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This summer only at the Hollywood Theatre, The Grindhouse Film Festival presents: THE 70′S ITALIAN CRIME SERIES! Rare 35mm prints from this incredible yet unfortunately forgotten genre. None of these films are available on dvd.
In the early 70′s, the spaghetti western boom dried up (with over 600 Euro-westerns produced) so Italian directors took to the streets to create hard-boiled tales of crime, violence, depravity and revenge. Inspired by film noir and more recent American crime films, the Italians crafted movies where the grittiness oozed off the screen. Unlike THE GODFATHER which showed a glamorous view of organized crime, these Italian films painted a much harsher picture, showing the mafia as sociopaths with no code of honor whatsoever. Directors such as Fernando Di Leo thrived with heavily stylized pulp masterpieces filled with sadistic gangsters, vicious killings, wild car chases, and dark humor. These films were hugely influential on the next generation of filmmakers, including Hong Kong directors and Quentin Tarantino (the print of Di Leo’s WIPEOUT comes courtesy of Tarantino from his personal 35mm collection)
Saturday July 31st at 7:30
WIPEOUT (aka THE BOSS) (1973) Henry Silva stars as Lanzetta, a stone faced, cold blooded mafia hit man dispensed to kill a rival boss (with a grenade launcher). In retaliation, the daughter of the Don who ordered the hit is kidnapped. Lanzetta is ordered to retrieve her, but runs into trouble when he discovers the beautiful daughter is an irresponsible (and irresistible) nymphomaniac. The killings and double crosses kick in, all laced with wicked dark humor, and powered by Luis Bacalav’s schizoid fuzz guitar soundtrack. Directed by the absolute master of Italian crime cinema: Fernando Di Leo.
Tuesday August 3rd at 7:30
TONY ARZENTA (aka BIG GUNS) (1973) The great Alain Delon stars as an assassin for the mob who tries to get out of the life. When a car bomb designed for him instead kills his wife and child, he begins a cold, calculated path of revenge. Methodical and cool, this is probably your only chance to ever see this movie (it’s hard to find even on bootleg vhs). Don’t miss this rare 35mm print!
Tuesday Aug 10th at 7:30
HIGH CRIME (1973) An adrenaline rush of a movie starring Franco Nero as a bad tempered cop who loathes the criminals he chases. When he vows to rid his city of crime and corruption, he starts an all out war with the brutal underworld. From the incredibly wild car chases to the castration scene, this movie piles on the excitement! Directed by Enzo G. Castellari, who was known for his Peckinpah “inspired” violence.
All information and advance tickets on the website: www.grindhousefilmfest.com
