Discuss Mafia Junction

Christmas comes early with this legit release of this highly enjoyable Italian crime thriller from the director of What Have You Done with Solange? Perpetual Eurotrash tough guy Ivan Rassimov plays Cliff Hoyst, an ostensible U.S. drug agent. His girlfriend, Joann (Stephanie Beacham of TV’s “The Colbys” and “Dynasty”) works at an exclusive British “escort service” where wealthy clients are filmed in compromising positions who are later blackmailed into smuggling drugs. There are the expected complications, romantic and otherwise, and Inspector Cliff must face off against rival drug smuggler Mama the Turk (elderly British character actress Patricia Hayes) for the life of Beacham.

Super Bitch, a United Kingdom and Italian co-production is quite a wild ride! An unauthorized bootleg in grainy, washed-out colors was making the rounds earlier this year, but Arrow Video in the U.K. has come to the rescue with a breathtakingly beautiful print. Cinematographer Jack (The Bridge on the River Kwai) Hildeyard contributes bold, colorful photography for a variety of world locations. The film begins in Lebanon, switches to London for Beacham’s scenes and finds time for side trip to New York City. People will find a lot to groove on, as the fashion and décor is strictly of the Austin Powers’s school, full of eye-popping op art and modern, expressionistic furniture. Morrel (Ettore Manni), the head of the escort agency has a swingin’ office, complete with a perpetual light show projected on a screen.

Known under countless titles, the film’s original Italian title, Si può essere più bastardi dell'ispettore Cliff?, which translates in English to “Could Anyone Be Possibly more of a Bastard than Inspector Cliff?” It was also shortened to Mafia Junction, and finally Super Bitch. It’s hard to say who plays the titular role. While the frequently naked Beacham (insuring that this film has a certain cult cache), in her role cavalier, money-grubbing prostitute would certainly fit the title, this reviewer is betting that the Super Bitch here is played by Hayes, a delightful harridan who makes Ma Barker seem like Martha Stewart in comparison. Hayes chews the scenery must adeptly with her family of shaggy gangster sons. Berating her guitar-strumming offspring Bunco (Tutte Lemkow) for smoking marijuana, her clan happily runs over and kills a male hustler in their convertible while singing folk songs in the very next scene! Hayes and her family are lots of fun to watch – it’s as if her gloriously dysfunctional brood has taken a page from the John Waters playbook.

As if this wasn’t good enough in and of itself, the legendary Riz Ortolani contributes a wild and happening soundtrack musical score.

from http://cinemaheadcheese.blogspot.com/2012/12/movie-review-super-bitch-1973-aka-mafia.html

2 replies (on page 1 of 1)

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@NeoLosman said:

We could use modern equivalents to flicks like these, here in hyper-sanitized '23

Good luck with that! I think the only way you could get away with it is if you did it in another country, and insinuated that the so called "Super Bitch" was empowered (wink wink).

@NeoLosman said: Yeah... I'm not holding my breath, when it comes to the cultural climate here in The US anytime soon. As discussed in prior threads, we've been through periods of cultural stagnation like this prior, namely The 50s and The 80s

Um.. "cultural stagnation"? In the 50's and 80's?! What are you talking about? The 50's may have been a bit on the naive and optimistic side, but that's not "stagnation". Same thing with the 80's; you had plenty of creativity going on, and most things were peaceful and (again) optimistic.

It's funny how those times were considered "puritanical", yet I don't recall anyone going to jail for not respecting anyone's pronouns.

Psst... you know it's The Left that has put us into a cultural position where Blazing Saddles can't be made anymore.. right? I mean, it doesn't help that The Right is so weak and spineless that they almost beg to be bullied, but just because you look and act like Carrie White doesn't mean the pretty and the popular get to dog pile you and get away with it.. right?

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