The Eroticist
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Eroticist'' ( it, Nonostante le apparenze... e purchè la nazione non lo sappia... all'onorevole piacciono le donne, lit=Despite Appearances... and Provided the Nation Doesn't Know... The Senator Likes Women) is a 1972
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
commedia sexy all'italiana The commedia sexy all'italiana (, lit. "sex comedy Italian style"), also known as commedia scollacciata or commedia erotica all'italiana, is a subgenre of Italian ''commedia all'italiana'' film genre. Style ''Commedia sexy'' is characterized typ ...
film directed (and co-written) by
Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he ga ...
. It had censorship problems and was banned shortly after its release. Later it was released in a heavily cut version and prohibited for persons under 18 years.


Plot

Sen. Gianni Puppis arrives at
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
's airport to greet the female president of the Republic of Urania. Puppis, a contender for the next Italian Chief (President) of State, is captured on film furtively groping her bottom as she greets the Italian press. No one notices the incident, and the victim is unsure who was responsible due to the crowd gathered around her. The TV film editor studies the film with a colleague and remarks, "but he's
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
!" Still photos of the incident fall into the hands of a highly unorthodox
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
called Father Lucian, an old college friend of Puppis. He arranges a meeting with the bemused politician in a
confessional booth A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall in which the priest in some Christian churches sits to hear the confessions of penitents. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Churches, but si ...
and then demands blackmail money for the pictures. Puppis is furious but mystified, for he cannot remember anything about the incident. He leaves the confessional booth refusing to pay. That night, Puppis has a strange dream in which a naked young woman beckons him, superimposed over the circular plaza of
St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
and the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
. Puppis calls the unscrupulous Father Lucian and offers him the money. In return, Lucian offers to arrange a consultation with a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
psychiatrist. During the session, Puppis describes his recent affliction: his dreams and waking thoughts are becoming obsessed with behinds, primarily female ones, despite his open preference for fey young men like his personal chauffeur Carmelino. Asses fill his thoughts and even precipitate black-outs, during which he commits terrible acts of bottom-pinching. "We've got to lick this thing," says Father Lucian. Puppis leaves, vowing to maintain his self-control. But later that day, his hands wander while standing behind a young lady in an elevator at the Senate offices. The next day, Puppis announces that he is going on a "spiritual retreat" until the results of the elections are announced. Father Lucian drives the frantic Puppis into the countryside, stopping at a filling station to get gas. Puppis experiences a veritable barrage of ladies' bottoms at the filling station forecourt. Before Father Lucian can stop him, Puppis has lurched over to one
tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...
-frocked figure bent over to examine the a car's engine, only to find himself face to face with a furious
kilt A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Hi ...
-wearing
Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded ...
. Later that day, Lucian and Puppis finally arrive at a
cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
run by his friend Father Schirer, a priest and
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
. However, Puppis is blind drunk after consuming several bottles of liquor he bought at the rest stop. Father Schirer welcomes the esteemed patient and informs the barely conscious man that his many skilled nurses will help him. The clinic is staffed by nuns, all of them young and beautiful. That night, Father Schirer is woken up when one of the nurses assigned to watch over Puppis is grabbed on her bottom by the sleeping man. Father Schirer tells the nun that she must remain still until morning, as waking the patent would be too traumatic, under the circumstances. Back in Rome, Senator Puppis' absence is the subject of heated discussions. His political opponents to the more
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Sen. Torsello have been bugging his telephone and are puzzled over coded conversations between Puppis and Father Lucian. But the Italian Army has been bugging the senate phones in the hope of learning something that will ensure the planned
military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
stays on course. The Vatican secret police, led by the persistent Mafioso Don Gesualdo, have been bugging the Army's phones and learning about Puppi's mysterious exit. Cardinal Maravigili, an influential member of the clergy, which has the real power in Italy, is sitting in his office watching the film footage of Puppis at the airport. Cardinal Maravigili is enraged, for apparently, Puppis owes his political success to shady deals with the Vatican and military hierarchy. Maravigili, a manipulative sociopath willing to murder to facilitate divine will, has groomed Puppis for the position of president. Even Puppis' preference for men is tolerated because the Cardinal confides in Don Gesualdo that he prefers that Puppis should be homosexual, expecting minor scandal from this man than the customary womanizing of Italian politicians. At the spiritual retreat, Puppis describes a dream to Father Schirer while under hypnosis, featuring the devout nurses at the clinic and visions of the Garden of Eden where foliage bursts with naked female bottoms. The next night, Puppis sleepwalks to Father Schirer's room and molests him while he is fast asleep. Protecting his vow of chastity, the priest/analyst wakes up the randy senator. Once fully awake, Puppis realizes his actions and professes to feel much better, claiming his dreams have liberated his mind. Puppis returns to Rome full of optimism about his cure the following morning. However, back at the clinic, when Father Schirer takes confession from the nuns, he discovers that Puppis' rampaging sexual dreams have been enacted for real. The libidinous sisters all recount sexual encounters with Puppis. An angry Father Schirer arrives at Puppis' house and demands an explanation. He is forced to hide when Cardinal Maravigili comes unexpectedly to meet Puppis. Hiding in the bathroom in a shower cubicle, Father Schirer suffers a fatal heart attack when he thinks Cardinal Maravigili will walk in. Unaware of Schirer's sudden demise, Puppis leaves with Cardinal Maravigili to a garden party before celebrating the Italian Republic's founding. After experiencing erotic visions, Puppis swiftly seduces the French ambassador's wife in the bushes. Back at Puppis' house, Carmelino discovers the dead body of Father Schirer and rushes to tell Puppis, only to be grabbed and taken away by Don Gesualdo, leading the Vatican secret police. Returning home that evening, Puppis is met by Sister Hildergardt, the only one of the cloistered order not to have been ravished by him. Begging him to relieve her of temptation and simultaneously scolding him for wickedness, she implores that they whip each for their sins. Just as the twisted couple gets down to it, the Vatican thugs arrive. Puppis and Sister Hildergardt escape through a back window. Hiding out in a secluded motel room, Puppis and Sister Hildegarde are tracked down, and Don Gesualdo and his thugs take her away. Cardinal Maravigli confronts Puppis in the motel room, and he tells the Cardinal that he wants out of politics. But the Cardinal replies that there will be none of that talk. Too much time and effort have been expended behind the scenes to hoist Puppis into position. The Cardinal takes Puppis into the bowels of the Vatican to view waxworks of recently canonized saints. They include Carmelino and Father Lucian, as well as Father Schirer. The threat to Puppis is made explicit when he is told to look carefully at an unfinished rough wax model. Staring at the shapeless features, Puppis imagines a waxwork of himself. When Senator Torsello dies the next day in a "plane crash," Puppis is declared the winner of the election by default. At a ceremony to accept his appointment as president of
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, Puppis genuflects before a wax statue of Sister Hildegarde. Puppis knows that his political position trapped him with the corrupt Vatican thugs whom he now can never escape. "The new president is remarkably religious," whispers an onlooker to another. As Puppis, the new chief of state, gives his inaugural address on live TV, a customer in a local bar switches off the televised ceremony who chooses instead to watch a foolish game show on the next channel.


Cast

*
Lando Buzzanca Gerlando "Lando" Buzzanca (24 August 1935 – 18 December 2022) was an Italian stage, film, and television actor whose career spanned 65 years. Life and career Early years Born in Palermo the son of a cinema projectionist, at 16 years old Buz ...
: Giacinto 'Gianni' Puppis *
Lionel Stander Lionel Jay Stander (January 11, 1908 – November 30, 1994) was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television. He is best remembered for his role as majordomo Max on the 1980s mystery television series '' Hart to Hart''. Early ...
: Cardinal Maravidi *
Laura Antonelli Laura Antonelli ( Antonaz; 28 November 1941 – 22 June 2015) was an Italian film actress who appeared in 45 films between 1964 and 1991. Early years Antonelli was born Laura Antonaz in Pola, Kingdom of Italy (in Croatian, Pula), former cap ...
: Sister Hildegarde *
Renzo Palmer Renzo Palmer (20 December 1929 – 4 June 1988) was an Italian film, television and stage actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1957 and 1988. Life and career Born in Milan as Lorenzo Bigatti, Palmer was the adopted son of the ...
: Father Lucion *
Corrado Gaipa Corrado Gaipa (13 March 1925 – 21 September 1989) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Gaipa was a well known actor of Italian cinema as well as dubbing voices. However, he was widely known for his role as Don Tommasino in ''The Godfather''. ...
: Don Gesualdo *
Agostina Belli Agostina Belli (born 13 April 1949) is an Italian film actress. She has appeared in more than 50 films since 1968. Life and career Born in Milan as Agostina Maria Magnoni, Belli made her debut in 1968 with a minor part in ''Bandits in Milan'', ...
: Sister Brunhilde * Feodor Chaliapin Jr.: Senator Torsello *
Francis Blanche François Jean Blanche, known as "Francis Blanche" (20 July 1921 – 6 July 1974) was a French actor, singer, humorist and author. He was a very popular figure on stage, radio and in films, during the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Blanche was ...
: Father Schirer *
Eva Czemerys Eva Czemerys (born 1940) is a German-born film actress, mainly active in Italy. Born in Munich to Russian parents, her family moved to Rome, Italy when she was only 1. She studied acting and debuted as the main actress in 1971 in ''Bella di giorno ...
: Fantasy Woman *
José Quaglio José Quaglio, real name Giuseppe Quaglio, (28 February 1926 – 8 January 2007), was an Italian actor and theater director. He has performed in some 50 films in Italy and has directed four. He acted in a dozen films in France. Filmography A ...
: Pietro Fornari *
Arturo Dominici Arturo Dominici (2 January 1916 – 7 September 1992) was an Italian film, television and voice actor. Biography Born in Palermo, Dominici became best known for his many villainous roles in horror and fantasy films. He is best remembered for ...
: His Excellency *
Anita Strindberg Anita Strindberg (born 19 June 1937) is a Swedish former actress who appeared in numerous Italian ''giallo'' films in the 1970s. Strindberg appeared as Anita Edberg in two Swedish films in the late 1950s. She started her career in gialli with Luc ...
: French Ambassador's Wife *
Aldo Puglisi Aldo Puglisi (born 12 April 1935) is an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Catania, the son of two Sicilian language theatrical actors, Puglisi made his stage debut at very young age with the company of his parents. He made his film debut ...
: Carmelino


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eroticist, The 1972 films Italian political comedy films Italian parody films Commedia sexy all'italiana Films set in Rome Films directed by Lucio Fulci Films scored by Fred Bongusto 1970s sex comedy films 1972 comedy films 1970s political comedy films 1970s Italian-language films 1970s Italian films