Kriminal (film)
Kriminal is a 1966 crime film directed and written by Umberto Lenzi. The film is about a thief and murderer called Kriminal (Glenn Saxson) who escapes from a prison and is chased after by Inspector Milton (Andrea Bosic). It received a sequel titled Il marchio di Kriminal (lit. The Mark of Kriminal).
| Kriminal | |
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 Italian film poster | |
| Directed by | Umberto Lenzi |
| Screenplay by | Umberto Lenzi[1] |
| Story by | Umberto Lenzi[1] |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Romano Mussolini[1] |
| Cinematography | Angelo Lotti[1] |
| Edited by |
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Production companies |
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Release date |
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Cast
- Glenn Saxson as Kriminal (Glenn Saxson)
- Andrea Bosic as Insp. Milton
- Helga Liné as Inge - Trude
- Esmeralda Ruspoli as Lady Gold
- Ivano Staccioli as Alex Lafont
Production
In August 1964 the Fumetti neri for Kriminal was released.[1] The comics often contained themes of sex and violence, ranging from Kriminal killing people and seducing scantily dressed provocative women and then strangling or stabbing them to conceal his identity.[1][2] Director Umberto Lenzi stated that he initially wanted to make his debut with a comicbook inspired film with an adaptation of Diabolik.[3] Lenzi found himself unable to get the rights which were purchased by De Laurentiis.[3] Lenzi attempted to film an adaptation of Satanik first, but eventually settled on Kriminal.[3] Lenzi argued with the Kriminal's creator Luciano Secchi about the changes he made with the character, which Lenzi would later describe as "a bit Nazi-skin fascist. We made a fun film."[4] Lenzi opted for a lighter tone in contrast to the comics original combination of sex and violence.[4]
The lead role was played by Dutch actor Roel Bos under the name Glenn Saxson who previously had leading roles in a few Westerns, such as Go with God, Gringo.[5] Bos made a screen test for director Umberto Lenzi, who was looking to portray Kriminal as a younger character than he was in the original comics.[6]
Shooting for the film lasted about two months.[3] Interiors were shot in Rome, while exteriors were filmed in Madrid, Istanbul, The Black Sea and London.[3] Most of the physical stunts in the film were performed by Bos's double Attilio Serverini, except one of the more dangerous one involving Kriminal running atop a speeding train.[3]
Release
The film was released in 1966.[7] The film was described by Curti as being "moderately successful" which lead to a follow-up, Il marchio di Kriminal directed by Fernando Cerchio.[8] As of 2016, there has been no official English-language DVD of Kriminal.[8]
Reception
In a contemporary review, Roberto Curti wrote in his book about Italian films influenced by comics that Kriminal is "fast, fun and entertaining overall, but it is also disappointingly tame."[8] Curti mentioned that the film is "lacking the comic book's tongue-in-cheek attitude and political uncorrectness, while much of the film looked more like one of those travelogue James Bond rip-offs that were flooding the screens at the time."[4]
Lenzi later noted that when he re-watched the film on television, that it "seemed even better than when I shot in 1966: then I was a bit perplexed, now I |appreciate the aspect of irony in it, something which comic strips didn't have because they were vulgar, horrible,"[4]
References
Footnotes
- Curti 2016, p. 47.
- Curti 2016, p. 48.
- Curti 2016, p. 52.
- Curti 2013, p. 297.
- Curti 2016, p. 50.
- Curti 2016, p. 51.
- Curti 2016, p. 66.
- Curti 2016, p. 53.
Sources
- Curti, Roberto (2016). Diabolika: Supercriminals, Superheroes and the Comic Book Universe in Italian Cinema. Midnight Marquee Press. ISBN 978-1-936168-60-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 0786469765.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
External links
