1992) was active as a producer, who also released the worth seeing EuroSpy films with Ken Clark and the spanking films "All for One - Spanking for All" and "Ettore lo fusto / The Horse Came Without Socks" with the great Giancarlo Prete.

Gianni Puppis (Lando Buzzanca) is a successful politician who strives for higher things, but has a significant problem: he can't keep his hands to himself. As soon as he sees a well-shaped bottom, he can no longer hold on and has to grab it. It's not just the women in his immediate surroundings who are popular victims. Even when his chauffeur Carmelino (Aldo Puglisi) is at his worst, the troubled Gianni cannot contain himself. When everything gets worse and worse and at the same time he has the prospect of becoming the next president, Gianni decides to take a radical cure. Through the mediation of Cardinal Maravidi (Lionel Stander), he is admitted to Father Lucian's (Renzo Palmer) institute, where the beautiful nuns Hildegard (Laura Antonelli) and Brunhilde (Agostina Belli) self-sacrificingly take care of his numerous needs. In the meantime, however, his political opponent Senator Torsello (Feodor Chaliapin Jr. - the Jorge von Burgos from "The Name of the Rose" (1986)) and the mafia boss Don Gesualdo (Corrado Gaipa) have also caught wind of the aspiring politician's little weakness , which they obviously intend to use for their own purposes.

Unfortunately, the monastic seclusion and the promising treatments failed to have a soothing effect on Gianni. At an important state reception, the hormone-stricken philanderer gets the better of it and he and the French ambassador's extremely attractive wife (Anita Strindberg) spontaneously disappear into the surrounding bushes. Now the fate takes its course and it comes to a more than surprising end...

In this frivolous fun, all the institutions of Italian society at the time get their fat. Fulci then had to struggle with the Italian censors to get his film into cinemas, which he managed to do after a certain delay. Of course, this film is not politically correct by today's standards. But you can certainly be amazed at what filmmakers dared to do 50 years ago. And you can dream a little too.

Lucio Fulci is and will always be best remembered for the films that won him his 'Godfather of Gore' title, but like most of the best Italian directors; he was actually quite versatile and made films in many different subgenres. This is the second sex comedy I've seen from Fulci; the first being Dracula in the Provinces, and I would say that this one is second best; but that's not to say it doesn't offer what you want from a sex comedy (a good fun time) and I'm sure that most people wont be too disappointed. The title makes you think it's going to be an Exorcist parody...until you realise this film actually came out before William Friedkin's masterpiece. The base of the plot is really simple and we focus on Senator Gianni Puppis; a man with an embarrassing problem. The problem is that whenever he gets close to a woman's backside, he gets the uncontrollable urge to grab at it; and as you can probably imagine, that leads to a few problems! It's not long before he realises that something needs to be done about the problem, and he goes off to live with a priest (and some nuns) to help him solve it.

The first thing I noticed about this film was the near two hour running time and I worried that it might be heinously overlong. When the film is cracking jokes and sticking to the main subject material, it's fun and entertaining; but there's a bit too much focus on the political element of the story for my liking. I'm not sure if the film was trying to make some sort of political comment (seeing as I wasn't in Italy in the seventies), but even if it trying to do this; I wouldn't give it credit as that isn't what I tuned in for. The film does feature plenty of good moments, however, that more than make up for the problems. There's a host of beautiful women – the well endowed Laura Antonelli is a big standout towards the end of the film, and there's no shortage of nice female behinds for our hapless lead to grope. Lando Buzzanca is great in the lead role and fits into his character really well. The dream/fantasy sequences are all big standouts and Fulci obviously delighted in making things as lewd and surreal as possible. Overall, I'm happy that Fulci stuck to horror films in the long run - but he makes a decent sex comedy too and I'm sure most people who catch this one won't be disappointed!

This film is still hilarious and sexy as hell 48 years after it was made. For an Italian political satire/titillation vehicle, that's a hell of an achievement!

A happy punter.

The Eroticist

After reading the two line summary that describes this movie, I knew I HAD to see it.

What I got was a few genuine chuckles, some great female nudity and some pretty funny acting.

The movie is about a senator named Puppsi, pronounced Poop-C. Who succumbs to a "disease" where he can not control his sexual appetite. He's held off so long that he is actually grabbing bum bums and not even knowing it. The actor who plays Puppsi does a good job with the facial expressions and delivery. Great job casting this movie.

Obviously the movie is about him dealing with this "problem." There's a subplot involving the church and blackmailing that I really didn't care much for. You might, I didn't. The scenes weren't very funny and I found myself to be a little bored by them. But when Puppsi is on screen, it's pretty much always fun. Either by laughs or by some good nudity. By the way, the lead woman in this movie is gorgeous with a capital G.

The movie is pretty funny...if you enjoy sex comedies like Flesh Gordon 1 or 2, movies of that nature you'll most likely have a fun time with this.

Bringing this idea into film was awesome. I cant count how many times that I've wanted to squeeze a bum. Good comedic stuff from a legendary horror director.

Like Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci is most famous as a horror director. But also like Mario Bava (with "Four Times That Night"), Fulci has made here one of the better continental sex comedies I've seen. While most sex comedies contain broad and idiotic humor (think of the American "Porkies" or the long-running British "Benny Hill Show")this film contains well-aimed satire that cleverly skewers corrupt Italian politicians, power-mad clergy, the panting news media, and even the apathetic Italian public that suffers all these fools gladly. And while most sex comedies shy away from anything remotely controversial (as sex and nudity are often controversial enough)this movie courts it by viciously attacking its targets with hilarious but frightening caricatures like Lionel Stander's corrupt and evil archbishop who likes to "canonize" his enemies by murdering them and using their likeness on cheesy plaster saints.

The main story is about, Giovanni Puppi (Gianfranco Buzzanca), a senator and potential presidential candidate who up until the present has been a discreetly-closeted homosexual (and thus a perfect candidate for the Vatican), but suddenly develops an irresistible urge to pinch women's butts. After he is caught on film groping a female dignitary, one of his cronies (a Catholic priest)sends him to a German nunnery/clinic for a cure. Unfortunately, as the monetary is staffed with the likes of Laura Antonelli and Agostina Belli, the "cure" ends up turning him from a repressed heterosexual into, well, a typical philandering Italian politician, much to the chagrin of his Vatican sponsors.

This movie is surprisingly long on plot, if a little short on sex and nudity. Agostina Belli keeps her clothes on for once, and Anita Strindberg (as a diplomat's wife Puppi drags into the bushes at a garden party)is two large coins and some American dollars short of a nude scene. Laura Antonelli doesn't disappoint though as a guilty but lust-crazed nun who demands Puppis whip the sin out of her but only gets more aroused when he does. The best scenes though are several surreal fantasy sequences (similar to those in Fulci's previous film, the giallo "A Lizard in Women's Skin")where Puppi makes his away along a long line of bare-assed nuns or finds himself in a Boschian world where voluptuous women's butts protrude from giant flowers. There is some good comedy too--Giovanni Buzzanca is great, especially when he falls into one of his bottom-pinching spells, and there is a hilarious scene involving a Scotsman in a kilt bent over a broken-down car. This is may be sacrilege, but this movie is probably better than MOST of Fulci's horror films. Highly recommended.