Post by LivingDeadGirl on Sept 7, 2004 18:35:10 GMT -5
VENICE (Reuters) - Quentin Tarantino is in town to present a retrospective of Italian films, but don't look for masterpieces from the likes of Federico Fellini or Luchino Visconti in the line-up.
Instead, "Cannibal Holocaust," "Orgasm" and "The Big Gundown" take the honors as some 20 action flicks, erotica and horror B-movies unspool in the new "Italian Kings of the Bs" section of the Venice Film Festival.
"To actually see them all in Italian, restored and in their original form, it's a movie geek dream," Tarantino gushed at a news conference.
Indeed, many of them inspired the films like "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" that have given Tarantino a cult following and idol status in the cinematic world.
"I put what I took from some of these movies into practical application," he said, pointing to the influence of spaghetti westerns and Italy's 1970s cop movies on "Kill Bill: Vol. 2."
The retrospective features movies produced between 1959 and 1974 and pays special homage to Fernando Di Leo, the cult creator of "Death Commando" and "Mister Scarface." Some of the films are from Tarantino's private collection.
Joe Dante, U.S. director of "Gremlins" and "Haunted Lighthouse," is also presiding over the section.
The films that were largely written off when they first came out and quickly forgotten afterwards are now giving Hollywood a run for its money at cinemas on the Lido where tickets are sold out on a nightly basis.
Tarantino said the director of the Venice Film Festival, Marco Muller, approached him with the line-up and asked him to present the retrospective while Tarantino was heading up the jury at the last Cannes festival.
"When I saw the list, my eyes popped out of my head and I said 'I'm there'. A couple of these films I've been waiting my whole life to see."
The screenings are part of a broader four-year restoration and revival project called "A Secret History of Italian Cinema." In a sign that Italian B-movies really are now the height of fashion, Prada Foundation has provided funding.
Among Tarantino's favorites are Di Leo's retro classics and "The Big Gundown" by Sergio Sollima.
Dante touted the "pop-art psychedelic murder mystery" "With Heart in Mouth" by soft-porn director Tinto Brass.
"They weren't taken very seriously in their country of origin, or by the critics in America ... Now it's almost too late to rescue some of these pictures," Dante lamented.
Many of the creators of these movies, including Di Leo, have already died virtually anonymous deaths.
But one blonde, buxom star of the era, Barbara Bouchet, who is now 61, was on hand to talk about the revival.
"My films at the time were considered B-movies, but that was okay with me, I enjoyed them," she said. "The fact that I am an icon is something that I've really just discovered."
Instead, "Cannibal Holocaust," "Orgasm" and "The Big Gundown" take the honors as some 20 action flicks, erotica and horror B-movies unspool in the new "Italian Kings of the Bs" section of the Venice Film Festival.
"To actually see them all in Italian, restored and in their original form, it's a movie geek dream," Tarantino gushed at a news conference.
Indeed, many of them inspired the films like "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" that have given Tarantino a cult following and idol status in the cinematic world.
"I put what I took from some of these movies into practical application," he said, pointing to the influence of spaghetti westerns and Italy's 1970s cop movies on "Kill Bill: Vol. 2."
The retrospective features movies produced between 1959 and 1974 and pays special homage to Fernando Di Leo, the cult creator of "Death Commando" and "Mister Scarface." Some of the films are from Tarantino's private collection.
Joe Dante, U.S. director of "Gremlins" and "Haunted Lighthouse," is also presiding over the section.
The films that were largely written off when they first came out and quickly forgotten afterwards are now giving Hollywood a run for its money at cinemas on the Lido where tickets are sold out on a nightly basis.
Tarantino said the director of the Venice Film Festival, Marco Muller, approached him with the line-up and asked him to present the retrospective while Tarantino was heading up the jury at the last Cannes festival.
"When I saw the list, my eyes popped out of my head and I said 'I'm there'. A couple of these films I've been waiting my whole life to see."
The screenings are part of a broader four-year restoration and revival project called "A Secret History of Italian Cinema." In a sign that Italian B-movies really are now the height of fashion, Prada Foundation has provided funding.
Among Tarantino's favorites are Di Leo's retro classics and "The Big Gundown" by Sergio Sollima.
Dante touted the "pop-art psychedelic murder mystery" "With Heart in Mouth" by soft-porn director Tinto Brass.
"They weren't taken very seriously in their country of origin, or by the critics in America ... Now it's almost too late to rescue some of these pictures," Dante lamented.
Many of the creators of these movies, including Di Leo, have already died virtually anonymous deaths.
But one blonde, buxom star of the era, Barbara Bouchet, who is now 61, was on hand to talk about the revival.
"My films at the time were considered B-movies, but that was okay with me, I enjoyed them," she said. "The fact that I am an icon is something that I've really just discovered."