''Oasis of Fear'' ( it, Un posto ideale per uccidere, lit=An Ideal Place to Kill) is an Italian ''

giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, a ...

'' film directed by

Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...

and starring

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas ( el, Ειρήνη Παππά, Eiríni Pappá, ; born Eirini Lelekou ( el, Ειρήνη Λελέκου, Eiríni Lelékou, link=no); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred ...

Ornella Muti Ornella Muti (born Francesca Romana Rivelli; 9 March 1955) is an Italian actress. She made her film debut as Francesca Cimarosa in the 1970 film '' La moglie più bella.'' Early life Muti was born in Rome to a Neapolitan journalist father and ...

and Ray Lovelock. It was produced by

Carlo Ponti Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 9 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cinem ...

. The film was released in the United States in 1974, and is available on video as both ''Oasis of Fear'' and ''Dirty Pictures''.

Synopsis

Two pornography-peddling hippies from Italy (Richard and Ingrid) run out of material to sell, so they start taking "dirty pictures" of each other to add to their stock of smut. While on the run from the authorities in Sweden, the pair get invited to the home of a middle-aged woman named Barbara, the wife of a NATO colonel. She involves them first in sexual games, then later in a convoluted murder plot. It seems Barbara has murdered her husband and hidden the body in the trunk of her car, and she gets the idea to frame the two hippies for the crime.

Cast

Production

The film was developed under the title ''Stress''. Producer

liked director

's previous films like '' Orgasmo''. Lenzi's contract with Ponti was about to expire and he would lose money so Lenzi hastily devised a story which borrowed themes from ''Orgasmo'' with some

road movie A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of aliena ...

elements. Lenzi's story originally included references to drugs, an element which would have caused issues with the ratings board, which led to Ponti getting

Tonino Guerra Antonio "Tonino" Guerra (16 March 1920 – 21 March 2012) was an Italian poet, writer and screenwriter who collaborated with some of the most prominent film directors in the world. Life and work Guerra was born in Santarcangelo di Romagna. Acc ...

who advised the director to change drugs with pornography. Ponti initially wanted Carrol Baker to be in the film, as she had in previous thrillers from Lenzi, while Lenzi wanted American soprano

Anna Moffo Anna Moffo (June 27, 1932 – March 9, 2006) was an American opera singer, television personality, and actress. One of the leading lyric-coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a warm and radiant voice of considerable range and agili ...

. Moffo backed out on the film a few days before shooting and was replaced by Ponti with

who Lenzi felt was not appropriate for the role. Lenzi said he had trouble getting actress Irene Papas to participate in the threesome scene that takes place in the film. Papas wouldn't do nude scenes for the film, leading to re-organize some scenes and use a body double for some scenes. Lead actor Ray Lovelock sings a song called "How Can You Live Your Life?" over the opening titles, accompanied by a

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form i ...

; a song that reoccurs throughout the film in different versions, supposedly with the purpose of trying to capture the "feel" of the 1960s hippie scene.

Release and reception

''Oasis of Fear'' was released in Italy in 1971. From contemporary reviews, historian and critic Roberto Curti described the film as being a "critical and commercial flop." It grossed less than 92 million Italian ''lire''. Lenzi later dismissed the film, stating that "If I could burn that film, I'd do it!"

References

Sources

* *

External links

* 1971 films 1970s crime thriller films Giallo films 1970s Italian-language films Films directed by Umberto Lenzi 1970s Italian films {{crime-thriller-film-stub