The Arena (1974)

Two thousand years ago, the people of Rome are so blasée, so used to violence, that entertaining them becomes a political problem. Someone suggests, after a hectic girl fight in a kitchen ... See full summary »

Director:

Steve Carver

Writers:

John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington

Stars:

Margaret Markov, Pam Grier, Lucretia Love

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Margaret Markov	...	Bodicia
Pam Grier	...	Mamawi
Lucretia Love	...	Deidre
Paul Muller	...	Lucilius
Daniele Vargas	...	Timarchus
Marie Louise Sinclair	...	Livia (as Marie Louise)
Maria Pia Conte	...	Lucinia (as Mary Count)
Rosalba Neri	...	Cornelia (as Sara Bay)
Vassili Karis	...	Marcus (as Vic Karis)
Silvio Laurenzi	...	Priscium (as Sid Lawrence)
Mimmo Palmara	...	Rufinius (as Dick Palmer)
Antonio Casale	...	Lucan (as Anthony Vernon)
Franco Garofalo	...	Aemilius (as Christopher Oakes)
Pietro Ceccarelli	...	Septimus (as Peter Cester)
Jho Jhenkins	...	Quintus

Storyline

Two thousand years ago, the people of Rome are so blasée, so used to violence, that entertaining them becomes a political problem. Someone suggests, after a hectic girl fight in a kitchen between a Nubian and a Viking slave, as a joke, that they should fight in the arena, instead of male gladiators. The idea is approved, though - and a female "Spartacus" theme follows.

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Plot Keywords:

gladiator | female gladiator | arena | grindhouse | slave revolt | 

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Taglines:

Let the games begin!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Naked Warriors

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures, Rover Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pietro Ceccarelli did the choreography for the fight scenes.

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Connections

Featured in Screwballs (1983)

User Reviews

For Corman and Grier fans, but not for D'Amato and Neri ones

This an interesting mixture of two very different kinds of exploitation film. On one hand, it's basically a Roger Corman women-in-prison film (complete with lots of showers, catfights, and a big bust-out at the end)featuring WIP regulars Pam Greir and Margaret Markhof. On the other hand, it is an Italian "peplum" that was reputedly largely directed by its Italian cinematographer Joe D'Amato and which also stars the luscious Italian actress Rosalba Neri (aka Sarah Bay) as the villianess making her return to the peplum dramas that had made her (semi)famous in the 1960's.

As a Corman film it's not too bad. It has his usual trademark of faux feminism and gratuitous female nudity (by Grier, Markhof, and some of the other slave/prisoners)and it's very formulaic right down to the death of likable innocent(s) and the revenge plot at the end. Unfortunately, it's also a little too tame--it's certainly nowhere near as sleazy as what we've come to expect from the notorious Joe D. I was also personally disappointed at how much they wasted Neri. Not only does she not get naked (a lesbian scene with her and Grier or Markhof would certainly have been memorable), but as a villain she comes off kind of bland--not nearly what she showed she's capable of in films like "Amuck", "Top Sensation", and "Lady Frankenstein".

I guess whether you like this or not will depend on whether you're more of a Corman and Grier fan (in which case it's pretty OK) or whether you're a D'Amato and Neri fan (in which case you'll probably be a little disappointed).