Amuck (1972)

A writer's secretary tries to find her missing friend and uncovers a murder plot.

Director:

Silvio Amadio

Writer:

Silvio Amadio

Stars:

Farley Granger, Barbara Bouchet, Rosalba Neri

Cast

Cast overview:
Farley Granger	...	Richard Stuart
Barbara Bouchet	...	Greta Franklin
Rosalba Neri	...	Eleanora Stuart
Nino Segurini	...	Il commissario Antonelli
Dino Mele	...	Sandro
Umberto Raho	...	Giovanni - the butler
Patrizia Viotti	...	Sally Reece
Petar Martinovitch	...	Rocco

Storyline

Greta Franklin, a beautiful American blonde, arrives on an island near Venice and rings the door-bell of Richard Stuart, a famous novelist who lives in a beautiful house with his wife Elonora. She manages to be hired as Richard's new secretary, the former one having disappeared without a trace. What Richard and Eleonora do not know - yet- is that Greta has a secret motive for taking the job: not only did she know Sally, her predecessor, but she was her lover...

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Plot Keywords:

italian horror | psycho | grindhouse film | drive in classic | psycho terror | 

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Taglines:

How far can you go on the HOT BED OF SEX?

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

June 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

In Search of Pleasure

Filming Locations:

De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

West Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 85 min (DVD) (2015)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technochrome)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa # 58802 delivered on 13-11-1971.

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Alternate Versions

Amuck (1972) has also been released in a shortened, 78 minutes version under the title Leather and Whips (1972).

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Lebowski (1998)

User Reviews

Sexy (and Classic) Giallo

This giallo is probably most famous for the slow-motion lesbian sex scene between Barbara Bouchet and Rosalba Neri near the beginning. That scene is certainly impressive (as you might imagine if you have ever seen either of these two actresses in action), but it shouldn't overshadow what a well-made, classic giallo this is. It has everything fans of gialli love--great visuals and setting, pulse-pounding suspense, sordid and perverse characters, truly surprising plot twists, and a great musical score and soundtrack. Farley Granger is wonderful, going convincingly from evil to sympathetic and back again. Bouchet and Neri are also both very good, particularly the latter. Neri is justifiably famous for her beauty (and her frequent nude scenes). She had plenty of competition in that respect when it came to gialli--Bouchet,Edwige Fenech, Nieves Navarro, Ewe Aulin to name a few--but she had no close rival when it came to sheer acting talent. This is definitely her best role, better even than "Lady Frankenstein". To get an idea of how impressive this film is try watching it back to back with one of those terrible "erotic thrillers" they make these days. How did we get from wonderfully sexy gialli like this to that dreck?

The Eurovision DVD has recent interviews with both actresses (who look about the same even though they must be close to sixty by now). They both speak English (Bouchet quite fluently)and reveal some interesting tidbits. The director of this film Silvio Amado, according to Bouchet, dropped out of sight after an unrequited love affair with actress Gloria Guida (the Italian Lolita of the era). I have actually seen a second-rate melodrama Amado made with Guida a few years later, which is why I was genuinely surprised with the talent he shows here. It's truly a misfortune that he didn't stick around to do more films like this. A true classic of the genre