''Action'' is a 1980

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

directed by

Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the Erot ...

. The film is reminiscent of the director's earlier

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

low-budget works such as '' The Howl'' and '' Nerosubianco''. Brass faced many difficulties in Italy due to lawsuits concerning the production of ''

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

'', so he filmed ''Action'' in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1979. In the film, an actor with

hero syndrome Hero syndrome (also often referred to as saviour complex or hero complex) is a psychological phenomenon which causes a person to seek recognition for heroism. Although hero syndrome is not recognised by the American Academy of Psychiatry due to ...

has a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. He flees the town with an actress obsessed with the role of

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...

, but they end up locked at a

mental asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...

. Following the suicide of "Ophelia", the actor flees the asylum with an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

patient.

Plot

Bruno Martel (

Luc Merenda Luc Charles Olivier Merenda (born 3 September 1943) is a French actor and former model, known as was one of the most prominent leading men of Italian poliziotteschi films during the 1970’s. Early life Merenda was born in Nogent-le-Roi, a sm ...

) is a "

Z movie Zmovies (or grade-Zmovies) are low-budget films with production qualities lower than Bmovies. History and terminology The term "Zmovie" arose in the mid-1960s as an informal description of certain unequivocally non-A films. It was soon adopted ...

" actor with

, often quarrelling with directors. He meets Doris (

Susanna Javicoli Susanna Javicoli (7 August 1954 – 17 June 2005) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography Javicoli began her career as an actress in the 1970s. Some of her earlier works include starring in TV films which were adapted by plays written ...

) an actress who is obsessed with

but cannot get any

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

an bookings. One day, during a

, Bruno "rescues" Doris from the set, leaving the town to encounter various absurd situations. They meet an old anarchist (

Alberto Sorrentino Alberto Sorrentino (16 February 1916 – 31 January 1994) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 89 films between 1943 and 1988. Selected filmography * '' The Last Wagon'' (1943) - Un passante * '' I cadetti di Guascogna'' (1950) - Il c ...

) who thinks he is

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

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 Adriana Asti (born 30 April 1931) is an Italian stage, film, and voice actress. Biography Adriana Asti appeared very young in Dino Risi's short film Buio in sala, shot in 1948. She made her theatrical debut in 1951 acting in Plautus' Miles Glo ...

) and her invalid husband Joe (

Alberto Lupo Alberto Zoboli (19 December 1924 – 13 August 1984), known professionally as Alberto Lupo, was an Italian film and television actor best known for his roles in swash-buckling and actions films of the 1960s. Lupo starred in films such as ''A ...

Cast

: Bruno Martel *

: Florence *

: Doris / Ofelia *

Paola Senatore Paola Senatore (born 9 November 1949) is an Italian retired film actress. Biography Born in Rome, Paola Senatore worked in Italian genre films during the 1970s, including poliziotteschi, commedia sexy all'italiana and giallo films. These include ...

: Ann Shimpton *

: Garibaldi *

: Joe *

John Steiner John Steiner (7 January 1941 – 31 July 2022) was an English actor. Tall, thin and gaunt, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed on-stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but was best known to audiences for his roles ...

: the manager *

Franco Fabrizi Franco Fabrizi (; 15 February 1916 – 18 October 1995) was an Italian actor. Life and career Son of a barber and a cinema cashier, Franco Fabrizi started his career as a model and an actor in fotoromanzi. Fabrizi also starred on several re ...

: the producer *

: the director (cameo) *: the director *

Giancarlo Badessi Giancarlo Badessi (21 September 1928 – 6 December 2011) was an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Lecco, at the age of almost 40 Badessi gave up his daily job as an accountant to embrace the theatre, making his debut in a stage play direct ...

*Edoardo Florio *Luciano Crovato *: leader of the thugs *Alina De Simone *Beatrice Brass *Hélène Chauvin *Gigi D'Ecclesia *

Release

In Germany, the film was released as ''Sodom 2000''.

Reception

According to Italian film critic Marco Giusti, ''Action'' is for many the

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

among Tinto Brass' films. 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.

Bibliography

References

External links

* 1980 films 1980 black comedy films Italian black comedy films Films shot in London Films directed by Tinto Brass Films set in psychiatric hospitals Cultural depictions of Giuseppe Garibaldi 1980s Italian-language films 1980s Italian films Films about actors Films based on Hamlet Ophelia Italian-language black comedy films {{1980s-Italy-comedy-film-stub