Joe D'Amato
 

Okay, I admit it - I'm a huge fan of the sleaze-meister known as Joe D'Amato ,real name Aristide Massaccesi and a billion other aliases.


His movies go beyond sleaze and land in a third dimension unknown to film language. His films are shit, he knows it - we know it, but DAMN! they are so much fun!

Due to the nature of his films, most are unavailable in the UK. In this lovely day and age though, it's not hard to find his classics - uncut.

So... What are yours? Are you a fan? Do you wish the man never lived?

My top 5:

Anthropophagus: The Beast
Buio Omega
Absurd
Emanuelle In America
Images in a Convent

ive not seen any of his stuff apart from anthro, a film that is the subject of some article I m trying to pull together.

I did watch a documentary of his career this weekend (1hr) that came with the anthropophagus 2 disc - the guy apparently built 6 films around a bit of pirate footage he'd bought- now that for me is priceless the idea that the stock footage came before the film ideas,

in the documentary he comes across as a lovely chap but a bit of a hack. Anthro is a faultless horror film though, he gets suspense and mood just right. even without the notorious scene antho would have worked as a horror,

You should pick up Images in a Convent, herman. It has the second part of the docu! Which covers his more... adult features :) - He was a real hack, but wasn't afraid to admit it, he was all about the money for the most part!

I'm with you on Anthropophagus, it's a real guilty pleasure that I watch over and over.

okay, I think I'll do that- so what version of this film am I looking for in order to see the rest of the docu?

Oh and while we are on documentary features- I notice there is a box of the banned on amazon (not the best way to get complete films) but it seems to have a documentary on it regarding censorship and video nasty scares. dont know if the docu is any good though. but i may just get a used copy of box set just for docu.

Ive been looking at D'amato on trash online- endgame and a shark one so may order those.

You want the R1 Exploitation Digital release (they are an off-shoot of Shriek Show/Media Blasters.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...NL._SS500_.jpg

The Docu in the Box of the Banned set is brilliant, very insightful, but you do have to pick up both sets to get the full thing! If you have most of the films in the set, I'd look for another way of seeing it :)

The Ban The Sadist Videos documentary is excellent, though as Philleh says you have to pick up both sets to get it as it's spread over 2 discs in 2 boxes.

The films (5) in the 2nd box are all uncut. :) Box 1 (6 films) has the uncut Zombie Flesh Eaters to recommend it but thoroughly mashed prints of I Spit On Your Grave (appallingly badly cut), Last House On The Left (minus 31 secs) and Nightmares In A Damaged Brain (sadly the R-rated version) to demerit it. :(

"Nightmares In A Damaged Brain (sadly the R-rated version) to demerit it."

Man, that sucks. Cunning way of getting a film classed uncut indeed!

I've just heard that the Media Blasters DVD of Anthropophagus: The Beast isn't the uncut version! It's not missing much, but scenes are missing. Only the German DVD release is the true uncut print, apparently! Damn it all!

Apparently AB tried to secure the uncut Nightmares In A Damaged Brain but the owner demanded too much dosh. That is if he actually does own it. It misses out 3 short shots (throat-slashing, stabbing, axed head closeup) though at least it's longer than the original UK cut cinema version. :(

Anthro is only available here as The Grim Reaper (minus the foetus-eating and the entrails-chomping). Apparently a rights issue is involved though it didn't seem to affect the edited version being released.

I stayed well away from the R2 release of Anthro. But I had expected the R1 release to be fully uncut, but nay... it's still missing soem footage. I have a pre-cert copy on DVD-R, I'll have to compare them and see what's missing... that is if the Pre-cert edition wasn't missing this elusive German footage! lol

There is a Dutch or German release for Nightmares In A Damaged Brain I believe, thats fully intact. Can't see why they didn't source that copy :p

The Grim Reaper is also missing part of the scene where the actress has her hair pulled through the roof of the house. For me this was the most disturbing scene.

I'm not sure of the point of The Grim Reaper. It was missing the above scenes but left in the quite bloody shot of the guy on the beach with the axed head.

The scene where the woman seemingly looses her skin from her face baffles me! lol

The anthro \Ive got is the shriek show 2 disc with docu etc

it may be incomplete but seems to have the juicy bits present and correct.

the film is worth the money for the scene in the well alone, I love that scene - full of suspense.

I picked up a copy of the German language edition of Em in America for 3 bucks in my local game station a couple of years back. not bad for a limited rlease of 3000, so if any german speaking smut fans would care to translate, I'd be gratful!

It's like going through a blender when you watch it. It swings wildly from soft core swimming scenes to full on hardcore to the worst kind of fake snuff horror then implies that some poor women has jerked off a horse. What a classic! the gore scenes are horrific, easily besting modern efforts like Hostel in their nastiness.

Lol, I have the Blue Underground release that shows all the horse wanking, cock sucking and burning oil drinking in it's uncut glory! - NOICE!

You don't really need to know much about the story, as there isn't one! :)

An alternative to the German/Austrian "Antro" DVDs is the Italian 2 disc reelase from "Beat Records", which is noteworthy for a) containing also an English language track WITH the original music score (unlike most German releases which offer English audio, they usually seem to be taken from the "Grim Reaper" track.:D), b) offers an interesting and subtitled interview with George Eastman and some tunes from D'Amato's flicks on Disc 2 (as well as a trailer for the movie with the alternate title of "Savage Island") and c) is basically fully intact if you don't count a few totally forgettable extra frames of unspectacular scenes.
I should know, I own the Austrian NSM 2 discer with the German audio commentary and the extra frames, too.:o
Avoid the former "Astro" and "Laser Paradise" releases of the flick like the plague, though!

Yeah, the "Ban the Sadist Videos" documentaries are really great. Essential viewing for anybody, who wishes to get an idea about the video witchhunts of the 80's and believe me: It played out pretty much the same way in Germany during that era:ack:

Have you got the booklet 'AKA: Joe D'Amato'? Lists every film the great man ever made with cast/crew info etc. Very nice...and yes, I am a big fan of his work. My top 5 D'Amato flicks are:

Emanuelle in America
Emanuelle Around the World
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals
Anthropophagous the Beast
Caligula...The Untold Story

Just recieved PAPAYA......that'll be interesting....

Clearly you didn't like it! lol

Utter shite-a real disappointment from Joe Sleaze-WHO WANTS IT? :mad:

No thanks Reaps :rofl: ;)

I needs me this booklet! Where did you get it from duder?

Me too!!



...............................

I was watching the Media Blasters Anthro the other day and noticed that censored scene you mention, where the blind girl has her head pulled through the roof and all the skin is stripped off her face, appears in the promo trailers on the movie disc.I wonder why this particular scene was cut from the Shriek Show print and the foetus & gut munching was left intact, it doesn't make sense.The only D'Amato's I've seen are: Anthropophagus, Beyond the Darkness and Absurd.They're all great with Beyond the Darkness being my fave of the three. :)

Be sure to check out:

Caligula the Untold Story (avoid the us disc)
Emanuelle Around the World - XXX version
Erotic Nights of the Living Dead
Images in a Convent
Porno Holocuast

this is the boolklet mentioned.

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/a...7/scan0015.jpg

it is by festival promotions and the author is Simon Smith. as it was published in 1995 i think it was produced in collaboration with one of the Eurofests, but i may be wrong.

top 5 horrors

absurd
anthropophagous the beast
death smiles at murder
emanuelle and the cannibals
frankenstein 2000


top 10 sleaze ( this is where he really comes alive)

emanuelle in america
emanuelle & the white slave trade
pleasure shop on 7th avenue
the alcove ( laura gemser, annie bell & lili carati, what more does a film need)
caligula 2 - the untold story
midnight gigolo
blood vengeance
top model
emanuelle around the world
emanuelle nera- orient reportage

top 5 xxx

hamlet x
tarzan x
untold story of marco polo
decameron x
baron von masoch

hope this helps

alex

Nice one Alex, going to keep an eye out for this!

BUMP!


With the new Sexploitation set coming soon, I thought this old thread deserves some new life :nod:

So share your thoughts on D'Amato here! Love him or loathe him? Any favourites?

I'd have to go with Beyond The Darkness probably - it's the first film of his that I saw, if I remember rightly, and fell in luv with it instantly. Nice and gory and it has such a poweful atmosphere and mood to it. It's just brilliant - even if it isnt quite as sleazy as some of his other work :p

I've seen:

ABSURD - 5/10
ANTHROPOPHAGUS - 6/10
ATOR THE FIGHTING EAGLE - 5/10
ATOR THE INVINCIBLE - 6/10
BEYOND THE DARKNESS - 6/10
CALIGULA THE UNTOLD STORY - 9/10
DEATH SMILED AT MURDER - 4/10
EMANUELLE IN AMERICA - 5/10
EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS - 3/10
EMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD - 7/10
EMANUELLE'S REVENGE - 7/10
ENDGAME - 7/10
EROTIC NIGHT'S OF THE LIVING DEAD - 8/10
IMAGES IN A CONVENT - 8/10
LOVE GODDESS OF THE CANNIBALS - 9/10
ORGASMO NERO - 5.5/10
PORNO HOLOCAUST - 4/10
RETURN FROM DEATH: FRANKENSTEIN 2000 - 2/10
SESSO NERO - 5/10

As producer:

DOOR TO SILENCE - 6.5/10
GHOSTHOUSE - 5/10
KILLING BIRDS (He apparently took over the reign's of this one, too) - 2/10
STAGEFRIGHT - 9.5/10
WITCHCRAFT - 6/10


I sure I've seen a few more but I can't remember at minute.

My favourite has always been Anthropophagus.
Although it's a little slow at times, it has great atmosphere and cinematography.
Shame the Shriek Show disc is cut though.
I'm also a great fan of Beyond The Darkness and Emanuelle and The Last Cannibals as well.

I thought he was seriously underrated as a director tbh.

What's cut from the Shriek Show DVD of Anthropophagus?

I always assumed it was uncut.

I know the UK & US DVD editions under the title THE GRIM REAPER are cut.

I saw a few of the 11 Days 11 Nights films when i was in my teens.

I loved Jessica Moore.

I've not seen any of the 11 DAY'S..films (did have a few on dvd though). Jessica Moore is also in THE MURDER SECRET (her shower scene was used in CAT IN THE BRAIN), which I have seen, and she is pretty hot. Great breasts.

According to DVDCompare it is uncut
Rewind @ www.dvdcompare.net - Antropophagus AKA The Grim Reaper AKA Anthropophagous: The Beast (1980)

I'm not sure tbh, but some previous posts in this thread said it was incomplete.
Hmm.. i thought it looked uncut as well.

Certainly wouldn't want a longer version. ;)

I often wondered if they ever filmed a longer version of the foetus eating scene, because even in the uncut version it still seems a bit abrupt tbh.

I doubt it, if they did we probably would have heard about it ages ago.

I have seen some gore that wasn't in the Shriek Show version of Anthropophagus.It was included in a trailer for the film I seem to recall.It was during the scene where the blind girl has her head pulled through the roof by Eastman's cannibal character.In the scene on the trailer you see all the skin being stripped off the girl's face as her head is pulled up through the jagged tiles.This isn't in the Shriek Show version.I don't know whether it made it into any other version of the film.