As always there are spoilers ahead!
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Apologies in advance for my butchering of Italian pronunciation during this episode.
Although we mentioned in the Planet of the Vampires episode the copycat nature of Italian cinema in the 1960s, The 10th Victim by Elio Petri does not fit that mould. The film has a definite style that may offer commentary on Italian film, comics and culture but looks to set a new mould for films coming out of Italy. Cultural change in Europe and America in the 1960s came in many different flavours and with different driving forces. My excellent guests help to unravel the cultural context of this stylish cult classic.
Stephen Gundle is a Professor of Film and Television at the University of Warwick. He has a special interest in Italian cultural history.
Leon Hunt is a retired Senior Lecturer of Screen Studies at Brunel University with a special interest in Italian Genre Cinema.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction.
01:17 Collectively written script
04:02 Italy in the 1960s
05:19 Marcello Mastroianni Commedia all'Italiana and global fame
09:33 Echoes of La Dolce Vita
14:57 Style over substance?
16:58 Gender roles
20:33 The violence of man
23:22 The gun bra, design and pop art
26:11 Comic book culture in Italy
32:42 Religion and belief systems
36:44 Changing Italian culture: American influence, economic growth and celebrity worship
45:43 Legacy
50:55 Recommendations for the listener
Recommendations:
Danger Diabolik (1968) directed by Mario Bava
Modesty Blaise (1966) directed by Jospeh Losey
La Dolce Vita (1960) directed by Federico Fellini
NEXT EPISODE!
You have two weeks to find and watch Seconds (1966) by John Frankenheimer as we finally head into 1966! The film is available to rent or buy on Apple TV in the UK, and for free on Kanopy in the US. You can check the JustWatch website for details of where it’s available in your region. (Waves frantically at new global listeners!)