Rent Amuck! (1972)

3.2 of 5 from 73 ratings
1h 37min
Rent Amuck! (aka Alla ricerca del piacere) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Her role as Miss Moneypenny in the lamentable James Bond spoof 'Casino Royale' may have set hearts a flutter, but it was for her part in classic Italian shockers like 'Black Belly of the Tarantula' and 'Don't Torture a Duckling' that cemented Barbara Bouche's status as one of the most libidinous icons of Euro-cult cinema. Happily, Silvio Amadio's saucy thriller 'Amuck!' fits snugly into this giallo-centric category too, and here Bouchet stars as Greta; a nubile young secretary under the recent employment of the cravat-wearing Richard (Farley Granger).
Partial to the occasional bout of swinging along with his wanton wife Eleanora (Rosalba Neri), Richard also seems to harbour a dark secret: the mysterious whereabouts of his missing former assistant, Sally, whom Greta knows very intimately indeed... With its blend of leeringly-lensed slow motion sex scenes and slick spectacle, Amuck! is an erotically charged masterclass in murder and deception.
Actors:
, , , , , , Patrizia Viotti, ,
Directors:
Producers:
Italo Zingarelli
Writers:
Silvio Amadio
Aka:
Alla ricerca del piacere
Studio:
88 Films
Genres:
Classics, Thrillers
Countries:
Italy
BBFC:
Release Date:
27/02/2017
Run Time:
97 minutes
Languages:
English Dubbed Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • An Icon Amuck - An Interview with Barbara Bouchet
  • Barbara Bouchet Q&A - From the Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester
  • Death in Venice - An Interview with Rosalba Neri
BBFC:
Release Date:
27/02/2017
Run Time:
101 minutes
Languages:
Dubbed, English Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • An Icon Amuck - an Interview with Barbara Bouchet
  • Barbara Boucher Q&A - From the Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester
  • Death in Venice - An Interview with Rosalba Neri

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Reviews (2) of Amuck!

Spoilers follow ... - Amuck! review by NP

Spoiler Alert
16/09/2017

Rosalba Neri looks stately and picturesque when holding a cigarette, but never entirely convincing when smoking. She stars as Eleanora in this exotic, erotic giallo as the wife of novelist Richard Stuart (Farley Granger). Between them, they exude an aloofness that inclines you to believe they know everything that is going on, certainly more than the audience. So when Greta Franklin (Barbara Bouchet) arrives on their stately island near Venice as the new secretary, their initial smoothness soon becomes something more. A crushed tablet in her drinking water, and soon Greta and Eleanour are stripped naked and getting to know each other.

Greta is posing as a secretary to investigate the disappearance of the Stuarts’ former employee, Sally, who was Greta’s lover. The upmarket sleaze and atmosphere of kinkiness prevalent in their stately home can be ascertained when you look at some alternative titles for this: ‘Maniac Mansion’, ‘Leather and Whips’ and ‘Hot Bed of Sex’ give you every reason to believe that the sex quota in this giallo is generous indeed.

Petar Martinovitch is excellent as simple-minded Rocco, a hugely physical fellow who is aroused by the sexuality around him and cannot control the after-effects. Is he a victim in all this? He is certainly deliberately used, and his resultant unrestrained qualities have a large part to play.

This may be Neri’s best role. She’s terrific throughout, and has an incredible presence that dominates the screen. But she’s not given an easy ride by Bouchet, who is compelling and never reduced to being a screaming cypher. As is nearly always the case with giallos, the girls get the best moments. Farley Granger shouldn’t be overlooked though – his delicate flamboyance as Richard masks a villain in the classic line of frustrated weaklings.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Semi-successful Italian thriller - Amuck! review by LC

Spoiler Alert
21/04/2021

There is a glorious period feel to this '70's giallo thriller, with atmospheric music, vibrant colour and fashions, some nice cinematography and a stunningly attractive female lead. We also get a generous serving of sex and nudity, so much so that it almost feels like a soft porn film at times, though it's all pretty classy and stylised. Less pleasant, but in keeping with the period, is the casual animal cruelty (several ducks are shot in a hunting scene, whilst a live eel is sliced in half). The 'whodunit' plot has a great hook: a novelist's secretary has disappeared, so her friend takes over her job to try and find out what happened to her. The author begins to dictate what seems like the answer to the mystery - but is he telling the truth, or just creating more fiction? Unfortunately the script gets a bit bogged down with red herrings that ultimately lead nowhere, and the final revelation doesn't quite satisfy. Nevertheless, despite the script being slightly below par, there is more than enough of interest here for this to be well worth a watch.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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