Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Wild, Wild Podcast - THE YEAR OF THE CANNIBALS (1969)

 


In a dystopian Milan, a failed revolution has left the Fascists in charge and the streets littered with dead rebels. Antigone (Britt Ekland) seems to be the only sane person left, determined to defy the authorities and her parents to retrieve the body of her brother and give him a proper burial. When she meets a mysterious man who has great hair but speaks an unknown language (played by Pierre Clementi), their destinies in this strange tyrannical world become entwined. Oh, and also her boyfriend is Tomas Milian.

In this episode we are exploring the early work of the important and often controversial director Liliana Cavani, and although we have not started a cannibal film mini-season (as has been frequently requested by some listeners), this is still a fascinating and important piece of work which was neglected at the time but is hopefully becoming reappraised, at least by us. Join us for some serious discussion about the impact Cavani's early television documentary work had on her subsequent cinema career, the often unsung but heroic work of background extras, and whether or not that really is Britt Ekland running naked through the streets of Milan.

We would love to hear from you about your favorite Italian female filmmakers, or your recommendations for other late 1960s revolutionary films.

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