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Sunday, July 14, 2013

La Decima Vittima (aka The 10th Victim) (1965)

In a futuristic societyinstead of warmankind's violent aggression is channeled through a globalized game called The Big Hunt. each player signs up for ten turnsfive as a hunterfive as a victim. If they survive all ten gamesthey are retired to greath wealth and fame. A beautiful woman (Ursula Andress) is on her final 10th game and her victim (Marcello Mastroianni) is in desperate financial and emotional straits due to pressure from his mistress (Elsa Martinelli) and ex-wife (Luce bonifassy). Based on the 1953 short story SEVENTH VICTIM by Robert Sheckley and directed with a wink in his eye by Elio Petri (INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION). This oddball mixture of science fiction and black comedy is imaginative and often amusing though it turns quite silly by its end. It's quite startling how a film made in the mid 1960s looks more futuristic than ever (not unlike Godard's ALPHAVILLE). Not only due to Piero Poletto's production design assisted by Piero Piccioni's 60s style cool jazz underscore but the film's staging of the killing as a television special  (complete with dancers with guns) seems rather omniscient now in this age of outrageous reality shows. With Massimo Serato and Salvo Randone. 

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