Action (1980 film)

Action
Action
Directed by	Tinto Brass
Written by	Tinto Brass; Gian Carlo Fusco; Roberto Lerici; Vincenzo Siniscalchi
Story by	Tinto Brass
Produced by	Ars Cinematografica
Starring	Luc Merenda
Cinematography	Silvano Ippoliti
Edited by	Tinto Brass
Music by	Riccardo Giovannini; Blue Malbeix Band
Distributed by	Cidif
Release date	4 January 1980;
Running time	121 mins
Country	Italy
Language	Italian
Budget	$100,000

Action is a 1980 Italian black comedy directed by Tinto Brass. The film is reminiscent of the director's earlier avant-garde low-budget works such as The Howl and Nerosubianco.

Brass faced many difficulties in Italy due to lawsuits concerning the production of Caligula, so he filmed Action in London in 1979.^[2]

In the film, an actor with hero syndrome has a nervous breakdown. He flees the town with an actress obsessed with the role of Ophelia, but they end up locked at a mental asylum. Following the suicide of "Ophelia", the actor flees the asylum with an anarchist patient.

Plot

Bruno Martel (Luc Merenda) is a "Z movie" actor with hero syndrome, often quarrelling with directors. He meets Doris (Susanna Javicoli) an actress who is obsessed with Ophelia but cannot get any Shakespearean bookings.

One day, during a nervous breakdown, Bruno "rescues" Doris from the set, leaving the town to encounter various absurd situations. They meet an old anarchist (Alberto Sorrentino) who thinks he is Giuseppe Garibaldi and the three are locked at a mental asylum where Doris commits suicide. Bruno and "Garibaldi" escape and take refuge at an awkward petrol station run by Florence (Adriana Asti) and her invalid husband Joe (Alberto Lupo).

Cast

Luc Merenda: Bruno Martel
Adriana Asti: Florence
Susanna Javicoli: Doris / Ofelia
Paola Senatore: Ann Shimpton
Alberto Sorrentino: Garibaldi
Alberto Lupo: Joe
John Steiner: the manager
Franco Fabrizi: the producer
Tinto Brass: the director (cameo)
Gianfranco Bullo [de; it]: the director
Giancarlo Badessi
Edoardo Florio
Luciano Crovato
Paola Montenero [fr; it]: leader of the thugs
Alina De Simone
Beatrice Brass
Hélène Chauvin
Gigi D'Ecclesia
Eolo Capritti [de; it]^[1]

Release

In Germany, the film was released as Sodom 2000.^[1]

Reception

According to Italian film critic Marco Giusti, Action is for many the cult film among Tinto Brass' films.^[1] Giusti praises the finale with the dream of Luc Merenda, who sees four knights who have sexes in place of their noses and four women who have sexes in place of their mouthes.^[1]