The Arena (1974)

I love this movie so much

From my favorite movies..

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This is called the first women in prison flick ever made, so only for that alone it's a reason to watch it to see where it all started. But for the geeks in horror genre there's more. It was a co-production between the USA and Italie and it showed. Roger Corman was producer. The cinematography was done by Joe D'amato en the editing was in the hands of Joe Dante. All of them becoming notorious for their flicks. And if you look at the thespians, it had Pam Grier in it just coming out of Coffy (1973). With all those famous names it should have been a fantastic flick but it's all done before their heydays and it shows even as it do has a few potentials. The story is simple but believable and of course due some catfight in the kitchen it's decided that all women who are slaves should become gladiators. Being raped and humiliated by Romans they all work together to destroy the Romans. Don't expect big effects, there aren't any, and when stabbing takes place it's all done off-camera. Being an exploitation flick it also has a bit of nudity full frontal from the slaves. It was so typical back then around those years because porn was the big thing so nudity was a must in most of the flicks made early seventies to compete with the porn business. Clocking in under 90 minutes makes it watchable. And it do show the use of the typical zooming in on faces or action seen in spaghetti westerns made then and Italian horrors. If you aren't into WIP flicks then forget this but if you want to see the start of a few famous horror directors and producers then you must pick it up. It's not a good flick as I wrote earlier but a perfect example of early seventies exploitation.Gore 0/5 Nudity 1,5/5 Effects 0/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

Exploitation film legend Roger Corman had had great success with his women in prison pictures ("The Big Doll House", "The Big Bird Cage", etc.) and was looking for a fresh spin to put on the formula. It was his head of development Frances Doel who came up with the idea to transplant it to ancient Rome, and the screenplay was written by John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington, whose other credits include "The Omega Man", "Boxcar Bertha", "Battle for the Planet of the Apes", and Corman's own "Von Richthofen and Brown". The result is an engagingly trashy variation on the classic gladiator film. Stars Margaret Markov and Pam Grier had previously been paired in "Black Mama, White Mama", and they re-team in a story about a disparate group of women, taken from their homes around the globe by the Romans, thrown together, and graduating from slaves to full blown gladiator women. As befitting Corman's style, there is undeniable exploitation here - the attractive female cast go full frontal for us in one memorable and enticing scene - yet at the same time it's also empowerment, featuring strong female characters who ultimately are going to stand up for themselves and rebel against their sleazy male captors. Debuting director Steve Carver, who went on to direct "Big Bad Mama", "Capone", and "Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider" for Corman, keeps this well staged, visually impressive movie humming along nicely. The widescreen cinematography is courtesy of Aristide Massaccesi, better known as Joe D'Amato, and the credited editor (on American prints) is Joe Dante, another of Corman's many successful alumni (the movie was actually cut in Italy; Dante merely did a final bit of trimming). Francesco De Masi supplies the wonderful, rousing music. And former actor Mark Damon, who went on to marry co-star Markov, is the producer. What makes "The Arena" so enjoyable is the fact that the actresses are so fun to watch. The cast also includes cult performers Paul Muller (as Lucilius) and Rosalba Neri (as Cornelia), who can be seen together in "Lady Frankenstein" as well. The final 20 minutes or so feature a great deal of action, and the movie begins with a bang as well, with an efficient, straightforward story with moments both comical and dramatic. It definitely comes recommended. Seven out of 10.

Roger Corman's tough, engrossing, skillfully executed proto-feminist $1.98 drive-in version of "Spartacus," an early New World Pictures production reuniting the dynamic distaff duo of Pam Grier and Margaret Markov, who previously formed a sparky, highly charged rat-a-tat-tat chemistry together in Eddie Romero's excellent Filipino "The Defiant Ones" variant "Black Mama, White Mama." Ancient Rome, Italty: Desperate for a little variety and bored with your standard mano a mano gladiatorial combat, the gross, idle, decadent rich captors of a culturally diverse assortment of slaves decide to let their much abused female servants engage in vicious one winner per battle to the death gladiator fights. The female fighters, who include the gutsy Mamawi (the one and only Pam Grier, in typically ferocious fit'n'physical fighting mode), the compassionate Bodicia (beauteous, blue-eyed unsung favorite firebrand blonde Margaret Markov), and the flighty Diedre (lovely redhead cupcake Lucretia Love), understandably disgusted with the foul, ignoble, dehumanizing treatment they receive from their odious oppressors, stage a violent, rousing climactic revolt in which men and women alike savagely fight for their freedom.Ably directed by Steve Carver (who also helmed the bang-up Depression-era corker "Big Bad Mama" for Corman), with quick pacing, snappy editing, a pungent, convincing period atmosphere, a tightly constructed narrative that thunders along with tremendous drive, and a fine, brooding score by Francesco De Masi, "The Arena" really makes the cut as top-of-the-line high concept 70's exploitation cinema at its most quirky and inspired. The solid, unusually intelligent script by John William and Joyce Carol Corrington (who previously wrote the funky end-of-the-world sci-fi/action hoot "The Omega Man") poses an extremely challenging and provocative moral question: Would you willingly kill another person in order to stay alive? And how much abuse would you endure before finally deciding that enough's enough? Furthermore, the truly terrific B-movie twosome of Pam and Margaret make for strong, smart and sympathetic heroines whose desire for independence is both genuinely admirable and even inspirational. Sara Bey, a striking brunette actress who's most fondly remembered as the titular perverted character in "Lady Frankenstein," makes for an eminently hateful villainess as the bitchy, overbearing, cold-hearted wealthy wench Cordelia. The gladiatorial combat scenes seriously cook: they're brutal, sweaty and bloody, the kind of splendidly staged down'n'dirty swords and battle axes a swinging fights that are quite exciting in a fiercely visceral, kick-you-in-the-guts sort of way (Pam in particular wields a mean trident). A genuine oddity from the Glorious Golden Era of the Grindhouse, "The Arena" partially succeeds on the basis of its sheer strangeness alone and largely because it's simply a very well-done consummate pro job all around.

Nothing like seeing washed-up blaxploitation actresses further their careers with such shimmering nuggets of bile as this. She has since gone on to bigger and better things, but this film is noticeably absent from her resume.. Hmmm... I wonder why? This is just another mindless t&a flick with some dumb cat fights and forgettable characters. Except for maybe Priscium, a drag queen Roman praetor portrayed masterfully by Sid Lawrence. And some big goofy bald guy who was sort of reminded me of Tor Johnson, one of Ed Wood's old spooks. If you absolutely must know what this garbage is about.. I'll enlighten you. Roman soldiers recruit "beautiful" (read: laundromat recruits) women to be love slaves for the hedonist government officials. When two of the girls, Pam Grier and some blonde chick, start a particularly brutal food fight, those ever-crafty Romans devise a new plan to keep the proles entertained: we'll make these girls fight! So, they make 'em be gladiators. I would've thought that Pam Grier would've used this film to showcase her awesome whupa$$ skills, but.. she didn't. She was suprisingly subdued, actually. Especially for being a Nubian warrior woman. Anyway, after several boring battles, unsaved even by copious amounts of jiggling flesh, the girl gladiators start a revolt and overthrow the government, allowing Pam Grier and blonde chick to escape.If you're looking for bad movies, this is merely average. There are so many better ones out there, but it is nice to see Pam Grier again. I bet she looks back on this one as a crowning achievement.