Amuck!
Amuck! (Italian: Alla ricerca del piacere, lit. 'In Pursuit of Pleasure') is an Italian giallo film directed by Silvio Amadio.[2]
| Amuck! | |
|---|---|
 Italian film poster with art by Renato Casaro[1] | |
| Directed by | Silvio Amadio |
| Screenplay by | Silvio Amadio[2] |
| Story by | Silvio Amadio[2] |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Teo Usuelli[2] |
| Cinematography | Aldo Giordani[2] |
| Edited by | Antonio Siciliano[2] |
Production company | West Film[2] |
| Distributed by | Delta |
| Country | Italy[3] |
Plot
Greta, a beautiful blonde American, is the new secretary to Richard Stuart, a famous novelist who lives on an island with his sexy wife Eleanora. Sally, the former secretary, had disappeared without a trace. What Richard and Eleanora do not know is that Greta has a secret motive for taking the job: to find out what happened to her lost lover, Sally.
Greta learns that Sally was accidentally killed in the heat of passion during one of the kinky sex games the Stuarts hold in their mansion from time to time; a hulking man-brute named Rocco lost control and strangled the girl. The bizarre couple then kill their butler when he attempts to blackmail them over the incident. All that remains is for Greta to be disposed of, then the crimes will never be uncovered. Eleanora lures Sally into a three-way private orgy with Rocco and herself, in an attempt to get the easily excited Rocco to repeat his careless crime of passion, one last time.
Cast
- Farley Granger: Richard Stuart
- Barbara Bouchet: Greta Franklin
- Rosalba Neri: Eleanora Stuart
- Dino Mele: Sandro
- Umberto Raho: Giovanni, the butler
- Patrizia Viotti: Sally Reece
- Nino Segurini: Commissary Antonelli[4]
Production
The original working titles for the film included Replica de un delitto (lit. 'Repetition of a Crime') and Il passo dell'assassino (lit. 'Footsteps of the Killer')[4] In his book on Itaiali gialli, Troy Howarth described the film as belonging to the trend of "sexy-trashy gialli" opposed to burgeoning films influenced by the films of Dario Argento.[1]
Reception
From contemporary reviews, David McGillivray of the Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed an 81 minute version of the film titled Hot Bed of Sex.[5] McGillivray stated the film was "cluttered with preposterous suspects" and "ham-fished attempts at building suspense."[5] McGillivray commented that Farley Granger who dubs her own lines "has an uphill struggle with some appalling dialogue."[5]
References
- Howarth 2015, p. 176.
- "Alla ricerca del piacere (1971)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- Howarth 2015, p. 175.
- Luther-Smith 1999, p. 1.
- McGillivray 1973.
Bibliography
- Howarth, Troy (2015). So Deadly, So Perverse. 1. Midnight Marquee Press. ISBN 1936168502.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- McGillivray, David (February 1973). "Alla Ricerca del Piacere (Hot Bed of Sex)". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 40 no. 469. British Film Institute. p. 23.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)