''Action'' is a 1980

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

directed by

Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the Erot ...

. The film is reminiscent of the director's earlier

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

low-budget works such as ''

The Howl ''The Howl'' ( it, L'urlo) is a 1970 Italian comedy film directed by Tinto Brass. It was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Tina Aumont - Anita * Gigi Proietti - Coso * Nino Segurini - Berto Bertuccioli * Germano ...

'' and ''

Nerosubianco ''Nerosubianco'', styled as ''nEROSubianco'' and also released with the international title ''Attraction'', is an Italian black comedy (part collage film) directed by Tinto Brass. The film deals with a variety of contemporary themes such as sexual ...

''. Brass faced many difficulties in Italy due to lawsuits concerning the production of '' Caligula'' so he filmed ''Action'' in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1979.Action (1979)
/ref>

Plot

Bruno Martel (

Luc Merenda Luc Charles Olivier Merenda (born 3 September 1943) is a French film actor. He was one of the most prominent actors of the Italian poliziotteschi genre, working several times with Sergio Martino and Fernando Di Leo. He is of Italian origin thr ...

) is a "

Z movie Z movies (or grade-Z movies) are low-budget films with production qualities lower than B movies. History and terminology The term "Z movie" arose in the mid-1960s as an informal description of certain unequivocally non-A films. It was soon adop ...

" actor with

hero syndrome Hero syndrome is a term used by media to describe the behavior of a person seeking heroism or recognition, usually by creating a harmful situation to objects or persons which they then can resolve. This can include unlawful acts, such as arson. T ...

, often quarrelling with directors. He meets Doris ( Susanna Javicoli) an actress who is obsessed with

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...

but cannot get any

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

an bookings. One day, during a nervous breakdown, Bruno "rescues" Doris from the set, leaving the town to encounter various absurd situations. They meet an old anarchist ( Alberto Sorrentino) who thinks he is Giuseppe Garibaldi and the three are locked at a mental asylum where Doris commits suicide. Bruno and "Garibaldi" escape and take refuge at an awkward petrol station run by Florence (

Adriana Asti Adriana Asti (born 30 April 1931) is an Italian stage, film, and voice actress. Biography On stage, she starred in ''Saint Joan'' by George Bernard Shaw, ''Happy Days'' by Samuel Beckett, ''The Mistress of the Inn'' by Carlo Goldoni, and ''Thre ...

) and her invalid husband Joe (

Alberto Lupo Alberto Lupo (byname of Alberto Zoboli; 19 December 1924 – 13 August 1984) was an Italian film and television actor best known for his roles in swash-buckling and actions films of the 1960s. Lupo starred in films such as ''A 008, operazione ...

Cast

: Bruno Martel *

: Florence * Susanna Javicoli: Doris / Ofelia * Paola Senatore: Ann Shimpton * Alberto Sorrentino: Garibaldi *

: Joe *

John Steiner John Steiner (7 January 1941 – 31 July 2022) was an English actor. Tall, thin and gaunt, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed on-stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but was best known to audiences for his roles i ...

: the manager *

Franco Fabrizi Franco Fabrizi (; 15 February 1916 – 18 October 1995) was an Italian actor. Life and career Son of a barber and a cinema cashier, Franco Fabrizi started his career as a model and an actor in fotoromanzi. Fabrizi also starred on several revu ...

: the producer *

: the director (cameo) *: the director *

Giancarlo Badessi Giancarlo Badessi (1928 – 2011) was an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Lecco, at the age of almost 40 Badessi gave up his daily job as an accountant to embrace the theatre, making his debut in a stage play directed by Giancarlo Cob ...

*Edoardo Florio *Luciano Crovato *: leader of the thugs *Alina De Simone *Beatrice Brass *Hélène Chauvin *Gigi D'Ecclesia *

Release

In Germany, the film was released as ''Sodom 2000''.

Reception

According to Italian film critic Marco Giusti, ''Action'' is for many the cult film among Tinto Brass' films. Giusti praises the finale with the dream of Luc Merenda, who sees four knights who have sexes in place of their noses and four women who have sexes in place of their mouthes.

Bibliography

References

External links

* 1980 films Italian black comedy films Films shot in London Films directed by Tinto Brass 1980s black comedy films Films set in psychiatric hospitals Cultural depictions of Giuseppe Garibaldi 1980s Italian-language films 1980s Italian films {{1980s-Italy-comedy-film-stub