Director:
Lucio Fulci
Cast:
Lando Buzzanca….Senator Gianni Puppis
Lionel Stander…..Cardinal Maravigli
Laura Antonelli….Sister Hildegarde
Corrado Gaipa….Don Gesualdo
Severin Films presents Eroticist. Screenplay by Sandro Continenza, Lucio Fulci & Ottavio Jemma. Running time: 109 minutes. Rated R. Theatrical release: March 16, 1972. DVD released Oct. 30, 2007.
The Movie
Lucio Fulci’s name is linked to Italian fright flicks such as his cult Zombie series. While not a horror film, Erotocist is a satire that deals with the scary subject of church and state. Senator Puppis is on the fast track to being the President of Italy. A scandal breaks out when a camera captures the senator grabbing the ass of an unsuspecting woman. This isn’t the first time he’s goosed a lady in public. There are threats to take this evidence to the media. Voters want their politicians shaking hands and kissing babies. Rump wrangling is a bad touch. Naturally the first step to save his political career is rehab. In this era of Senator Larry Craig and Rep. Mark Foley, it’s refreshing to observe a politician being involved in a heterosexual impulse.
Sen. Puppis turns to the only place to help cure his impulse to grab asses, the Catholic Church. The clergy whisks him away to a secluded place for intense treatments to exorcise his carnal demons. Remember when this was done to Rev. Ted Haggard? What doesn’t help Sen. Puppis is the number of nuns roaming the grounds. He is in a garden of temptation. There’s a dream sequence with a row of nuns showing off their bare asses. This moment should cause Bill Donohue of the Catholic League to foam at the mouth.
The secretive rehab stay causes distress amongst Sen. Puppis’ political operatives. They fear he’s screwing them over. Little do they know that their candidate is fighting the urge to screw a nun. Who can blame him for being aroused since Sister Hildegarde is played by Laura Antonelli (Dr. Goldfoot and the Sex Bombs)? This isn’t the Penguin from The Blues Brothers. The film illustrates the balance between political ambitions and sexual impulses. Are they connected? Just ask Gary Hart and Bill Clinton.
The film starts with a very long disclaimer reminding us that all of this is a dream and none of the events happened in real life. Judging from scandals in the Italian government, these events might have happened since the film’s release. The Eroticist is an entertaining satire with subject matter that still creeps into the headlines. Although you’d have to exchange the nuns’ asses for a row of airport restroom stalls to make it truly contemporary.
The DVD
VIDEO:
The picture is 1.85:1 anamorphic. It’s a clean transfer with balanced color.
AUDIO:
The soundtrack is Italian and Mono. There are English subtitles.
EXTRAS:
A History of Censorship (43:00) features Lando Buzzanca, cinematographer Sergio D’Offizi and make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi talking about the controversial film. Buzzanca was made up to look like a member of Italy’s government. Fulci wasn’t nice to Laura Antonelli. According to D’Offizi, when it was time for the nude scenes, Fulci told her, “Bring out the boobs!” Like the Senator, Fulci had an impulse to grab her ass. They also talk about the scandalous reception given the film.
The Inside Pulse
If you’re into the nude nun fetish, The Erotocist is for you.
