Watch a cult classic #1: The Tenth Victim
Watch on the wild side with our new series of primers on cult classics. First up: Elio Petri’s pop futurist sci-fi The Tenth Victim, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress.
Who directed it?
Elio Petri (1929-82) started in neorealism then took a genre detour for The Tenth Victim. The Italian filmmaker later won the best foreign-language film Oscar for Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (1970).
Who’s in it?
Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress were superstars at the peak of their fame. Andress’s hair was still wet from the ocean in Dr. No (1962), while Mastroianni had personified ‘cool’ in La dolce vita (1960) and 8½ (1963). But whereas Mastroianni embodied suave, sartorial womanisers for Fellini, here he’s a peroxide blonde and a doppelganger for Eminem.
What’s it about?
In the 21st century the Big Hunt is a televised competition pitting fame-hungry assassins against each other. The prize for surviving 10 rounds? A million dollars – oh, and staying alive. When a computer in Geneva selects renowned shooters Marcello (Mastroianni) and Caroline (Andress) for a one-on-one showdown, it’s the sci-fi equivalent of a World Cup final. However, their bloodlust is suddenly replaced by more regular lust. Digressions include a sun-worshipping religion, Marcello’s pet robot and a Relaxing Service Station (a roadside brothel). None of it should be taken too seriously, or seriously at all.
Where did the idea come from?
Robert Sheckley’s 1953 short story ‘Seventh Victim’ satiated Petri’s desire to satirise American consumerism. The director and his co-writers (including Fellini and Antonioni regulars) envisioned a globetrotting adaptation with set-pieces across America, Europe and Africa. Due to production costs, it was mostly shot in Rome, hence a climatic shootout by the Colosseum.
Is it supposed to be funny?
Absolutely. There’s no other way to interpret the Big Hunt’s recruitment slogan: “An enemy a day keeps the doctor away!”
What’s special about the visuals?
It looks like a comic-book movie – in a good way. The vivid, pop-art images leap off the screen, and, if you’re impatient, a new gag-heavy, futuristic setting is always moments away. In a direct nod to comics, Marcello’s prized possession is his collection of paperback ‘classics’ – only a dystopian society would treat superhero franchises this seriously.
As for the cinematography, DoP Gianni Di Venanzo was then best-known for his monochrome work on 8½ and L’eclisse (1962). Di Venanzo evidently has a blast with a kaleidoscopic colour palette that makes up for lost time.
What about the outfits?
The Tenth Victim is a fashion extravaganza. So much so that Tom Ford, when in charge of Gucci, helped fund the film’s restoration, and even cited Caroline’s first murder as inspiration for one of his catwalk creations. Designed by Giulio Coltellacci, the assassins’ clothes are slinky, practical and eye-catching. Whether it’s Caroline’s all-pink backless number or Marcello’s translucent cult-leader uniform, everyone is dressed to kill. In the documentary Elio Petri: Notes on a Filmmaker (2005), Andress raises a photo of Caroline’s metal brassiere and remarks, “The bikini from Dr. No was nothing compared to this.”
What’s the music like?
As lively and preposterous as the film it’s accompanying. Piero Piccioni’s score is lounge-y and jazzy (amid a shootout, saxophonists noodle with their instruments in the background), with a few too many organ riffs. Imagine what would play in the waiting room for a space station.
Were all sci-fi movies like this at the time?
Yes and no. Barbarella (1968) and Danger: Diabolik (1968) continued the trend for very silly, very 60s kitsch. However, Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville, also a 1965 release, envisioned the future as stoic and black-and-white.
Why was it ahead of its time?
The Big Hunt preceded The Running Man (1987), Battle Royale (2000), The Hunger Games (2012) and so on. The attack on celebrity culture, in hindsight, was more of a warning than satire.
Does it still hold up?
Yes. Mastroianni and Andress are as watchable as the zany surroundings, and the relentless action means you’re always entertained. Sure, it isn’t as meaningful as an Antonioni film, but it’s certainly more fun.
Why does it look familiar?
Caroline executing a man by firing bullets from her bra is replicated by the fembots in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). Mike Myers is such a fan that Ming Tea, the band that spawned the Austin Powers character, was named after Caroline’s corporate sponsor. When director Jay Roach mentions on the DVD commentary for The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) that a sequence was “inspired by The Tenth Victim”, Myers interjects with a correction: “Stolen from.”
What should I watch next?
Try a triple-bill of Fahrenheit 451 (1966), Soylent Green (1973) and Logan’s Run (1976).