Wild, Wild Podcast - DJANGO STRIKES AGAIN (1987)

We always knew he would be back, and this time he is - back! Yes, he may have had his hands brutally mangled twenty years ago, but after a long convalescence, some quality time with the woman he loves and a period as a novitiate in a local monastery, it's time for Django to dig up his machine gun and get back to what he does best.

The only official Django sequel, Django Strikes Again sees Franco Nero head down river in a film that is more Rambo meets Fitzcarraldo than it is a spaghetti western, and Rod and Adrian are here for it.

This season is dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in the 1980s in Italy. We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this period, or if you have ever made friends with a Scottish Lepidopterist in a top hat. You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Wild, Wild Podcast - SPECTERS (1987)

Archaeology is a dangerous business, as we discover the hard way in this latest episode where we are taken deep into the catacombs underneath Rome. Donald Pleasence's Professor Lasky leads a well-funded but under-staffed dig to find a two-thousand-year-old tomb which may or may not be evil. It is (of course) evil, and something nebulous is unleashed with the power to do whatever the special effects budget will allow. How can it be stopped?

This season is dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in the 1980s in Italy. We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this period, or if you have ever been attacked by a demon wind whilst down a tunnel. You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Wild, Wild Podcast - WARRIOR QUEEN (1987)

Slave auctions, lavish orgies and gladiatorial combat at the dinner table; no, it's not the Tory Party Conference, it's American adult film director Chuck Vincent's straight-to-video Pompeii-set Warrior Queen, starring Donald Pleasence, Sybil Danning and David Brandon. Pleasence is having fun, Danning looks thoroughly bored and Brandon is doing his best, so will Warrior Queen live up to the expectations set by the fabulous VHS cover art?

This season is dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in the 1980s in Italy (and the Philippines). We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this period, or if you have ever had to flee from a molten lava flow. You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Wild, Wild Podcast - COBRA MISSION (1986)

We've all been bored at a family wedding before, but it's unlikely that we've decided to leave early and head off to Vietnam to rescue some guys who got left behind! At least, not often. But that is what happens in this film as ex-soldiers head back in country with nothing but some misplaced courage, gritted teeth and a few guns that a French priest kept in his vestry. How can they fail?

In this episode Wild, Wild Podcast goes back into the jungle to try and decipher Donald Pleasence's dodgy accent, whilst coming to terms with the fact that Adrian has never seen Rambo. Weird! 

This season is dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in Italy (and the Philippines) throughout the 1980’s. We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this fertile period, or if you have ever been near an exploding helicopter. You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Video - COBRA MISSION (1986)

COBRA MISSION (a.k.a. Operation Nam) is the subject of the next episode of Wild, Wild Podcast. We're covering the film because it features Donald Pleasence for a few minutes. Seriously, he is in the movie for less than ten minutes and everything he does was probably shot in a single day. But you still might want to watch this rip-off of UNCOMMON VALOR (1983) for what it has to offer which is plenty of explosions. 

Wild, Wild Podcast - PHENOMENA (1985)

An ill wind is blowing in the Swiss Alps, and it's going to take the combined might of a psychic teenager, a Scotsman in a wheelchair and a chimpanzee called Inga to do something about it - if they can hear themselves think over Iron Maiden being played at full blast!

Rod and Adrian are tackling the maestro Dario Argento for the first time, but thankfully it's one of his more restrained efforts to make it easier. Donald Pleasence naturally gets plenty of air time, but also discussed is the continued ineptitude of the Italian/Swiss police, what to do with several million unwanted flies and why you would try to escape in a boat when there's a perfectly good road right there to run down.

It's a new season, dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in the 1980s in Italy.

We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this period, or if you have ever been attacked by a chimp - visible or otherwise.

You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Wild, Wild Podcast - PUMAMAN (1980)

When the space gods delivered a golden mask to the Aztec people on a mountain plateau thousands of years ago, little did they know that one day a man in black leather would steal it, and it would be up to an unsuspecting American paleontologist working at the Natural History Museum in London to stop him, calling upon his innate super powers to do so. Because he is the PUMAMAN! He can fly! He can teleport! He can rip cars open with his bare hands! He can stop bullets! Oh wait, he can't do that - if he gets shot he will die, just like any ordinary schlub in a cape. Seems a bit of an oversight when they were doling out the super powers but space gods are gonna do their own thing. So with the help of an Aztec High Priest and the daughter of the Dutch Ambassador, he will have to push himself to his very limits to stop the evil Donald Pleasence. Will he succeed? Will Pumaman be such a box office smash that it will launch a whole series of Pumaman films? Tune in to find out.

It's a new season, dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in the 1980s in Italy. Clearly making Pumaman didn't put him off entirely. So join Rod and Adrian as they begin to explore some of these films, both the good and the bad.

We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this period, or if you have ever been thrown out of a high window by a tall Mexican. All things of interest can be found at the show's LINKTREE. 

Wild, Wild Podcast - STAGE FRIGHT (1987)

In this final episode of our Women in Italian Cinema mini-season, we focus on the unsung hero of Filmirage, Donatella Donati. She worked for many years with Joe D'Amato as a producer, production manager, screenwriter, script girl, and even set design on occasion. The most high-profile film she produced was StageFright, which also served as Michele Soavi's directorial debut after he had worked for Filmirage for several years.

So join Adrian and I as we discuss vital issues like why doesn't Donati have her own Wikipedia page? Is that really George Eastman under the owl head? And why did Quest for the Mighty Sword (Joe D'Amato, 1990) almost kill Filmirage?

We would love to hear from you about your favorite Italian female filmmakers, or your favorite Filmirage films.

Check out all the show related info at our LINKTREE. 

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.

You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Wild, Wild Podcast - RITA THE MOSQUITO (1966)

Italian star Rita Pavone is a mischievous schoolgirl with a confusing crush on her sleepy music teacher, who is living a double-life as a singer in a beat band. Can she stop pranking him long enough to make it as a new ye-ye pop sensation whilst navigating the exclusive private school life and these new romantic feelings? And sing loads of songs as she goes along?

After a brief break we are back with a new mini-season focusing on female filmmakers in Italian cinema. In this episode Adrian tricks Rod into watching a musical, directed by one of Italy's most commercially successful female directors of all time, Lina Wertmüller. Will Rod ever forgive him? Will the podcast ever be the same again? Tune in to find out.

We would love to hear from you about your favorite Italian female filmmakers, or if you are a fan of Rita Pavone and her brand of powerhouse 1960s pop.

You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

The Bloody Pit #221 - ZORRO THE AVENGER (1962)

Think of this episode as an unofficial eleventh entry in the most recent season of Wild, Wild Podcast. When Adrian Smith and I discovered that ZORRO THE AVENGER (1962) had no real connection to Italy we dropped it and reviewed another Zorro movie instead. But we had already watched this one and wanted to talk about it as well. Since this is a Spanish production it has many connections to the films of Paul Naschy so we could have just as easily made this an episode of the Naschycast. And wait until you learn who wrote the script!

We ramble a bit but were trying to keep this show as brief as Adrian prefers the Wild, Wild Podcast episodes to be. We fail in the attempt, but there was a solid effort made, I promise! The history of cinematic Zorro adventures is touched on with favorite versions of the character listed. As I state in the show, most Zorro films seem to tell the same tale with a few variations so the joys here are noticing the choices made in casting and emphasis. American actor Frank Latimore plays our hero and the legendary Howard Vernon is the villainous Colonel Clarence. The cast of female actors includes Maria Silva years before she was a victim of the Blind Dead or clashed with a certain Spanish werewolf. We don’t spoil the film as it is easy to catch online but we do make a plea for a better-looking version to be made available. 

If you have any comments about Zorro or anything else we covered in this episode (we really did ramble) thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon!

Wild, Wild Podcast - Ranking the Rapiers and Ruffles Films

Join Rod and Adrian as they agonize over how to rank the films from the Rapiers and Ruffles season. Will they agree, or will there be rapiers at dawn? Or perhaps will there be some witty repartee? Hope springs eternal!

 If you have been watching along throughout the season, do contact us and let us know which have been your favorites. The podcast is also open to suggestions for future seasons!

 You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Wild, Wild Podcast - ZORRO IN THE COURT OF ENGLAND (1969)

They seek him there, they seek him there, they seek the mysterious masked hero everywhere - but they will never find him thanks to his cunning use of a luxurious moustache! Yes, we have the mighty Zorro pop up again in a place he should never have been to right wrongs and woo women. Although he is never actually in the court of England he does swash every buckle in sight, carves a Z on scoundrel’s faces and commits daring rescues. Really, what more could you want from this kind of adventure story?

 

We've reached the final film in our Rapiers and Ruffles season, and the good news is that you can find ZORRO IN THE COURT OF ENGLAND on YouTube with excellent English subtitles, if you need them. We certainly needed them.

 

You can get in touch with us (and we would especially love to hear which films you've enjoyed this season), follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE. 

Rapiers & Ruffles Movie Poster Art

The films of the current season of Wild, Wild Podcast are on my mind!

 

Wild, Wild Podcast - ZENABEL (1969)

Wild, Wild Podcast have jumped forwards in time from the safe, family-friendly adventures of the early 1960s to the hedonistic, anything goes year of 1969 to meet Zenabel, sometimes known as "The Naked General." With this film we near the end of our Rapiers and Ruffles season, and also perhaps Rod's tether, with this Italian sex comedy from the director of House at the Edge of the Park, Phantom of Death and Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man. Ruggero Deodato may be many things as a director but how does he handle comedy? With nudity, of course! Lots and lots of nudity. 

You can get in touch with us (we love hearing from you!), follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE. 

Music from ZENABEL (1969) by Bruno Nicolai

Here is a piece from the fine score for this early Ruggero Deodato sexy comedy. We'll be podcasting about the film soon and the score just might be my favorite part!

Wild, Wild Podcast - ZORRO AND THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1963)

What is Zorro doing in Spain, thousands of miles away from home? Why are they called the Three Musketeers when there's actually four of them? Why does the King of Spain sound like he was voiced by Paul Frees? Why are the Musketeers always so damned happy? Some of these questions may or may not get answered in this thrilling installment of Wild, Wild Podcast!

You can get in touch with us (we love hearing from you!), follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE. Enjoy!

Video - ZORRO AND THE THREE MUSKETEEERS (1963)

Here we have the next film Adrian and I will be talking about on Wild, Wild Podcast. This unlikely combination of heroes works far better than I would have ever thought possible and the movie is a lot of adventurous fun! The version being shown here is an assembly from multiple prints that seemingly presents the entire thing - maybe for the first time. The source material is variable in quality but even when the picture drops into black & white for a couple of scenes the story remains compelling. Enjoy!

Wild, Wild Podcast - THE INVINCIBLE MASKED RIDER (1963)

Who is that mysterious masked hero? Sarge? No. Rosemary, the telephone operator? No. Penry, the mild-mannered janitor? Could be! Then again, it could also be Robin Hood, so don't be too sure. (It’s really Zorro – but don’t tell anyone I told you!) 

Join us once again as we huddle together inside the nearest large castle for protection against the plague (Is that Poe on the phone?) whilst doing our best to unmask the eponymous hero. We also discuss Weird Worcester, the UK's newest and best Italian-themed festival where Adrian had the time of his life as a disappointing Italian translator.

You can get in touch with us (we love hearing from you!), follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

Video - THE INVINCIBLE MASKED RIDER (1963)

This Umberto Lenzi adventure film is the topic of the next episode of Wild, Wild Podcast! It's an excellent example of the Rapiers & Ruffles sub-genre and might surprise viewers who have only experienced Lenzi's later more rough and violent movies. Be aware that you can turn on the captioning and then, in settings, have YouTube translate them into English. Enjoy!