The Arena (1974 film)
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| The Arena | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steve Carver Joe D'Amato |
| Written by | John William Corrington Joyce Hooper Corrington |
| Produced by | Roger Corman Mark Damon |
| Starring | Margaret Markov Pam Grier |
| Cinematography | Joe D'Amato |
| Edited by | Jann Carver Joe Dante |
| Music by | Francesco De Masi |
| Distributed by | Filmes Lusomundo New World Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 83 min. |
| Countries | United States Italy |
| Language | English |
The Arena (also known as the Naked Warriors) is a 1974 gladiator exploitation film, starring Margaret Markov and Pam Grier, and directed by Steve Carver and an uncredited Joe D'Amato. Grier and Markov portray female gladiators in ancient Rome, who have been enslaved and must fight for their freedom. This marks the second teaming of Grier and Markov; in 1972 they starred together in the women in prison film Black Mama, White Mama.
Plot
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The Arena, set in the ancient Roman town of Brundusium, is about a group of slave girls who are sold to a man named Timarchus (Daniele Vargas), the organizer of the events that take place in the town’s colosseum. After a fight breaks out amongst the girls, Timarchus gets the idea of putting the women in the ring to fight to the death. The recently captured Mamawi (Pam Grier) and Bodicia (Margaret Markov) realize they must stick together if they are to survive.
Cast
- Margaret Markov — Bodicia
- Pam Grier — Mamawi
- Lucretia Love — Deirdre
- Paul Muller — Lucilius
- Daniele Vargas — Timarchus
- Marie Louise — Livia
- Mary Count — Lucinia
- Rosalba Neri — Cornelia
- Vassili Karis — Marcus
- Sid Lawrence — Priscium
- Mimmo Palmara — Rufinius
- Antonio Casale — Lucan
- Franco Garofalo — Aemilius
- Pietro Ceccarelli — Septimus
- Jho Jhenkins — Quintus
Production
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The film was co produced by Mark Damon, who had appeared in a number of films for Roger Corman as an actor and wanted to move into production. During filming he started dating Margaret Markov, the female lead. The two of them eventually married and are still together in 2012.
Martin Scorcese said that Roger Corman offered him the film to direct following Boxcar Bertha. However he elected to make Mean Streets instead.[1]
The film was shot in Italy at Rome's Cincecitta studios in 1973. It was the first feature directed by Steve Carver.
Remakes
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A remake of this film was released directly to video in 2001. It was filmed in Russia by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov with a Russian crew, and it featured Playboy Playmates Karen McDougal and Lisa Dergan in their feature film debut.
The film was initially titled Gladiatrix but was deemed to be a knockoff of Gladiator. Although the film was not well received, it has turned into a lesser known cult film.
See also
References
- ^ Scorcese on Scorcese Ed Ian Christie, David Thomson, 2003 p 39