''The 10th Victim'' () is a 1965

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as Extraterrestrial life in fiction, extraterrestria ...

directed and co-written by

Elio Petri Eraclio Petri (29 January 1929 – 10 November 1982), commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film and theatre director, screenwriter and film critic. The Museum of Modern Art described him as "one of the preeminent political and social ...

, starring

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (26 September 1924Come da lui stesso dichiarato a 1'10" dquesta intervista/ref> – 19 December 1996) was an Italian actor. He is generally regarded as one of Italy's most iconic male performers of the 20t ...

, Ursula Andress,

Elsa Martinelli Elsa Martinelli (born Elisa Tia; 30 January 1935 – 8 July 2017) was an Italian actress and fashion model. Described by ''The Guardian'' as a "versatile star of Hollywood’s international years whose work spanned romantic comedies, period epi ...

, and Salvo Randone. An

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...

between Italy and France, it is based on

Robert Sheckley Robert Sheckley (July 16, 1928 – December 9, 2005) was an American writer. First published in the science-fiction magazines of the 1950s, his many quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, Absurdist fiction, absurdist, and ...

's 1953 short story " Seventh Victim". Taking place in the year 2079 in the aftermath of

World War III World War III, also known as the Third World War, is a hypothetical future global conflict subsequent to World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). It is widely predicted that such a war would involve all of the great powers, ...

, the film's focus is on a government-endorsed program known as "The Big Hunt", whereby contestants from around the world act as "hunters" and "victims" in two-person battles to the death as a means of avoiding mass warfare. The plot follows veteran Big Hunt contestants Caroline Meredith (Andress) and Marcello Poletti (Mastroianni), who are respectively assigned the roles of hunter and victim for one such confrontation, which is complicated by their budding romance. Like Petri's other films, ''The 10th Victim'' is a work of socio-political satire, while also combining science fiction themes with conventions of the ''

commedia all'italiana ''Commedia all'italiana'' () or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mario Monicelli's ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' in 1958 ...

'' genre. Upon release, ''The 10th Victim'' performed below expectations in Italy and received mixed reviews from critics. In the decades since its initial release, the film has garnered a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

, and its imagery has been referenced or parodied in other films, notably the ''

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...

'' franchise; it is also considered to be a forerunner to works depicting televised fights to the death, such as ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...

''. A

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ...

of the film, written by Sheckley, was published in 1966, this was followed by two sequels, '' Victim Prime'' and ''Hunter/Victim'' in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Although several attempts to produce a remake of ''The 10th Victim'' have been announced, none have entered production.

Plot

In the 21st century,

has recently ended. In order to prevent a potential fourth war, those with violent tendencies are given an opportunity to engage in "The Big Hunt," the world's most popular form of entertainment. This event attracts participants seeking fame and fortune. The competition involves ten rounds, with each competitor experiencing five rounds as the hunters and five as the victims. The last person standing after ten rounds becomes immensely wealthy and can retire. Caroline Meredith, as victim, has just claimed her ninth kill and is next on the hunt for the tenth. Eager to maximize her financial gains, Meredith aims for a flawless kill in front of the cameras, having secured a significant

sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

from the Ming Tea Company. Marcello Poletti is selected as the victim; however, his winnings from six kills have already been spent by his mistress, Olga, and his ex-wife, Lidia. To carry out her plan, Caroline travels to Rome and assumes the role of a reporter assigned to study the sexual preoccupations of Italian men. She requests an interview with Marcello at the Temple of Venus. Suspecting something amiss, Marcello plans for Caroline to be attacked by a crocodile in front of a rival television company's cameras, but she manages to escape. Caroline later entices Marcello to the beach, convincing him of her love. After drugging Marcello, she brings him back to the Temple of Venus. In a dramatic twist, Caroline shoots Marcello on live television, only to discover that he loaded the gun with blanks. Marcello retaliates by shooting her, but her bulletproof armor saves her. Marcello and Caroline decide to break free from The Big Hunt and board a plane, ultimately choosing to get married. The movie concludes with the pilot showering them with a cascade of flowers.

Differences from the original story

The original short story was written from the point of view of a man hunting his seventh target, a woman, whereas in the movie she is the hunter. He finds her apparently defenceless sitting in a café. Talking to her, she tells him how she is new to the game but could not bear to kill her own target, and now expects to die. The hunter falls in love with his victim, as in the movie, and eventually reveals who he is. She has tricked him; she shoots him, joining the ranks of the "Tens". The story was adapted for radio on ''

X Minus One ''X Minus One'' is an American half-hour science fiction radio drama series that was broadcast from April 24, 1955, to January 9, 1958, in various timeslots on NBC. Known for high production values in adapting stories from the leading American ...

'' in 1957.

Cast

as Marcello Polletti * Ursula Andress as Caroline Meredith *

as Olga * Salvo Randone as Professor * Massimo Serato as Lawyer Rossi * Milo Quesada as Rudi * Luce Bonifassy as Lidia Poletti * George Wang as Chinese Hunter * Evi Rigano as Victim * Walter Williams as Martin * Richard Armstrong as Cole * Anita Sanders as Relaxatorium Hostess * Mickey Knox as Chet *

Jacques Herlin Jacques Herlin (17 August 1927 – 7 June 2014) was a French character actor of stage, film, and television. Early life and education Born as Jacques de Jouette in Le Vésinet, France, Jacques Herlin grew up in Toulon and moved to Paris in 1951 ...

as Masoch Club Owner * Wolfgang Hillinger as Baron Von Aschenberg

Production

An avid reader of science fiction, Petri began work on an adaptation of Sheckley's story in 1961; producer Carlo Ponti came onboard the project due to the involvement of Mastroianni. A variety of screenwriters worked on the script to varying degrees without receiving an onscreen credit, including Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Nate Monaster and

Ernesto Gastaldi Ernesto Gastaldi (born 10 September 1934) is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular ge ...

. Ponti's lack of interest in the science fiction genre led to his mandating of more comedic elements in the story against Petri's wishes, including altering its original, pessimistic ending. Backed by financial support from Joseph E. Levine's

Embassy Pictures Embassy Pictures Corporation (also and later known as Avco Embassy Pictures as well as Embassy Films Associates) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was active from 1942 to 1986. Embassy was responsible ...

, filming took place primarily on location in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and New York City from June to September 1964; produced at the height of the pop art movement in Italy, Petri sought to create a vision of the future that juxtaposes that style's imagery with Rome's ancient and modern architectural structures, such as the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...

and the EUR district.

Release

''The 10th Victim'' was released in Italy on 3 December 1965. The film grossed a little over 620 million '' lire'' in Italy upon its theatrical release. It was released in France on February 10, 1967. ''The 10th Victim'' was distributed abroad, including in the United States and Canada by

in late December 1965.

Reception

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds a score of 80% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.35/10. In contemporary reviews, the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' praised the visuals of the film, but stated that "the film is never quite as much fun as it should be, possibly because of rather ponderous dubbing and possibly because imaginative camera angles cannot totally make up for lapses in narrative."

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted a "wildly imaginative plot" but declared the film overall to be "a clever but patently self-conscious exercise ... The cleverness is so insistent that it soon becomes excessive and absurd, and the gamesmanship of the satire becomes too cute, too much a bore." '' Variety'' found the film superior to

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

's '' Alphaville'', praising both Mastroianni and Andress, as well as

and Massimo Serato. The review also noted the cinematography of Gianni di Venanzo. Richard L. Coe of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote that the film is "not handled so crisply as the material promises", finding that director Elio Petri "did not find quite the exact, cohesive tone such material demands. The result is curiously pedestrian."

Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, copy editing, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome ...

of ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' described Sheckley's novelization as "a reasonably good chase novel" which would, nonetheless, disappoint readers, whether they wanted a literary version of the film's Italian satire and symbolism or the 'chilling futurama of legalized manslaughter' the cover promised.

Legacy

Nick Chen of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

described ''The 10th Victim'' as a

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

. The film would influence later films such as '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999). In the audio commentary for the film, director

Jay Roach Mathew Jay Roach (born June 14, 1957) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Austin Powers (film series), ''Austin Powers'' film series, ''Meet the Parents'', ''Dinner for Schmucks'', ''The Campaign (film), The Campaign'', ...

mentions on that a sequence was "inspired by The Tenth Victim", which actor

Mike Myers Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...

interjects that it was "Stolen from." It was also the first film to feature the reality TV death game theme, which was later used in other works such as '' Battle Royale'', '' Series 7: The Contenders'', and ''

''.

References

Footnotes

Sources

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:10th Victim, The 1965 films 1960s dystopian films 1960s science fiction films Films set in 2079 French science fiction films Italian science fiction films 1960s Italian-language films Films directed by Elio Petri Girls with guns films Films based on American short stories Films about snuff films Adaptations of works by Robert Sheckley Films produced by Carlo Ponti Films about death games Films about hunting 1960s chase films Films scored by Piero Piccioni 1960s Italian films 1960s French films Films about World War III Films with screenplays by Ennio Flaiano Italian-language science fiction films